Mile High Mids

The @midmajority reaches the Final Four!! Again!!

brendanloy — Sat, 30 Mar 2013 21:12:30 -0600

The @midmajority reaches the Final Four!! Again!!

Above: Royce O’Neale slams home a game-clinching dunk with...

brendanloy — Wed, 20 Mar 2013 10:21:47 -0600

Above: Royce O’Neale slams home a game-clinching dunk with 1 second left at Magness Arena last night, securing Denver’s 61-57 win over Ohio in the first round of the NIT — the Pioneers’ first postseason win in program history. On the bench, Dom Samac and Cam Griffin go airborne as they celebrate the dunk and win. Associate Head Coach Mike McKee can also be seen pumping his fist in celebration. Behind the bench, Denver fans celebrate, while the sizable contingent of Ohio fans look on dejectedly.

O’Neale’s dunk was the culmination of a memorable game-ending sequence in which Ohio’s Reggie Keely missed a potential game-tying shot with 8 seconds left, Brett Olson and Chris Udofia teamed up to grab a critical defensive rebound (credited to Udofia), Udofia passed it to Chase Hallam, and Hallam — smartly trying to avoid drawing a foul and instead run out the clock — passed the ball up the court to a wide-open Jalen Love, who touch-passed it to O’Neale, who slammed it home. Video highlights here.

Denver will take on Maryland, on the Terps’ home floor, in the second round of the NIT on Thursday at 5:00 PM Mountain Time. Tickets are available. The winner of Denver-Maryland will play either Alabama (at Tuscaloosa) or Stanford (at Denver or College Park) next week for the right to go to the NIT Final Four at Madison Square Garden.

Denver AD won't comment on Missouri Valley reports, but says "menu of sports" is key

brendanloy — Wed, 20 Mar 2013 09:54:00 -0600

I briefly caught up with Denver athletic director Peg Bradley-Doppes during last night’s NIT game, following up on our previous lengthy conversation about conference realignment. Bradley-Doppes, whose formal title is Vice Chancellor for Athletics and Recreation and Ritchie Center Operations, was a bit more guarded than in our wide-ranging interview last month, and refused to comment directly on an Argus Leader report that Denver has “already told the Missouri Valley no” in regards to the reported possibility of DU replacing Creighton in that league upon Creighton’s departure for the new Big East.

“I will not make any comments on any specific conference,” Bradley-Doppes said when I asked her about Summit League commissioner Tom Douple’s statement to Argus Leader sports editor Stu Whitney that Bradley-Doppes had told him over dinner on March 8 that Denver would stay in the Summit League and not replace Creighton in the MVC.

However, Bradley-Doppes specified that Denver is happy in the Summit League in part because it is “embracing…our institution as we are, academically and athletically.” That appeared to be a reference, at least in part, to the Summit League not demanding changes to Denver’s “menu of sports.”

It has been widely speculated that the Missouri Valley Conference might insist that Denver add baseball (which, per Title IX, essentially requires adding softball as well), and possibly outdoor track and/or cross-country, as a condition of admission to the league. There has also been speculation that a similar prerequisite might exist if the West Coast Conference were ever to consider Denver, probably in the wake of a potential future BYU departure. Bradley-Doppes previously told me, not referring explicitly to any specific conference, that “a dealbreaker for us [is] if they say, you’ve got to add four sports.”

“We feel that the university is in a very, very good position right now, given our geographic location and our menu of sports,” Bradley-Doppes said last night. Asked if the possibility of adding sports continues to be an issue in discussions with conferences, she responded, “It’s critically important. The University of Denver is a private institution. All of our programs at this time are fully funded. We have 17 sport programs. For us to add 2 or 4 sport programs, it would come from our existing budget, which means that it may diminish our overall competitiveness.”

“You never say never,” she added, “but I think we need to be true to ourselves and the institution we are, and the sports that we value: the skiing, the hockey, lacrosse, gymnastics. They’ve had great national success and visibility, and I don’t think they should ever be diminished. They’re very much a part of who we are. We take great pride in that.”

Bradley-Doppes also weighed in on controversy over unofficial mascot Denver Boone, about which the university sent an e-mail to alumni yesterday. (Previous posts here, here, here, here, here and here.) You can hear those comments — as well as the entirety of her remarks on the Missouri Valley, the Summit and realignment — in the audio clip below:

I also asked men’s basketball head coach Joe Scott at the postgame press conference if he had any thoughts on the Summit League vs. the Missouri Valley. Briefly burying his face in his hands, Scott joked, “I always have thoughts,” then proceeded to give a noncommmittal answer and indicate that he is staying focused on the task at hand: beating Maryland in the NIT second round on Thursday. If Denver keeps winning and building its program, Scott said, its opportunities in terms of conference realignment will only increase.

Denver’s NIT game against Ohio is underway at Magness Arena....

brendanloy — Tue, 19 Mar 2013 19:29:00 -0600

Denver’s NIT game against Ohio is underway at Magness Arena. Winner gets Maryland. Live coverage on Twitter at @MileHighMids.

DU students can attend tonight's NIT game for free

brendanloy — Tue, 19 Mar 2013 10:11:00 -0600

Denver is on spring break, so there probably won’t be a huge student turnout at Magness Arena tonight, but apparently Coach Joe Scott is trying to get as many students as possible to his team’s NIT game against Ohio. A Facebook status update from the DU D-Club says:

If you are a current DU student, and are in the Denver vicinity and want to attend the DU Men’s Basketball NIT game tonight - your wish has been granted. Coach Joe Scott is buying your ticket! Show your valid DU ID at the box office, and attend tonight’s game for free!

Tip-off is 7:15 PM. Tickets for the general public have been discounted to $5 apiece with promo code “DUNIT.”

Ken Pomeroy gives Denver an 80% chance of winning the game, projecting a 66-57 victory. The Vegas line is Denver -6.5.

UPDATE: Here’s confirmation of Joe Scott personally buying students’ admission to the game. “Students just need to bring a valid student ID to the DU Ritchie Center Box Office to pick up their ticket free of charge. The Pioneer men’s basketball team wants your to help PACK MAGNESS tonight!”

Also, from the Denver Post today:

Scott said the brackets for the 32-team NIT field and the 68-team NCAA Tournament are filled with the top 70 to 80 teams in college basketball. In Scott’s estimation there’s no reason for any of the teams to not consider themselves on the dance floor.

“It’s not the big dance, it’s the other dance,” Scott said of the NIT. “The NCAA runs the NIT just like it does its own tournament. There’s really no reason to belittle the NIT.” …

The postseason game is another step in building DU’s program, Scott said. The Pioneers have won 43 games over the past two seasons.

“We learned that our conference championship was important,” Scott said. “That’s what got us into the NIT.”

Reportedly, lobbying by the WAC helped Denver get in — and good attendance numbers helped them get a high seed, and thus a home game.

Denver makes it, gets an NIT home game!

brendanloy — Sun, 17 Mar 2013 19:20:00 -0600

In a stunning development, Denver got a #3 seed in the NIT, and will host #6 Ohio at Magness Arena on Tuesday at 7:15 PM Mountain Time!!!

The entire NIT bracket is pretty crazy, defying the near-unanimous expectations of bracketologists who are usually pretty good at predicting this stuff. But hey, I’ll take it, and I imagine so will Joe Scott & the Pioneers!

UPDATE: Here’s John Templon’s reaction to the bracket. Money quote: “I understand most of what happened. Three of my four final teams into the bracket missed. Xavier, LSU and Northern Iowa gave way to BYU, Denver, Ohio or something like that. What I can’t understand is how Air Force and Arkansas got left out of the NIT.”

Here’s the NIT bracket:

While we’re on the topic, some of you may be interested to know that I’m running my annual free, moneyless NCAA and NIT Pools over on my other blog.

Anyway… if Denver beats Ohio on Tuesday, what happens next would depend on who wins the game between #2 Maryland and #7 Niagara earlier Tuesday evening. If Maryland wins, the Denver-Ohio winner would travel to Maryland for a Thursday game (it has to be on Thursday because Maryland is hosting women’s tournament games this weekend). If Niagara wins, they would travel to the Denver-Ohio winner for a game on a date to be named later.

Perhaps the most significant fact about Denver’s unexpectedly good seed is this: if the Pioneers manage to win their first two games, and if anyone other than Alabama emerges from the top part of the bracket, Magness Arena would host an NIT quarterfinal next Tuesday or Wednesday night, with a trip to Madison Square Garden on the line. That’d be pretty cool.

First things first, though. Gotta beat Ohio!

Here’s the official story from DU about the Pioneers’ NIT invite, including Joe Scott’s reaction, and ticket information.

Several players posted their reactions on Twitter:

NIT BAAAAAAABY !!!!!

March 18, 2013

NIT!! Proud of the squad. Hosting Ohio at home on Tuesday at 715!! #DUMBB

March 18, 2013

Made the NIT! #wasssssp #NIT #DUMBB

March 18, 2013

Made the NIT.Number 3 seed. Lets go. We in here.

March 18, 2013

Made the NIT tournament!! So blessed to still be playing. Time to focus #DUMBB

March 18, 2013

NIT here we come!

March 18, 2013

We still in this thang baby #NIT home game Tuesday night

March 18, 2013

Really happy for the @du_mhoops guys. NIT First Round vs. Ohio at Magness Arena this Tuesday at 7:15 pm. #MagnessMagic #WellDeserved

March 18, 2013

I’ll be at Magness on Tuesday night, by the way.

Go Pios!

Denver's NIT fate goes down to the wire

brendanloy — Sun, 17 Mar 2013 03:30:00 -0600

It’s officially Selection Sunday, but the NIT bracketologists can’t decide whether or not Denver is likely to get a bid.

John Templon of NYC Buckets continues to say no, though he also continues to have Denver as his “last team out” — so it’s very, very close.

The Bracket Project also leaves Denver out of its NIT bracket.

But wait! There’s hope! Daniel Evans of BracketologyExpert.com has Denver in the NIT as the very last at-large team in the field.

These guys don’t disagree on too much. Templon and Evans have BYU out; Bracket Project has the Cougars in. (But then, Bracket Project has one team too many, because it hasn’t been updated since Stephen F. Austin became the final autobid.) Meanwhile, Templon and Bracket Project have St. Joseph’s in; Evans has them out (with Denver in their place, basically). Aside from that, they’re all in agreement on who gets in.

Anyway, there’s nothing else for Pioneer fans to root for or against. Just cross your fingers and hope… and tune into ESPNU tonight at 7:00 PM Mountain Time.

Speaking of which, I’ve created an NIT Bubble Scoresheet that you can print out and mark up during the show, following along with who’s in & who’s out, so you can keep tabs on how many spots are left.

[UPDATED with new Bubble Scoresheet link. -12:15 PM]

[UPDATED AGAIN; should be final now. -2:15 PM]

The New Mexico State Aggies, led by WAC tournament MVP Sim...

brendanloy — Sun, 17 Mar 2013 00:05:00 -0600

The New Mexico State Aggies, led by WAC tournament MVP Sim Bhullar — their 7’5”, 360 lb freshman, affectionately known to the Mid-Majority community as the INCREDIBLY LARGE MAN — are headed back to the Big Dance after beating Texas-Arlington in the WAC final tonight, 64-55.

I wish it were Denver celebrating that autobid tonight, obviously. But congrats to NMSU, and good luck in the tourney! WAC represent!

Also, thanks to Ross Lancaster for snapping the above photo, which SI’s Andy Glockner called the “picture of the season.”

Denver sits squarely on NIT bubble

brendanloy — Fri, 15 Mar 2013 10:25:00 -0600

John Templon, NIT bracketologist extraordinaire (and hoops blogger/podcaster at Big Apple Buckets), came out with his latest NIT projection last night. He has Denver as the “first team out” of the NIT field — which is really another way of saying that, at the moment, DU sits right on the “cutline,” and it’s impossible to confidently predict whether or not they’d get an invitation, if the season ended right now.

Unfortunately for Denver, the season doesn’t end right now, and their NIT bubble situation is likely to get more precarious rather than less. Basically, their best-case scenario is to remain where they are now: squarely on the bubble, hoping for the best. Their worst-case scenario is to see another handful of NIT spots get gobbled up by “bid thieves,” at which point they would be a distinct longshot to get an invite.

If Denver doesn’t get an NIT invitation, their season is probably over, judging by the school’s decision last year not to accept invitations to the CBI or CIT.

Much more after the jump, including a list of the teams Denver is competing against for the final NIT spots, and a rundown of Pioneer fans’ rooting interests between now and the NIT Selection Show on ESPNU at 7pm Mountain Time on Sunday.

Before their loss to RPI #287 Texas State last night, the Pioneers were a 5-seed in Templon’s projected NIT field. With the 7- and 8-seed lines almost completely occupied by auto bids (i.e., low-major teams that won their regular-season conference titles but lost in the tourney), that placed Denver somewhere between 5 and 8 spots away from the cutline. If Denver had lost in the WAC semifinals or finals, they probably would’ve been solid for the NIT. But losing to Texas State really dings their resumé, and now they will have to sweat it out until Sunday.

Here are the current “bubble in” and “bubble out” teams, according to Templon. (He doesn’t specifically identify “bubble in” teams, but I’m assuming every at-large team seeded #5 or lower is on the bubble.)

BUBBLE IN:

5-seeds
Air Force
Saint Joseph’s
Xavier

6-seeds
Indiana St.
LSU
Northern Iowa
St. John’s

7-seeds
Richmond

BUBBLE OUT:
Denver
Wyoming
Detroit
Ohio
Texas A&M
Washington
Texas

Worth noting: Denver won at Northern Iowa, and lost at Wyoming. But of course, the NIT selection committee will look at these teams’ entire bodies of work, not just one game.

Most NIT bubble teams’ seasons are over, but DU fans can still root against St. Joe’s, LSU, and Ohio in their games today. More importantly, root against any further conference tournament upsets that would result in any additional NIT “bid thievery.” Already, fully 9 of the 32 NIT spots are occupied by auto bids, and that number could grow.

In addition, NCAA “bid thievery” by teams who are not currently in either the NCAA or NIT field (like, say, Pac-12 semifinalist Utah) also hurts Denver, by shrinking the NCAA bubble and thus pushing a would-be NCAA at-large team down into the NIT, which in turn pushes someone out of the NIT.

Basically, if anyone who is not currently a projected NIT or NCAA team wins an NCAA autobid, it takes away an NIT at-large spot, one way or another. So, here are the teams Denver needs to root for in the remaining low/mid-major conference tourneys:

Big Sky: Montana*
Big West: Long Beach State
MAC: Akron
Southland: Stephen F. Austin
SWAC: Southern

*Yes, this means there is an inherent conflict between rooting for Northern Colorado tonight at Montana, and rooting for Denver to get an NIT shot. Personally, I will be rooting for the Bears, who can still earn their way into the Big Dance. But if UNC loses, and we get the expected Montana-Weber State title game, I’ll root for Montana for DU’s sake.

And, in some of the bigger leagues:

ACC: Anybody but Boston College
Atlantic 10: Anybody but St. Joe’s
Big Ten: Anybody but Nebraska
C-USA: Memphis OR Southern Miss (i.e., anybody but UTEP or Tulsa)
Pac-12: Anybody but Utah
SEC: Anybody but LSU or Vandy

It might also marginally help Denver’s NIT hopes if New Mexico State wins the WAC. The Red Aggies won’t get an NIT autobid if they lose — Louisiana Tech already has that — but they might be a fellow NIT bubbler with a loss; I’m not sure, as Templon is currently projecting them as the NCAA auto bid, and thus they’re off his NIT board.

By the way, here is my latest WAC bracket. As you can see, the tourney has completely blown up, as the Texas Hyphenates have risen up against their non-Texas oppressors. Watch out, NMSU.

Denver vs. Texas State: The dream ends

rossclancaster — Thu, 14 Mar 2013 21:40:00 -0600

Last Saturday’s game against Louisiana Tech at Magness Arena was a momentous occasion for the Denver basketball program. In defeating Louisiana Tech by 24 points, the Pioneers clinched their first regular season conference title, the result of months of hard work, excelling where other recent DU teams had faltered.

But at the heart of that celebration was the potential for something bigger and better, and another mountain the program had yet to climb: qualifying for the NCAA tournament.

At no point until they’d won three games in Las Vegas could it be certain that the Pios would win the WAC’s automatic bid, but it looked increasingly likely. It seemed Denver would have the best shot of any team in the conference to have its name called out on Sunday evening on CBS for the country to hear. Ken Pomeroy’s well-regarded site thought it was better than even money: a 56.3 percent chance that Denver would cut down the nets for the second time in a week, this time at Orleans Arena, site of the WAC tourney.

And who knew after that? Maybe enough teams would fall by the wayside in conference tournaments that DU could be a coveted 12 seed, where mid-majors often beat power-conference 5 seeds and make runs to the second weekend.

As you’re aware now, none of those dreams came to fruition. Denver, the No. 2 seed in the WAC, lost to 20-loss, No. 7 seed Texas State, 72-68, on Thursday afternoon in Las Vegas. The Pios’ ultimate goal of making the NCAA will have to wait until the core of the team returns next year, barring any transfers or unforeseen events.

The game began perilously for Denver. Unheralded 16.5-point underdog Texas State began on a 10-0 run in the first five minutes of the contest. In a sign of things to come, Joel Wright, the Bobcats’ star player and leading scorer, converted a 3-point play after scoring inside to cap off the run and began a 32-point outing.

Yet, I wasn’t too worried. This was a Texas State team that couldn’t guard anybody all season and would often go into what Twitter friend Matt Zemek would term “Hoist mode,” up against a team that was one of the nation’s most efficient on offense in the last month. Denver was still getting decent outside looks, but not hitting. As I said on Twitter, it was not time to, well, you know.

This isn’t the way DU wanted to start. There have been some good looks missed, though. No need for, you know, #PANIC. -@rosslancaster

March 14, 2013

Denver eventually settled down later in the first half. Its shooting percentage was still below average, but it was looking more comfortable. In hindsight, this was the best Denver did all day. When free throws by Royce O’Neale tied the game at 26 with 4:09 left in the half, Denver was back to even footing. But Texas State immediately responded. Wright kept getting inside and kept getting fouled for Texas State, and the Bobcats’ perimeter players like point guard Phil Hawkins knocked down open looks as well.

The score at halftime was, at first, Texas State by four, 36-32, but got changed to a five-point buffer when Hawkins’ two with a minute left was ruled a three post-facto by the officiating crew.

For me, the most crucial takeaway from that point in the game was that maybe, just maybe, Texas State really and truly had something incredible brewing and that Wright could not be stopped by the Denver frontline.

I’ve been more confident about DU’s comeback potential, but the last few minutes makes me wonder if they can stop Wright. -@rosslancaster

March 14, 2013

My pregame thinking was that whoever set the tempo in the ultimate clash of styles would be victorious. That thinking was debunked when I realized that the first half had been played in 28 possessions, essentially at Denver’s favored speed. The full-game totals were almost exactly double that. Texas State, one of the nation’s most run-and-gun teams, beat Denver playing at the Pios’ pace.

My hunch on Wright was confirmed when the transfer from Blinn JC in Texas scored the first six of the half to push the margin to 11. The unbelievable began to come into plain view. Texas State was the better team. While Denver ate into a 13-point lead at the 13:47 mark, it did so too slowly and never looked like itself on offense or defense. At one point in the second half, the Bobcats were up to a whopping 70 percent shooting from the floor. For me, frustration set in as Wright ran amok on Denver and the Pioneers continued to single-team him until around the 10-minute mark.

Double Wright. Double front him. Do something different. -@rosslancaster

March 14, 2013

Denver only got within a couple of possessions in the final two minutes. Even then, the normally patient Pioneers’ offense couldn’t get points quickly enough to seriously challenge. On the other end, Denver let too much time come off the clock before fouling. Denver coach Joe Scott insinuated in the post-game news conference that it wasn’t in the Pioneer’s identity to make quick-strike comebacks like the one that would have been necessary for victory Thursday.

It’s a cruel, and possibly unfair, part of this time of year that a team that did so many things right for the entirety of a 2 1/2-month conference season can have it all washed away in 40 minutes by a team that did so many things the wrong way. But those are the rules of the game, and everyone comes into small conference tournaments knowing than only one team can definitively reach the NCAAs. Scott conceded as much in his remarks, saying, “We have grown a lot and won a championship, but you have to start the day like you’re 0-0.”

In the strictest sense of the word, the season might not have ended for Denver today. The Pioneers could get an NIT bid or accept a CBI or CIT bid. But, for all intents and purposes, Denver’s season — and the wonderful, theoretical shot at a national title that campaign once provided — is now over. It ends in a loss, indeed.

It ends in a loss.

March 14, 2013

A horrific, inexplicable loss to the 286th-best team in the...

brendanloy — Thu, 14 Mar 2013 18:58:00 -0600

A horrific, inexplicable loss to the 286th-best team in the country abruptly ends Denver’s NCAA dreams, and imperils their NIT fallback plan as well. I personally think they will now miss the NIT. [UPDATE: John Templon, NIT-ologist extraordinaire, says Denver may yet make it into the NIT.]

I don’t understand how you go 18-0 against teams ranked below the RPI Top 100 all season, and then lose this one with everything on the line. (The Pios never led.) I don’t get it. I’m also too heartbroken to say more now. Ross will have a full recap later.

Go Pios.

WAC Tournament: Live from Vegas!

brendanloy — Thu, 14 Mar 2013 12:26:00 -0600

Direct from the liveblog page, here’s the CoverItLive window that’s auto-importing tweets by @rosslancaster or @MileHighMids which are tagged with #MileHighMids (i.e., Ross’s official live-tweets from Vegas). Newest entries are on top.

Mile High Mids in Vegas

And here is Mile High Mids’ ongoing, season-long liveblog, currently auto-importing all tweets & RTs by @MileHighMids and @rosslancaster (and all replies thereto and mentions thereof, assuming CiL’s Twitter search function is working), plus all tweets & RTs by @DU_MHoops and everyone else on my “DU / WAC in Vegas” Twitter list.

Mile High Mids 2012-13 Season

DU vs. Texas State preview: We're not very much like each other

rossclancaster — Thu, 14 Mar 2013 09:23:00 -0600

At first glance, Thursday’s WAC quarterfinal between Denver and Texas State looks like a classic low-seed/high-seed early-round conference tournament matchup.

Denver has won 10 games in a row, 17 of its last 18 and clinched a share of the conference regular season title on Saturday by thrashing the team it shared the crown with, Louisiana Tech, by 24.

Texas State, while coming into the game as winners of 4 of its last 6 contests, has 21 losses on the season, and just six conference wins. The Bobcats have had a season plagued by separate losing streaks of five and nine games.

In the teams’ two previous meetings, Denver won 64-53 at Magness Arena on Jan. 3, and 79-64 in San Marcos, Texas, on Feb. 2. In the two contests, Denver racked up an average of 1.18 points per possession, while holding Texas State to 0.96.

All of those facts lead to Denver being a deserved 19-point favorite as per Ken Pomeroy’s magical robots and a 16.5-point favorite in Las Vegas.

Yet, the game should be absolutely fascinating due to the teams’ complete and utter disdain for playing each other’s favored styles.

If you’re reading this blog, you are almost certainly aware that Denver runs a methodical, Princeton-style offense that often plays the nation’s slowest tempo. Texas State is almost literally Denver’s polar opposite. In coach Doug Davalos’ seven-year tenure in charge of the Bobcats, the team has never ranked lower than seventh nationally in pace.

On Thursday, when Texas State wants to put up quick shots, Denver will want to take the entirety of the shot clock. After missed shots, the Bobcats will want to send everybody towards the hoop to get points in transition, while the Pios will be content to slow it down, pass, and cut away in their offense.

The matchup vaguely reminds me of one of my favorite games of the 20 I covered last year for the 800 Games Project, when UT-Arlington hosted Stephen F. Austin in the final game played at UTA’s Texas Hall. UTA was one of the nation’s fastest-paced clubs in 2012, while SFA was one of the slowest. The pace battle was an ever-evolving, zig-zagging strategic game-within-in-game. UTA got the best of the tempo battle, and won a defensive game.

Still, those teams were more evenly matched than the two that will be playing Thursday night. While teams in this tournament could possibly exploit Denver’s less-than-stellar rebounding, Texas State isn’t likely to, ranking ninth in the WAC in offensive and defensive rebound percentage. Denver should also be able to turn over the Bobcats, which would make controlling the tempo that much easier.

If Texas State wants to cause shockwaves in the mid-major world and cause the enormous upset, it will have to get a big game from power forward Joel Wright, an extremely high-usage player who is also a foul-drawing machine. Wright is coming off a 26-point effort against Seattle in which he went to the line 14 times, connecting on 12. Against Denver in February, the juco transfer went to the line 18 times en route to dropping a near-season high 33 on the Pios. What has the makings of a long day for the Bobcats stands to be even longer if Wright can’t repeat his previous output.

Northern Colorado faces elimination game tonight too

brendanloy — Thu, 14 Mar 2013 09:21:00 -0600

Both of the “true” mid-majors in the Front Range region, Denver and Northern Colorado, play elimination games today in their respective conferences’ quarterfinal rounds. The Pioneers face Texas State at 3:30 PM Mountain Time in Las Vegas; the Bears play in the 4-5 game against Montana State at 7:00 PM on Montana’s home court in Bozeman.

But this blog’s focus has been almost exclusively on Denver. There are two reasons for that. One, DU is always the primary focus of this blog, with UNC secondary (and the Mountain West teams and other mid-majors tertiary, covered primarily on the blog’s Twitter feed). Denver, after all, is the team I “adopted” in 2010. They’re my primary emotional investment. But secondly, the Pioneers simply have a much more realistic path to NCAA glory. Denver is arguably the favorite to win the WAC tourney. Northern Colorado, despite being the 3rd-most likely team to win the Big Sky according to Ken Pomeroy, has just a 2.5% chance of doing so — a testament to how dominent #1 and #2 seeds Montana and Weber State have been. According to KenPom, there’s a 94.7% chance that one of those two teams will capture the Big Sky’s autobid.

That said, UNC is the slight favorite tonight, per KenPom, despite being the #5 seed. The Bears are given a 65.4% chance of beating the #4-seeded Bobcats. Here is Big Sky Basketball’s preview:

(4) Montana State vs. (5) Northern Colorado

First two meetings: Each team won on each other’s home court. MSU beat UNC by 3 in Greeley, while UNC won by 13 in Bozeman.

How Montana State wins: Get some stops. They are 338th in defensive efficiency, which makes it tough to win big games. They also need Flavien Davis and Paul Egwuonwu to keep bringing their A games - both guys have been excellent in the past couple weeks.

How Northern Colorado wins: Take care of the basketball, as this can sometimes be their Achilles heel. Defensively, they have to pay attention to their assignments, as they have a tendency to lose their man. Tevin Svihovec and Connor Osborne need to show up and play big. BJ Hill knows what he will get from Tate Unruh and Derrick Barden, but the play of Osborne and Svihovec is the difference for them.

PREDICTIONS: … (5) Northern Colorado over (4) Montana State - MSU is a team that is capable of making a long run or losing in the first round. It’s hard to know what to expect from them. UNC has looked better defensively in the last couple of weeks. Lack of bench production is a concern, but I like UNC to eek out a win in what should be a very competitive, entertaining game.

And here’s what Brett Hein at Mid-Major Madness says about the Bears:

It’s a little bit of a mystery why Northern Colorado wasn’t better this season, but the Bears still can pack a punch. Why? They can shoot the ball. Every major contributor shoots 44% or better from the field, with Derrick Barden and Connor Osborne over 52%. Those two, combined with Tate Unruh and Paul Garnica, all shoot better than 41% from the three-point line as well.
Their first-round matchup with Montana State is a quintessential four-five game: Both teams were a perfectly-average 10-10 in conference play, and split head-to-head with wins on the other’s home court.

Northern Colorado’s win over Montana State displays exactly why the Bears at least can be dangerous: Every starter scored 11 points or more and as a team, NoCo shot 61.7% (29-47). If the shooters are on, opponent beware. Plus, Derrick Barden does a little of everything for the Bears, and does it all very well.

TITLE CHANCES: Dark Horse. In the conference tournament setting, a team that can get as scorching hot as Northern Colorado always has a shot. But it’s not always there to save the Bears, hence the 10-10 record. We’ll only know which team shows up when the ball is tipped.

Unlike the WAC, which charges $7.95 a pop for the privilege of streaming its tournament games, the Big Sky lets you watch the entire tourney for free on Big Sky TV.

The deep breath before the plunge: Quarterfinals' Eve

brendanloy — Wed, 13 Mar 2013 23:24:00 -0600

The board is set. The pieces are moving. It’s almost time, finally, to play the games.

Above: An INCREDIBLY LARGE BRACKET at Orleans Arena. Photo by Ross Lancaster.

The first WAC quarterfinal is #3-seed New Mexico State against #6 Idaho at 1:00 PM Mountain Time tomorrow. NMSU is a 6.5-point favorite. I know I wrote yesterday that “DU fans…need to root for…NMSU on Thursday” for the sake of Denver’s profile — specifically, its RPI Top 100 RPI wins — which could affect NCAA seeding. (At-large selection ain’t happening. It just isn’t. At all. Sorry, Paul and Mike and Coach Scott.) But that was a broader statement than I meant to make. I meant only that DU fans should root for NMSU if they are focused narrowly on that RPI issue. However, I agree with several folks who have commented that Denver fans should instead root for Idaho because, while Kyle Barone is good and anything is possible, on paper NMSU is a much tougher matchup for DU if the Pioneers get there, and the priority for DU is to just win, baby — we can worry about NCAA seeding later, but first we’ve gotta win three straight games, and that’ll be easier if the potential semifinal opponent is the Vandals instead of the Red Aggies and the INCREDIBLY LARGE MAN. So, yeah. Root for Idaho tomorrow.

The second game is the biggie, of course: #2 Denver against #7 Texas State at 3:30 PM Mountain Time. Denver is favored by 16.5 points. Our WAC tourney correspondent, Ross Lancaster, will be posting a game preview in the morning. Stay tuned for that. [UPDATE: Here it is.]

Ross, by the way, just landed in Vegas, along with blog mascot Mile High Bally:

#MilehighMids Bally and I have arrived in Las Vegas! twitter.com/rosslancaster/…

March 14, 2013

The third game is #1 Louisiana Tech against #9 Texas-San Antonio at 7:00 PM Mountain Time. An upset would be delightful, of course, but I won’t hold my breath. My ScoreCenter app isn’t telling me the line for this game, but Ken Pomeroy, who #robots’ numbers usually line up with the Vegas odds pretty well, projects a 12-point Louisiana Tech victory.

The fourth and final game is #4 Texas-Arlington against #5 Utah State, at 9:30 PM Mountain Time. On paper, this is the day’s most evenly matched game, as the seeds would imply. Utah State is a 3-point favorite, despite having been swept by UTA this season. USU’s Spencer Butterfield is back from injury, though Preston Medlin apparently won’t be. In any case, Denver fans have a clear rooting interest in this one, because of that RPI Top 100 business. DU definitely wants Utah State to win here. I! I BELIEVE! :)

The games are all being streamed by WacSports.tv, though it’ll cost you — $7.95 per game — and incredibly, there doesn’t seem to be an all-tournament package. Ugh. Alternatively, you can listen to Denver’s game on 1510 AM. Check #midsradio for possible radio options vis a vis the other games.

Also, remember, the liveblog page is here. And/or follow @MileHighMids on Twitter. Ross and I will both be tweeting there. (His tweets will be automatically signed “-@rosslancaster”; mine are unsigned.)

P.S. Parsing the WAC also has, and will continue to have, more good stuff on the tourney.

Chancellor: Boone issue "closed"; mascot "polarizing"

brendanloy — Wed, 13 Mar 2013 22:39:00 -0600

Above: Boone with Chris Udofia after Denver’s win over Louisiana Tech. More photos at LetsGoDU.

In the midst of final exams, and on the eve of perhaps the most important weekend in the history of Denver men’s basketball (to say nothing of the hockey playoffs), DU Chancellor Robert Coombe sent an e-mail to the university community earlier today addressing the ongoing controversy surrounding the university’s unofficial mascot, Denver Boone. It was, in a sense, a follow-up to Chancellor Coombe’s 2008 e-mail on the same topic.

(My previous posts on the Boone controversy can be found here, here, here, here and here.)

In today’s e-mail, Coombe says he is writing “in the hope of adding some clarity to this discussion, in particular regarding the University’s position on the matter.” He then proceeds to address and reiterate various facts that have already been discussed here on the blog. In that sense, the e-mail doesn’t really make any news. It does reaffirm that the “task force” created to find a new mascot “will not be evaluating support for Boone, as that matter is closed; rather, it will be looking toward a new mascot that everyone can get behind and embrace.”

As with each and every statement I have seen from Boone opponents, including Coombe’s 2008 communique, this latest e-mail does not actually attempt to explain WHY Boone is offensive or unacceptable as a mascot. Instead, the e-mail simply asserts that Boone does not “reflect the growing diversity of the DU community,” whatever that means; further asserts that “many women, persons of color, international students and faculty members [find it] difficult to relate to [Boone] as defining the pioneering spirit,” without explaining why that is so; and finally asserts that Boone is a “polarizing figure,” without making any effort to explore whether there is an objectively reasonable basis for the objections to Boone that underlie the “polarization.”

I assume that Chancellor Coombe, as a distinguished academic, understands the difference between explanation and assertion, so I assume that the decision to assert, and not even attempt to explain, is a conscious choice. I confess I am somewhat baffled by the choice, but that is the choice he has consistently made, as have other Boone opponents, from what I’ve seen. They really seem to think Boone’s supporters, as well as third parties with no dog in the fight (like me), don’t need to understand why he’s offensive. They just need to accept it and move on. It’s like a parent talking to a small child: do it because I said so.

As I’ve said before, I remain genuinely willing to be convinced that there is a reasonable basis to oppose Boone. I just haven’t heard it yet. As an outsider to the DU community whose only link to this issue is the fact that I root for the basketball team, I don’t have some deep personal connection to the decades of tradition that Boone represents. If he’s genuinely offensive, if there’s an objectively reasonable basis to oppose him, then yeah, I would support getting rid of him. But I am certainly inclined to support him unless someone actually explains why he should be eliminated. Again:

Members of majority groups shouldn’t automatically scoff at minority groups’ concerns and say they’re just being oversensitive, because there are times when their concerns are very legitimate. … [T]here certainly ARE cases where “tradition” must give way to a concern for being respectful of particular groups. …

The elimination of the mascot at my mother’s alma mater, the University of Illinois, comes to mind. My mom had a lot of fond memories of Chief Illiniwek, but she also ultimately came to recognize that, reluctantly, yes, he had to go. The reasons for that made sense.

But with Boone, it’s far less self-evident WHY he’s offensive (particularly if his name were to be changed). Again, MAYBE HE IS offensive, but you can’t just *assert* that without explaining why, or say “he doesn’t reflect DU’s diversity and the true Pioneer spirit” (which is a meaningless statement without elaboration — mascots aren’t supposed to be mirrors held up to a student body, so this “diversity” argument just sounds like ivory-tower P.C. mumbo-jumbo to anyone outside the bubble).

I really don’t want to get bogged down with this issue tonight. I’ve got more pressing things to think and tweet and blog about, like the WAC quarterfinals and Denver’s game against Texas State tomorrow. But for the record, after the jump, I have published several questions that I’ve e-mailed, over the last couple of weeks, to student government president Sam Estenson, who played a key role in the recent anti-Boone bill, and also to Jozer Guerrero, a prominent Boone opponent who commented on a recent thread. I haven’t gotten any answers yet, but perhaps someone in this thread will be able to answer the questions. I’m all ears.

Chancellor Coombe’s full e-mail is also after the jump.

P.S. Oh, and new readers… this isn’t really a blog about Boone, even though that’s been a hot topic lately. It’s a blog about the Denver men’s basketball team. Please bookmark the Mile High Mids homepage, “like” Mile High Mids on Facebook, follow @MileHighMids on Twitter, and keep coming back as the Pios vie for NCAA glory!

Okay, now for the promised “after the jump” stuff…

(For what it’s worth, Guerrero hasn’t yet responded to my e-mail. Estenson, after initially promising to answer my questions, eventually deferred to Kim DeVigil, Senior Director of Communications for the University, saying “all statements pertaining to official stance on such subjects must go through their office and therefore I leave this in their capable hands.” I haven’t yet attempted to get a comment from Ms. DeVigil’s office; I’ve been busy, and also, I was frankly more interested in what the on-the-ground advocates of the anti-Boone position have to say, not so much in an official statement from the university’s P.R. department.)

Anyway, the questions:

1.     What exactly is it about Boone that’s offensive, and in what way? Is it his name, and the association with Daniel Boone? Is it something about the image (and if so, what specifically about the image is offensive)? Or is it the whole concept of a Western Pioneer circa the 1800s being used as the university’s mascot? In other words, even if Boone looked different and/or had a different name, would he still be offensive so long he was a “pioneer” from that era? If so, why? I’d really like to dig into this—these are honest questions, and I’m not trying to be antagonistic in asking them; I just want to understand your position better, as I personally don’t understand (yet) what specifically about Boone is considered offensive. I understand why, for instance, the Tomahawk chop or Chief Illiniwek or the “Fighting Sioux” are considered offensive, but I’m confused about why, specifically, Boone is considered offensive. Can you help me understand your stance in this regard?

2.     If the problem is Boone’s name, could it be solved by changing his name to “Pioneer Pete” or something similar, but keeping the costume as-is? If not, why not?

3.     If the problem is something related to Boone’s image, could changes be made to the image (while maintaining Boone as a Western “Pioneer”) which would make the image more acceptable and less offensive? If not, why not?

4.     If the problem is the whole concept of having a Western “Pioneer” as a mascot … do you believe Denver should ultimately change its school nickname to something other than the “Pioneers”? Is this the first step toward that endgame? Or, if “Pioneers” is fine, even while Boone is offensive….why? What’s the difference?

5. Estenson told the Clarion, “There is a large number of students in the DU community who don’t understand the history of Boone. The idea is that Native American history is being marginalized. … I genuinely believe that if students understood imagery behind Boone, they would not continue to use him” Assuming you agree with that statement, can you elaborate on what is meant by the “history of Boone” and the “imagery behind Boone”? My understanding is that Boone was, indeed, “drawn by Disney”—is that incorrect? What aspect of the “history of Boone” is offensive? Is it simply the association with Daniel Boone, or something else (or in addition)? What aspect of the “imagery behind Boone” would students reject if they “understood” it? And in what way is “Native American history being marginalized”? Again, I don’t mean to be antagonistic or confrontational, I just want to understand better.

6. I have often seen expressed, in various online mediums and elsewhere, sentiments along the lines of: Boone offends some members of our community, and thus, he is divisive and cannot be a good mascot for DU. This is also basically what Julia Bramante said, and a similar sentiment appears in Chancellor Coombe’s statement. Invariably, the response from pro-Boone folks is that some people are too easily offended, and the fact that a small group is offended isn’t enough reason, by itself, to make a change. How do you respond to this? Do you agree that Boone opponents “don’t need to understand it’s offensive or why there is so much need to change,” but should support change “out of love your DU peers” if they merely “can understand that people are deeply hurt by it”?

(In the interest of full disclosure, I will candidly say that, while I personally believe genuinely offensive mascots—like Illinois’ old Chief Illiniwek, for instance—should be banned notwithstanding cries of “tradition,” I do not believe that “some people are offended, so we have to make a change” is a good enough reason, without more, to ban a mascot or tradition. I believe you have to look at whether there is an objectively reasonable basis for people to be offended, based on the facts, and not just automatically follow the wishes of whatever group is offended by something. I’m not sure which side of the line Boone falls on, but that’s my overall take on how this sort of decision ought to be made. I’m curious if you agree or disagree.)

7. A commenter on Facebook wrote the following, which I thought was interesting, and I’m curious what you think. “I can understand dropping Native American nicknames and mascots out of respect for the minority, if those cultures feel denigrated. But dropping Pioneers would be a whole new level of political correctness, where the majority would drop its name. Can you see Oklahoma dropping Sooners, Wyoming dropping the Cowboys or Texas Tech dropping the Red Raiders if minority factions on their campuses were unhappy?” Thoughts?

Those are my questions. Here is Chancellor Coombe’s e-mail, which, as you’ll see, doesn’t answer any of them:

March 13, 2013

Dear Members of the DU Community:

All of us at DU are committed to inclusive excellence in everything that we do, as it is a major goal for the University as a whole. It’s important that we all support that goal in our actions, in our words, and in the images we associate with our community. Over the last few weeks there has been considerable controversy surrounding the “Denver Boone” figure that was our mascot some years ago. I am writing to you today in the hope of adding some clarity to this discussion, in particular regarding the University’s position on the matter.

As you may know, “Boone” has not been the mascot of the University since 1998, and we currently do not have an official mascot. An effort to resurrect Boone was mounted by student and alumni groups in 2008, and this led to the assembly of a University committee to gather opinion from different sectors and consider the matter at length. It quickly became clear that Boone was a polarizing figure that did not reflect the growing diversity of the DU community, but rather was an image that many women, persons of color, international students and faculty members found difficult to relate to as defining the pioneering spirit. Consequently I decided at that time that Boone would not be our official mascot. The current Boone figure that is seen at athletic events is in keeping with language in a letter that I sent to the community in 2008 that allows students and alumni groups to use the image as a celebration of the past, to the extent they may choose. The figure is not used in any official manner by the University, nor do we provide any financial support for its use by others. The person in the Boone costume at athletic events is a ticket holder, and nothing more.

The Undergraduate Student Government has taken up this matter and formed a task force that will move forward with research into the possibilities for a new mascot, specifically one that reflects our identity as the Pioneers but also the growing diversity of our community and its inclusive and welcoming nature. The task force will not be evaluating support for Boone, as that matter is closed; rather, it will be looking toward a new mascot that everyone can get behind and embrace. The University has offered its support to the task force through its office of Marketing and Communications. USG plans to engage in this effort through spring quarter, with a recommendation to be forwarded to my office and the Board of Trustees. At its meeting in late February, USG voted to phase out funding from student activities fees used by clubs or student groups for materials bearing the Boone image, effective 30 days after the adoption of a new official mascot. This is a great move forward.

I believe that the action by USG provides a tremendous opportunity to accelerate our progress toward inclusive excellence. As we mount a productive conversation about a new mascot, I hope our thoughts will be forward-looking and reflective of the University that we are to become, rather than the University that we were decades ago. Ten years from now, our student population will be vastly more diverse than it is now, in a way that represents tremendous intellectual potential for the institution as a whole. The real question is whether as a community we will be vastly more inclusive than we are now, with our images and icons, and our mascot, reflective of that rich diversity and inclusiveness. We should challenge ourselves to look to that future.

Robert Coombe

Pioneers invade Vegas

brendanloy — Wed, 13 Mar 2013 20:26:00 -0600

With tip-off of the Denver men’s WAC quarterfinal set for 3:30 PM Mountain Time tomorrow (and the Denver women having, alas, already been eliminated today after winning yesterday), it seems like everybody associated with the Pioneers program is descending on Sin City.

Monday and Tuesday, busing it to Vegas were the cheerleaders (and band):

Vegas here we come!!! Lets go @du_mhoops!! #ducheer #wac twitter.com/sam_johns821/s…

March 12, 2013

Here they are at Orleans Arena (I think) this afternoon:

RT @kilowery: Cheer!!!!! WAC instagr.am/p/W0O_HDRLSe/ | Photo of the @du_cheer team at Orleans Arena earlier today: twitter.com/MileHighMids/s…

March 14, 2013

Also on Monday, SID extraordinaire Mike Kennedy flew im:

Denver WBB, CSU MBB and Wyo all represented on our flight. #LasVegas

March 11, 2013

By this morning, Kennedy — an avid runner — was reporting on the, um, atmospheric conditions in Vegas:

What smells like sewage, tobacco, body odor and utter desperation? The Strip during my 11-mile run.

March 13, 2013

Then today, the team flew out:

RT @brett_olson23: We in here! #WACtourney #Vegas #business instagr.am/p/W0ecBDmkmE/ | twitter.com/MileHighMids/s…

March 14, 2013

While y’all are enjoying y’all’s spring break on the beach & stuff , I’m out here chasing my dreams 👍

March 14, 2013

Denver Boone also arrived today:

Landed in Vegas! Not sure why the flight attendants were giving me such weird looks… it’s like they’ve never… fb.me/tE6iuFGV

March 13, 2013

And, as I write this, Mile High Mids correspondent Ross Lancaster and, as shown below, Mile High Bally, are en route to Vegas:

Mile High Bally on plane to Vegas with @rosslancaster for #MileHighMids coverage of #WAChoops tourney. Go @du_mhoops! twitter.com/MileHighMids/s…

March 14, 2013

Photo: The second leg of Southwest flight 378 is empty enough that Mile High Bally got his own seat for the… tmblr.co/Z9zHbwgCxly2

March 14, 2013

The second leg of Southwest flight 378 is empty enough that Mile...

rossclancaster — Wed, 13 Mar 2013 20:02:52 -0600

The second leg of Southwest flight 378 is empty enough that Mile High Bally got his own seat for the flight! Just two more hours until arrival in Sin City.

And then there were 8

brendanloy — Tue, 12 Mar 2013 23:50:00 -0600

On Pillowfight Tuesday in the WAC, Texas State and Texas-San Antonio won the 7-10 and 8-9 games, respectively, thus ensuring that all three Texas schools reach the quarterfinals, and giving us a bracket that looks like this:

So, it’ll be Denver against Texas State at 3:30 PM Mountain Time on Thursday. In their previous two meetings, the Pioneers won 64-53 at Magness Arena and 79-64 in San Marcos, TX. Hopefully Thursday will be more of the same!

Incidentally, for the very latest live coverage of the tourney, visit our new liveblog page. (Or just follow us on Twitter, @MileHighMids.)

Introducing your fearless correspondent in Vegas

rossclancaster — Tue, 12 Mar 2013 19:33:00 -0600

As I type, the WAC tournament, of which Denver is the No. 2 seed and statistical favorite to win, has just begun with what The Mid-Majority’s Kyle Whelliston would have called “pillowfight” games if this was the CAA tournament in Richmond.

This blog has a seat reserved for those games, but the seat won’t be occupied until Thursday at noon Pacific Time, when New Mexico State plays Idaho in the conference tournament’s first quarterfinal. The normal author of this blog won’t be at those games, either. Instead, I, Ross Lancaster, will be there in Brendan’s place, with Mile High Bally beside me.

So, you may be asking yourself right now, who ARE you? What are you doing here? Are you going to give this place any Deadspin-esque makeovers?

If you followed TMM’s 800 Games Project last season, you might remember my name. As a resident of the Dallas/Ft. Worth area, I mostly went to North Texas and UT-Arlington games, and followed the Sun Belt and Southland conferences. Even though I’ve never lived in Denver (but am a Broncos fan as a result of my parents living in Boulder just before having me), I’ve been able to follow DU’s program for the last several years since UNT and UTA have been conference mates with the Pioneers at different points.

Thus, my reason for wanting to be at this tournament came via both UT-Arlington and Denver, the WAC teams I’ve followed before their singular WAC season.

All the way back in July, I met former UT-Arlington SID Darrin Scheid at the McKinney Avenue Tavern in Dallas. Almost immediately, with the Summer Olympics on in the background and the calendar closer to football season in Texas, we started talking about Sun Belt, WAC and Southland Conference basketball. Several months later, we started making plans to merely spectate in Las Vegas to watch UTA in its conference tournament.

After knowing that I would be in Vegas in mid-March, I DM’d Brendan asking him if he was going to be there to watch Denver. He said he wouldn’t be there, but offered me the chance to cover the tournament through Mile High Mids AND get credentialed on press row.

The next few days mark my first time ever covering a conference tournament from press row, and I couldn’t be more excited. I can’t wait to bring you all the action from Orleans Arena (and possibly the Thomas & Mack Center if the times work out with a MWC game) and do it in a fun, lively way, as is this blog’s custom.