WHATS ON TAP: Denver looks to ends its four-game conference losing skid when it travels to Jonesboro, Ark., to take on Arkansas State, Thursday, Feb. 8 at 6:05 p.m. Denver will be looking for its first conference win since a 59-57 decision over Middle Tennessee on Jan. 18. Denver has lost four straight Sun Belt Conference games by a TOTAL of nine points, including last weeks lone conference game, a 65-61 setback at South Alabama. Following the game at ASU, Denver then returns home to host North Texas, Saturday, Feb. 10 at 7:00 p.m.
TV/RADIO: There is no live television of Thursdays game but the game will be broadcast on AM 1600, 16 KICKS in Denver and can be heard via the internet at http://www.16kicks.com. The broadcast will begin at 5:45 p.m., with the pregame show from the Mitchell Center. Calling all of the action for AM 1600 on Thursday is veteran sports broadcaster Mitch Hyder, in his second season in Denver.
DENVER HEAD COACH MARTY FLETCHER: Head coach Marty Fletcher is in his fourth season at the helm of the Denver basketball program, his 19th season overall. After Sundays much needed win over Division III Colorado College, Fletchers record stands at 243-293 (.453) overall, 30-72 (.294) in his tenure at Denver. Fletcher entered the season with a chance to become the Sun Belt Conferences second winningest coach in terms of conference victories, he currently is in sole possession of third place on that list with 64 and is just six wins short of second place. A look at the top five:
1. Gene Bartow (UAB) 111 2. Ronnie Arrow (South Alabama) 69 3. Marty Fletcher (Denver/ULL) 64 4. Matt Kilcullen (Jacksonville/WKU) 60 5. J.D. Barnett (Virginia Comm.) 59 Fletcher is 64-68 all-time in Sun Belt play.
THE ASSISTANTS: Denver assistants Todd Rinehart and Byron Jones return for their fourth seasons alongside Fletcher in Denver, and newcomer John Marczak enters his first season after spending last season at Syracuse.
DENVER PROBABLE STARTERS:Pos # Name Cl. Ht. Wt. PPG RPG G 21 Sherman Rochell Jr. 6-5 200 7.5 4.4G 23 Arthur Ireland Sr. 6-2 187 10.7 3.6C 40 Steve Simmons Jr. 6-9 230 7.3 9.1F 33 Wahhab Carter Jr. 6-6 205 9.4 4.4F 24 Kevin Overton Sr. 6-7 215 8.8 4.8
A LOOK AT ARKANSAS STATE: The Indians enter Thursdays game with Denver with a 14-8 overall record, 8-2 in the Sun Belt Conference. ASU has won nine of their last 11 games, losing to Arkansas-Little Rock (53-50) and Western Kentucky (79-61) in that span. The Indians have four players averaging in double figures, led by junior center Jason Jennings, who leads the team in scoring and rebounding at 13.8 points a game and 6.8 rebounds. Right behind him at 12.0 points per game is junior guard Nick Rivers and junior forward Kolin Weaver, who is third on the team in scoring at 11.8 points a game and second in rebounding at 6.5 per game. Rounding out the double digit scorers for Arkansas State is senior guard Jamie Rosser, who is averaging 11.6 points a game and is the team leader in assists with an average of 4.1 per game. He is also the teams leader in 3-point shooting (41-of-87, 47 percent) and free throw shooting (31-of-37, 84 percent). Despite losing eight of their 22 games this season, Arkansas State has lost just once at home this season, an 86-67 loss to Eastern Illinois on Dec. 2. The Indians have also lost to East Carolina, Nevada, Memphis, Southern Mississippi, and McNeese State.
ARKANSAS STATE PROBABLE STARTERS:Pos # Name Cl. Ht. Wt. PPG RPG G 4 Jamie Rosser Sr. 6-2 180 11.6 3.5G 11 Nick Rivers Jr. 6-1 180 12.0 2.0G 22 Matt Pruitt So. 6-3 185 2.9 2.1F 33 Kolin Weaver Jr. 6-9 235 11.8 6.5C 55 Jason Jennings Jr. 7-0 250 13.8 6.8
ARKANSAS STATE HEAD COACH dickey nutt: Arkansas State head coach Dickey Nutt is in his sixth season as head man at Arkansas State, and has a 86-77 overall record in his tenure. He spent eight seasons as the top assistant coach at ASU and in his five years as head coach he has two conference titles and is the SBCs second-winningest active coach behind Marty Fletcher with 53 conference wins.
Denver vs. Arkansas State: In a series that dates to December of 1968, Arkansas State hold a 3-1 edge over Denver thanks to sweeping the series in conference play last season. ASU beat Denver 83-82 in Magness Arena in the first game last season and followed that with a 99-80 win in Jonesboro on Feb. 7. Denvers lone win in the series came on Dec. 7, 1968, a 106-80 Pioneer win in Denver.
Fletcher vs. Arkansas State: In Marty Fletchers 19 seasons as a head basketball coach he has played Arkansas State 25 times, earning an 11-14 mark against them. All of his wins came when he was coach at Southwestern Louisiana, he is 0-4 as head man at Denver, losing twice in a season both in 1998-99 and 1999-00.
FLETCHER AGAINST THE SBC: Denver head coach Marty Fletcher has amassed a 64-68 record all-time in the SBC, and is now just six wins short of second place on the conferences all-time win list. His .484 winning percentage is the second highest among active coaches in the conference with at least five years in the SBC, behind only Dickey Nutt of Arkansas State. Fletchers 64 conference wins are the most of any active SBC coach.
ANOTHER HEARTBREAKER, this time on the road: Last Thursdays game at South Alabama was another in a long line of last-minute losses for the Pioneers. Denver led in the contest for nearly 35 minutes but were outscored 22-13 in the final 11 minutes as South Alabama overcame an eight point first half deficit and beat the Pioneers, 65-61, ending Denvers two-game road winning streak.
A ROUGH RIDE AT HOME: In Denvers last four home losses, they have come by a TOTAL of seven points. They lost to Louisiana Tech, 70-68; New Orleans, 44-42; ULL, 81-80; and Saturdays loss to New Mexico State, 69-67.
THEY HAVE COME A LONG WAY, BABY: To show just how far the Pioneers have come since last season, consider this: Last season, the average margin of losses for Denver in Sun Belt Conference play was 14 points. Opponents averaged 80 points compared to 66 for the Pioneers. This season, Denver's average margin of losses in conference games is just 7.4 points, and that number at home is just 4.8 points. Two of Denver's six conference losses were by more than 20 points, and four of the other five were by two points or less.
THE DEFENSE IS POWER: Denver now sits atop the SBC in field goal percentage defense in conference games, holding conference foes to just 39.5 percent from the field. No SBC opponent has shot better than 50 percent against Denver this season, and just two (Louisiana-Lafayette and South Alabama) has shot better than 40 percent in the last seven games.
LESS IS MORE: In Denvers eight wins this season, the team has averaged just 15.1 turnovers a game compared to 18.3 when they lose.
MORE TURNOVER STATS: When the Pioneers have more turnovers than opponents, they are 3-9. When they have less than their opponents, they are 5-4.
KEEP THOSE PERCENTAGES HIGH: As with most teams, the better the Pioneers shoot the ball the more success they will have. When Denver shoots better from the floor than their opponents, the Pioneers are 7-2, as they just lost their second game this season last Thursday at South Alabama when that happened. Denver was 24-of-53 (45 percent) while the Jaguars were 26-of-59 (44 percent), but South Alabama won anyway, 65-61. When Denver shoots worse than opponents, they are just 1-11, their lone win coming against Oregon State Dec. 13.
CRASHIN THE BOARDS HELPS: Denver is not a team that will outsize many other teams underneath the basket. Nonetheless, the Pioneers have been a pretty good rebounding team this season, as in their eight wins they average 41.4 rebounds a game, more than four more than their opponents. In their 13 losses, the Pioneers nearly average the same number (37.6 rpg) compared to opponents 38.8. Sunday against Colorado College, the Pioneers had their largest rebounding margin of the season and it showed on the scoreboard as Denver routed the Tigers, 90-61.
FREE THROWS MAKE A DIFFERENCE: In the Pioneers 13 losses this season, they are shooting just 57 percent from the charity stripe (131-for-231). In Denvers eight wins, they are at 61 percent (103-of-169). The Pioneers are 2-2 in Sun Belt play when they shoot better from the free throw line than opponents, just 1-5 when they dont. Thursday, Denver had its best free throw shooting performance of the season when they hit on 90 perncent of their free throws (9-of-10) but still lost, 65-61. After opening Sun Belt Conference play with consecutive free throw performances under 50 percent, Denver has been at or above the 50 percent mark in its last nine contests.
TO LEAD AT THE HALF IS GOOD: If the season stats show anything, its that the Pioneers better have the lead at halftime if they want to win. In games where Denver leads at halftime, they are 5-2, as they just defeated Colorado College after they led at halftime, 48-31. When opponents take the lead into the locker room, Denver is 3-9, as they lost to New Mexico State Jan. 27 after trailing at the half, 38-35. The Pioneers are now 0-2 when the score is tied at halftime, losing to Navy, 92-78 on Nov. 30, and falling just last Thursday at South Alabama when the score was even at halftime, 29-29.
BENCH STRENGTH: One telling stat from this season is that the leading scorer for the Pioneers has started just one game this season. Sophomore B.J. Pratt leads the team and is seventh in the conference in scoring at 15.6 points a game but has only started once this season, at Ohio State on Dec. 6. In 10 conference games so far this season, seven players are averaging at least 10 minutes a game for Denver, and the bench is producing 17.5 points a night for coach Fletcher.
THE POINT BEING: After opening the season with 90 points against Oregon, the Pioneers didnt score that many again until Sunday when they beat Division III Colorado College, 90-61. They managed to score 80 points Jan. 25 against ULL, the most points they had scored since Dec. 28 and still the most they have scored in a conference game this season. So far this season, the Pioneers are nearly averaging the same amount of points this season as they did in 1999-2000. Last season, Denver averaged 66.1 points per game. After 21 games this season, that number stands at a nearly identical 65.4 points per contest. Opponents are averaging 67.6 points per game.
THE MORE THEY SCORE, THE MORE THEY WIN: In Denvers eight wins this season, the Pioneers are averaging 72.5 points per game. In their 12 losses, that number is just 61.1 points per game, compared to opponents 73.1 points per game.
THE SHOOTING IS THE DIFFERENCE: In Denvers eight victories this season, the Pioneers have shot 216-for-465 from the field, a 46.5 percent shooting clip. In their 13 losses, they are 295-for-768, just 38 percent from the field.
PIONEERS OVER 50% FROM THE FIELD: The Pioneers had one of the best shooting nights in two seasons against Air Force on Nov. 24. Denver shot .561 for the game (23-of-41) and blistered the Falcons with a .647 (11-of-17) clip in the second half. The Pioneers were also 16-of-22 from the free throw line (.727). It marks the only game this season the Pioneers have been over 50 percent from the field.
CLOSE, BUT NOT QUITE: The Pioneers had the second-best shooting night of the season Sunday in the win over Colorado College. Denver was 34-of-69 from the field, 49 percent. It was Denvers best shooting performance since Jan. 18 and was the second-highest this season behind their 56 percent performance at Air Force Nov. 24. Denver still has just one game over 50 percent from the field this season.
CLOSE AGAIN, BUT ONLY HALFWAY: The Pioneers had another good shooting night Jan. 25 against Louisiana-Lafayette, blistering the Cajuns with their second-best shooting performance in a first half all season. Denver was 20-for-35 (57.1 percent) in the first half but just 10-of-30 (33.3 percent) in the second half in the 81-80 loss.
THE LEADING REBOUNDERS: In 17 of Denvers 22 games this season, either Brett Starkey or Steve Simmons led the team in rebounding. After allowing teammate Kevin Overton to lead the team in rebounds against Middle Tennessee, Simmons led the team in boards in each of the next four games before giving way to Starkey on Sunday. With Simmons at his brothers wedding in Salt Lake City, Starkey hauled in 19 rebounds (a Denver season-high) to lead the Pioneers to the 90-61 win. Simmons led the team by grabbing 13 rebounds at South Alabama last Thursday, his fourth-straight game with at least 10 rebounds. He is still the teams force underneath, as he has led Denver in rebounds in 14 games this season.
The Block Gap: A telling statistic from this season is that opponents have more blocks than the Pioneers, by a pretty hefty margin. Denver has recorded 55 blocks compared to opponents 85 through 21 games. Denver has recorded more blocks than opponents five times this season, and they are 3-2 in those games, as they just lost their second of the season when they have more block Thursday at South Alabama. When opponents have more blocks, the Pioneers are 4-10. They are 1-1 when blocks are even in a game.
A Rarity Indeed: In both of Denvers games last week, Denver had more blocks than their opponents. How rare a feat is that for this team? Consider, the Pioneers haver recorded more blocks than opponents in a game just five times this season, and that was the first time all season that the Pioneers accomplished the feat in back-to-back games.
BETTER THAN 50% FROM DOWNTOWN: Denver has had two games this season in which they have shot better than 50 percent from three-point range, one of those coming against Brown. In that contest, the Pioneers made 10-of-20 three-pointers, including B.J. Pratts 5-of-8 performance. Success from downtown doesnt necessarily equate to victories however, as in games the Pioneers shot over 50 percent from three-point range, they are 1-1.
A GOOD DAY FROM DOWNTOWN: Denver made 10 3-pointers against Colorado College on Sunday, tying for the second most made in a game this season. It was the most the Pioneers had made since Dec. 3 against Brown (also 10) but still short of the season-best total of 13 set in the season opening loss to Oregon on Nov. 21.
PIONEERS IN THE SBC: Here is a look at where Denver ranks as a team in the Sun Belt Conference in some categories.
FG Percentage: 11th (41 percent) Steals: 7th (7.05 spg)3-point Percentage: 9th (32 percent) Assist/Turnover Ratio: 9th (0.74)Free throw Percentage: 12th (59 percent) Offensive Rebounds: 4th (13.71 pg)Assists: 8th (12.67 apg) Defensive Rebounds: 3rd (25.33 pg)Blocks: 9th (2.62 bpg) Rebounding Margin: 5th (+1.7)
MILESTONES: Junior Wahhab Carter is knocking on the door of the 1000 point club at Denver, as he is just five points shy of accomplishing the feat. Carter now has 995 career points in 74 games in a Denver uniform, and is looking to become just the 24th player in school history to record 1000 points. Carter will become just the 11th player to reach the 1000 point barrier in just three seasons.
MORE MILESTONES: In Denvers 80-53 loss at Colorado State Dec. 18 there was a lone brightspot for the Pioneers. Senior Arthur Ireland earned a spot in the Denver record books when he recorded the 1000th point of his collegiate career with a jumper with 2:06 remaining. Ireland is just the 23rd player all-time to score 1000 points in a Denver uniform and first since Russel Martin eclipsed the barrier in the 1998-99 season. He now ranks 14th on DUs all-time scoring list with 1131 career points. He is just one field goal short of 13th place and just 60 points shy of sole possesion of 9th place.
WILSON PLAYER OF THE WEEK: An early season accolade was awarded before the Dec. 18 game at CSU as B.J. Pratt was named Wilson Sun Belt Conference Player of the week for his performance in Denver's 54-53 win over Oregon State Dec. 13. He scored 24 points and sank two free throws with 4.3 seconds left to give the Pioneers their first victory over a Pacific-10 Conference opponent since 1971. Pratt was 9-for-18 from the field in the game and 4-for-11 from three-point range in 33 minutes of action. It was the second POW award for Pratt and Denvers third all-time.
CARTER BACK ON TRACK: Junior forward Wahhab Carter (El Reno, Okla.), Denvers leading scorer and rebounder from a year ago, began the season slowly, and after suffering a twisted ankle that caused him to miss the game against Brown, looks to be partially back to where he was last season. Currently, Carter is second on the team in minutes per game (30.0) and ranks third on the team in scoring at 9.4 points a game this season. He is also tied for fourth on the squad in rebounding at 4.4 rebounds a game. Carter was one of four Pioneers in double figures in Thursdays loss to South Alabama, his 11 points were his first double digit output in three games.
IRELAND HAS GAME: One of only three seniors on the team and the only Pioneer to play and start in every game last season (28) is Arthur Ireland (Las Vegas, Nev.). This season, Ireland is second on the team in scoring at 10.7 points per game and is second on the squad in three-pointers made with 36 (10th SBC). He and B.J. Pratt are the only two Denver players who have made at least 10 3-point baskets this season. He is now the 14th leading scorer in school history at 1131 career points. Ireland also was one of the Denver players to score in double figures at South Alabama, as he tallied 11 points after just two points against NMSU five days earlier.
OVERTON coming on strong: The Pioneers are counting on improved play from another one of the three seniors on the squad, forward Kevin Overton (Spencer, Okla.). Overton is the starting power forward and has started all but one game this season, joining Wahhab Carter as the only Pioneers to do that. Overton is currently fourth on team in scoring at 8.8 points a game and is now second on the team in rebounding (24th SBC) at 4.8 per game after starting the season slowly in the rebound department. Another positive from early this season has been his free throw shooting, as he is 48-of-72 (.667) from the line, second on the team, after making only 50 percent last season. Overton has come on strong in the second half of the season, as in his last eight games, he has scored in double figures in six of them and averaged 11.25 points and 7.4 rebounds.
THE TEXAS GUNNER: Returning for his sophomore season is the teams best pure shooter, guard B.J. Pratt (San Antonio, Texas). Beginning the season in a reserve role for coach Marty Fletcher, Pratt started the only time this season at Ohio State and led the team with 17 points. Pratt also has the top-five of Denvers high-point games this season, as his three best outputs were a season-best 27 points against Brown Dec. 3rd after scoring 26 against Oregon in the season-opener. Sunday against Colorado College, Pratt was on fire, hitting 9-of-12 field goals and 6-of-7 3-point shots in the FIRST HALF. He played 16 minutes in the first half and finished with just those 26 points, still the second most points scored by a Pioneer this season. Pratt is seventh in the Sun Belt with a 15.6 scoring average and LEADS the conference in free throw percentage at 85 percent (64-of-75). He is also fourth in the conference in 3-point shooting percentage at 40 percent (53-of-132) and second in 3-point field goals made with 53. Pratt has led the team in scoring in 12 of 21 games this season.
SHERMAN COMES TO THE BIG CITY: One of two Denver newcomers to the team this season is junior forward Sherman Rochell (Oklahoma City, Okla.) a transfer from Northern Oklahoma College, the same college that produced assistant coach Byron Jones. After providing early season depth for Denver off the bench, Rochell has been inserted into the starting lineup and leads the team in minutes played (665) and minutes per game at 31.7. He leads the team in assists (81) and leads the Sun Belt in assists in conference games with an average of 5.40 per game. Rochell is also tied for fourth on the team in rebounding (he is the point guard) at 4.4 per game and is the teams third leading rebounder in conference games (4.8).
SIMMONS A REBOUND MACHINE: Denvers starting center of a year ago, junior Steve Simmons (Salt Lake City, Utah), returns for another season beneath the basket for Denver. Simmons just recorded back-to-back double doubles for Denver when he scored 11 points and grabbed 10 rebounds against ULL and followed that up with a career-high 12 points and a season-high 14 rebounds in the loss to New Mexico State on Jan. 27. The teams leading rebounder and third in the SBC, Simmons is averaging 9.1 boards per game, 10.3 in conference games. He is also eighth in the conference in offensive rebounds per game (2.62) and third in defensive rebounds with 126 through 21 games (6.0 pg) and has led the Pioneers in rebounding in 14 of 21 games this season.
THE NUMBER 37 STANDS FOR SOMETHING: In Denvers largest win and largest loss this season the margin was 37 points. Denver lost by 37 to Ohio State on Dec. 7 (83-46) and defeated Colorado Christian by the same margin (86-49).
A THREE-POINT BARRAGE: In Denvers season-opening loss to Oregon, both teams were shredding the nets from behind the arc. Denver shot a tremendous 13-for-26 (50%) from long range and Oregon did them slightly better with a 12-of-23 mark (52%). Combined, the two teams shot 25-of-49 from downtown, a Magness Arena Record. The Pioneers just missed out on the team Magness Arena record of 14, set last season against Louisiana Tech. The Denver record for most three-point field goals made in a game is 15, set Dec. 12, 1998 in a 98-76 win over Wright State.
PIONEER SEASON RECAP: The Pioneers opened the 2000-2001 campaign with a tough non-conference matchup against Oregon. Despite trailing by as many as 16 points in the second half, DU clawed their way back into the game and eventually knotted things up three different times. But the experienced Ducks prevailed, making 10-of-11 free throws in the final 1:56 to earn the 99-90 victory...Denver got its first season win of 2000 as they traveled to Air Force and came home with a 65-56 victory. Four Denver players scored double figures in points and Steve Simmons recorded the first double-double of his career as he scored 11 points and hauled in 10 boards...Though severely undersized against Wyoming, the Pioneers actually outrebounded the Pokes in the first half 31-23 and were down just one point at 27-26. But the Cowboys came out of the gate in the second half on-fire, going on a 16-0 run to open the half and take a 43-26 lead with 14:31 to play. Denver would cut the lead to six with 10:20 to go, but would get no closer as Wyoming beat the Pioneers for the second straight time, 70-55...Free throws were the story against Navy, as Denver hit just 14-of-31 from the free throw line in a 92-78 loss. The Midshipmen also shot an astounding 55 percent from three-point range after coming into the game at 16 percent from behind the arc and put Denver away in the second half, outscoring the Pioneers 47-33...In Denvers first home win of the season against Brown, the Pioneers shot over 50 percent from three-point range for the third time this season as B.J. Pratt notched the teams season-high in scoring with 27 points. The Pioneers outscored the Bears by nine in each half to win by the largest margin since a 15-point win in January of last season...Turnovers were the key factor at Ohio State, as Denver had the most turnovers in recent memory with 32 and the Buckeyes scored 35 points off those turnovers in an 83-46 win...In one of the biggest wins in Marty Fletchers tenure at Denver, the Pioneers upset Oregon State, 54-53 at Magness Arena. B.J. Pratt was once again the teams leading scorer with 24 points, but none were more important than the last two as he nailed two free throws with 4.3 seconds remaining in the game to clinch Denvers first victory over a Pac-10 team since 1971...Poor shooting was the difference at Colorado State, as Denver nearly equaled its worst shooting effort of the season in a 80-53 loss to the Rams. Denver shot just 19-of-56 (.339) from the field and the Rams blistered the nets with a 31-of-52 (.596) performance as CSU won its sixth straight game over the Pioneers...After losing the first game of a two-round fight, Air Force got its revenge on the Pioneers with a 51-49 last-second win at Magness Arena for their first win over Denver in four tries. Forward Tom Bellairs nailed a game-winning, 16-foot jump shot with 3.6 seconds remaining, giving Air Force its first back-to-back wins since 1998...It was all Pioneers against Colorado Christian, as every available Denver player tallied at least one field goal from the field in an 86-49 romp. CCU led just once in the contest at 2-0 and shot just 23 percent from the field as Denver ended a two-game losing streak...The Pioneers were undersized in the Sun Belt Conference opener against Western Kentucky, as Denver was outrebounded 49-32 and hit just 10-of-25 free throws in a 80-61 loss to the Hilltoppers. The Pioneers were also just 23-of-63 (.365) from the field and standout Chris Marcus led WKU with 21 points and 14 rebounds...The Pioneers lost a heartbreaker to Louisiana Tech, and free throw shooting was once again the thorn in the side for Denver. Denver hit just 12-of-25 free throws while the Bulldogs were 22-of-34 from the charity stripe as the Pioneers had four last chance shots hit off the rim in a 70-68 defeat...The hex over Denver continued for New Orleans, as the Privateers led just once at 5-4 in a 66-44 win over the Pioneers at Lakefront Arena. Denver has never defeated New Orleans in seven tries...Good free throw shooting finally helped the Pioneers, as they earned their first Sun Belt win of the season with a 69-65 win over Arkansas-Little Rock. Denver was 18-of-27 from the free throw line and made all of their free throws down the stretch in their first home conference win...The Pioneers defeated North Texas for their first-ever Sun Belt Conference road victory, as they overcame a four-point halftime deficit to outscore the Mean Green 44-30 in the second half to win, 74-64. Denver defeated UNT for the first time ever and earned their first two-game winning streak since February 1999...The Pioneers had their second-best shooting night of the season at Middle Tennessee State, going 25-of-52 (48.1 percent) in Denvers 59-57 win. The win was Denvers third-straight conference win and second consecutive win away from home, both firsts in head coach Marty Fletchers tenure. The Pioneers also moved to .500 in the Sun Belt for the first time ever...Denver just missed out on its first four-game winning streak since 1996 as they fell at the buzzer to New Orleans, 44-42. The Pioneers took a 42-41 lead with 8.1 seconds remaining in the game on a pair of free throws by Wahhab Carter, but Privateer freshman A.J. Meredith was left with an open look at the basket and nailed a 3-pointer as time expired to give UNO its eighth straight win over Denver...The Pioneers lost another close game, this time to Louisiana-Lafayette, 81-80. Denver led by as many as 13 points in the first half as they shot 57 percent from the field in the first 20 minutes only to be outscored 43-32 in the second half as they lost their third of four conference games at home by a total of five points...The heartbreak continued for the Pioneers against New Mexico State, as B.J. Pratt put the Pioneers ahead 67-66 with 28 seconds left only to see the Aggies Eric Channing drain a 3-pointer with 10 seconds remaining that gave the Aggies a 69-67 win. Denver had two chances to tie the game at the end of regulation but both rimmed out...Yet another close defeat for Denver at South Alabama, as the Pioneers led for nearly 35 minutes but were outscored 22-13 in the final 11 minutes as the Jaguars ended Denvers modest two-game conference road winning streak, 65-61. Denver had four players in double figures in scoring but could not hold on to an eight-point first half lead as the Jaguars beat Denver for the third straight time...Division III Colorado College is just what the doctor ordered for Denver, as the Pioneers never trailed in winning for the first time in four games, 90-61. B.J. Pratt scored 26 points in the first half alone and Brett Starkey had his first career double-double with 15 points and 19 rebounds as Denver finished the season with a 4-3 mark at home in non-conference games...
COACHES TABS PIONEERS FOR SIXTH: The following are the results of the preseason coaches poll of conference coaches for predicted order of finish in the 2000-2001 season:
East Division West Division1. Western Kentucky 1. Louisiana-Lafayette2. Louisiana Tech 2. South Alabama3. Arkansas State 3. New Mexico State4. Middle Tennessee 4. New Orleans5. Florida International 5. North Texas6. Arkansas-Little Rock 6. Denver 2000-01 Denver Pioneers when: All SBC Games Decided by 0-5 3-6 2-5 Games Decided by 6-10 2-1 1-0 Games Decided by 11-15 0-2 0-0 Games Decided by 16-20 1-1 0-1 Games Decided by 21+ 2-3 0-1 Score 40-50 0-4 0-2 Score 51-60 2-2 1-0 Score 61-70 2-4 1-4 Score 71-80 1-1 1-0 Score 81-90 3-2 0-1 Score 91-100 0-0 0-0 Score 100+ 0-0 0-0 Shoot Better FG% 7-2 3-2 Shoot Worse FG% 1-11 0-5 Shoot Same FG% 0-0 0-0 Shoot Better 3-PT% 6-2 2-2 Shoot Worse 3-PT% 2-10 1-4 Shoot Same 3-PT% 0-1 0-1 Shoot Better FT% 3-4 2-2 Shoot Worse FT% 5-8 1-4 Shoot Same FT% 0-1 0-1 More TO's Than Opp. 3-8 2-5 Fewer TO's Than Opp. 5-5 1-2 Same TO's Than Opp. 0-0 0-0 More Rebounds Than Opp. 5-6 2-3 Fewer Rebounds Than Opp.3-7 1-4 Same Rebounds Than Opp. 0-0 0-0 Leading At Halftime 5-2 1-2 Trailing At Halftime 3-9 2-4 Tied At Halftime 0-2 0-1
