University of Denver women's basketball coach Erik Johnson kept doing the math, often crunching the numbers as optimistically as possible.
Yet after the Pioneers saw their dreams of a Sun Belt Conference tournament championship end with a discouraging first-game loss against Western Kentucky on March 6, Johnson simply could not get the numbers to add up.
Fortunately for DU, the selection committee for the Women's National Invitation Tournament did not feel the same way. Despite falling one win short of a 20-win season that Johnson and his staff believed would have ensured a postseason tournament bid, the Pioneers nonetheless will make their first postseason appearance in 10 years when they visit Brigham Young for a WNIT first-round game Thursday night.
"We thought we had some good, quality wins...but we thought we needed to win one game in the conference tournament and get to 20 to really solidify our status as a legitimate postseason team and know that we were in," said Johnson, whose team will take a 19-11 mark into the tournament.
"But we didn't. We got beat by a really good Western Kentucky team that was hot and went all the way to the finals. So we had to wait. The good news is, things went our way. The postseason committees felt like we're a legitimate postseason team. We did our job in the nonconference season. We did a good job in the conference season. So now we're in the WNIT."
The game will mark DU's first postseason tournament appearance since it received its lone NCAA tournament berth in 2001. It also will provide an opportunity for the Pioneers' three 1,000-point scorers-seniors Britteni Rice and Brianna Culberson, in addition to junior Kaetlyn Murdoch-to extend their special seasons for at least one more game.
"It gives you a different appreciation about playing, because most teams are done and it would have been the end of my career," Rice said. "It would have been nice to win the Sun Belt and get into the NCAA tournament, but it didn't work out. I'm glad we have this opportunity to keep playing."
It has been a long, nerve-riddled layoff for the Pioneers, who resumed practice after returning from the Sun Belt Conference tournament despite being unsure of their postseason fate.
It was an unusual situation for Johnson and his squad. Given the experience and intellect on DU's roster, Johnson typically has enjoyed much flexibility in his strategy leading up to each game, often instructing his club with new game plans specific for each upcoming opponent. This past week, not only was there no opponent to prepare for, but there was no certainty there would even be another game.
With BYU finally on the slate, the Pioneers are eyeing an upset of a squad that has gone 12-1 at home. However, that lone loss occurred against Montana State-a team DU defeated on the road in late November.
"It was different this week not having an opponent to prepare for," Johnson said. "In some ways, that's hard. But, what it does give you a chance to do is just work on us and have no other agenda. We were able to focus on what we needed to get better at, and that was fun as a coaching staff. (Tuesday) there was definitely a difference in the competitiveness and that drive."
