Game #10: Denver (3-6, 0-0 WAC) vs. Southern Utah (3-6, 1-0 Big Sky)
Friday, December 21, 2012 • 4 p.m. MT
Magness Arena (7,200) • Denver, Colo.
TV: None • Radio: AM 1510 & FM 93.7 • Web: Pioneer Vision (video & audio)
About Denver: The Pioneers will go for their third-straight home win, when they host Southern Utah in the final nonconference home game of the season at Magness Arena on Friday. Denver has shot 56.8 percent from the field in the past three games after hitting just 38.1 percent in the first six games of the season. Denver, which was ranked eighth in the nation with a 48.8 field goal percentage last season, returns seven players, including four of the top five scorers, from last year's squad that won a team-record 22 Division I games and finished second in the Sun Belt Conference West Division. Denver returns Preseason All-WAC First Team member Chris Udofia, who was voted 2011-12 SBC Defensive Player of the Year and All-SBC First Team last season. In their lone year in the WAC, the Pioneers were picked to finish third in the WAC's Preseason Polls by both the coaches and the media.
About Southern Utah: The Thunderbirds are 3-6 with home wins over Carroll College, San Diego Christian and North Dakota, a 79-67 victory on Dec. 17. SUU is led by Jackson Sevenett's 14.4 points and 6.3 rebounds per game, and Damon Heuir is averaging 13.9 points per game. Southern Utah is shooting 43.4 percent from the field and 29.0 percent from three-point range this season, while holding opponents to 43.9 percent from the floor and 40.0 percent from beyond the arc. The Thunderbirds, who are in their first season in the Big Sky Conference after spending the previous 15 years in the Summit League, were picked to finish 10th in the league's preseason media and coaches polls.
The Matchup: The Thunderbirds hold a 5-3 edge in the all-time series that dates back to 1983-84. The teams have split the four games played in Denver. SUU has won the past two games against DU, both in November 2006.
Last Time Out: Junior forward Chris Udofia scored a season-high 26 points, but Wyoming remains undefeated following a 71-61 victory at Arena Auditorium on Dec. 19. Denver shot 53.5 percent (23-of-43) from the field and 46.2 percent (6-of-13) from three-point range, but Wyoming made 64.7 percent (22-of-34) from the field and 66.7 percent (8-of-12) from beyond the arc. Sophomore forward Royce O'Neale added 12 points, and senior guard Chase Hallam recorded four steals in the game. However, Wyoming received career-highs from Luke Martinez 25 points on 9-of-12 shooting, including five three-pointers, and Larry Nance Jr. with 21 points, and UW converted 19-of-21 free throw attempts to earn the victory.
Cut to the Chase: Denver's lone senior, Chase Hallam, who will play in his 100th career game on Friday, is just 11 points away from becoming the 32nd Pioneer to score 1,000 career points. Hallam, who is fifth on DU's all-time career steals list with 148, is also just six away from Rodney Billups (2003-05) for fourth in team lore. Hallam returned to the starting lineup after missing the final three games of the 2011-12 season due to a back injury. Aside from those three games, Hallam has started all 97 games he has played in during his DU career. A 2010-11 All-Sun Belt Second Team selection, Hallam averaged 10.1 points, 4.2 rebounds, 2.2 assists and 1.5 steals in his career.
Royce Rolls: Sophomore guard Royce O'Neale earned WAC Player of the Week honors for Dec. 10-16. O'Neale tallied 17 points and 10 rebounds against Nebraska-Omaha on Dec. 15, his first double-double of the season and the fourth of his career. O'Neale scored a career-high 22 points against both Southern Miss (Nov. 27) and Mercer (Dec. 5). O'Neale is second in the WAC in minutes played (35.9), third in free throw percentage (.882), fourth in steals (2.0), seventh in scoring (15.0), eighth in assist/turnover ratio (1.3), ninth in assists (3.2) and three-pointers per game (1.7), 10th in defensive rebounds (4.7), 13th in field goal percentage (.464) and 14th in three-point percentage (.366).
U-Tube: Preseason All-WAC First Teamer Chris Udofia scored a season-high 26 points at Wyoming on Nov. 18, just one point shy of his career best. Udofia, who is second on DU's all-time career blocked shots list with 130 (see chart) is fourth in the WAC this season in blocked shots (2.2), as well as fifth in assists (3.7) and assists/turnover ratio (1.6), ninth in field goal percentage (.500), 12th in scoring (13.6) and free throw percentage (.743), and 15th in defensive rebounds (3.9). Udofia was selected as the 2012 Sun Belt Defensive Player of the Year and an All-SBC First Team member last season. The 6-foot-6 Udofia ranked 30th in the NCAA in blocked shots (2.3 per game) last year and 35th in field goal percentage (.534), which were third and sixth in the Sun Belt Conference, respectively.
Magness Magic: The Pioneers are looking for their third-straight home win. Denver is 64-15 (.810) at Magness Arena under head coach Joe Scott. The Pioneers went 14-2 at home last year. In February 2012, ESPN.com's Ken Pomeroy wrote that Magness Arena was one of the top two home-court advantages in the nation.
Keep 'Em Engesser: In the past three games, freshman guard Nate Engesser has hit 6-of-7 shots, including a perfect 4-for-4 from three-point range. Engesser, who scored a season-high 11 points against Nebraska-Omaha on Dec. 15, has hit 61.5 percent (8-of-13) shots from the floor and 60.0 percent (6-of-10) from three-point range this season.
Playing the Percentages: In the past three games, Denver has shot 56.8 percent (84-of-148) from the field and 49.1 percent (27-of-55) from three-point range, raising the season shooting percentage more than four percent. The Pioneers shot a season-high 60.4 percent (32-of-53) from the field against Nebraska-Omaha on Dec. 15, the highest percentage in the WAC this season and the team's highest mark since making 62.9 percent at Colorado State on Jan. 11, 2012. Denver was tied for eighth in the nation with a .478 field goal percentage last season. According to ESPN.com, DU was third in the nation in adjusted field goal percentage (57.3 percent), which gives added weight to three-pointers to determine overall offensive effectiveness. Likewise, KenPom.com has Denver ranked third in the nation in both effective field goal percentage at 57.3 percent and two-point field goals at 55.3 percent.
Youth Movement: With an average of only 0.85 years of experience per player, Denver has the eighth youngest team in the nation. DU has only one senior and two juniors among their scholarship athletes, while sporting six freshmen.
Out of the Gate: Seven of Denver's first nine opponents played in the postseason last year, including Iona, California, Colorado State and Southern Mississippi, which were in the 2012 NCAA Tournament. Stanford (NIT) and Mercer (CIT) both won their respective tournaments, while Wyoming reached the CBI quarterfinals. Those seven teams won an average of 24 games last season. Additionally, DU will play home-and-homes with three WAC teams that played in the postseason - New Mexico State played in the NCAA Tournament, Texas Arlington was in the NIT, and Utah State was the CIT runner-up.
A Little Help from Their Friends: DU has dished out 128 assists on 201 field goals (63.7 percent) this season, the 19th-highest mark in the nation, according to KenPom.com. Chris Udofia and Royce O'Neale are fifth and ninth in the WAC with 3.7 and 3.2 assists per game, respectively. The Pioneers recorded an assist on 66.5 percent of their field goals (484 assists on 728 field goals) last season, the highest mark in the NCAA. In Joe Scott's first five seasons at DU, the Pioneers recorded an assist on 65.7 percent of their field goals (2,120 assists on 3,228 field goals made), ranking among the top six highest percentages in the nation every year. Only Northwestern - coached by Bill Carmody, who Joe Scott served as assistant coach for at Princeton - has a longer such streak.
Feeling Charitable: The Pioneers are leading the WAC with a 73.7 free throw percentage. Strangely, though, DU has made less than 70 percent in all three of its wins, including a 4-for-8 (50.0 percent) performance against Nebraska-Omaha on Dec. 15, and the Pioneers are 0-5 when hitting 70 percent or better from the free throw line this season. Denver was tied for 12th in the nation last season, hitting 76.2 percent from the charity stripe.
D-nial: Wyoming shot 64.7 percent (22-of-34) from the field on Dec. 18, the highest field goal percentage by a DU opponent since Colorado State hit 71.1 percent (27-of-38) of its shots on Dec. 15, 2001. Prior to the Cowboys, the last Denver opponent to shoot 60.0 percent or better was Montana on Dec. 4, 2008, in Missoula.
The Long Ranger: Denver hit 14 three-pointers against Nebraska-Omaha on Dec. 15, the most since the team went 16-for-34 against Louisiana-Monroe on Feb. 18, 2012, and DU's 58.3 percentage from three-point range was the best since hitting 58.8 percent (10-for-17) against Western Kentucky on Jan. 15, 2012. The Pioneers are tied for the WAC lead with 7.9 three-pointers made per game and are fourth with a 34.6 three-point percentage. Overall, Denver was ranked No. 8 in the nation in three-point shooting at 39.8 percent (255-of-641) last season, which was also the best mark in the Sun Belt. The Pioneers were 10-1 last season and 2-0 this season when hitting 10 or more three-pointers. The Pioneers have at least one three-pointer in 201-straight games, dating back to Feb. 2, 2006.
Reaching the Summit: The University of Denver has accepted an invitation to join The Summit League, moving all athletics programs currently participating in the Western Athletic Conference (WAC) after completion of the 2012-13 season. Denver plans to participate in 11-of-the-19 championship sports The Summit League currently offers. Denver teams scheduled to compete for conference championships include men's and women's basketball, men's and women's golf, men's and women's soccer, men's and women's swimming and diving, men's and women's tennis, and volleyball. The Pioneers will officially begin league play during the 2013-14 school year. The University of Denver becomes the 10th member of The Summit League, joining IUPUI (Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis), Indiana University-Purdue University Fort Wayne (Fort Wayne), University of Missouri-Kansas City (Kansas City), North Dakota State University, Oakland University, University of Nebraska-Omaha (Omaha), University of South Dakota, South Dakota State University and Western Illinois University. The conference, in existence since 1982, changed its name to The Summit League in 2007 from the Mid-Continent Conference. The University's remaining sports - hockey, gymnastics, men's and women's lacrosse, and men's and women's skiing - will continue in their respective conferences.
Preseason Honors: Junior forward Chris Udofia was voted to the 2012-13 Preseason All-WAC First Team by both the league coaches and media.
Six Pack: Denver had six players hit double digits in scoring against Nebraska-Omaha on Dec. 15: Royce O'Neale (17), Chase Hallam (12), Chris Udofia (11), Brett Olson (11), Nate Engesser (11) and Cam Griffin (10). The last time DU had that many players in double digits was against Arkansas State on Feb. 4, 2007: Tyler Bullock (15), Antonio Porch (13), Joe Jackson (12), Alex Cox (11), DaShawn Walker (11) and Adam Tanner (10).
Road Show: The Pioneers are looking for their first road win this season after going 7-6 on the road last year, marking DU's first Division I winning road record since 1970-71 and only the ninth time in Denver's 89-year Division I history. In the previous five years, Denver had a combined six road victories.
National Letter of Intent: Denver signed Drick Bernstine to a National Letter of Intent to join the Pioneers in 2013-14. A 6-foot-6 forward from Cherokee Trail High School in Aurora, Colo., Bernstine averaged 15 points and 11 rebounds as a junior, earning All-League First Team honors. Bernstine also played AAU basketball for the Colorado Miners.
