Game #1: Denver (0-0) vs. California (1-0) Tuesday, November 12, 2013 • 9 p.m. MT Haas Pavilion (11,877) • Berkeley, Calif. TV: Pac-12 Network • Radio: AM 1510 & FM 93.7 • Web: Pac-12 Network About Denver: The Pioneers return 10 players, including their top two scorers, from last year’s squad that went 22-10, claimed a share of the WAC regular season title and won a game in the NIT for the first national postseason victory in team history. Denver returns Preseason All-Summit League First Team member Chris Udofia and Second Team selection Brett Olson, as well as starting guard Jalen Love. DU was picked to finish second in the Summit League by conference coaches, media and SIDs. About California: Cal returns four of its five starters from a 21-win team that advanced to the third round of the NCAA Tournament and finished second in the Pac-12 Conference a year ago. The Bears return 61 percent of its scoring and five of its top seven scorers, including Justin Cobbs and Richard Solomon, junior David Kravish. Cobbs, a two-time All-Pac-12 selection, enters the season as the Pac-12’s active career leader in assists with 327 in just two seasons. He was Cal’s second-leading scorer last season (15.1 ppg) and was named to this year’s preseason watch list for the Bob Cousy Award that honors the nation’s best point guard. The Golden Bears were picked third in the Pac-12’s preseason media poll, collecting three first-place votes. The Match-up: Cal has won all four previous meetings with the Pioneers, including a 72-61 victory at Magness Arena last year on Nov. 16. The Bears also won 80-59 in the last meeting in Berkeley, Calif., on Nov. 26, 2011. Previously, the Bears won 73-68 in Berkeley in 1966-67, and 96-82 in Denver the following year. Broadcast Info: Tuesday’s game against Cal will air live on the Pac-12 Network. J.B. Long (play-by-play) and Lamar Hurd (color) will call the action.  The Pac-12 Network is available Comcast (Ch. 431 or 840HD) or Dish Network (Ch. 413). For Starters: The Pioneers are 60-49 all-time in season openers, 6-9 since returning to NCAA Division I and 2-4 under head coach Joe Scott. DU is 3-12 in road openers since returning to DI, including a 65-58 loss at Iona last season. The last two road openers have both ended with a 65-58 score, as DU beat Texas A&M-Corpus Christi in 2011-12. Preseason Honors: Senior forward Chris Udofia was voted to the 2013-14 Preseason All-Summit League First Team and junior Brett Olson made the Second Team in a vote by the league coaches, media and SIDs.  U-Tube: A Preseason All-Summit League First Team selection, senior Chris Udofia was named the Most Underrated Player in the Nation by Bleacher Report, the No. 6 Under-the-Radar Performer by CBSSports.com and a Preseason All-Mid Major Third Team member by College Sports Madness. Udofia was voted to the All-WAC First Team and WAC All-Defensive Team last season. Udofia, who earned a spot on the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) All-District 6 First Team, ranked 34th in the nation and third in the WAC in blocked shots (2.34 per game), and ranked second in the WAC in assist/turnover ratio (1.81), fourth in steals (1.62), fifth in field goal percentage (.516), and ninth in both scoring (13.3) and assists (3.28 per game). Udofia’s 75 blocks were the fourth most in DU single-season history, and his 186 career blocks are second behind Yemi Nicholson’s all-time record of 210. Udofia was voted Sun Belt Conference Defensive Player of the Year and earned a spot on the All-Sun Belt Conference First Team as a sophomore. Olson Well: Junior guard Brett Olson was voted to the Preseason All-Summit League Third Team. Olson led the WAC during conference play in three-point percentage (.473) and assist/turnover ratio (2.7), second in three-pointers made (2.4), seventh in both field goal percentage (.521) and minutes played (33.7), 11th in assists (3.1), and 13th in scoring (11.9). National Rankings: Last season, the Pioneers ranked among the Top 25 in the NCAA in assists/turnover ratio (fifth), scoring defense (sixth), turnover margin (eighth), assists per game (ninth), field goal percentage (10th), steals per game (15th) and turnovers per game (25th). No other team in the nation ranked in the Top 25 in field goal percentage, assists and steals. Reaching the Summit: The Pioneers begin their first season in the Summit League in 2013-14, the team’s third conference in as many years. Denver was a member of the WAC in 2012-13 after enjoying 11 years in the Sun Belt Conference. New Year’s Resolution: The Pioneers have gone 17-3 (.850) this calendar year. Catch-22, Again: Denver had 22 wins each of the past two seasons, tying the most in the team’s 90-year Division I history.   The Long Ranger: Denver was first in the WAC and 29th in the NCAA in three-pointers per game (7.9), and first in the WAC and 37th in the nation in three-point percentage (.375). DU took 43.6 percent of its field goal attempts last season from beyond the three-point arc (ninth-highest rate in the nation), while only 24.5 percent of opponents points came from three-point range (fifth in the NCAA), according to KenPom.com. Denver was 8-1 in 2012-13 and a combined 18-2 over the last two seasons when hitting 10 or more three-pointers. The Pioneers have at least one three-pointer in 224-straight games, dating back to Feb. 2, 2006. Playing the Percentages: After shooting just 38.1 percent from the floor in the first six games last year, the Pioneers raised their season average to 48.0 percent, tops in the WAC and 10th in the nation. According to KenPom.com, DU was second in the nation in two-point percentage (56.0 percent) and third in effective field goal percentage (56.1 percent), which gives added weight to three-pointers to determine overall offensive effectiveness. According to KenPom.com, Denver has ranked in the top 10 for effective field goal percentage in each of the last five years, including twice as the top team in the nation. Out of the Gate: At least nine of Denver’s first 11 games are against teams that played in the postseason last year, including Cal, Harvard, Southern, Colorado State and Belmont, which all played in the NCAA Tournament. Additionally, DU’s second and third game of the Great Alaska Shootout could be against teams that played in the 2013 postseason. Overall, Denver’s schedule includes 16, and possibly 18, postseason teams from last year. A Little Help from Their Friends: The Pioneers had assists on 70.1 percent (516-of-739) of their field goals last year, the second-highest mark in the nation, according to KenPom.com. Chris Udofia was ninth in the WAC with 3.3 assists per game. In Joe Scott’s first six seasons at DU, the Pioneers recorded an assist on 66.4 percent of their field goals (2,636 assists on 3,967 field goals made), ranking among the top six highest percentages in the nation every year. Road More Traveled: In his first three seasons, senior Chris Udofia played games in 41 arenas, 20 states and three counties, including a trip to Spain and Andorra prior to his freshman year. By the end of this regular season, the Pioneers will have played in 53 arenas, 28 states and three countries during Udofia’s career. Magness Magic: Entering this season, the Pioneers have won 13-straight home games, improving to 75-15 (.833) at Magness Arena under head coach Joe Scott, including a 46-6 (.885) mark in conference games (Sun Belt/WAC). DU was 14-2 overall and 9-0 in WAC games at home this year after going 15-2 at home last season. In February 2012, ESPN.com’s Ken Pomeroy wrote that Magness Arena was one of the top two home-court advantages in the nation. Feel the Love: Despite standing just 6-foot-2, Jalen Love shot 66.3 percent (57-of-86) from two-point range last season. Love hit 56.1 percent (60-of-107) from the field during conference play, the third best mark in the WAC behind 7-foot-3 Sim Bhullar (New Mexico State) and 6-foot-10 Kyle Barone (Idaho). After Love joined the starting lineup on Dec. 5, 2012, the Pioneers went 21-4 to finish the season. Mid-Major Ranking: DU is No. 9 in the Mid-Major Top 25. Four of DU’s potential opponents (No. 5 Indiana State, No. 7 North Dakota State, No. 12 Harvard and No. 21 Green Bay) are also on the list. Belmont, Mercer, Western Illinois, South Dakota State, UC Irvine and Southern are also receiving votes in the poll.   Been Caught Stealing: The Pioneers had 288 steals last season, the most in DU’s Division I history and second only to the 309 in 1986-87. Denver was second in the WAC and No. 15 in the NCAA in steals per game (9.0). Additionally, DU ranked No. 3 in the NCAA in steal percentage, recording a steal on 15.0 percent of opponents’ possessions, trailing only VCU (17.0 percent) and Louisville (15.9 percent). Conversely, opponents recorded steals on only 8.0 percent of DU’s possessions, which was the 18th best mark in the nation. Denver’s 22 steals against Seattle on Feb. 7, 2013, shattered its single-game team record, which had been 18 against Rockmont on Feb. 10, 1982. Denver had not recorded more than 10 steals in a half since returning to NCAA Division I in 1999, but the Pioneers had 11 in each half against the Redhawks. DU was 9-0 last season when recording at least 10 steals. Turning the Turnovers: DU was first in the WAC and fifth in the nation with a 1.45 assist/turnover ratio, and second in the WAC last season with a +4.56 turnover margin, the eighth best mark in the nation. Denver also was third in the nation in turnover percentage, forcing opponents to turn the ball over on 26.2 percent of their possessions, according to KenPom.com. Short Stop: At 5-foot-4, senior Charles Webb is the shortest player in college basketball. The walk-on guard appeared in seven games last season, scoring his first career points against Southern Utah (Dec. 21, 2012). Road Show: Denver won 8-of-its-last-10 road games in 2012-13, giving them an 8-7 road record. The eight wins were second-most in team history and match the most Division I road wins, set with an 8-6 record in 1942-43. Last season was just the 10th in Denver’s 90-year Division I history with a winning road record. In 2011-12, DU went 7-6, marking the team’s first Division I winning road record since 1970-71. From 2006-11, DU had a combined six road victories. Denver vs. BCS Conference Teams: Denver is looking for just its second win over a team from a BCS conference in 20 such games since 1990, and its first since beating Oregon State 54-53 on Dec. 13, 2000. Overall, DU is 76-214 against schools that are currently in the six BCS conferences, including a 46-63 mark in Denver. The Pioneers are 0-7 against those schools under head coach Joe Scott.