Feb. 5, 2016 About Denver: The Pioneers come into Saturday's game with a 12-11 overall record and 4-6 in Summit League play. Denver rallied from a 15-point second half deficit to defeat IUPUI at Magness Arena, 53-51 on Feb. 4, 2016. The Crimson and Gold are led by
Joe Rosga, who is averaging 12.3 points a game.
Nate Engesser is averaging 11.7 points, while
Marcus Byrd is adding 8.9 points and
C.J. Bobbitt is leading the team in rebounding with 4.2 a game. DU has six players averaging over 20 minutes per game. Denver was picked to finish eighth in the Summit League by league coaches, media and SIDs.
About Omaha: Omaha comes into Saturday's contest with a 15-9 overall record and a 7-3 mark in Summit League games. The Mavericks were upset by Western Illinois in their last game on the road, 83-76. Omaha is led by Devin Patterson who is averaging 17.7 points and 3.2 assists a game. Jake White adds 17.5 points and 6.7 rebounds per contest. Tre'Shawn Thurman chips in 14.3 points and grabs 7.3 rebounds a game, while Tra-Deon Hollins averages 11.3 points and 3.8 steals a game, which ranks first in the NCAA. The Mavericks are ninth in the country in scoring (as of Feb. 5) averaging 84.8 points per contest. Omaha was picked to finish seventh in the Summit League by league coaches, media and SIDs.
The Match-up: This is the ninth meeting between the teams. Denver holds a 6-2 advantage in the series. The Mavericks defeated the Pioneers in their first meeting of the season 69-55 in Denver on Jan. 21, 2016. UNO defeated Denver in its last meeting in Omaha on Jan. 24, 2015 80-69.
Broadcast Info: Saturday's game will air on Mile High Sports Radio AM 1340 with Raj Sharan calling all the Pioneer play-by-play action. The game can also be streamed via audio only on Pioneer Vision. For information on how to subscribe to Pioneer Vision please visit DenverPioneers.com.
Jumping Joe: Freshman
Joe Rosga started his first college game of his career against Milwaukee and played a team-high 36 minutes, while scoring nine points. Rosga dropped in a season-high 23 points against Eastern Washington on Dec. 20, 2015. The freshman had a season-best five assists vs. IPFW on Jan. 9, 2016. Rosga set a career best with four steals on Dec. 13, 2015 against Weber State. Rosga is averaging 12.3 points, 2.4 assists and 2.3 rebounds on the season.
Nifty Nate: Senior
Nate Engesser is averaging 11.7 points a game on 51.4 percent shooting from the field. Engesser has tied his career high twice this season on Nov. 15, 2015 against Lipscomb and Dec. 13, 2015 against Weber State scoring 26 points. The senior has three games this season where he has drained six 3-pointers. Engesser knocked down a career-high seven 3-pointers against Belmont on Nov. 26, 2014. Engesser set career highs in assists (6) and steals (3) vs. Western Illinois on Jan 14, 2015. He tied his career high in assists by dishing out six against Omaha on Feb. 7, 2015 and steals (3) at Santa Clara. Engesser grabbed a career-high seven rebounds at Western Illinois on Feb. 21, 2015. The senior played in his 100th career game against South Dakota on Jan. 28, 2016.
Byrd's Eye View: Redshirt senior
Marcus Byrd is averaging 8.9 points on 46.3 percent shooting from the field and 3.3 rebounds a game. Byrd dished out a career-high eight assists against Lipscomb on Nov. 15, 2015. Byrd played a career-high 40 minutes at IPFW on Jan. 8, 2015. Byrd played in his 100th career game at San Diego on Dec. 9, 2015.
The Long Ranger: The Pioneers have at least one 3-pointer in 308 straight games, dating back to Feb. 2, 2006.
