About Denver: The Pioneers come into Thursday's game with a 13-11 overall record and 5-6 in Summit League play. Denver won its second-straight game defeating Omaha on the road, 75-72 on Feb. 6, 2016. The Crimson and Gold are led by Joe Rosga, who is averaging 12.0 points a game. Nate Engesser is averaging 11.8 points, while Marcus Byrd is adding 9.0 points and C.J. Bobbitt is leading the team in rebounding with 4.1 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 Western Illinois: Western Illinois comes into Thursday's contest with an 8-13 overall record and a 1-9 mark in Summit League games. The Fighting Leathernecks are coming off their first league victory of the season against Omaha, 83-76 on Feb. 3, 2016. Western Illinois is led by Garret Covington who is averaging 17.3 points and 4.1 rebounds a game. J.C. Fuller adds 13.5 points and 4.6 rebounds per contest. Tate Stensgaard chips in 8.9 points and grabs 5.7 rebounds a game, while Jabari Sandifer averages 8.9 points and 4.5 rebounds a game. Western Illinois was picked to finish ninth in the Summit League by league coaches, media and SIDs.

Magness Magic: The Pioneers are 100-32 (.758) at Magness Arena under head coach Joe Scott, including a 58-15 (.795) mark in conference games (Sun Belt/WAC/Summit).

The Match-up: This is the eighth meeting between the teams. Denver holds a 6-1 advantage in the series. The Pioneers defeated the Fighting Leathernecks in their first meeting of the season 76-69 in Macomb on Jan. 14, 2016. DU defeated Western in its last meeting in Denver on Jan. 14, 2015 68-54.

Broadcast Info: Thursday'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 video and audio on Pioneer Vision. For information on how to subscribe to Pioneer Vision please visit DenverPioneers.com.

Nifty Nate: Senior Nate Engesser is averaging 11.8 points a game on 50.5 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 9.0 points on 46.2 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. The redshirt senior tied his career-high with eight rebounds and three blocks at Omaha on Feb. 6, 2016. 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 309 straight games, dating back to Feb. 2, 2006.

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 12.0 points, 2.3 assists and 2.3 rebounds on the season.