DENVER – The University of Denver men's basketball team will open its 2024 Summit League Men's Basketball Championship on Saturday night when the seventh-seeded Pioneers battle the second-seeded Kansas City Roos. Tipoff from the Denny Sanford PREMIER Center is schedule for 8:30 p.m. CT/7:30 p.m. MT.
Saturday night's game will be broadcast by Midco Sports Network, will stream on the Summit League Network and will be broadcast locally on 104.3 The Fan HD3.
SERIES HISTORY:
Kansas City holds a 7-4 edge in the Division I series and a 9-4 advantage overall, winning each of the last three contests, including completing the regular season sweep on February 29. Denver's last win came in December. 2022, a triple overtime game in Hamilton Gymnasium. Saturday marks the first time the two programs will meet on a neutral floor.
LAST TIME OUT:
DeAndre Craig and Tyson Garff led the Pioneers with 11 points apiece, but Denver fell to St. Thomas 83-58 in the regular season finale in St. Paul.
DENVER IN THE SUMMIT LEAGUE TOURNAMENT:
The Pioneers 3-8 all-time in the Summit League Tournament, including 2-7 as the underdog. Denver's last win came in double overtime against Oral Roberts by a count of 90-88 in the 2018 Summit League Quarterfinal. The Crimson and Gold's two other wins in the tournament came against Omaha (2016 quarterfinal) and South Dakota (2014 quarterfinal).
BRUNER LEADS DENVER IN NATIONAL STATISTICAL RANKINGS
- Tommy Bruner ranks first in the country in points per game (24.5), seventh in free-throws made (199), second in field goals made (243), 74th in assists (135) and 80th in three-point field goals made (75).
- Touko Tainamo ranks 65th in rebounds (246), 95th in free-throw attempts (156). Tainamo is also tied for 73rd nationally in double-doubles with eight.
- Isaiah Carr ranks 34th in the country in blocked shots (56).
- Denver entered the week 14th in the country in free-throw attempts per game (23.8) and 11th in free-throw makes per game (17.6).
- As a team, the Pioneers are 19th in scoring offense (82.6) and 39th in turnovers per game (10.1).
- Bruner was held without a point in Denver's loss at St. Thomas, missing most of the second half. The game snapped a streak of 32-straight games in double figures for the fifth-year senior.
RECORD WATCH
CAREER RECORDS: POINTS: Bruner 10th (1268), 39 behind Nate Rohnert (1307) fo 9th. Tainamo 14th (1081), 19 behind Rob Lewis for 13th. FREE THROWS: Bruner is 2nd with 345, 34 behind Nate Rohnert for the record. REBOUNDS: Tainamo is 4th (614), 10 behind Wahhab Carter for 3rd.
SINGLE SEASON: POINTS: Tommy Bruner passed Yemi Nicholson (2005-06) for the modern DI record in a season on Feb. 8 at South Dakota. On Feb. 16 vs. North Dakota, Bruner passed Matt Teahan (1978-79) for the all-time record. Bruner sits at 760. FIELD GOALS: Bruner is 1st (243), passing Yemi Nicholson on Feb. 29 vs. Kansas City. FREE THROWS: Bruner broke Nate Rohnert's record on Feb. 1 and currently sits at 199 (Rohnert - 09-10, 157). Bruner is 1 FTM behind Vince Boryla (1948-49) for the all-time record. REBOUNDS: Tainamo has 246 boards for 4th-most, 15 behin Yemi Nicholson (2004-05) for 3rd. ASSISTS: Bruner has 135 dimes for T-5th, 3 behind Ty Church (138 in 1998-99) for 4th. BLOCKS: Isaiah Carr became the fourth different Pio to record 50 blocks in a season, currently sitting at 56, good for seventh-highest in a season, 10 blocks behind Eric Dow (1998-99) for 6th.
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