DENVER – The University of Denver men's basketball program will open up its two-game Big Sky/Summit League Challenge slate on Wednesday night when the Pioneers return to Hamilton Gymnasium to take on Eastern Washington. Opening tip on Altitude 2 and the Summit League Network is set for 7 p.m. MT.   

SERIES HISTORY:
Denver and Eastern Washington have split the modern DI series 3-3, and will meet for the first time since November, 2016 on Wednesday night. Denver is 2-1 in the Mile High City against the Eagles. The last meeting was an 85-80 OT win for EWU in Cheney. FULL HISTORY

LAST TIME OUT:
Denver ended its congested three game road swing with a loss at Wyoming in the Pioneers second game of the 2025 Wildcat Classic last Wednesday. FULL RECAP 

DENVER'S NON-CONFERENCE SCHEDULE:
According to KenPom ratings, Denver has played the 16th most difficult non-conference schedule in the country (thru 11/28). 

DENVER IN THE BIG SKY-SUMMIT LEAGUE CHALLENGE:

• Denver is 3-1 in the Big Sky-Summit League Challenge, including 2-0 inside Hamilton Gymnasium.
• January 3, 2024: @Denver 95, Idaho State 82 (OT)
• January 6, 2024: @Northern Colorado 86, Denver 82
• December 4, 2024: @Denver 80, Sacramento State 59
• December 7, 2024: Denver 68, @Portland State 67
• December 3, 2025: @Denver, Eastern Washington - 7 p.m. MT
• December 6, 2025: Denver, @Idaho State - 4 p.m. MT 

DEFENDING THE HOME FLOOR

• Since turning Division I in 1998-99, the Pioneers are 50-38 in Hamilton Gymnasium.
• Denver has played in Hamilton full-time since the 2020-21 campaign.
• 2023-24 marked the first double-digit win season in Hamilton (10-4).
• Denver finished 8-6 at home in 2024-25 season.
• 1,456 came to Denver's home opener against UTSA on November 15, the largest Denver crowd since the 2021-22 home opener (1,607).

UNIVERSITY OF DENVER ACCEPTS WCC INVITE FOR 2026-27

• On October 31, the University of Denver announced it has accepted an invitation to join the West Coast Conference in nine sports, beginning in the 2026-27 season.
• "My immediate response was excited. I understand how big it is for the university and overall for athletics. I understand that it's a power conference for sure, and I think it's just the absolute perfect fit for our program and university." Head Coach Tim Bergstraser
• Denver will join the West Coast Conference in men's and women's basketball, men's and women's golf, men's and women's soccer, men's and women's tennis and women's volleyball.
• The move provides Denver with a significant enhancement to the overall reputation of the university and brand association, allying DU with highly regarded, mostly private institutions with stronger academic ranking and profiles that will further strengthen the university's position in the western United States.

THE TIM BERGSTRASER ERA

• Tim Bergstraser was named the 34th head coach in the men's basketball program's history on April 14.
• At age 34 (as of Oct. 1), Bergstraser is the eighth youngest Division I men's basketball head coach in the country in 2025-26.
• Bergstraser retained three players from last year's Denver roster, kept one DU commit and signed 11 transfers late in the transfer portal.
• Bergstraser came to Denver after three seasons at Minnesota State Moorhead, where he went 75-22, leading the Dragons to three-consecutive 25-win seasons and three NCAA Tournament appearances.
• MSUM won two NSIC Tournament titles in his three seasons, and reached the NCAA Sweet 16 in his final season with the Dragons in 2024-25, the program's first regional final appearance since 2014-15.
• In 2023-24 MSUM opened the campaign 14-0 to earn the program's first No. 1 ranking in program history.
• Bergstraser's teams in his three years at MSUM all finished with a 3.4 GPA or better, and earned the conference's Elite 18 Award winner for the student-athlete with the highest GPA at the NSIC Championship.
• Prior to taking over as the head coach, Bergstraser was an assistant for four seasons at MSUM, an assistant at Quincy for a year, a grad assistant for two at MSUM, an assistant at Wisconsin-River Falls and a student-assistant at St. Cloud State after his third ACL injury cut his playing career short.

DENVER'S ASSISTANTS

• Associate head coach Spenser Bland comes to the Mile High City from being in the same position on the MSUM staff under Bergstraser.
• Bergstraser said in his 2025-26 season preview radio show that he would not have taken the Denver job if Bland didn't agree to come with him.
• Bland serves as the program's offensive coordinator.
• In the middle of seven seasons at Minnesota State Moorhead, of which he spent the final two as the associate head coach, Bland coached one season at the University of Sioux Falls (2021-22).
• A former assistant in the Summit League, Kyle Heikkinen joined Tim Bergstraser's staff after five seasons at Western Illinois, of which he spent the final two as the associate head coach.
• Heikkinen also had assistant jobs at Highland CC and Wisconsin-Whitewater, combining for a 237-124 record in his previous 12 seasons as an assistant.
• Abe Woldeslassie joined Bergstraser's staff after spending the last seven seasons as the head coach at Macalester (NCAA DIII).
• Prior to his time in Minnesota, Woldeslassie had positions on DI staffs at Siena, Davidson and Dartmouth.
• Scott Gauthier was named the program's Director of Operations, coming to Denver after a year as an assistant at IU Indy.
• Gauthier's previous coaching stops also included a year at Lindenwood and seven seasons at the University of Missouri -St. Louis.
• Nihilo Ibarra was the last addition to the staff, joining Denver after serving as the head manager for San Diego State's 2022-23 squad that made the national title game, and two seasons as a graduate assistant at Nebraska.

UP NEXT:
Denver will close out the Big Sky/Summit League Challenge on Saturday with a trip to Idaho State. Opening tip on ESPN+ is set for 4 p.m. MT.

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