DENVER – The University of Denver men's basketball program will play its final single-game week in the penultimate week of the regular season when the Pioneers welcome Oral Roberts to Hamilton Gymnasium on Wednesday night. Opening tip is set for 7 p.m. MT, and the game will be broadcast on Altitude TV, the Summit League Network and 104.3 the Fan HD3.

LAST TIME OUT:
Freshman Sebastian Akins scored a season-high 27 points, and provided the game-tying assist to Isaiah Carr at the end of regulation, but the Pioneers fell to North Dakota State in overtime by a count of 89-84 on Saturday afternoon in Fargo. FULL RECAP

SERIES HISTORY:
Oral Roberts holds a 14-11 advantage in the overall series and a 13-11 edge in the Division I series between the two programs. Denver won the first meeting this season in Tulsa by a count of 70-68, breaking an eight-game losing streak against the Golden Eagles. The Pioneers are 7-5 against ORU in the Mile High City. FULL DI HISTORY

AKINS DEBUT SEASON

• Freshman guard Sebastian Akins put up 15 points off the bench in the Pios season debut at Stanford on November 4.
• Akins enters the game with 357 points, the second most by a Pioneer in their true freshman season in DU's DI history.
• Akins is 16th in the country this season in freshman scoring.
• Akins has 15+ points in 10 games this season, including four 20+ point games and a 19-point game vs. St. Thomas (2/8).
• Akins had the game-winning assist to Abdulai Fanta Kabba in Denver's 70-68 win at ORU on January 23.

SPREADING THE SCORING

• Denver had six players score in double figures and no one score more than 15 in Denver's 97-80 win over Western Colorado on Nov. 8.
• DeAndre Craig led the Pios with 15, Pedro Lopez-Sanvicente scored 13, Sebastian Akins added 12 and Nicholas Shogbonyo, Isaiah Carr and Josh Lee all finished with 10.
• It was the first time Denver had 6 players in double figures since December 15, 2012 against Omaha.
• 12 years ago - Royce O'Neale had 17, Chase Hallam had 12, Chris Udofia scored 11, Brett Olson and Nate Engesser chipped in 11 and Cam Griffin scored 10.
• Isaiah Addo-Ankrah and Nicholas Shogbonyo combined for 40 of Denver's 68 points in its Big Sky/Summit League Challenge win at Portland State on December 7.
• The Pioneers had six players with at least seven points in that 21-point win over Sacramento State in the first game of the challenge on December 4.
• DU also had six players with at least seven points in a 94-87 win over UCCS on December 10.
• Last Thursday, Denver had six players finish with at least eight points in a 68-64 win over North Dakota on February 13 in Grand Forks.

DEFENDING THE HOME FLOOR

• Since turning Division I in 1998-99, the Pioneers are 48-38 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 is 6-6 at home in 2024-25 season.
• In the fourth season under head coach Jeff Wulbrun, the Pioneers are 31-22 on their home floor.

BACK TO FULL HEALTH

• Denver has played one game this season with its full roster healthy, and that came in Denver's 68-64 win at North Dakota on Feb. 13.
• DU's roster has combined to miss 45 games due to injury this season.
• 7-foot centers Isaiah Carr and Abdulai Fanta Kabba combined to miss 35 games this season due to injury.

CRAIG NAMED TO PRESEASON SECOND TEAM

• Sophomore guard DeAndre Craig was named to the Preseason All-Summit League Second Team ahead of Media Day on October 8.
• Craig and South Dakota State sophomore guard Kalen Garry are the only two underclassmen across the two preseason teams.
• Craig played in all 34 games in his freshman campaign, averaging 6.6 points and 2.6 rebounds in 23.4 minutes per game, while adding 85 assists against just 40 turnovers to go with 35 steals.
• In Denver's three Summit League Tournament games last year, Craig finished with 13 points in the quarterfinal win, 15 and 5 assists in the semifinal victory and 12 and 7 helpers in the championship game against South Dakota State.
• Craig, along with teammate Isaiah Carr, represented the program at the 2024 Summit League Basketball Media Day in Sioux Falls.
• After missing three-straight games with an injury, Craig returned to the lineup on January 18 at St. Thomas.
• Craig ranks third in the Summit League and 130th in the country in field goal percentage, shooting 48.7% from the field.
• Craig had a four-point sequence that included an intentionally missed free-throw and a three-point play in Denver's dramatic win over Kansas City on January 30.

HONORING MR. DANIEL L. RITCHIE

• Denver men's basketball players will wear special 'DR' patches on their jerseys for the remainder of the 2024-25 season to honor Chancellor Emeritus Daniel L. Ritchie, who passed away on Thursday, Jan. 30 at the age of 93.
• Ritchie was an immense supporter of DU Athletics during his time as the school's "Cowboy Chancellor" beginning in 1989, and his support for all 18 D-I programs continued after he left the position in 2005. Among his accomplishments as Chancellor was leading the University to new success academically and moving the school to full Division-I status in 1998-99—the same year the Daniel L. Ritchie Center of Sports and Wellness opened on campus where Denver plays its home games inside Hamilton Gymnasium.
• The University hosted a memorial for Mr. Ritchie on February 13 in Magness Arena to celebrate his remarkable life and legacy. Learn more about Daniel L. Ritchie at DenverPioneers.com and DU.edu.

UP NEXT:
Denver has the weekend off before closing the regular season next week with a trip to Kansas City (6 p.m. MT) on Thursday before hosting South Dakota State on Saturday (March 1) at 1 p.m. MT. 

TICKETS:
Get tickets for the 2024-25 season by clicking here.

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