DENVER – The University of Denver men's basketball program will begin the fourth week of Summit League on Thursday night when the Pioneers welcome North Dakota State to Hamilton Gymnasium. Opening tip on Altitude 2, the Summit League Network and 104.3 The Fan HD3 is set for 7 p.m. MT.  
 
PROMO:
University of Denver students can register before the under-16 media timeout of the first half to win a chance to shoot for a new Toyota at halftime of Thursday night's game.
 
SERIES HISTORY:
North Dakota State holds a 23-9 advantage in the all-time series, including 22-9 in Denver's modern DI era. Denver is 7-5 against NDSU in the Daniel L. Ritchie Center for Sports and Wellness. Denver swept the season series in 2024, its first sweep since 2018. NDSU won both meetings a year ago, including an 89-84 overtime game in Fargo last February. SERIES HISTORY
 
LAST TIME OUT:
Sophomore guard Carson Johnson scored 33 to lead the Pioneers back to the win column with a 98-87 victory over Oral Roberts last Wednesday in Hamilton Gymnasium. FULL RECAP
 
DEFENDING THE HOME FLOOR

• Since turning Division I in 1998-99, the Pioneers are 56-39 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).

 
JOHNSON CANS 33 TO LEAD DENVER PAST ORAL ROBERTS

• Carson Johnson scored 33 points in Denver's 11-point win over Oral Roberts on January 14 in Hamilton Gymnasium.
• Johnson's 30+ point game was his first as a Pioneer and the second of his career (42 vs. St. Cloud State - Feb. 1, 2025).
• Johnson scored 24 points in the first half, the second most first-half points by a Pioneer in Denver's Division I history, and its most against a DI opponent in the modern era.
• Johnson's 33-point game tied for the eight-most points in a game in Denver's Division I history.
• Johnson's 33 points were the most by a player in the Summit League this season.

 
3 FOR 30

• Denver has had three different players score at least 30+ in a game this year, one of four teams in the country that holds true for as of January 14, joining Texas Tech, UCLA and Charleston Southern (Stathead).
• Shaun Wysocki was the first to 30+ this year, scoring 32 in Denver's win over Alaska Anchorage on December 11.
• Zane Nelson matched Wysocki's 32 in Denver's in-state road win at Northern Colorado on December 20.
• Carson Johnson was the third to 30+ in the Pioneers Summit League win over Oral Roberts on January 14.

 
OLDHAM'S DOUBLE-DOUBLE AT SOUTH DAKOTA

• Gabe Oldham entered the week as the top ranked player in the country in effective FG% at 78.3% (Ken Pom).
• In Denver's game at South Dakota on January 10, Oldham finished with 24 points and 13 rebounds.
• Oldham also shot a perfect 9-for-9 from the field, making him the 11th player in the country this year to produce a 20-point double-double (pts/rbs) and shoot perfect from the field (Stathead).

 
DENVER FINISHES AS LONE UNBEATEN IN-STATE

• On December 20th, Denver defeated Northern Colorado 86-79, improving to 2-0 vs. Colorado (won at CSU) teams this season.
• Denver is the only DI Colorado team to go unbeaten against in-state foes this season.
• Denver's win over UNC was its first since 2016, its first in Greeley since 2015 and marks the first season Denver defeated Colorado State and Northern Colorado in the same season since 2003-04.

 
BURKE AND JOHNSON EARN MID-SEASON AWARDS

• Sophomore guard Carson Johnson and graduate student forward Jeremiah Burke were named to the All-Summit League First Team by Reach the Summit Podcast in their mid-season awards.
• HoopsHD also named Burke to its mid-season All-Summit League First Team.
• Johnson leads the Pioneers averaging 18.0 points per game entering the calendar year 2026 to go with 1.8 rebounds. The Denver guard has scored 20+ points in six of the last eight games, including 23 in Wednesday's Summit League opening win over Kansas City.
• Burke is second on the team with 15.6 points per game, while also pulling down 5.8 rebounds per contest. One of three Pioneers to start all 16 games, Burke has 15+ points in seven of the last nine games. In the December 31 win over Kansas City, Burke recorded his first career double-double, pulling down 11 boards to go with his 16 points.

 
20+ POINT SCORING NIGHTS

• Sophomore Carson Johnson leads the Pioneers with nine games with 20+ points this season, including 33 vs. Oral Roberts on January 14. Johnson is tied for 35th in the country in most 2net 0+ point games this season (stathead).
• Graduate student Jeremiah Burke has 8 20+ point games this season, tying him for 58th in the country in the category (statehead).
• Denver had three players finish with 20+ in its win over Oral Roberts on January 14. Carson Johnson scored 33 and Zane Nelson and Jeremiah Burke had 20 apiece.
• That win marked the first game Denver had three players finish with 20+ in regulation since December 20, 2021 against Western Illinois (KJ Hunt - 22, Touko Tainamo - 21, Jordan Johnson - 21).
• The game also marked the first time a Summit League had 3 20+ point scorers in a game this season.

 
HOT-SHOOTING PIOS

• Denver is currently ranked 47th in the country and second in the Summit League in effective field-goal percentage, entering the game at 55.8%.
• The Pioneers are also 16th in the country and first in the league in free-throw percentage (77.8) and 20th in the country and first in the Summit League in three-point percentage (38.1).
• Denver leads the league and is 53rd in the country in scoring offense at 84.3 points per game.

UP NEXT:
Denver will close out its three-game homestand on Saturday afternoon when the Pioneers welcome North Dakota to Hamilton Gymnasium. Opening tip is set for 2 p.m. MT on the Summit League Network.
 
TICKETS:
Tickets for the 2025-26 season are on sale now, and can be purchased here.
 
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