DENVER – The University of Denver men's basketball program will close out a three-game homestand on Saturday afternoon when the Pioneers welcome North Dakota to Hamilton Gymnasium. Opening tip of the backend of a men's and women's (11 a.m. MT) double header is set for 2 p.m. MT on the Summit League Network. One ticket will get fans into both games.
 
PROMO:
Saturday is Wild West Day at Hamilton Gymnasium. Fans are encouraged to wear their best in the west. The Pioneers men's and women's programs will also be hosting their alumni on campus this weekend.
 
SERIES HISTORY:
North Dakota holds a 10-5 lead in the all-time series, having won five-straight before the Pioneers won in Grand Forks last February. The Pioneers are 3-5 against the Fighting Hawks in the Mile High City. Modern DI Era History
 
LAST TIME OUT:
In-front of the venue's biggest crowd since 2007, the Pioneers came from 15 points down to get a five-point lead in the early stages of the second half, but unbeaten North Dakota State made the key plays late to earn a five-point road win in Hamilton on Thursday night. Full Recap
 
2ND BIGGEST HAMILTON CROWD FUELS NEAR COMEBACK VS. NDSU
Denver trailed by as many as 15 to unbeaten North Dakota State on January 22 before an 18-0 run that span over halftime but the Pioneers ahead by five in the early stages of the second half.
The game was played in-front of 1839, the second-biggest basketball crowd in the history of Hamilton Gymnasium, and the biggest since the facility's only basketball sellout on January 27, 2007 vs. Western Kentucky (2665).
 
DEFENDING THE HOME FLOOR
Since turning Division I in 1998-99, the Pioneers are 56-40 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).
 
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.
 
20+ POINT SCORING NIGHTS
Sophomore Carson Johnson leads the Pioneers with 10 games with 20+ points this season, including 21 vs. North Dakota State on January 22. Johnson is tied for 27th in the country in most 20+ point games this season (stathead).
Graduate student Jeremiah Burke has 8 20+ point games this season, tying him for 68th 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).
 
HOT-SHOOTING PIOS
Denver is currently ranked 46th in the country and second in the Summit League in effective field-goal percentage, entering the game at 55.9%.
The Pioneers are also 14th in the country and first in the league in free-throw percentage (77.7) and 20th in the country and first in the Summit League in three-point percentage (38.4).
Denver leads the league and is 53rd in the country in scoring offense at 84.0 points per game.
 
OLDHAM'S DOUBLE-DOUBLE AT SOUTH DAKOTA
Gabe Oldham entered the week as the top ranked player in the country in effective FG% at 78.8% (Ken Pom), six points higher than the next closest player (Keeyan Itejere - Rhode Island).
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).
 
UP NEXT:
Denver will return to the road next Wednesday when the Pioneers travel to Kansas City. Opening tip is set for 6 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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