University of Denver
UC Riverside
11/4/2026 5:30:00 PM | Men's Basketball
The Pioneers make their first of several trips to California to continue non-conference play
DENVER – The University of Denver men's basketball program will wrap-up a two-game road swing to open up the 2026-27 season on Saturday evening when the Pioneers travel to UC Riverside. The game tips off at 4:30 p.m. PT/5:30 p.m. MT, and the game will be broadcast on ESPN+.
LAST TIME OUT:
Junior Carson Johnson had a game-high 27 points, and the Pioneers got within four in the final 10 minutes of regulation, but [RV] Wisconsin held on for a 75-68 win on Monday night in Madison. FULL RECAP
SERIES HISTORY:
UC Riverside holds a 4-2 lead in the all-time series history, including 2-2 since the Pioneers rejoined the top division of college basketball in the 1998-99 season. FULL HISTORYÂ
20+ POINT SCORING NIGHTS
- Junior Carson Johnson leads the Pioneers with 19 games with 20+ points since the start of last season, including 11 of the last 14.
- Johnson tied for 18th in the country in most 20+ point games since the start of last season (stathead).
- Seven different Pioneers scored 20+ in a game last season.
- Denver has six players on its 2026-27 roster that have scored 20+ points in an NCAA game in their careers (chart to right).
- Denver has had three players finish with 20+ in the same game five times in its Division I history.
- As a team, Denver had 40, 20+ performances last year, ranking 10th. BYU led the country with 54.
- Johnson ended the night 27th in the country in scoring (27.0).
PIOS ON THE ROAD
- Denver had six road wins last year, its most since 2016-17.
- Denver won three-straight Summit League road games last season for the first time since joining the Summit League in 2013-14.
- The stretch marked the first three-game road winning streak overall since November 18-December 1, 2022 (Idaho St., New Orleans, HCU).
DENVER'S RETURNING DUO
- Second year head coach Tim Bergsetraser welcomes back two returners from last years roster, and his final roster from his days at Minnesota State Moorhead in 2024-25 in Carson Johnson and Shaun Wysocki.
- In addition to Johnson's Summit League Player of the Year Campaign and his NSIC Tournament MVP performance in his freshman season at the DII level, Wysocki has also been a key contributer to Bergstraser's success in the last two years.
- In his freshman season Wysocki averaged 7.6 points and 3.9 rebounds at MSUM, and nearly matched that output in his rise to the DI level last year, chipping in 7.5 points and 3.3 rebounds for the Pioneers in 30 games last season.
- Wysocki was the first of three Pioneers to score 30+ in a game last season, making Denver one of 22 teams with three different student-athletes to earn that distinction in the regular season a year ago.
DENVER VS. THE POWER 4/5
- Denver is 1-35 in its Division I history against programs from the Power 4.
- The Pioneers lone victory since the 1999-00 season was at home against Oregon State on December 13, 2000.
- Prior to the season opener at Wisconsin, Denver's last single-digit loss against a Power-5 team came in the Pioneers trip to Oregon State in December, 2022.
- The Pioneers last single digit loss to a current Power-4 program came at Kansas State on November 12, 2018 when the Pioneers lost 64-56 at Kansas State.
- Monday night's loss is Denver's closest against a current Big Ten team in the program's modern DI era (since 1998-99). Denver lost to Maryland 62-52 in the second round of the 2013 NIT.
UP NEXT:
Denver hosts Wyoming in its home opener a week from Saturday (November 14) for a 1 p.m. MT tipoff. The game will be broadcast on ESPN+.Â
TICKET INFORMATION:
Tickets for the 2026-27 campaign are on sale now, and can be purchased here.
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