DENVER – The University of Denver men's basketball program return home on Thursday night, welcoming South Dakota to Hamilton Gymnasium for the final time in Summit League regular season play. Tip is set for 7 p.m. MT, and the game will be broadcast on Altitude 2, the Summit League Network and 104.3 The Fan HD3.   
 
STUDENT PROMO:
In addition to free admission to Thursday night's game, DU students can pickup a free Pepsi and purchase $6 domestic drafts (Must be 21 with valid ID, drink responsibly). 

SERIES HISTORY:
South Dakota holds an 18-9 record in the previous 27 Division I meetings between the two programs. The Pioneers are 6-5 on their home floor. USD has won the last four in the series which came on the heels of three-straight Denver wins. FULL HISTORY
 
LAST TIME OUT:
Senior Logan Kinsey led all scorers with 22, while Jeremiah Burke and Carson Johnson had 18, and 17, respectively, but the Pioneers fell to Omaha 83-76 on Sunday afternoon in Baxter Arena. FULL RECAP
 
20+ POINT SCORING NIGHTS
Sophomore Carson Johnson leads the Pioneers with 15 games with 20+ points this season, including seven of the last nine. Johnson is tied for 11th in the country in most 20+ point games this season (stathead).
Graduate student Jeremiah Burke has 9 20+ point games this season, tying him for 129th 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 Pioneers achieved that feat again in a 98-79 win over North Dakota on February 7, 2026 when Johnson (22), Burke (20) and Logan Kinsey (20) all finished with 20+ apiece.
The Feb. 7 occurrence was the first time Denver had three players score 20+ on the road since Marcus Byrd, Nate Engesser and Thomas Neff scored 20+ at Purdue Fort Wayne on Feb. 13, 2016.
Denver has had three players finish with 20+ in a game five times in its Division I history.
 
DENVER IN LEAGUE PLAY
Denver enters the game 6-7 in league play.
Denver last finished .500 or better in the Summit League in 2017-18 (8-6).
The Pioneers last finished .500 or better in league road games in its lone year in the Western Athletic Conference in 2012-13.
 
JOHNSON REACHES 1,000 CAREER POINTS IN 51 GAMES
In Denver's game at Omaha on February 15, sophomore Carson Johnson reached 1,000 career points in just 51 career games combined between his time at Minnesota State Moorhead (23 games) and Denver (28 games).
Had all 51 games been played at Denver, Johnson would hold Denver's DI record for the fastest to 1,000 DU career points, reaching the milestone one game faster than Tommy Bruner reached 1,000 Denver points (52 - 2022-24).
Prior to Bruner, B.J. Pratt held Denver's record at 67 games.
Johnson is on pace to reach 1,000 career Denver points in 52 games, matching Bruner's output.
 
RECORD BOOK WATCH
Sophomore guard Carson Johnson has scored 546 points this season, moving him to fifth in Denver's DI single season record book, 15 points behind Yemi Nicholson (2004-05) for fourth.
On February 15 at Omaha, Johnson scored his 1,000 career points in just his 51st career game between his time at Minnesota State Moorhead (23) and at Denver (28).
Carson Johnson became the 12th Pioneer in the program's DI to make 70 three-pointers in a season. He currently has 74 triples, tying for ninth with Joe Rosga (2016-17) in Denver's DI history, and one behind B.J. Pratt (2000-01) and Brian Stafford (2011-12) for seventh.
Carson Johnson has made 110 free-throws this season, ranking 10th in Denver's single-season record book, four behind B.J Pratt (2002-03) and Antonio Porch (2004-05) for eighth.
Logan Kinsey is shooting 55.8% from the field this season, ranking sixth in Denver's single-season record book.
Zane Nelson is shooting 45.0% from beyond the arc this season, ranking seventh in Denver's single-season record book.
 
SOMETHING IS BREWING IN HAMILTON
Since turning Division I in 1998-99, the Pioneers are 57-42 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).
Denver's game against NDSU in Hamilton 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).
 
OLDHAM SECOND IN THE COUNTRY IN EFFECTIVE FG%
Gabe Oldham entered the weekend as the second-ranked player in the country in effective FG% at 72.9% (Ken Pom), 1.0 points behind Navy's Aidan Kehoe.
Oldham shot a perfect 9-for-9 from the field on January 10 vs. South Dakota, 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).
 
CARSON JOHNSON - MR. RELIABLE
Sophomore guard Carson Johnson is averaging 35.6 minutes per game this season, ranking 14th in the country in percentage of minutes played (90.4 - KenPom).
Johnson is leading the Summit League in points per game in conference match-ups at 21.6 per tilt and in minutes played at 37.2 per game.
 
#PROPIOS
Denver has 11 former student-athletes currently playing professionally in the United States and abroad.
Ade Murkey - BC Vienna (Austria)
Isaiah Addo-Ankrah - Iverioni (Georgia)
Jaxon Brenchley - Cheshire Phoenix (England)
Marko Lukic - Union SF (Argentina)
Pedro Lopez-San Vicente - Huesca (Spain)
Ronnie Harrell Jr - Aris (Greece)
Royce O'Neale - Phoenix Suns (NBA)
Tevin Smith - Lucenec (Slovakia)
Touko Tainamo - USK Praha (Czech Republic)
Tymoteusz Sternicki - Slask Wroclaw (Poland)
Tyree Corbett - Al Arabi Club Doha (Qatar)
 
UP NEXT:
Denver will wrap-up its home calendar on Saturday when the Pioneers welcome St. Thomas for Senior Day. Opening tip is set for 4 p.m. MT, and the second game of a men's and women's double header will be streamed 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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