DENVER – The University of Denver men's basketball program opens this week's two-game road trip at North Dakota State on Thursday night at 6 p.m. MT. The game will be streamed live on the Summit League Network.  
 
SERIES HISTORY:
In a series that began in 1993-94, North Dakota State has a 24-9 edge, including 23-9 since the Pioneers became full Division I members in 1998-99. Denver is 2-12 in Fargo, with the last win coming by a count of 78-70 in January, 2024. Earlier this season, North Dakota State edged out Denver 82-77 in Hamilton Gymnasium. SERIES HISTORY
 
LAST TIME OUT:
In a back and forth game of runs, Omaha finished a bucket ahead of Denver 84-82 on Saturday afternoon in Hamilton Gymnasium. The Pioneers had four players finish with 18+ in the contest. FULL RECAP
 
20+ POINT SCORING NIGHTS

• Sophomore Carson Johnson leads the Pioneers with 12 games with 20+ points this season, including four of the last five. Johnson is tied for 24th 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 112th 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).

 
SPREADING THE SCORING

• In Denver's January 31 date with Omaha, Denver had four different players finish with 18+ points. Zane Nelson and Carson Johnson scored 19, while Jeremiah Burke and Logan Kinsey added 18.
• The game marked the second time in Denver's DI history that Denver has had four players finish with 18+ points, matching Denver's four 18+ scorers on November 29, 2017 against Wyoming.
• In the 2017 date, Daniel Amigo led the Pioneers to a win over their northern neighbors with 22. Jake Holtzmann had 20 off the bench, Jake Pemberton had 19 and Joe Rosga scored 18.
• 4 players with 18+ points in a game ties for the most in the country this season, a stat reached nine times this season.

 
OLDHAM LEADS THE COUNTRY IN EFFECTIVE FIELD-GOAL PERCENTAGE

• Gabe Oldham entered the week as the top ranked player in the country in effective FG% at 75.7% (Ken Pom), 2.2 points higher than the next closest player (Aidan Kehoe - Navy).
• 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 35.3 minutes per game this season, ranking 18th in the country in percentage of minutes played (89.8 - KenPom).
• Johnson is leading the Summit League in points per game in conference match-ups at 22.5 per tilt.

 
NELSON IN TOP-25 IN KEN-POM OFFENSIVE RATING

• Graduate student guard Zane Nelson currently ranks 21st in the country in KenPom Offensive Rating this season with a 116.7.
• Nelson is third on the team with 14.0 points per game, doing so in 24.2minutes per game.
• Nelson is shooting 49% from beyond the arc (48-98).
• In Denver's two road in-state wins, Nelson had 22 on 6-of-10 shooting at Colorado State and 32 on 11-for-15 from the field at Northern Colorado.

 
HOT-SHOOTING PIOS

• Denver is currently ranked 53rd in the country and second in the Summit League in effective field-goal percentage, entering the game at 55.2%.
• The Pioneers are also 30th in the country and first in the league in free-throw percentage (77.0) and 18th in the country and first in the Summit League in three-point percentage (38.4).
• Denver leads the league and is 55th in the country in scoring offense at 83.3 points per game.

 
UP NEXT:
Denver will close out its road trip on Saturday at North Dakota. Opening tip in Grand Forks is set for 12 p.m. MT, and the game will be streamed on the Summit League Network. The Pioneers will return home on February 12, when Denver welcomes South Dakota State into Hamilton Gymnasium for a 7 p.m. MT tip.
 
TICKETS:
Tickets for the 2025-26 season are on sale now, and can be purchased here.
 
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