Nonconference Road Schedule - 8/9/10

DENVER - Friday's blog focused on the challenge of Denver's nonconference home schedule, so we wanted to break down the road games, too.

BTI Invitational (Nov. 12-14)
The Pioneers kick off the 2010-11 season in Eugene, Ore., at the BTI Invitational against Oregon, UC Santa Barbara and North Dakota State (the exact schedule has not been announced).

Oregon has a long tradition of excellence, which spans from the Ducks winning the very first NCAA Championship in 1939 to five NCAA Tournament appearances in the past decade. New head coach Dana Altman takes over Oregon after leading Creighton to a 327-176 (.650) record over the past 16 seasons and 13-consecutive postseason appearances. The Ducks lead the all-time series with the Pioneers 5-1, but the teams have not met since Oregon beat Denver 99-90 in the highest-scoring game in Magness Arena history on Nov. 21, 2000. Former Oregon players Aaron Brooks, Malik Hairston and Luke Ridnour all are currently playing in the NBA, while Luke Jackson, Fred Jones and Alex Scales also appeared in the NBA in the past five years.

UC Santa Barbara earned a berth in the 2010 NCAA Tournament, their fourth appearance overall and second this decade, after winning 20 games for the second time in the past three seasons. This will be the first ever matchup between the Pioneers and Gauchos. The most notable alumnus of UC Santa Barbara is Brian Shaw, who went on to win three NBA championships with the Los Angeles Lakers.

North Dakota State made history in 2009, when they made the NCAA Tournament in their first year of eligibility after turning Division I. The Pioneers are 1-2 against NDSU with the Bison winning the last meeting in 2005. Current Colorado State head coach Tim Miles made waves while he was the head coach at North Dakota State in 2006, when he led the Bison to upset road victories over 12^th ranked Wisconsin, which had a 27-game home winning streak against nonconference opponents at the time, and eight ranked Marquette.

Oregon is in the midst of building the brand new Matthew Knight Arena, but it is not expected to be completed until the Pac 10 conference schedule begins in December. That means the first half of the season, including the BTI Invitational, will be held at legendary McArthur Court, where the pitch of the seats is so steep that the 9,087 fans seem to be hanging over the court. The Sporting News named Mac Court the "best gym in America" in 2001, and Sports Illustrated ranked it as one of the 12 toughest places to play for an opponent in college basketball.

Boise State (Nov. 27)
The Broncos won 25 games en route to the 2008 Western Athletic Conference (WAC) championship and played in the NCAA Tournament. Basketball fans in Denver may remember Boise State as the alma mater of Koby Karl, the son of Denver Nuggets head coach George Karl. Although Boise State may be best known for the blue turf in its football stadium, the Taco Bell Arena has hosted the NCAA Tournament First and Second rounds eight times since opening in 1982. Hoops fans may remember UCLA's Tyus Edney going coast-to-coast at Taco Bell Arena to beat Missouri 75-74, sparking the Bruins' run to the 1995 national title. The arena also hosted four First Round games in 2001 that were decided by a total of seven points, including the 58-57 upset by No. 15 seed Hampton over No. 2 seed Iowa State, which was coached by Larry Eustachy.

Southern Mississippi (Dec. 7)
Speaking of Eustachy, he enters his seventh season at Southern Miss, where he guided the Golden Eagles to 20 wins and a spot in the CIT last season. The Golden Eagles play in Hattiesburg, Miss., at Reed Green Coliseum, where the team has gone 412-180 (.696) since opening in 1965, including an 11-3 mark last season. Denver is 2-0 all-time against Southern Miss, including a victory on DU's run to the 2005 Top of the World Classic championship in Fairbanks, Alaska. The most notable alumni from Southern Miss are probably Jimmy Buffett and Brett Favre, but from a hoops perspective it's hard to overlook Clarence Weatherspoon, who played 13 seasons in the NBA after being picked ninth by the Philadelphia 76ers in the first round of the 1992 NBA draft. And, of course, a favorite Southern Miss alum around Denver is former Pioneers assistant coach Greg Lackey, who has contributed insight during select DU games on television and radio during recent years.

Wyoming (Dec. 14)
The Cowboys are no strangers to the Pioneers. The two teams have met in each of the last 17 seasons, the longest consecutive streak against any DU opponent, and Denver has faced Wyoming a total of 142 times, the second most of any DU opponent. The Pioneers beat Wyoming 80-77 last season at Magness Arena, but the Cowboys have taken the last five meetings in Laramie, dating back to 1998.