DENVER -
A few people expressed their disappointment that yesterday's road game did not
feature a blog. So Pioneer Pete, David Kummer and anyone else looking for a
blog yesterday, this one is for you.
The normal road game for the Pioneers
features a midmorning breakfast, a light shoot around in the opponent's arena,
chicken and pasta around 3 p.m., and a whole lot of rest time in hotel rooms.
With yesterday's game being just up
the road in Greeley, Colo., the team stayed on campus until nearly 4 p.m., just
after the pregame meal, before loading the bus and riding about an hour north
to Butler-Hancock Sports Pavilion.
While the Pioneers did not play their
best basketball during the first half, redshirt sophomore Blake Foeman came off the bench and provided some much needed
energy to the team.
Sometimes a player makes a big contribution
to a win, even if the stat sheet doesn't necessarily show it.
That was the case with Foeman last
night, which is why he more than doubled his previous career high in minutes
played. Foeman had never played more than 11 minutes in a game. Last night, he
played 23.
Foeman had five points, a couple of
rebounds and assists, and a block. He also took a charge and did not have a
turnover, while providing good perimeter defense. Foeman works hard during
practice and keeps getting better. His contributions, especially last night,
should not go overlooked.
Something to Talk About: It's nice to see media around the state and
the country taking notice of Denver's 7-2 start.
In addition to superblogger Brendan
Loy, who writes a nice blog called Mile High Mids
and also contributes to MidMajority.com, some
of the national writers are starting to take notice.
If you missed it, Myron Medcalf had a
great story about the Pioneers on ESPN.com
last week, a few days after Jeff Eisneberg called Denver a team to watch in a
story on Yahoo! Sports.
ESPN's
Joe Lunardi published his first Bracketology
of the season, saying DU is a No. 14 seed and would face No. 3 seed Kansas in
Omaha, Neb., if the season ended today.
And
yesterday, former Pioneer great Nate
Rohnert (from his computer France) was talking to ESPN commentator Fran Fraschilla on Twitter
about this year's Denver team:
franfraschilla: My favorite stat so far: 6-2 Denver dead last (No. 345) in
Offensive Rebounding % at 20%. Good news is they rarely give up fast break
hoops!
naterohnert: @franfraschilla i think its because they never miss
franfraschilla: @naterohnert Guys like you were perfect for the
offense. You still in Estonia?
franfraschilla: Former DU Pioneer star @naterohnert retweeting my stuff. He made great use
of that Princeton offense! You still in Estonia?
naterohnert: @franfraschilla I'm in France now... DU will win the
sun belt this year
franfraschilla: They're are a solid team with 3 Dallas kids I saw in HS a lot!
Finally,
if you didn't see it, the Pioneers are ranked No. 23 in this week's Mid-Major Top 25.
Don't
forget, Denver returns to Magness Arena to face future Western Athletic
Conference rival Boise State on Saturday at 4:30 p.m. MT. Tickets are still
available for $9-$15. Single-game tickets may be
purchased in person at the Ritchie Center Box Office, by phone at 303-871-2336
or online at DenverPioneers.com. DU students are admitted to all Denver men's and women's
basketball games FREE with their Pioneer Card.
See you at Magness Arena on Saturday.
Yearly travel totals:
Total Flights - 8
Total Mileage by Air - 4,680
Total Mileage by Bus - 584
Total
Number of Hotels - 4
Total
Number of Different Airports - 6
Total
Number of Airline Delays - 3
Total
Number of Cancelled Flights - 0
Total
Number of Bags Lost - 0
Total
Number of Venues with Giant, Inflatable Animals -
1 (a 30-foot Bear at UNC)
Thursday, December 15, 2011
Tuesday, December 6, 2011
Iona - 12/6/11
DENVER -
It's an exciting time to be a Pioneer.
Denver is 6-1 for the first time since returning to NCAA Division I. In fact, excluding DU's time in NAIA and Division II from 1979-98, this is the best start for the Pioneers since opening 6-0 in 1942-43. DU also started 6-1 in 1940-41, 7-1 in 1930 and enjoyed an 8-0 season in 1915 (prior to 1931-32, seasons were played starting in January).
Of course, the biggest challenge of the season might be this Wednesday, when Iona College (6-1) travels to the Mile High City.
"Iona has a rich basketball tradition. Jim Valvano was a coach there, and Jeff Ruland was a pro, and they went to the NCAA Tournament a couple of years ago," DU head coach Joe Scott said. "Most importantly, though, everyone in the country seems to be talking about them and have been since the beginning of the year. They're one of the top five - or maybe top three - mid-majors in the country. Both teams are 6-1, so you couldn't ask for a better game for our program. We're going to be ready for the challenge and embrace it."
Historically, as Coach Scott alluded to, Iona was coached by the legendary Jim Valvano before he left and eventually won the NCAA title with North Carolina State, and the Gaels have won seven MAAC championships and advanced to eight NCAA Tournaments.
It's this year's Gaels, however, that have created a buzz around New Rochelle, N.Y., just as the Pioneers have started to do around Denver.
In ESPN's Mid-Major Power 15, the Gaels are ranked No. 6 and the Pioneers are No. 7. Additionally, Iona is ranked No. 3 in the Mid-Major Top 25.
Iona's offense is leading the nation with 92.0 points per game and 22.6 assists per game. Gaels point guard Scott Machado is leading the way in that category with an eye-popping 11.4 assists per game, the best mark in the nation.
The Pioneers, on the other hand, have held opponents to just 58.4 points per game and are leading the NCAA with an 83.2 free throw percentage.
Breaking the numbers down even more, according to ESPN.com, Denver and Iona rank 18th and 20th, respectively, in adjusted field goal percentage, which gives added weight to three-pointers. According to KenPom.com, the Pioneers are the sixth-most unselfish team in the nation, racking up assists on 68.6 percent of their field goals made, while Iona is 12th at 65.8 percent of its field goals made.
Both teams are 6-1. Denver's sole loss came at then-No. 18 California, and the Gaels only defeat was a 91-90 nail-biter to Purdue in their season opener in the Puerto Rico Tip Off.
And both teams have notable wins. DU beat Saint Mary's 70-58 and snapping Utah State's 33-game home winning streak with a 67-54 victory. Iona took down Maryland 89-63 in Puerto Rico and Saint Joseph's 104-99 in double overtime.
Mike Glover leads Iona in scoring and rebounding with 19.9 points and 9.9 rebounds per game, while Arizona transfer Lamont "MoMo" Jones is adding 14.3 points per game.
Tickets are still available for Wednesday's matchup. Men's basketball individual game tickets range from $9-$15. Single-game tickets may be purchased in person at the Ritchie Center Box Office, by phone at 303-871-2336 or online at DenverPioneers.com. DU students are admitted to all Denver men's and women's basketball games FREE with their Pioneer Card.
Yearly travel totals:
Total Flights - 8
Total Mileage by Air - 4,680
Total Mileage by Bus - 453
Total Number of Hotels - 4
Total Number of Different Airports - 6
Total Number of Airline Delays - 3
Total Number of Cancelled Flights - 0
Total Number of Bags Lost - 0
Denver is 6-1 for the first time since returning to NCAA Division I. In fact, excluding DU's time in NAIA and Division II from 1979-98, this is the best start for the Pioneers since opening 6-0 in 1942-43. DU also started 6-1 in 1940-41, 7-1 in 1930 and enjoyed an 8-0 season in 1915 (prior to 1931-32, seasons were played starting in January).
Of course, the biggest challenge of the season might be this Wednesday, when Iona College (6-1) travels to the Mile High City.
"Iona has a rich basketball tradition. Jim Valvano was a coach there, and Jeff Ruland was a pro, and they went to the NCAA Tournament a couple of years ago," DU head coach Joe Scott said. "Most importantly, though, everyone in the country seems to be talking about them and have been since the beginning of the year. They're one of the top five - or maybe top three - mid-majors in the country. Both teams are 6-1, so you couldn't ask for a better game for our program. We're going to be ready for the challenge and embrace it."
Historically, as Coach Scott alluded to, Iona was coached by the legendary Jim Valvano before he left and eventually won the NCAA title with North Carolina State, and the Gaels have won seven MAAC championships and advanced to eight NCAA Tournaments.
It's this year's Gaels, however, that have created a buzz around New Rochelle, N.Y., just as the Pioneers have started to do around Denver.
In ESPN's Mid-Major Power 15, the Gaels are ranked No. 6 and the Pioneers are No. 7. Additionally, Iona is ranked No. 3 in the Mid-Major Top 25.
Iona's offense is leading the nation with 92.0 points per game and 22.6 assists per game. Gaels point guard Scott Machado is leading the way in that category with an eye-popping 11.4 assists per game, the best mark in the nation.
The Pioneers, on the other hand, have held opponents to just 58.4 points per game and are leading the NCAA with an 83.2 free throw percentage.
Breaking the numbers down even more, according to ESPN.com, Denver and Iona rank 18th and 20th, respectively, in adjusted field goal percentage, which gives added weight to three-pointers. According to KenPom.com, the Pioneers are the sixth-most unselfish team in the nation, racking up assists on 68.6 percent of their field goals made, while Iona is 12th at 65.8 percent of its field goals made.
Both teams are 6-1. Denver's sole loss came at then-No. 18 California, and the Gaels only defeat was a 91-90 nail-biter to Purdue in their season opener in the Puerto Rico Tip Off.
And both teams have notable wins. DU beat Saint Mary's 70-58 and snapping Utah State's 33-game home winning streak with a 67-54 victory. Iona took down Maryland 89-63 in Puerto Rico and Saint Joseph's 104-99 in double overtime.
Mike Glover leads Iona in scoring and rebounding with 19.9 points and 9.9 rebounds per game, while Arizona transfer Lamont "MoMo" Jones is adding 14.3 points per game.
Tickets are still available for Wednesday's matchup. Men's basketball individual game tickets range from $9-$15. Single-game tickets may be purchased in person at the Ritchie Center Box Office, by phone at 303-871-2336 or online at DenverPioneers.com. DU students are admitted to all Denver men's and women's basketball games FREE with their Pioneer Card.
Yearly travel totals:
Total Flights - 8
Total Mileage by Air - 4,680
Total Mileage by Bus - 453
Total Number of Hotels - 4
Total Number of Different Airports - 6
Total Number of Airline Delays - 3
Total Number of Cancelled Flights - 0
Total Number of Bags Lost - 0
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