At the beginning of the season, Denver’s goal was to win a conference championship. Less than a month ago, the Pioneers were 2-9, and that goal looked very distant indeed. But six wins later — including four conference wins, two of them on the road, most recently Saturday’s 66-57 escape at Louisiana-Monroe — DU’s original goal is suddenly there for the taking.
Denver is 4-0 in Sun Belt play, which places them alone atop the West Division, and tied with East Division co-leaders Florida Atlantic (4-0) and Florida International (3-0) as the only undefeated teams in the conference. And, as luck would have it, Denver’s only meetings of the season with each of the two Florida schools are both at Magness Arena — the first of them, against Isiah Thomas-coached Florida International, this coming Saturday at 4:30 PM.
Still more scheduling luck: Denver doesn’t play again until Saturday, but FIU first has to visit Denver’s chief West Division rival, North Texas, on Thursday, before jetting to Denver for the Saturday game. So the Pioneers will be much better rested than the Golden Panthers.
Of course, in a one-bid league like the Sun Belt, regular-season standings don’t matter to NCAA Tournament invites except insofar as they affect seeding of the conference tournament. In that regard, Denver just needs to finish in the top 2 of the West Division to earn a bye into the quarterfinals.
But the Sun Belt’s regular-season champion gets an automatic bid to the NIT, so the overall #1 matters too, and we’ll be tracking that so long as Denver remains in the hunt. Right now, at least on paper, the Pioneers are in the driver’s seat. Knock on wood.
The Pioneers are improving, and it’s great to see them get off to a good league start after the horrible non-league start.
This team can run the Princeton offense and make backdoor cuts for paint-baskets very well when opposition coaches put bad defensive schemes out there. The key is being able to hit the open threes when the defenses adjust to what DU is doing. Then of course, playing well in the second half is crucial. DU has a propensity to go cold in the second half, allowing teams to make runs and forcing DU to make defensive stops. Finally, free throws down the stretch and rebounding are continuing areas of concern, but the Pioneers are protecting the ball well and managing the clock well. I like the experience level of the guys, and they are learning to be tougher in order to win road games. Keep it going boys…
The Hallams are emerging as our floor leaders. Stafford is starting to heat up. Udofia is going to be a very good ball player. And Trevor Noonan is learning his role, too. Kyle Lewis is also a calming presence. Would like to see Hooper be more of an impact player with Rob Lewis on the shelf. Thalken is a good minute-eater to keep other guys rested….