One of the top 20 teams in the nation since mid-January, the University of Denver has become accustomed to taking on power gymnastics programs.
The Pioneers, ranked as high as No. 13 and currently 17th, have four wins over ranked squads, including then-No. 15 Arkansas, No. 18 Ohio State and No. 20 Illinois and an impressive upset of No. 7 UCLA in February.
So the celebration of Denver’s final home meet of the season, against California and Brigham Young tonight at Magness Arena, will be well-earned.
That celebration includes an appearance by seven-time Olympic medalist Shannon Miller, one of the most-remembered athletes from the 1992 and 1996 U.S. Olympic campaigns. Miller, who will sign autographs after the meet, should witness a competitive meet.
DU is led by Heather Huffaker, Jessica Lopez and Sasha Sullivan, each winners of seven individual event titles this season. Huffaker last week won three individual event titles and the all-around competition against Illinois and has five event titles and two all-around victories in her past two meets.
Against Illinois – a meet that drew 1,147 fans to Hamilton Gymnasium – the Pioneers stayed undefeated at home, and tonight could finish the home schedule without a blemish for the first time since 2002.
A win would provide momentum as DU hosts the NCAA North Central Region Championships on April 14 at Magness Arena.
Tonight’s meet starts at 7 p.m., with tickets available at the box office.
THE COUCH
On: With the NCAA Tournament in full swing, it will be difficult finding something worth watching on TV this weekend that’s not college basketball. On Sunday, there’s the NASCAR Kobalt Tools 500 from Atlanta Motor Speedway (Fox, 11:30 a.m.) and the final round of the PGA’s Arnold Palmer Invitational from Orlando, Fla. (NBC, 12:30 p.m.). But the best option still is the hardwood. The Western Conference-best Dallas Mavericks take on the Eastern Conference-best Detroit Pistons on KMGH-7, Sunday at 1:30 p.m.
Off: We would be remiss in not mentioning the St. Patrick’s Day recreational events Saturday. Don’t miss the Sharin’ O’ the Green 5K run/walk at Library Park in Fort Collins (partnersmentoringyouth.org), the 5K on St. Patrick’s Day at Acacia Park in Colorado Springs (csgrandprix.com), and the St. Patrick’s Day Rail Jam at Treeline Terrain Park at Arapahoe Basin (arapahoebasin.com).
WEAK IN REVIEW
The NIT is a second-run tournament, but c’mon. ESPN on Wednesday preempted the first half of the Air Force-Austin Peay game to show the thrilling night match at the Pacific Life Open tennis tournament from Indian Wells, Calif., between Slovakia’s Daniela Hantuchova and Israel’s Shahar Peer. The network scheduled the telecast of the match for two hours, but it went 43 minutes over. And every minute was televised at the expense of the Falcons, who defeated Austin Peay.
AROUND TOWN
Among the peculiarities that surface in the Arena Football League – 150-point games, returned missed field goals – one still takes some getting used to. Eyeing the stats from the first two weeks this season won’t help you handicap the Colorado Crush’s 7 p.m. game today at the Pepsi Center against the Arizona Rattlers. In Week 1, Colorado carried the ball one time for 1 yard, yet managed 42 points in a two-point loss to the Grand Rapids Rampage. Then last week, the Kansas City Brigade rushed for three times as many yards as the Crush (18-6) and led Colorado in passing (290 yards to 262), but the Crush won 44-40. Despite having scored the second-most points in the AFL this season, Arizona is 0-2. Go figure.
WHAT WED LIKE TO SEE …
The first round of the NCAA men’s basketball tournament is fun for the upsets. But rarely is there a great matchup with enough intrigue to make it worth watching, no matter the outcome. Maybe next year the seeding committee won’t ignore a pairing like No. 10 Texas Tech and No. 7 Indiana in the first round. The Bob Knight backstory alone could have sold 50,000 tickets.
