With nine games and myriad lessons learned behind them, the Denver Pioneers are set to tackle the Sun Belt Conference, and try to start faster than last season.
DU, which opened conference play 1-3 last season, faces Florida International tonight at Magness Arena, the first of two home games to start its Sun Belt schedule.
“Nonleague is about developing the team, learning who you are, what you have to do to be successful,” DU coach Joe Scott said. “It’s all about league play in college basketball. Our first two league games are at home, and for that reason they are big games.
“We have to get off to a good start in our league, and we have to be good at home in our league, and it really doesn’t matter who we’re playing.”
It just so happens the first game is against FIU, which is led by former NBA star and coach Isiah Thomas, in his first season. The Golden Panthers have sloshed out to a 3-9 start, but leading scorer Marvin Roberts says that mark is a bit deceiving.
“We’re getting better every game,” Roberts said. “We just have to play a complete game. We can see different parts of our game getting better as we’ve been playing together. It’s our first time playing with each other. So as a team we’re definitely getting better.
“Conference time is here, so now and in March we’re really going to be a tough team to beat.”
Scott hopes DU (6-3) will be ready for FIU’s penchant to show several different defensive looks in a game.
“We’re going to see multiple types of defenses throughout the league season,” Scott said. “We can’t be bothered by it. To be honest, I think our nonconference has prepared us pretty well, in that regard.”
Offensively, FIU mostly plays four on the perimeter, so having success guarding smaller, quicker players is mandatory for the Pioneers.
Mostly, however, DU hopes to continue to build on a preseason schedule that featured some good tests against teams like Northern Iowa and Portland.
“Hopefully, our guys are going to be ready to go and will be able to use the first nine games as experience because, for all intents and purposes, everybody’s 0-0 now,” Scott said. “It’s a new season now.”
Chris Dempsey: 303-954-1279 or cdempsey@denverpost.com
