A disappointed coach Joe Scott and the University of Denver Pioneers returned home Tuesday after their elimination from the Sun Belt Tournament in Hot Springs, Ark., but Scott didn’t sound like a coach ready to move on to next season.
March is tournament time in college basketball, and the DU men’s team (22-9) is eager to continue playing and adding to an already record-setting season.
Even though a 67-63 loss to Western Kentucky in the Sun Belt semifinals Monday night kept DU from playing for an automatic NCAA Tournament berth in the title game Tuesday, Scott believes the Pioneers’ school-record 22 victories, one in the Sun Belt quarterfinals, is strong evidence they should be able to keep playing.
“We’re a postseason team,” Scott said. “I don’t know where that opinion is going to take us, but we’re capable of playing in March.”
The Pioneers have to wait until Sunday to know if they’re going to play in the National Invitation Tournament. After the 68-team NCAA Tournament is finalized, the NIT will select its 32 teams.
If they’re not in the NIT field, the Pioneers could be selected to play in the 16-team College Basketball Invitational or the 24-team College Post- season Tournament.
First-round NIT games are next Tuesday and Wednesday. DU played in the NIT in 2005, losing 69-67 to San Francisco.
“Our team deserves to keep playing,” Scott said. “There’s a bubble for teams in contention for the NCAA Tournament, and we’re squarely on the bubble for the NIT.”
Scott praised the Pioneers for coming close to a berth in the Sun Belt title game. But they didn’t play their best game against Western Kentucky, and they went into the tournament without junior guard Chase Hallam, who had made 90 starts before suffering a back injury.
“It was a big disappointment,” Scott said. “You know when you’re playing in March the games are going to be close.
“Western Kentucky played a strong game. We didn’t play poorly, but not our best. Chase Hallam would have helped us a great deal defensively with his experience.”
While they wait for Sunday, the Pioneers will practice a couple of times this week.
Irv Moss: 303-954-1296 or imoss@denverpost.com
