The University of Denver goes into its first-round game at the Summit League men’s basketball tournament in Sioux Falls, S.D., looking to pull off a miracle and get on a postseason run.
After finishing tied for sixth place in the regular-season standings, the Pioneers (12-17, 6-10 Summit) will play co-champion North Dakota State (20-9, 12-4) at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday.
While coach Joe Scott isn’t downplaying the challenge his DU team faces, he noted the Pioneers have played the Bison close. North Dakota State won both regular-season meetings this year in overtime.
“We played two heartbreaking games with them in the regular season,” Scott said. “We competed pretty well against them.”
But Scott isn’t basing his optimism on a couple of overtime games.
“I think the most important thing for us is that we’ve played our best three-game stretch of the season here at the end,” Scott said. “This is the time of the year when you have to win to keep playing.”
DU’s last three games were victories at Western Illinois (59-46) and at South Dakota (66-48), and a loss at Oral Roberts (60-57).
Some lineup changes at the beginning of the three-game road trip seem to have helped the Pioneers.
Junior Marcus Byrd (averaging 8.7 points per game) has taken over at center, while seniors Brett Olson (13.6) and Cam Griffin (11.5), junior Nate Essenger (10.5) and freshman Cam Delaney (2.1) complete the starting lineup. Olson was named to the all-Summit League second team.
Junior guard Jalen Love, who has missed the past five games because of a sprained ankle, is listed as day to day.
