# 2020–21 Denver Pioneers men's basketball team

The 2020–21 Denver Pioneers men's basketball team represented the University of Denver in the 2020–21 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Pioneers, led by fifth-year head coach Rodney Billups, played their home games at Hamilton Gymnasium in Denver, Colorado, as members of the Summit League. In a season limited due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the Pioneers finished the season 2–19, 1–13 in Summit League play to finish in last place. They failed to qualify for the Summit League tournament.
On March 1, 2021, the school fired Billups after five seasons as head coach. On March 29, the school named former Stanford associate head coach Jeff Wulbrun the team's new head coach.

## Previous season

The Pioneers finished the 2019–20 season 7–24, 3–13 in Summit League play to finish in eighth place. They lost in the quarterfinals of the Summit League tournament to North Dakota State.

## Schedule and results

| Date time, TV | Opponent$^#$ | Result | Record | Site (attendance) city, state |
| Non-conference regular season ||||||
| November 25, 2020* 6:00 pm | Colorado Christian | Canceled due to COVID-19 protocols | Canceled due to COVID-19 protocols | Hamilton Gymnasium Denver, CO |
| November 28, 2020* 1:00 pm | Regis | W 82–66 | 1–0 | Hamilton Gymnasium Denver, CO |
| December 2, 2020* | at Air Force | Canceled due to COVID-19 protocols | Canceled due to COVID-19 protocols | Clune Arena Colorado Springs, CO |
| December 6, 2020* 1:00 pm | UC Riverside | L 63–83 | 1–1 | Hamilton Gymnasium Denver, CO |
| December 9, 2020* 7:00 pm, MWN | at Wyoming | L 61–83 | 1–2 | Arena-Auditorium Laramie, WY |
| December 12, 2020* 1:00 pm | Dixie State | L 70–73 | 1–3 | Hamilton Gymnasium Denver, CO |
| December 16, 2020* 6:00 pm, Altitude 2 | Northern Colorado | L 75–83 | 1–4 | Hamilton Gymnasium Denver, CO |
| December 19, 2020* 12:00 pm, Altitude | Texas State | L 68–70 | 1–5 | Hamilton Gymnasium Denver, CO |
| December 22, 2021* 1:00 pm, Altitude | Northern Arizona | L 65–68 | 1–6 | Hamilton Gymnasium Denver, CO |
| December 29, 2021* 7:00 pm | at Grand Canyon | Canceled due to COVID-19 protocols | Canceled due to COVID-19 protocols | GCU Arena Phoenix, AZ |
| Summit League regular season ||||||
| January 2, 2021 3:00 pm, MidcoSN | at South Dakota | L 54–93 | 1–7 (0–1) | Sanford Coyote Sports Center (559) Vermillion, SD |
| January 3, 2021 3:00 pm, MidcoSN | at South Dakota | L 57–79 | 1–8 (0–2) | Sanford Coyote Sports Center (420) Vermillion, SD |
| January 15, 2021 1:00 pm | Oral Roberts | L 84–88 | 1–9 (0–3) | Hamilton Gymnasium Denver, CO |
| January 16, 2021 1:00 pm | Oral Roberts | L 82–91 | 1–10 (0–4) | Hamilton Gymnasium Denver, CO |
| January 22, 2021 6:30 pm | at North Dakota State | L 58–70 | 1–11 (0–5) | Scheels Center (1,277) Fargo, ND |
| January 23, 2021 6:30 pm, MidcoSN | at North Dakota State | L 58–84 | 1–12 (0–6) | Scheels Center (1,568) Fargo, ND |
| January 29, 2021 7:00 pm, Altitude 2 | South Dakota State | Canceled due to COVID-19 protocols | Canceled due to COVID-19 protocols | Hamilton Gymnasium Denver, CO |
| January 30, 2021 7:00 pm, Altitude 2 | South Dakota State | Canceled due to COVID-19 protocols | Canceled due to COVID-19 protocols | Hamilton Gymnasium Denver, CO |
| February 5, 2021 1:00 pm | North Dakota | L 82–85 $^{OT}$ | 1–13 (0–7) | Hamilton Gymnasium Denver, CO |
| February 6, 2021 1:00 pm | North Dakota | W 85–81 $^{OT}$ | 2–13 (1–7) | Hamilton Gymnasium Denver, CO |
| February 12, 2021 6:00 pm | at Western Illinois | L 69–75 | 2–14 (1–8) | Western Hall Macomb, IL |
| February 13, 2021 6:00 pm | at Western Illinois | L 75–82 | 2–15 (1–9) | Western Hall Macomb, IL |
| February 19, 2021 6:00 pm | at Kansas City | L 57–68 | 2–16 (1–10) | Swinney Recreation Center Kansas City, MO |
| February 20, 2021 6:00 pm | at Kansas City | L 69–80 | 2–17 (1–11) | Swinney Recreation Center Kansas City, MO |
| February 26, 2021 1:00 pm | Omaha | L 76–80 | 2–18 (1–12) | Hamilton Gymnasium Denver, CO |
| February 27, 2021 6:00 pm | Omaha | L 76–80 | 2–19 (1–13) | Hamilton Gymnasium Denver, CO |
| *Non-conference game. $^#$Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. All times are in Mountain. ||||||
Source