# 2019–20 Denver Pioneers men's basketball team

The 2019–20 Denver Pioneers men's basketball team represented the University of Denver in the 2019–20 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Pioneers, led by fourth-year head coach Rodney Billups, played their home games at Magness Arena in Denver, Colorado, with two games at Hamilton Gymnasium, as members of the Summit League. They finished the 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.

## Previous season

The Pioneers finished the 2018–19 season 8–22, 3–13 in Summit League play to finish in last place. They failed to qualify for the 2019 Summit League tournament.

## Schedule and results

| Date time, TV | Rank$^#$ | Opponent$^#$ | Result | Record | Site (attendance) city, state |
| Exhibition ||||||
| November 1, 2019* 6:00 pm | | Johnson & Wales (Denver) | W 85–51 | | Hamilton Gymnasium (701) Denver, CO |
| Non-conference regular season ||||||
| November 5, 2019* 7:00 pm, Mountain West Network | | at Colorado State | L 63–74 | 0–1 | Moby Arena (2,322) Fort Collins, CO |
| November 9, 2019* 1:00 pm, Altitude | | Utah Valley | W 74–62 | 1–1 | Magness Arena (921) Denver, CO |
| November 12, 2019* 7:00 pm, Mountain West Network | | at No. 17 Utah State | L 56–97 | 1–2 | Smith Spectrum (6,504) Logan, UT |
| November 16, 2019* 1:00 pm | | Western Colorado | W 72–55 | 2–2 | Hamilton Gymnasium (772) Denver, CO |
| November 23, 2019* 4:00 pm | | at UC Riverside | L 49–73 | 2–3 | SRC Arena (702) Riverside, CA |
| November 27, 2019* 5:30 pm | | at Santa Clara Cable Car Classic | L 64–81 | 2–4 | Leavey Center (912) Santa Clara, CA |
| November 29, 2019* 5:30 pm | | vs. Cal State Fullerton Cable Car Classic | W 65–62 | 3–4 | Leavey Center (1,009) Santa Clara, CA |
| November 30, 2019* 2:00 pm | | vs. Southeast Missouri State Cable Car Classic | L 51–66 | 3–5 | Leavey Center (993) Santa Clara, CA |
| December 3, 2019* 7:00 pm | | Jackson State | W 67–58 | 4–5 | Magness Arena (497) Denver, CO |
| December 8, 2019* 3:00 pm, P12N | | at UCLA | L 62–81 | 4–6 | Pauley Pavilion (5,243) Los Angeles, CA |
| December 10, 2019* 7:00 pm, Altitude 2 | | New Mexico State Summit League/WAC Challenge | L 67–72 | 4–7 | Magness Arena (910) Denver, CO |
| December 14, 2019* 1:00 pm, Altitude | | Air Force | L 75–79 | 4–8 | Magness Arena (1,170) Denver, CO |
| December 17, 2019* 7:00 pm, Pluto TV | | at Northern Colorado | L 64–86 | 4–9 | Bank of Colorado Arena (1,460) Greeley, CO |
| December 21, 2019* 1:00 pm, Altitude | | Wyoming | L 66–72 $^{OT}$ | 4–10 | Magness Arena (1,543) Denver, CO |
| Summit League regular season ||||||
| December 29, 2019 3:30 pm, Altitude 2 | | North Dakota State | L 55–66 | 4–11 (0–1) | Magness Arena (1,059) Denver, CO |
| January 2, 2020 7:00 pm, Altitude 2 | | North Dakota | L 71–82 | 4–12 (0–2) | Magness Arena (742) Denver, CO |
| January 5, 2020 2:30 pm | | at South Dakota | L 78–80 | 4–13 (0–3) | Sanford Coyote Sports Center (2,014) Vermillion, SD |
| January 8, 2020 7:00 pm, Altitude 2 | | South Dakota State | L 68–80 | 4–14 (0–4) | Magness Arena (774) Denver, CO |
| January 11, 2020 1:00 pm | | at Western Illinois | L 80–86 | 4–15 (0–5) | Western Hall (347) Macomb, IL |
| January 18, 2020 1:00 pm | | Omaha | W 91–76 | 5–15 (1–5) | Hamilton Gymnasium (1,322) Denver, CO |
| January 23, 2020 6:00 pm, ESPN+ | | at North Dakota | L 71–78 | 5–16 (1–6) | Betty Engelstad Sioux Center (1,388) Grand Forks, ND |
| January 25, 2020 1:00 pm, ESPN3 | | at North Dakota State | L 70–82 | 5–17 (1–7) | Scheels Center (3,006) Fargo, ND |
| January 30, 2020 7:00 pm, Altitude | | South Dakota | L 87–93 | 5–18 (1–8) | Magness Arena (805) Denver, CO |
| February 1, 2020 6:00 pm | | at Oral Roberts | L 77–86 | 5–19 (1–9) | Mabee Center (2,163) Tulsa, OK |
| February 8, 2020 3:30 pm | | Purdue Fort Wayne | L 63–70 | 5–20 (1–10) | Magness Arena (1,080) Denver, CO |
| February 14, 2020 6:00 pm | | at South Dakota State | L 78–90 | 5–21 (1–11) | Frost Arena (2,242) Brookings, SD |
| February 16, 2020 3:30 pm | | at Omaha | L 62–85 | 5–22 (1–12) | Baxter Arena (1,958) Omaha, NE |
| February 20, 2020 7:00 pm, Altitude | | Oral Roberts | W 100–96 $^{OT}$ | 6–22 (2–12) | Magness Arena (875) Denver, CO |
| February 26, 2020 5:00 pm | | at Purdue Fort Wayne | L 51–58 | 6–23 (2–13) | Gates Sports Center (756) Fort Wayne, IN |
| February 29, 2020 1:00 pm, Altitude | | Western Illinois | W 69–63 | 7–23 (3–13) | Magness Arena (1,390) Denver, CO |
| Summit League tournament ||||||
| March 7, 2020 5:00 pm, MidcoSN | (8) | vs. (1) North Dakota State Quarterfinals | L 69–71 | 7–24 | Premier Center (8,614) Sioux Falls, SD |
| *Non-conference game. $^#$Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. All times are in Mountain. ||||||
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