It’s not even January, but Tim Bergstraser is already delivering feats the Denver men’s basketball program hasn’t seen in over 20 years.

With nonconference play over across the country, it turns out the unofficial Colorado state champion in 2025 is Bergstraser’s Pioneers. After an 86-79 win at Northern Colorado last Saturday, DU is the only Division I team in the state to go unbeaten against in-state opponents, thanks to a stunning, 83-81 win at Colorado State back in November.

It’s the first time since the 2003-04 season that DU has beaten both CSU and UNC.

Denver sophomore guard Carson Johnson (20) dribbles the ball up the court during a game against Colorado State on Friday, Nov. 21, at Moby Arena in Fort Collins. (Tyler King, The Denver Gazette)

Yes, it may be time to pay attention to the Pios again, folks.

What Bergstraser has accomplished in his first few months on the job after coming from Division II MSU-Moorhead is what every DU coach hopes to find someday: belief. 

Belief that a decades-long quest to make the NCAA Tournament is obtainable. 

Is it going to happen this year? Probably not. But that’s the case for the hundreds of teams across the country in a one-bid conference. Like always, the five days at the Summit League tournament in Sioux Falls in early March will determine who represents the conference in the Big Dance. 

Still, with the best offense in the conference, this group of Pioneers believes they can win the Summit League in the program’s last season before moving to the West Coast Conference. 

“We’ve just got a lot of talent,” Bergstraser said. “I’m a big believer in that it could be anybody’s night. Even if a guy doesn’t go off for 30 (points), I think we have a lot of guys that can go for double digits, which makes us pretty dangerous.”

Ali Farokhmanesh’s Rams know how dangerous DU is. So does UNC’s Steve Smiley and two other coaches in the Big Sky that the Pios beat on the way to a 7-8 record in nonconference play.

It hasn’t at all been pretty, and a defense that just 10 days ago ranked 365th (dead last) in the country, per Ken Pomeroy’s efficiency rankings, needs to improve for there to be any hope of snatching an NCAA Tournament bid in a little over three months, but what Bergstraser has proven less than halfway into his first season is that college basketball fans in the Mile High City don’t need to go up to Boulder or Fort Collins to watch a serious program.

Denver Pioneers coach Tim Bergstraser looks on during a game against Colorado State on Nov. 21, at Moby Arena in Fort Collins. (Tyler King, The Denver Gazette)

There’s one on DU’s campus on the south side of town. 

With big-time programs like Saint Mary’s, Santa Clara and San Francisco coming to town starting next year, Hamilton Gymnasium is going to be the place to be. But don’t wait until next season, because Bergstraser’s team is already starting to scrap and fight for every ounce of respect it can get. 

“I am learning, too. I knew I’d have to be ready to, coming to this level. It’s not perfect,” Bergstraser said. “We are a little smaller, but we do have guys that have proven we can fight and we can scrap. I want to be better on that defensive end, trust me, and we’re gonna keep being open to making some adjustments, but I keep telling our guys, ‘We’re not perfect in all of our choices in our game plans. It’s not always gonna be great.’ 

“If they can just buy into what we’re trying to do and then, if it’s not working, be willing to adjust,” Bergstraser continued. “That’s gotta be (player) one through 15.”

With the way they rallied from a double-digit deficit in the second half last Saturday in Greeley, the Pios are showing Bergstraser they’re capable of doing just that. The majority of the roster is still getting used to playing with one another, but that hasn’t stopped them from quickly forming a bond that not many expected for a bunch of players who were still in the transfer portal a month after it opened last offseason.

“That’s one thing we can’t not do,” fifth-year senior guard Zane Nelson said. “We always have to be together, whether we’re playing good or bad. We have to stay as one.”

Denver graduate student guard Zane Nelson (7) claps his hands during a game against Northern Colorado on Dec. 20, at Bank of Colorado Arena in Greeley. (Tyler King, The Denver Gazette)

Buy-in like that doesn’t usually happen in year one, but it’s something Bergstraser and his entire staff deserve credit for emphasizing from the minute they took over. It’s why this group has been able to go on the road and not just hang with teams clearly bigger and more talented than them, but beat some of them, too. 

Now, the Pios are ready for the next step — and it’s one many didn’t expect them to reach so quickly. 

“Now we just need to be consistent. That’s the next battle for this group. We’ve proven we can play well. We have a long ways to go, but can we handle success and can we repeat it again?” Bergstraser said. “There’s a lot that goes into winning other than just putting the ball in the net. I’m trying to make sure these guys understand that. I think they’re really buying into all of those little things that go into winning. It takes time, but we have the right guys in the locker room to do that.” 

Mid-major Minute

The Mountain West kicked off its conference schedule earlier than most, with each team playing a game before the annual holiday break. The statement of the first weekend was made by Utah State, which demolished Colorado State by a score of 100-58 in Logan — the Aggies’ largest win over the Rams. Ali Farokhmanesh’s team suffered a big blow early with Kyle Jorgensen’s injury, but CSU was no match for a USU team that looks like the class of the conference heading into 2026.

Upset of the Week

No. 19 Texas Tech 82, No. 3 Duke 81

Texas Tech forward Lejuan Watts (3) celebrates with teammates after scoring during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game against Duke, Saturday, Dec. 20, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

Another unbeaten has fallen as Jon Scheyer’s Blue Devils were handed a pre-Christmas upset loss by the Red Raiders, who played spoiler in front of a pro-Duke crowd at Madison Square Garden. Texas Tech rallied from a 17-point deficit to pick up its biggest win of the season to date, thanks to 27 points (9 of 14 shooting from the field and 5 of 9 from 3-point range) from star sophomore Christian Anderson.

Going Overseas

Denver forward Touko Tainamo, left, shoots as UCLA guard Amari Bailey defends during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game Saturday, Dec. 10, 2022, in Los Angeles. (AP File Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

Sticking with the DU theme, let’s spotlight a former key contributor for the Pios, Touko Tainamo. A three-year player at DU whoi spent his last season of college ball at Wyoming, Tainamo is currently in his first season with USK Praha in the top league in the Czech Republic. The Finnish forward is currently averaging 12.9 points and 7.5 rebounds across 15 games this season.