DU takes on conference champs Sunday.

University of Denver (11-5, 4-1 SBC) vs. Western Kentucky (9-4, 2-0 SBC)
Sunday, January 10, 2010 • 1 p.m. MT
Magness Arena (7,200) • Denver, Colorado
TV: FSN Rocky Mountain • Radio: AM 950 • Web: www.DenverPioneers.com (Audio)

Ticket Info: Men's basketball season tickets for the 2009-10 Denver Pioneers are currently on sale. DU continues its commitment to provide the community with the most affordable and exciting entertainment in the Denver metro area. Ticket packages start at $64.

Individual game tickets also are on sale with prices ranging from $9-$15 for adults. DU students get into the game free with their Pioneer Card.

For ticket information, please visit DenverPioneers.com or call the Pioneer Basketball Ticket Hotline at (303) 871-HOOP.

Family Fun Pack Ticket Special: University of Denver men's and women’s basketball fans can purchase a Family Fun Pack for just $44 for Jan. 10 games against Western Kentucky. The Family Fun Pack includes four tickets, four sodas and four hot dogs, and is available at Ticketmaster.com and the Ritchie Center ticket windows.

About Denver: The Pioneers enter Sunday’s game as the winners of the past five-out-of-seven games. DU beat New Orleans 75-66 on Thursday, the team’s 10th-straight win at home. Denver returns nine players, including all five starters, and 98 percent of its scoring and rebounding from last year. DU was picked second in the Sun Belt West Division in the annual coaches’ preseason poll, and senior captain and guard Nate Rohnert was named to the Preseason All-SBC First Team.

About Western Kentucky: The Hilltoppers have won four-straight and seven times in their last eight games, including a 67-64 overtime victory at South Alabama on Thursday. WKU was picked to win the SBC East Division in the preseason coaches’ poll, collecting 12 of 13 first place votes. The Hilltoppers are led by Preseason SBC Player of the Year A.J. Slaughter, who is averaging 15.8 points per game, which is fifth in the SBC, and Preseason All-SBC second team selection Steffphon Pettigrew’s 13.9 points and 6.9 rebounds per game. Sergio Kerusch, who also was voted to the second team and is averaging 13.4 points per game, is injured and expected to be out until early February. WKU is 10th in the Sun Belt in field goal percentage (43.1 percent) and 12th in both three-point percentage (30.0 percent) and assists (11.1 per game). However, the Hilltoppers are second in the conference with 12.8 offensive rebounds per game.

The Match-up: The Hilltoppers hold a 9-4 advantage in the all-time series, including a 5-2 mark in Denver. DU beat Western Kentucky 78-74 at Magness Arena on Jan. 24, 2009, which snapped a three-game losing streak to WKU.

Magness Magic: The Pioneers have won 10-straight at home, following a season opening loss to Missouri Valley favorite Northern Iowa. Since Joe Scott took over as head coach prior to the 2007-08 season, the Pioneers are 31-7 (.816) overall and 18-4 (.818) against SBC teams at Magness Arena.

TV Stars: Sunday’s game against Western Kentucky will be broadcast live on FSN Rocky Mountain with Tom Helmer (play-by-play) and Greg Lackey (color) calling the action, while Marc Stout reports from the sidelines. The Pioneers are 12-2 in games on FSN Rocky Mountain under head coach Joe Scott, including a 78-74 win over Western Kentucky on Jan. 24, 2009.

O Captain! My Captain!: Nate Rohnert continues to climb up the Denver record books. Rohnert moved into 21st place on DU’s all-time scorer list with 1,106 points, just four points shy of Dave Chavlovich (1,110 points) for 20th place and eight points from Dennis Hodge (1,113 points) for 19th place. The senior captain is sixth on Denver’s all-time career list with 307 assists. After going 9-for-10 from the charity stripe on Thursday, Rohnert is sixth on DU’s all-time list with 321 career free throw made and 447 free throw attempts. The Parker, Colo., native has career totals of 1,106 points, 438 rebounds and 105 steals in 104 games.

National Rankings: The Pioneers shot 60.5 percent (23-of-38) against New Orleans on Jan. 7, returning DU back to second place in the nation with a 51.9 field goal percentage, trailing only No. 5 Syracuse (53.8 percent) and just ahead of Murray State (51.8 percent) and No. 1 Kansas (51.3 percent). Denver is also 18th in three-point percentage (40.5 percent). Although no DU player qualifies for the minimum among NCAA statistics, Rob Lewis (63.8), Sabatino Chen (61.0), Chase Hallam (57.5), Tyler Thalken (54.5), Nate Rohnert (53.6) and Travis Hallam (50.0) all are shooting better than 50 percent from the floor. Rohnert also ranks third in the nation with 99 free throws made.

Percentage Game: Junior forward Rob Lewis has jumped into the Sun Belt lead in field goal percentage at 63.8 percent after missing the first four games of the season with an injury. Lewis has a career field goal percentage of 54.9 percent, which ranks seventh in DU history. Freshman guard Chase Hallam is fifth in the SBC at 57.5 percent, and Nate Rohnert is ninth (53.6 percent).

Chen Music: Since the beginning of December, sophomore guard Sabatino Chen has increased his scoring output from 0.8 points per game to 4.2, scoring at least 10 points four times - something Chen had never done before. Chen, who scored 11 points against UNO on Jan. 7, has also raised his field goal percentage to 61.0, and he has gone 14-for-18 (77.8 percent) from the free throw line this season.