Jan. 7, 2004
I had a real thrill on Tuesday night. Yes, I had a night off from broadcasting a game for ESPN. So what else should I do ... but attend a college basketball game!

I was at an exciting game in Denver, Colorado. Magness Arena was rocking as the Denver Pioneers of the Sun Belt Conference edged the Wyoming Cowboys of the Mountain West, 63-62.

Denver has a 'six degrees of separation' thing going over Duke.

The evening started with a beautiful private dinner with University of Denver chancellor Daniel Ritchie. Talk about a person with a passion for life and excitement for his university -- there's none better than Ritchie. He's absolutely a beautiful man.

Also joining us for dinner was one of the first great players at Denver, former New York Knicks star Vince Boryla. In my early days, I used to watch Vince play, along with Carl Braun, Harry Gallatin and the McGuire brothers (Dick and Al).

I was surprised that Vince was a part of our dinner. It was great to see him. Also at our dinner was Dr. Dianne Murphy (Denver's athletic director), Dave Madsen (the school's director of marketing) and my sister Terri. It was a beautiful evening.

I also spent some time addressing some key boosters, talking about what mid-majors face in getting people to the arena.

It doesn't hurt when you beat Colorado State and Wyoming. Think about this: Denver has a "six degrees of separation" thing going over Duke. Denver beat Colorado State; the Rams beat Purdue; and the Boilermakers beat the Blue Devils!

It was a Maalox masher for Denver on Tuesday night over a tough Wyoming team. The Pioneers are now 8-4. Denver coach Terry Carroll has done a super job in his third year. Carroll was an assistant at Iowa State and also the head coach at Indian Hills Community College in Iowa (where he won two national championships).

I had a blast in Denver, running around the court and participating in all sorts of activities with the school's mascot, Ruckus! I am 64 years old but acting like I'm 12. I had a blast with the kids from Pioneer country as well as the Cowboys.

Carroll and Wyoming's Steve McClain are two coaches who don't get a whole lot of attention on the national scene. Let me tell you, they work as hard as any of the big stars of the coaching fraternity.

Denver is a great city and I had a great time -- and it was a great victory for the Pioneers.

Click here to send a question for Dick Vitale for possible use on ESPNEWS.