This week, the Denver Nuggets shocked the NBA by firing coach Michael Malone and general manager Calvin Booth.

Not much information has been released about the decision but it surprised many. One of them was TNT analyst Charles Barkley, who spoke about it with Altitude Sports Radio.

“No. 1, I was shocked because he got fired,” Barkley said. “I like Mike Malone as a coach. But I was shocked for two reasons. No. 2, three games to go in the rest of the regular season. But he had a done really good job. I know they had been struggling.”

The Nuggets were successful under Malone and Booth, defeating the Miami Heat in the 2023 Finals. Last year they were ousted by Minnesota Timberwolves in the second round despite Nikola Jokic winning a third Most Valuable Player award.

This year, the Nuggets could finish high as the No. 4 seed in the Western Conference. Barkley thinks there was beef between Booth and Malone, but owner Josh Kroenke got rid of them both to avoid taking a side.

“They’re like (11-13) since the All-Star break, which surprised me” Barkley said. “But this late in the season, I was shocked. But I don’t know what happened but what I think happened was there clearly was something going on with Calvin and Mike. I think, and this is just me guessing from a distance, the owner said I’m not gonna choose, I’m gonna get rid of both of y’all. That’s what it seems like, from me guessing. from all my years in the NBA.”

Shandel Richardson is the publisher of Back In The Day Hoops On SI. He can be reached at shandelrich@gmail.com

Follow our updates on Facebook

X: @BackInTheDayNBA

Denver sophomore defenseman Boston Buckberger has been named the recipient of the NCAA’s Elite 90 award for scholastic achievement at the 2025 Division I men’s ice hockey championship.

Buckberger is an accounting major in DU’s Daniels College of Business and carries a cumulative 4.0 grade-point average. He was presented with the Elite 90 award following Denver’s practice on Wednesday at Enterprise Center ahead of the 2025 NCAA Frozen Four.

Founded by the NCAA, the Elite 90 award recognizes the spirit of a student-athlete by honoring the individual who has reached the national championship level in his or her sport, while also achieving the highest academic standard among his or her peers. The Elite 90 is presented to the student-athlete with the highest cumulative grade-point average participating at the finals site for each of the NCAA’s championships.

Eligible student-athletes are sophomores or above academically that have participated in a sport for at least two years with their school. All ties are broken by the number of credits completed.

The Saskatoon, Sask., native is the ninth overall Denver student-athlete to earn the Elite 90 award and the fourth member of the hockey program. Buckberger joins teammate Kent Anderson, who earned the accolade last season, as well as Gabe Levin in 2016 and Erich Fear in 2019 as Pioneer hockey players to pick up the honor.

He is the second DU student-athlete in 2024-25 to earn the Elite 90, as men’s soccer’s A.J. Francois was also awarded it during the NCAA College Cup in December in Cary, N.C. The University of Denver is the third institution to have three or more Elite 90 winners since Jan. 1, 2024, joining Arizona State and Oklahoma State.

A two-time member of the NCHC academic all-conference team and an NCHC distinguished scholar-athlete in each of his first two collegiate seasons, Buckberger was also recognized as an AHCA national all-American scholar and a Collegiate Sports Communicator’s academic all-district team member in 2023-24 (this season’s awards will be released later this summer).

On the ice, the defenseman has recorded career highs in 2024-25 with 30 points, ranking third among Pioneer defensemen in both goals (nine) and assists (21). Prior to suffering a season-ending, upper-body injury on March 22 against Western Michigan in the NCHC Frozen Faceoff championship game, Buckberger had played in all 41 contests and had scored three goals in his previous five outings and registered 14 points in his last 13 games (five goals, nine assists).

He also added 36 blocked shots, 22 penalty minutes and was leading the team with a plus-30 plus-minus rating prior to getting hurt. Buckberger had played in each of the first 85 games of his collegiate career before missing the NCAA Northeast Regional semifinals versus Providence on March 28 due to his injury.

By appearing in its first-ever Frozen Four, Western Michigan men’s hockey already has made history.

With two more wins, though, the Broncos can break even more barriers.

Watch Western Michigan vs. Denver in the Frozen Four live with Fubo (free trial)

On Thursday night, Western Michigan will take on reigning national champion Denver in the first of two Frozen Four national semifinals at the Enterprise Center in St. Louis.

It’s actually the fourth meeting between the programs this season, with the Broncos holding a 2-1 advantage in the previous three matchups. They’ve faced off as recently as March 22, when Western Michigan edged Denver, 4-3, behind a goal from Alex Bump 22 seconds into the second overtime. The Broncos trailed 3-0 heading into the third period and 3-1 with seven minutes remaining, but scored two goals in three minutes to send the game into overtime.

REQUIRED READING: Western Michigan hockey makes history with first Frozen Four berth

While Western Michigan is new to the bright lights of the Frozen Four, Denver’s quite familiar with the stage. The Pioneers will be looking to win their third national championship in the past four seasons.

The winner of Thursday’s matchup will take on either Boston University or Penn State in the NCAA championship game on Saturday night.

Here’s how to watch the Western Michigan vs. Denver game Thursday, including time, TV schedule and streaming information:

What channel is Western Michigan hockey vs Denver on today?

Western Michigan’s Frozen Four game against Denver will air on ESPN2. John Buccigross (play-by-play) and Colby Cohen (analyst) will call the game while Quint Kessenich will serve as the rinkside reporter. 

Streaming options for the games include the ESPN App, ESPN+ — ESPN’s subscription streaming service — and Fubo, the last of which offers a free trial for potential subscribers.

Western Michigan hockey vs Denver time today

• Date: Thursday, April 10
• Start time: 5 p.m. ET

The puck is scheduled to drop between Western Michigan and Denver at 5 p.m. ET on Thursday, April 10.

REQUIRED READING: Frozen Four schedule: Times, TV channel, matchups for NCAA hockey tournament semifinals

Western Michigan hockey vs Denver predictions, picks, odds

Odds courtesy of BetMGM as of Monday, April 7

• Spread: Denver, -1.5
• Over/under: 6.5 goals
• Moneyline: Denver, -135 | Western Michigan, +105

Prediction: Western Michigan 3, Denver 2

Dethroning a champion is never easy, particularly one that figures to have the best player on the ice in Denver defenseman Zeev Buium, but the Broncos’ storybook season will continue with a win against an opponent they’ve shown they can go toe to toe (or skate to skate) with.

Western Michigan hockey schedule 2024-25

Here’s a look at Western Michigan’s NCAA Tournament schedule. To see the Broncos’ full 2024-25 schedule, click here.

• Thursday, March 27: Western Michigan 2, Minnesota State 1 (2OT)
• Saturday, March 29: Western Michigan 2, UMass 1
• Thursday, April 10: vs. Denver

Denver hockey schedule 2024-25

Here’s a look at Denver’s NCAA Tournament schedule. To see the Pioneers’ full 2024-25 schedule, click here.

• Friday, March 28: Denver 5, Providence 1
• Sunday, March 30: Denver 3, Boston College 1
• Thursday, April 10: vs. Western Michigan

We occasionally recommend interesting products and services. If you make a purchase by clicking one of the links, we may earn an affiliate fee. USA TODAY Network newsrooms operate independently, and this doesn’t influence our coverage.