Denver, CO
Keeler: NCAA Tournament selection committees did CU Buffs, CSU Rams dirty
![Keeler: NCAA Tournament selection committees did CU Buffs, CSU Rams dirty Keeler: NCAA Tournament selection committees did CU Buffs, CSU Rams dirty](https://www.denverpost.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/TDP-L-NCAA_BUFFS-002.jpg?w=1024&h=683)
BOULDER — The NCAA still can’t read a room. But man, can they ever kill one.
Kindyll Wetta and her teammates on the CU women’s basketball team were belles of the ball inside the Dal Ward Center. You shoulda seen it. Balloons. Cheerleaders. Catering. One of the sweetest pep rallies to grace the Touchdown Club since Coach Prime got injected into the Buffs’ bloodstream here some 16 months ago.
As the NCAA Tournament brackets came on the screen, the party hushed. Then when Kansas State came up as a 4 seed and as a host for the first weekend of the women’s Big Dance, it sank.
“It’s definitely a bummer for me because I wanted to play at home and I wanted to be in front of my family,” Wetta, the firebrand of a Buffs guard and former Valor Christian star, told me after CU found out its first stop in Bracketville would be as a 5 seed opposite K-State in the Little Apple of Manhattan, Kan. “I thought this year we really had a great shot of doing that. It’s disappointing in that sense.”
There was a lot of that going around here Sunday night. The mood was even less jovial a few hours earlier up in Fort Collins, where the men’s selection committee decided to take its annual dose of stupid out on the Mountain West as a whole — and on the Rams in particular.
Want a laugh? Committee member Bubba Cunningham contended on CBS that teams selected from the Mountain West, save for San Diego State, got strapped to double-digit seedings because their best wins were over one another.
“(That) made it more challenging for us,” Cunningham explained.
Not half as challenging, apparently, as trying to stay up past 10 p.m. Eastern to do homework on teams west of Lincoln. Poor guy.
At least five teams — lookin’ at you, Oregon, NC State and New Mexico — “stole” bids from more worthy at-larges by winning their respective conference tourneys. But any ‘S’ curve that’s got CSU as the “last team in” gets an automatic F.
Do you watch the games, Bubba? Or do you watch “X” and Instagram and hope for the best? CSU beat Creighton by 21 on a neutral court. The Jays were slotted as a No. 3 seed Sunday. The Rammies (24-10) were unveiled as a 10.
Boise State, who’ll take on Tad Boyle’s CU men on Wednesday night, beat Saint Mary’s on a semi-neutral floor by three. The Gaels are dancing as a 5 seed. The Broncos, like CSU and CU, are a 10 seed having to scrap their way over to the Big Kids’ Bracket by winning in Dayton first.
“To be honest, I was really surprised how most of the Mountain West was seeded,” stunned CSU coach Niko Medved, who’ll face Virginia on Tuesday in Ohio, told reporters.
“But you know what? That’s fine. They always disrespect our league. And now it’s time to go out and do something about it.”
Amen. If there’s a silver lining, it’s that the Cavaliers (23-10), on paper, are certainly in the Rammies’ weight class. For one thing, unlike Michigan in 2022, UVa doesn’t have a Hunter Dickinson down low, taking up a duplex’s worth of space in the paint. On the surface, it’s the irresistible force (CSU’s shooters) against the immovable object (Tony Bennett’s trademark tire-iron defense), a classic Clark Kellogg “contrast-in-styles” scrum between a Rams offense ranked 42nd nationally by KenPom.com in adjusted offensive efficiency and a Cavs D that’s seventh in adjusted defense. If you’re hopping over to Dayton, take the under and take your pizza square-cut.
If the Oppenheimers on the men’s committee dinged CSU for its 4-7 mark away from Moby Madness, their counterparts on the women’s side docked the Buffs (22-9) for losing six of their last eight, including a maddening, come-from-ahead loss to Oregon State in the Pac-12 tourney.
In March, you make your own luck. The Buffs women — despite being one of the best draws in all of college basketball, male or female — didn’t.
“I mean, (it’s) definitely frustrating,” Wetta said. “But like (Coach JR Payne) said, you can’t dwell on that, because (now) it’s completely different conferences, completely different teams, styles of play.”
At least Wetta and her teammates know the drill. Payne’s Buffs got shipped to third seed and host Duke at this time last year and earned their Sweet 16 berth the hard way, stomping 11th-seeded Middle Tennessee and then shocking the Blue Devils in overtime to advance out of Durham.
“I feel like the same situation’s happened to us the past two years, where we thought we should’ve been a higher seed and we weren’t,” Wetta reflected. “So, again, it’s nothing new. Disappointing, but we’re used to it.
“I think we definitely do better with underdog mentality. So I think that’s a good thing going into the NCAA Tournament. It just adds a little bit of fuel to the fire.”
Why bust brackets when you can burn ’em? Pack your bags, kids. And your grudges. This dance just got personal.
Want more sports news? Sign up for the Sports Omelette to get all our analysis on Denver’s teams.
![](https://newspub.live/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/np-logo.png)
Denver, CO
Broncos Betting on 4 Oft-Injured Players & it Could Blow Back Badly
![Broncos Betting on 4 Oft-Injured Players & it Could Blow Back Badly Broncos Betting on 4 Oft-Injured Players & it Could Blow Back Badly](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_crop,w_8171,h_4596,x_0,y_154/c_fill,w_1440,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/images/ImagnImages/mmsport/mile_high_huddle/01j3s1dc522w5m1h7jmd.jpg)
The Denver Broncos have had some good fortune with a trio of oft-injured players while getting some not-so-good news with a fourth. As they attempt to climb out of the NFL doldrums and improve upon Sean Payton’s eight-win first season, the Broncos need these players to step up.
These are positions that are widely considered a concern for the Broncos, as they need help with each. Those four positions: tight end, safety, linebacker, and wide receiver. Let’s examine each of these four players and why the Broncos are relying on them to get and stay healthy in 2024.
As training camp got underway, there was good news on the Dulcich front. He avoided the physically unable to perform (PUP) list and was ready to go as camp practices got underway. With a few days of practices behind them, it’s been good for the young tight end, but he’s always delivered solid practices when healthy.
As a rookie, Dulcich showed he could affect an offense, and while the time was limited, he also revealed why Payton was calling him the ‘joker’ before the 2023 season — until he got hurt before halftime in the season opener. In the 2023 season-opener against the Las Vegas Raiders, the Broncos’ offense completely shifted after Dulcich went down.
Without Dulcich, the Broncos ran 12 more plays for 11 more yards than when they had him and needed a defensive pass interference to help keep a drive alive. Dulcich was helping create favorable matchups for the Broncos offense, so his two catches for 22 yards don’t fully reflect his impact on that game before he pulled his hamstring. He only saw time in one additional game later on in the season, being sidelined with an additional foot injury.
Dulcich’s promise as a receiver is enticing. But his hamstring injuries date all the way back to his rookie year.
This is why the Broncos are still sticking with Dulcich despite the issue of staying on the field. He could be the guy for them at the tight end position, but he has to remain on the field. There’s no way around it, though; the Broncos are betting on a guy who has played 529 snaps over two seasons when the offense has played 2,208 snaps over that span, or 24% of the offense snaps.
What happens next on the Broncos beat? Don’t miss out on any news and analysis! Take a second, sign up for our free newsletter, and get breaking Broncos news delivered to your inbox daily!
Sterns is entering the fourth and final year of his rookie contract. After being a part-time rookie, he has barely played the last two seasons.
In fact, by the start of the 2024 season, Sterns will have played two regular-season snaps in over 700 days. The bad news is that he’s starting out on the PUP list, though he is expected back before the start of the season.
Sterns was purported to be a part of a three-way battle for a starting safety spot, vying with P.J. Locke and Brandon Jones. The Broncos are looking to replace Justin Simmons, which is a challenging task.
Sterns was once tabbed as a starter, but the injuries have derailed that momentum. The loser of the three-way battle will likely still have a significant role on defense as the third safety, unless JL Skinner can win that spot. If Skinner rises up, the Broncos won’t be so dependent on Sterns snapping his injury bad-luck streak.
In the three years Sterns has been with the team, the Broncos have had roughly 3,370 snaps on defense, and he has played 587 of them, or about 17.5% of the snaps, with 53% coming in his 2021 rookie season. His injuries have been on the severe side, and while they don’t typically linger (like Dulcich’s hamstrings), they do cause the player to miss significant time.
Those injuries can also take a more significant toll on the player’s body than the smaller lingering issues. That said, after the second day of training camp practice, Coach Payton said, “[Sterns] has a long road ahead of him,” as he works back from his knee injury to start last season.
Griffith is battling for the starting linebacker spot to replace Josey Jewell with Cody Barton. Griffith missed all of the 2023 season but played 591 snaps between 2021 and 2022, slightly better than Sterns.
Griffith, like Sterns, showed flashes of being a quality starter but has needed help staying on the field. Griffith has a chance to be a starter now, but like the others, he has to remain on the field.
However, out of all the players, no one has had a worse few years than Patrick, who suffered season-ending injuries in 2022 and 2023 training camp, a year apart. He’s back, and based on reports out of minicamp and OTAs, he’s back with a vengeance.
The Broncos have reworked their wide receiver room and even adjusted Courtland Sutton’s contract, but they still need Patrick back at a high level. Before each of the injuries in the last two seasons, some reporters suggested Patrick would be the Broncos’ top receiver.
There is good and bad news for the injured players the Broncos are betting on. They need each other to step up, but even more importantly, they need each other to get healthy, stay healthy, and be available. That’s the first step to making something of the 2024 season.
Follow Mile High Huddle on X and Facebook and subscribe on YouTube for daily Broncos live-stream podcasts!
Denver, CO
BREAKING: Russell Westbrook’s Contract Details With Denver Nuggets Revealed
![BREAKING: Russell Westbrook’s Contract Details With Denver Nuggets Revealed BREAKING: Russell Westbrook’s Contract Details With Denver Nuggets Revealed](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_crop,w_4945,h_2781,x_0,y_0/c_fill,w_1440,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/images/ImagnImages/mmsport/all_clippers/01j3r3mvkrxy24nk4asq.jpg)
After being traded from the LA Clippers to the Utah Jazz, nine-time NBA All-Star Russell Westbrook was waived by Utah and will sign with the Denver Nuggets as a free agent. In a report from The Athletic’s Shams Charania, it was revealed that Westbrook is joining the Nuggets on a two-year contract worth $6.8M that includes a player option for the second season.
Westbrook will join the Nuggets as a much needed rotation guard after Denver lost both Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Reggie Jackson this summer. Capable of a lot more of what Denver needs than what Jackson was able to do last season, Westbrook should help the Nuggets in several different ways.
Former NBA MVP Russell Westbrook is signing a two-year, $6.8 million contract with the Denver Nuggets, sources tell @TheAthletic @Stadium. Deal has a player option for 2025-26 season. pic.twitter.com/nZeK3ZZsvT
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) July 26, 2024
Westbrook appeared in 68 games for the Clippers last season, only missing time due to a fractured left hand that cost him three weeks. Averaging 11.1 PPG, 5.0 APG, and 4.5 APG in just 22.5 minutes per game, Westbrook became the only qualifying player in NBA history to reach those averages in less than 23 minutes per game.
Also one of the NBA’s best on-ball guard defenders last season, Westbrook was often tasked with defending the other team’s best player when on the court. This is a responsibility he will almost certainly see more of next season with the Nuggets losing Caldwell-Pope to the Orlando Magic in free agency.
Denver Nuggets Star Reacts to Nikola Jokic’s Brother Punching Fan
Carmelo Anthony Reacts to Team USA’s Controversial Caitlin Clark Decision
Nikola Jokic’s Former Teammate Makes Massive Luka Doncic Statement
Denver, CO
Denver brewery returns from the dead with new owners
![Denver brewery returns from the dead with new owners Denver brewery returns from the dead with new owners](https://www.denverpost.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/TDP-L-RenegadeBrew-01.jpg?w=1024&h=712)
Despite being hobby homebrewers and longtime craft beer enthusiasts, Aaron Uhl and Dan Colbourne had never visited Renegade Brewing Co. in Denver before this spring.
For months prior, the two Coloradans had been prospecting locations to open a new brewery. When they heard about Renegade’s plans to close, they decided it was time to pop in for a pint.
The vibe and sense of community in the taproom won them over almost immediately and by July, they had inked a deal with the previous owner to purchase the spot at 925 W 9th Ave., along with the brewery’s recipes, equipment, website and other intellectual property.
“What Aaron and I were looking for was something that had a taproom-centric setup, but did not have distribution. We do not want distribution,” Colbourne said. “As we talked about opening organically, we felt it made much more sense with an established presence, an established clientele, and something that had a brand with history that we could take and build on.”
Renegade Brewing Co., originally founded in 2011, tentatively plans to reopen on Aug. 17 under the same name and new ownership. Uhl has brewed professionally in Colorado since 2018, most recently as the proprietor of Uhl’s Brewing Co., which operated in Boulder from 2020 to 2023. Colbourne currently works as a CFO with a background in business acquisitions.
At first, Renegade’s taps will serve guest beers from popular breweries along the Front Range, including some of Uhl’s previous collaborators like River North Brewery, WestFax Brewing Co. and Goldspot Brewing Co. The owners plan to replace the Renegade brewhouse with a new, 10-barrel brewing system and ditch many of the onsite fermentation vessels so they can expand the taproom’s footprint. While that is in the works, Uhl hopes to create original beers with some of the aforementioned partners to serve at Renegade.
By this fall, drinkers can expect to find house-made beverages, Colbourne said, including some of Renegade’s original staples. The lineup may also include some non-alcoholic options, he added.
Uhl encourages longtime patrons to stop by and let him know which old Renegade recipes they’d like to see on the new menu. “We’re going to let the community pick their top three beers for the core lineup,” he said.
“The idea is we want to take three months to offer beers across a wide spectrum to see what consumer is looking for,” Colbourne added.
Beer drinkers will see Uhl’s signature styles on the menu as it evolves. Uhl estimates he brewed 275 unique beers during the three years that Uhl Brewing Co. was open, but his specialties are barrel-aged beers, strong ales and dank IPAs. He also spent a stint in Brussels last year where he learned to blend lambics from the pros.
“Our new tagline is ‘styles be damned, nothing is sacred,’” Uhl said.
Both Uhl and Colbourne said there are many details of the new operation that will be worked out in the coming months, and they hope local customers will help shape the brewery’s evolution.
“One thing we noticed when we went there is Renegade is really a neighborhood get-together,” Colbourne said. “That sense of community is something we want to rebuild and leverage.”
Subscribe to our new food newsletter, Stuffed, to get Denver food and drink news sent straight to your inbox.
-
World1 week ago
One dead after car crashes into restaurant in Paris
-
Midwest1 week ago
Michigan rep posts video response to Stephen Colbert's joke about his RNC speech: 'Touché'
-
News1 week ago
Video: Young Republicans on Why Their Party Isn’t Reaching Gen Z (And What They Can Do About It)
-
Movie Reviews1 week ago
Movie Review: A new generation drives into the storm in rousing ‘Twisters’
-
News1 week ago
In Milwaukee, Black Voters Struggle to Find a Home With Either Party
-
Politics1 week ago
Fox News Politics: The Call is Coming from Inside the House
-
News1 week ago
Video: J.D. Vance Accepts Vice-Presidential Nomination
-
World1 week ago
Trump to take RNC stage for first speech since assassination attempt