Denver, CO
NCAA Tournament returns to Denver: A look at the eight teams at Ball Arena
March Madness returns to Denver for a second straight year, with eight teams coming to compete at Ball Arena across four first-round games and a pair of second-round games.
The opening-round games are Thursday, and the second-round games are Saturday.
In the East Region, Ball Arena drew a No. 3 seed in Wisconsin and a No. 6 seed in BYU. Plus, in the South Region, Denver will host a No. 4 seed in Texas A&M and a No. 5 seed in Michigan.
Wisconsin takes on No. 14 Montana, while BYU plays No. 11 VCU. Texas A&M takes on No. 13 Yale, while Michigan plays No. 13 UC San Diego. This week marks the 11th NCAA Tournament in Denver. Last year, there were no upsets in the games at Ball Arena.
Both Wisconsin and Michigan have played for the national title in the last decade. The Badgers lost to Duke in 2015, while Michigan lost to Villanova in 2018. The Wolverines have played in eight Final Fours and were national champions in 1989, while the Badgers have played in four Final Fours and were national champions in 1941.
VCU made the Final Four as a Cinderella in 2011, when it was a No. 11 seed and lost to Butler. The Atlantic-10 champions could be a Cinderella again this year, plus there are a few others capable of pulling upsets in Denver. Ivy League champion Yale has the depth to potentially make some noise, while UC San Diego enters March Madness on a 15-game winning streak, tied for the nation’s longest.
Unfortunately for local hoop heads, there isn’t a single Colorado high school basketball product on any of the teams coming to Denver.
Here’s everything to know about the eight teams coming to Ball Arena. As of Sunday, tickets to the games were still available. Last year, the games sold out.
East Region
No. 3 Wisconsin (26-9) vs. No. 14 Montana (25-9)
Wisconsin
Overall/Conference Record: 26-8, 13-7
Coach: Greg Gard
Ranking: No. 3 in East Region
Best win: 103-88 vs. No. 9 Arizona
Worst loss: 86-75 vs. Penn State
About the Badgers: Wisconsin is led by a one-two guard punch of John Tonje and John Blackwell, who are averaging 19.5 and 15.4 points per game, respectively. They also have two solid post players in Nolan Winter and Steven Crowl.
Montana
Overall/Conference Record: 25-9, 15-3
Coach: Travis DeCuire
Ranking: No. 14 in East Region
Best win: 83-75 vs. Cal State Northridge
Worst loss: 79-76 at Portland State, OT
About the Bobcats: The Big Sky champions, who denied UNC a tournament bid by beating them in the conference title game, have balanced with four scorers averaging double digits. Guard Money Williams is the top threat at 13.3 points.
No. 6 BYU (24-9) vs. No. 11 VCU (28-6)
BYU
Overall/Conference Record: 24-9, 14-6
Coach: Kevin Young
Ranking: No. 6 in East Region
Best win: 88-85 at No. 10 Iowa State, 2OT
Worst loss: 84-64 at Providence
About the Cougars: Led by their first-year coach Young, BYU is highlighted by guards Richie Saunders (16.0 points per game) and Egor Demin (10.3). Center Keba Keita is also impactful, averaging 7.1 points and 7.9 rebounds.
VCU
Overall/Conference Record: 28-6, 15-3
Coach: Ryan Odom
Ranking: No. 11 in East Region
Best win: 76-68 vs. Colorado State
Worst loss: 69-66 vs. Seton Hall, OT
About the Rams: After missing the tournament last year, the Rams are back in the dance. They feature four scorers averaging double digits: guards Max Shulga (15.0), Joseph Bamisile (15.0), Phillip Russell (10.7) and Zeb Jackson (10.6).
South Region
No. 4 Texas A&M (22-10) vs. No. 13 Yale (22-7)
Texas A&M
Overall/Conference Record: 22-10, 11-7
Coach: Buzz Williams
Ranking: No. 4 in South Region
Best win: 83-72 vs. No. 1 Auburn
Worst loss: 64-61 at UCF
About the Aggies: Texas A&M makes its third straight tourney appearance and is led by guards Wade Taylor IV (15.7) and Zhuric Phelps (14.1). Plus, they have two forwards capable of heaters in Pharrel Payne (9.4) and Henry Coleman III (7.8).
Yale
Overall/Conference Record: 22-7, 13-1
Coach: James Jones
Ranking: No. 13 in South Region
Best win: 74-58 vs. Akron
Worst loss: 100-94 vs. Delaware
About the Bulldogs: Yale is making its eighth tourney appearance after losing in the second round last year. The Bulldogs are headlined by the Ivy League’s top scorer John Poulakidas, who averages 19.0 points and shoots 40.2% from 3.
No. 5 Michigan (25-9) vs. No. 12 UC San Diego (30-4)
Michigan
Overall/Conference Record: 25-9, 14-6
Coach: Dusty May
Ranking: No. 5 in South Region
Best win: 67-64 at No. 11 Wisconsin
Worst loss: 84-81 at Minnesota, OT
About the Wolverines: Under first-year boss May, Michigan is back in the dance following a two-year absence. A pair of potent forwards lead the way in Vladislav Goldin (16.9 points on 63.4% from the field) and Danny Wolf (9.9 rebounds).
UC San Diego
Overall/Conference Record: 30-4, 18-2
Coach: Eric Olen
Ranking: No. 12 in South Region
Best win: 75-73 at Utah State
Worst loss: 85-81 at UC Riverside
About the Tritons: Making their tourney debut in just the fifth year of the program, the Big West champions feature four scorers averaging double figures. Forward Aniwaniwa Tait-Jones (19.5 points, 5.5 rebounds) is the Tritons’ star.
Denver, CO
Pedestrian fatally hit by Frontier airplane departing Denver for Los Angeles, flight canceled after
Posted:
Updated:
DENVER (AP) — A Frontier Airlines plane hit a pedestrian on the runway of the Denver International Airport during takeoff, airport authorities said, sparking an engine fire and forcing passengers to evacuate.
The plane, on route from Denver to Los Angeles International Airport, “reported striking a pedestrian during takeoff at DEN at approximately 11:19 p.m. on Friday,” the airport’s official X account wrote.
Neither the airport nor the airline has disclosed the pedestrian’s condition.
“We’re stopping on the runway,” the pilot tells the control tower according to the site ATC.com. “We just hit somebody. We have an engine fire.”
The pilot tells the air traffic controller they have “231 souls” on board and that and “individual was walking across the runway.”
The air traffic controller responds that they are “rolling the trucks now” before the pilot tells the tower they “have smoke in the aircraft. We are going to evacuate on the runway.”
Frontier Airlines said in a statement flight 4345 was the one involved in the collision and that “smoke was reported in the cabin and the pilots aborted takeoff.” It was not clear whether the smoke was linked to the crash with the pedestrian.
“The Airbus A321 was carrying 224 passengers and seven crew members,” the airline said. “We are investigating this incident and gathering more information in coordination with the airport and other safety authorities.”
Passengers were then evacuated via slides and the emergency crew bused them to the terminal.
Denver Airport said the National Transportation Safety Board had been notified and that runway 17L, where the incident took place, will remain closed while an investigation is conducted.
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