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.
The Denver Broncos are in the market for a running back.
Just two days after NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported that Denver wants to have the running back position addressed before the draft, Jonathan Jones of CBS Sports reported that the Broncos are “poised to make a splash” at running back during NFL free agency.
“Denver is the reason why the Jets used the franchise tag on Breece Hall rather than the transition tag, according to sources, making sure Denver wouldn’t get the opportunity to put together an offer the Jets would refuse to match,” Jones wrote for CBS Sports.
Jones said the Broncos would be an obvious potential landing spot for Kenneth Walker, and he noted that Travis Etienne could be a cheaper alternative. The Athletic’s Nick Kosmider also reported this week that Denver is expected to “closely examine” the RB market, and he name-dropped Walker, Etienne and Rico Dowdle.
The Broncos also have an in-house free agent at RB in J.K. Dobbins, who has expressed his desire to remain in Denver. The Broncos can begin negotiating with pending free agents from other clubs on March 9, but no deals can become official until the new league year begins on March 11. In-house free agents can be re-signed at any time.
Social: Follow Broncos Wire on Facebook and Twitter/X! Did you know: These 25 celebrities are Broncos fans.
GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. (KREX) — The Class 5A Sweet 16 has arrived, and both Grand Junction and Palisade are still standing with trips to the Great Eight in Denver on the line.
At The Jungle, the No. 2 seed Grand Junction Tigers set the tone early against No. 18 Golden. Defense carried the Tigers from the opening tip as they held the Demons to nine first quarter points while scoring 16 of their own.
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Grand Junction added eight points in the second quarter while Golden managed six, sending the Tigers into halftime with a nine point lead.
Golden responded in the third quarter, outscoring Grand Junction 16 to 11 to cut the deficit to five entering the fourth. The Tigers answered in the final period, attacking the rim and converting key shots to win the quarter 19 to 10. Grand Junction secured a 54 to 41 victory to protect its home court and advance to the Great Eight in Denver.
Top seeded Palisade also defended its home floor with a trip to Denver at stake. The Bulldogs opened with nine straight points to energize a packed gym, but Frederick settled in and closed the first quarter on a run to tie the game at nine.
Frederick continued to respond in the second quarter and took an eight point lead into halftime.
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Palisade shifted momentum after the break. The Bulldogs tightened defensively, holding Frederick to 21 points in the second half while scoring 39 of their own. Palisade completed the comeback to advance to the Great Eight.
Colorado Mesa University Women Deliver Historic RMAC Tournament Win
In collegiate action, the top seeded Colorado Mesa University women’s basketball team defeated Colorado School of Mines 96 to 51 in the RMAC Tournament, marking the largest margin of victory in the tournament this century.
Olivia Reed-Thyne led the Mavericks with 34 points on 11 of 15 shooting, her third 30 point performance this season. Mason Rowland added 22 points and Hallie Clark contributed 10 as Colorado Mesa matched a program record with its 31st win. The Mavericks will host the semifinals Friday with a berth in the championship game at stake.
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Colorado Mesa University Men Survive Overtime Thriller
The Colorado Mesa University men’s basketball team faced New Mexico Highlands University for the third time this season. The Mavericks scored 36 first half points and led by four at the break.
New Mexico Highlands shot 50 percent in the second half, received 21 bench points and outscored Colorado Mesa 43 to 39 to force a late push. With the season in the balance, Ty Allred hit a game tying 3 pointer to make it 75 and send the game to overtime. Allred scored seven points in the extra period as Colorado Mesa earned a 91 to 90 victory to advance to the next round.
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