March Madness: How to root for the Nuggets in the NCAA Tournament
By Ben Handler
The NCAA Tournament bracket was revealed on Sunday and we’re officially in the heights of March Madness. We’re sure to be treated to all kinds of chaos and drama over the next few weeks as college basketball’s marquee event plays out.
Many current Denver Nuggets were lucky enough to participate in the NCAA Tournament, and several of the players are represented by their former schools in this year’s big dance. If you don’t have a dog in the fight, but you want to cheer along with your favorite Nuggets, here’s a quick guide.
Jamal Murray: Kentucky Wildcats
Kentucky drew a 3 seed in the South Region and a first-round date with Oakland Friday night. Big names in their region include 1 seed Houston, 2 seed Marquette, and 4 seed Duke. With NBA talent and coaching and programmatic pedigree, the Cats are sure to be a trendy final-four pick.
Aaron Gordon and Zeke Nnaji: Arizona Wildcats
Arizona comes into the tournaments as one of the overall favorites. They received a 2 seed in the West Region and will face Long Beach State on Thursday afternoon. The 1 seed in their region is North Carolina, and the 3 and 4 are Baylor and Alabama.
Christian Braun: Kansas
The Jayhawks are the 4 seed in the Midwest Region. They’ll face frisky Cinderella candidate, Samford on Thursday night. If they can survive that they’ll get the winner of a good Gonzaga/McNeese State matchup. The region boasts Purdue as the 1 seed, Tennessee is the 2 seed, and Creighton is the 3 seed.
Julian Strawther: Gonzaga
Speaking of Gonzaga…the Bulldogs are the 5 seed in the Midwest. They have a tough first-round matchup with McNeese State, then possibly Kansas in round two. Purdue, Tennessee, and Baylor also loom.
Hunter Tyson: Clemson
Clemson drew the 6 seed in the West region and a brutal first-round meeting with the Mountain West champs, New Mexico on Friday afternoon. If they can get past the Lobos, Clemson will have to deal with the likes of Arizona, Baylor, and North Carolina in their bracket.
Braxton Key: Alabama
Alabama got the 4 seed in the West and a first-round game with Charleston on Friday night. They’d face the winner of a tight Saint Mary’s/Grand Canyon matchup, then a date with the mighty Tar Heels would likely loom for the Tide.
Jay Huff and Braxton Key: Virginia
Braxton is lucky, as he gets to root for two teams. But the Cavaliers were one of the very last schools to make the tournament. They’ll need to win a play-in game Tuesday night in Dayton against Colorado State. Winning that would earn UVA the 10 seed in the Midwest and matchup with Texas. That bracket has 1 seed Purdue, 2 seed Tennessee, 3 seed Creighton, and 4 seed Kansas.
DeAndre Jordan: Texas A&M
A&M made the field as a 9 seed in the South region. They’ll take on Nebraska in the first round on Friday night with the 1 seed Houston awaiting the winner. If the Aggies get through that, blue bloods like Duke, Kentucky, and Marquette await.
Local flair
None of those schools doing it for you? There are a couple of local options as both Colorado and Colorado State escaped the bubble and received two of the final at-large bids to the tournament. However, both will have to play their way in through the first four in Dayton. Colorado State takes on Virginia Tuesday night for the 10 seed in the Midwest region. The Buffs will face Boise State for the 10 seed in the South region.