Which Nuggets players can still root for their alma maters in March Madness?

The NCAA Tournament resumes on Thursday night with four Sweet 16 matchups and the other four taking place on Friday. The Elite 8 will happen this weekend, and by Sunday night the Final 4 will be set.

NBA rosters are loaded with former college basketball players and March Madness heroes, and the Denver Nuggets are no exception. The team currently has 16 players on the roster who played Division I college basketball, representing 16 different schools.

Before the big dance started, I went through the roster, looking at where each player played their college ball, how those teams were faring this season, and which ones had a chance to be playing in March.

Since then, the field has been set at 64, and after four days of basketball, the field has been cut from 64 teams to just 16. But of the 16 remaining, which colleges are represented by current Denver Nuggets?

University of Arizona

The second-seeded Wildcats gave us Aaron Gordon and Zeke Nnaji. The Cats took down Long Beach State in round one then followed that up with a nice victory over Dayton in the second round. They are set to take on Clemson on Thursday night for a spot in the Elite 8.

Gonzaga University

Rookie bench player Julian Strawther came out of Spokane just last year. His Zags have looked sharp, taking care of Samford and Kansas thus far. They’ll face their stiffest test on Friday night as they face the top-seeded Purdue Boilermakers.

University of Alabama

The Nuggets connection here is a tenuous one. Second-year two-way player Braxton Key started his college career with the Tide but transferred to Virginia after two uninspiring seasons. I’m not sure that’s a strong enough connection for Nuggets fans to jump on the ‘Bama bandwagon, but the team sure is fun to watch. They’ve beaten Charleston and Grand Canyon and matchup with UNC on Thursday night.

Clemson University

Nugs rookie and deep bench player Hunter Tyson played his college ball at Clemson and will be rooting for his squad to pull the upset over Arizona Thursday night. It has already been a fun ride for the Tigers, but if they can beat the ‘Cats things will truly get wild. Hopefully things aren’t too tense in the locker room between the Tiger, Tyson and Wildcats, Gordon and Zeke!