March Madness is coming back to Denver. And with it, some premier programs with impressive resumes.
Ball Arena drew a pair of No. 3 seeds among the eight teams set to play in Friday’s first round, with winners playing in the second round on Sunday.
MARCH MADNESS: Printable bracket for the NCAA men’s basketball tournament
Baylor is the No. 3 seed in the South Region, while Gonzaga is the No. 3 seed in the West Region.
The Bears won the national title in 2021, beating Gonzaga 86-70 in Indianapolis. That’s one of two runner-up finishes for coach Mark Few’s Bulldogs in the past five tournaments, as Gonzaga also finished second in 2017 to North Carolina.
Baylor will be heavily favored over No. 14 UC Santa Barbara, as will Gonzaga over No. 14 Grand Canyon. UCSB got into the tournament by winning the Big West championship, and Grand Canyon won the Western Athletic Conference tournament.
Also in the South, No. 6 Creighton will take on No. 11-seed North Carolina State.
In the other game, in the West Regional, No. 6 Texas Christian takes on the winner of the play-in game between Arizona State and Nevada. Both first-round games are expected to be competitive.
Baylor and Gonzaga have significant alumni bases in Denver. Tickets to games on Friday and Sunday are expensive. The games at Ball Arena for the 10th NCAA tournament in Denver sold out months ahead of Selection Sunday but tickets are expected to become available Tuesday if schools don’t sell out their allotment.
Here’s a look at the teams coming to town on Friday at Ball Arena.
Friday, South Region
No. 3 Baylor vs No. 14 UC Santa Barbara, 11:30 a.m., TNT
Baylor
Overall/Conference Record: 22-10, 11-7
Coach: Scott Drew
Ranking: No. 3 in South Region
Best win: 81-72 over Texas on Feb. 25
Worst loss: 96-70 to Marquette on Nov. 29
About the Bears: Led by Drew, who in his 20th season at Baylor is the Big-12’s longest-tenured head coach, the Bears feature four scorers averaging double digits including freshman guard Keyonte George (15.8) and senior guard Adam Flager. (15.3).
UC-Santa Barbara
Overall/Conference Record: 27-7, 15-5
Coach: Joe Pasternack
Ranking: No. 14 in South Region
Best win: 72-62 over Cal St Fullerton in Big West Championship
Worst loss: 76-40 to Cal State Fullerton in league play, Feb. 20
About the Gauchos: Sophomore guard Ajay Mitchell (16.4 points per game) was the Big West player of the year, and senior forward Miles Norris (14.1) is a reliable scorer.
No. 6 Creighton vs No. 11 North Carolina State, 2 p.m., TNT
Creighton
Overall/Conference Record: 21-12, 14-6
Coach: Greg McDermott
Ranking: No. 6 in South Region
Best win: 84-67 over Xavier on Jan. 28
Worst loss: 80-62 to Xavier in Big East Tournament
About the Blue Jays: It’s been a tale of two teams for Creighton this year, but they’re potent when they’re on, and junior 7-foot-1 center Ryan Kalkbrenner (15.4 points and 6.1 rebounds) is the Blue Jays’ centerpiece.
North Carolina State
Overall/Conference Record: 23-10, 12-8
Coach: Kevin Keatts
Ranking: No. 11 in South Region
Best win: 84-60 over Duke
Worst loss: 80-54 to Clemson in ACC Tournament
About the Wolfpack: NC State is making its first tournament appearance since 2018 behind the play of sophomore guard Terquavion Smith (17.5 points per game) and graduate student guard Jarkel Joiner (17.1).
Friday, West Region
No. 3 Gonzaga vs No. 14 Grand Canyon, 5:35 p.m., truTV
Gonzaga
Overall/Conference Record: 28-5, 14-2
Coach: Mark Few
Ranking: No. 3 in West Region
Best win: 100-90 over Alabama
Worst loss: 84-66 to Purdue
About the Bulldogs: No stranger to the national stage, the Bulldogs are led by senior All-America forward Drew Timme (20.9 points and 7.3 rebounds) plus junior combo guard Julian Strawther (15.1 points).
Grand Canyon
Overall/Conference Record: 24-11, 14-4
Coach: Bryce Drew
Ranking: No. 14 in West Region
Best win: 86-44 over Southern Utah in WAC tournament championship
Worst loss: 81-62 to Tarleton
About the Antelopes: Grand Canyon has a balanced offense with four players averaging double digits: sophomore guard Ray Harrison, junior forward Gabe McGlothan, sophomore guard Chance McMillian and junior guard Jovan Blacksher Jr.
No. 6 TCU vs No. 11 Arizona State/Nevada winner, 8:05 pm., truTV
Texas Christian
Overall/Conference Record: 21-12, 9-9
Coach: Jamie Dixon
Ranking: No. 6 in West Region
Best win: 83-60 over Kansas
Worst loss: 81-62 to Kansas State
About the Horned Frogs: TCU is headed back to the NCAA Tournament for a second straight year behind the play of star junior guard Mike Miles Jr. and senior guard Damion Baugh.
Nevada
Overall/Conference Record: 22-10, 12-6
Coach: Steve Alford
Ranking: Playing Arizona State in play-in game for No. 11 in West Region
Best win: 75-66 over San Diego State
Worst loss: 77-62 to Boise State
About the Wolfpack: Nevada is in a tailspin entering the tournament, having lost three straight games, and is led by senior guard Jarod Lucas and senior guard Kenan Blackshear.
Arizona State
Overall/Conference Record: 22-12, 11-9
Coach: Bobby Hurley
Ranking: Playing Nevada in play-in game
Best win: 89-88 over Arizona
Worst loss: 78-59 to Arizona in Pac-12 Tournament
About the Sun Devils: Arizona State was lucky to get into the tourney as a bubble team; the Sun Devils are led by senior combo guard Desmond Cambridge Jr., who was named Pac-12 Player of the Week three times this season.
