Spotting the winners and losers of the NCAA Tournament bracket draw is always a lesson in futility, at least on Selection Sunday itself.
Nobody knows. Ask again in three weeks.
You and I and the rest of Denver are the big winners here, though. That's the only sure thing.
Because this year’s field is so wide open I see 11 teams capable of winning the national title in April in Houston and it wouldn’t be a surprise: Alabama, Houston, Kansas, Purdue, Arizona, UCLA, Gonzaga, Texas, Baylor, UConn and Duke.
How’s that for covering all of our bases?
One winner after the 68-team bracket was released Sunday night: Denver.
The eight teams at Ball Arena Friday and Sunday are downright delightful and chockfull of fun March Madness storylines: Gonzaga, Baylor, Creighton, TCU, NC State, UC Santa Barbara, Grand Canyon and Arizona State or Nevada.
The Pac-12 (ASU) or Mountain West (Nevada) will bring representation. That’s a win. The nation’s No. 1 offense (Gonzaga) and No. 2 offense (Baylor) are coming to town. That’s a win. NCAA Tournament heroes from years ago are en route — Valparaiso shot-maker Bryce Drew coaching Grand Canyon, Arizona State's Bobby Hurley returning to the city where he led Duke to the 1990 Final Four at McNichols Arena.
Plus, Creighton fans are a No. 1 seed closing bars.
The Denver games sold out in January, but hold tight till Tuesday night or Wednesday morning when the teams are obligated to return tickets that went unsold. Then check Ticketmaster.
The Denver pods lack a traditional blue-blood program, but that’s perfect for this tournament, too. North Carolina, the preseason No. 1, didn’t even make the tournament. Aww, that’s too bad. Indiana is just OK as a 4 seed, and No. 5 Duke earned its lowest seed in 16 years. UCLA's really, really good but lost a key player recently.
I looked it up, and my second most-used website (after Outlook) is kenpom.com, the college basketball analytics site. There, you must go back to Joakim Noah’s Florida Gators in 2006 to find a lower-rated No. 1 than Houston in 2023. No offense to Houston, either.
There’s simply not a juggernaut among the 68 lucky dogs invited to the Big Dance.
Couple more bracket thoughts:
—The Mountain West has no excuses. Four bids, including a surprise with Nevada as one of the final teams in the field, and favorable matchups for No. 5 San Diego State (vs. Charleston) and No. 10 Utah State (vs. Missouri, blah). It's time the league wins to prove the lofty analytics right.
—All four No. 1 seeds are vulnerable in the second round. Alabama could get West Virginia, one of the best 9 seeds in recent history. Houston could get Auburn, which plays wild. Kansas could get Arkansas, a terrific defensive team. And Purdue could get Memphis, which just beat a No. 1 seed on Sunday (Houston).
—Jim Nantz, a good friend of The Denver Gazette’s Woody Paige, will call his final Final Four in Houston. What a change that will be. Ian Eagle is the successor to the crown.
—If ever there was a year for a low seed to win the NCAA Tournament, this is it. The record is held by No. 8 seed Villanova in 1985.
OK, time for some predictions.
Here in Denver, No. 6 Creighton swamps No. 11 NC State with no problems, No. 3 Baylor survives No. 14 UCSB in the final seconds, No. 11 Arizona State upsets No. 6 TCU, and No. 3 Gonzaga extends the nation’s longest streak to nine straight appearances in the Sweet 16.
Big picture, the Final Four is No. 2 Arizona, No. 2 Marquette, No. 3 Gonzaga and No. 1 Houston. Tommy Lloyd's Wildcats are your national champs.
But let’s be real. Nobody knows. Ask again in three weeks.