Denver should host NCAA Tournament when it expands to 76-team bracket | The Starting Lineup
Turn on the game!
Three must-see events this week:
1. NBA draft lottery (1 p.m. Sunday, ABC) — Nuggets fans have only one rooting interest: making sure Oklahoma City’s 7.1% chance of moving into the top four picks isn’t realized.
2. Avalanche at Minnesota Wild (time TBD, Monday) — Who had the zippy, high-scoring Avs becoming class bullies on their playoff bingo cards? Jared Bednar’s bunch pulls no punches.
3. Arizona Diamondbacks at Rockies (6:40 p.m. Friday, MLB.tv) — Who’s next for an MLB call-up? The Denver Gazette’s Kevin Henry believes Albuquerque’s Cole Carrigg is on a short list.
Numbers game
.617 — the winning percentage in the Stanley Cup playoffs for Avalanche coach Jared Bednar, the fourth-best percentage in NHL history with a 58-36 record entering Saturday’s Game 3
Box office
$18 — to watch the University of Denver and University of Colorado women’s lacrosse teams face off in a five-star matchup in the second round of the NCAA Tournament at Prentup Field in Boulder at 1 p.m. Saturday
On this day
May 10, 2013 — Joe Sakic is hired as executive vice president of operations, ushering in his second era of championship hockey with the Avs. His first draft pick? Nathan MacKinnon.
Final word
No one except NCAA big wigs wants to see the men’s basketball tournament expand to 76 teams. But it’s coming, so here’s how Denver can turn lemons into lemonade: Bid for host rights to the additional opening-round games. Instead of being on the three- or four-year rotation to host a subregional or regional at Ball Arena, Denver can join Dayton as an every-year site. Both sides of the country will be covered. Yes, the city of Denver blew its chance to host the World Cup, another sign this is no longer the desirable destination it once was. But we’ve seen for years Denver shows up for great college ball.
— Paul Klee, The Denver Gazette