11 Minnesota Connections To the Big Dance
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- Selection Sunday has passed, and we now know the 68 teams that have been chosen for the NCAA Basketball Tournament.
Over the next three weekends there will be close games, a few upsets and plenty of magical moments that make the tournament what it is: A great experience for anyone who follows sports and basketball. A champion will be crowned on the first Monday night in April, but so much will happen leading up to that moment.
Kentucky is six wins away from a perfect season, but can anyone challenge them? There are seven Big Ten teams in the Big Dance, but the Gophers are not one of them. Their season is over, but there are plenty of Minnesota connections in March Madness. Here are 11 local connections to the tournament.
Siyani Chambers, Jonah Travis at Harvard
Harvard beat Yale last Saturday to earn the Ivy League's automatic bid to the Big Dance. There are two Minnesotans playing for the Crimson. They are Siyani Chambers of Hopkins and Jonah Travis of DeLaSalle. Chambers is their second-leading scorer at just less than 10 points per game. Travis plays about 18 minutes per game and averages six points per contest. Harvard faces North Carolina in its first game.
Kyle Washington at NC State
NC State earned at at-large bid and will face LSU in its first game in the Big Dance. Kyle Washington of Champlin played at Benilde-St. Margaret's before transferring to Brewster Academy in New Hampshire. He averages 6.7 points and 4.3 rebounds per game for the Wolfpack.
Tyus Jones at Duke
Minnesota's most heralded recruit last year hails from Apple Valley and is the starting point guard at Duke. Tyus Jones has helped lead the Blue Devils to a No. 1 seed, and they'll face either North Florida or Robert Morris in their first game. Jones has been one of the best freshmen in the country, averaging more than 11 points and nearly six assists in about 33 minutes per game.
JP Macura at Xavier
JP Macura put Lakeville North on his back last year to win a state championship. Now, he's a shooting guard at Xavier as the Musketeers get ready to face either BYU or Ole Miss in their first NCAA Tournament game. Macura is averaging 5.6 points in just less than 14 minutes per game. He's played in 32 of their 34 games this year.
Seth Hinrichs at Lafayette
Lafayette won the Patriot League title for its bid to the NCAA Tournament, and the reward is a date with No. 1-seeded Villanova in the opening round. Seth Hinrichs of Clara City has started all 32 games for the Leopards and is their second-leading scorer at 13.1 points per game. He also averages close to six rebounds per game.
Marvin Singleton at Northern Iowa
Northern Iowa won the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament and is a No. 5 seed for the Big Dance. The Panthers face Wyoming in their first contest. Marvin Singleton of Hopkins has started every game for Northern Iowa this season, averaging five points per game.
Riley Dearring, Jordan Smith at Wisconsin
Wisconsin was the class of the Big Ten this year, winning the regular season and conference tournament titles. The Badgers are a No. 1 seed and face Coastal Carolina in the opening round. There are two Minnesotans at Wisconsin, Riley Dearring of Minnetonka and Jordan Smith of Orono. Both have had limited minutes this season.
Brian Ishola, Zach Checkal, Matt Kourouma at North Dakota State
North Dakota State will be looking to pull off a big upset as the Summit League champions face No. 2-seeded Gonzaga in their first game in the NCAA Tournament. The Bison have three Minnesotans on their roster: Brian Ishola of East Ridge, Zach Chekal of Delano and Matt Kourouma of Columbia Heights. All have had limited minutes this season.
C.J. Neumann at Wofford
Wofford won the Southern Conference title to earn an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament, and the Terriers face Arkansas in their first game. C.J. Neumann, who played at Cretin-Derham Hall, averages about four points per game in about 20 minutes of action.
Wheeler Baker at Albany
Albany got past Stony Brook to win the American East Conference title and earn an automatic bid to the Big Dance. The Great Danes will face Oklahoma in their first game. Wheeler Baker of Osseo has played in 29 games for Albany. He averages 5.6 points in about 14 minutes per game.
Zach Stahl at Northeastern
Northeastern won the CAA Conference title to earn an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. The Huskies will be looking to pull off a big upset of Notre Dame, which won the ACC title, in its first game. Zach Stahl of Chanhassen, who played at Hopkins, has started 33 of 34 games for Northeastern and averages 8.3 points and about six rebounds in more than 27 minutes per game.
So while the University of Minnesota is watching from the sidelines this year, there's plenty of local flavor in the NCAA Tournament to keep local fans interested.
