NCAA Tournament-bound coaches already are searching frantically for an advantage, everything and anything, no matter how small.
Notre Dame’s Mike Brey joked Sunday night that he may have a bit of an edge among teams that will play this week in the Pepsi Center.
Brey knows the guy who will unlock the practice gym.
“You know, we’ve got Billy Hanzlik out there (in Denver),” Brey explained on a teleconference. “He’s got a beautiful facility, which we’ll probably practice in.”
Hanzlik, a former Notre Dame and Nuggets star, directs the nonprofit Gold Crown Foundation, which built a fieldhouse in Lakewood for its youth programs.
“Yeah, we’ve already been talking with Bill throughout this evening,” Brey added. “We’ve got a really strong Notre Dame contingent in Denver.”
Getting sent to Denver wasn’t exactly the luck of the Irish. There are closer NCAA sites. But Brey is getting used to that. Notre Dame was shipped west by the NCAA selection committee for the second straight year, having trekked last March to Spokane, Wash.
Then again, Denver isn’t around the corner for any of the eight teams pegged for the Pepsi Center. No Big 12 teams were sent here. Heck, not even anybody from the Mountain West.
Seems a bit crazy, but Anaheim, Calif., isn’t a bad destination for Brigham Young. And Omaha is a shorter trip for Kansas State fans than Denver would be.
Among those headed to the Mile High City, Oral Roberts, located in Tulsa, Okla., would be the closest. And it’s almost a 700-mile drive for its fans. Washington State is about 1,100 miles away.
Pittsburgh? Winthrop? George Mason? Temple? Michigan State? Let’s just say Denver International will get some additional business this week.
Don’t look for any of those seeded teams on “the top lines” that TV analysts like to talk about. None is headed this way. A pair of No. 4 seeds, Pitt and Washington State, top our field.
In any case, all the teams seem appreciative.
“To see your name pop up No. 4, I thought that was real cool,” Washington State senior guard Derrick Low said after the bracket was revealed.
On another a positive note, Denver didn’t get any dogs. Yes, Winthrop and Oral Roberts are No. 13 seeds. But Winthrop is making its seventh NCAA Tournament appearance in the past 10 seasons. Last March, it beat Notre Dame by 10 points in the first round. Any questions?
Oral Roberts? In a December battle of Eddie Sutton’s sons, the Golden Eagles’ Scott got the better of Oklahoma State’s Sean by 15 points. Pittsburgh — consider yourself warned.
And if George Mason rings a bell, it should. Two years ago as a No. 11 seed, the Patriots made it all the way to the Final Four, knocking off Michigan State, North Carolina and UConn.
If seeds hold serve, second-round matches Saturday pitting No. 4 seeds against No. 5s could be among the most intriguing of the weekend.
With its Princeton-style passing offense, Washington State would try to counteract the brute power of Notre Dame’s Luke Harangody, who is listed at 6-feet-8 and 251 pounds but looks and plays bigger. If Pittsburgh and Michigan State advance to Saturday, they could set an NCAA record for bumps and bruises.
“The only advantage of losing so many assistants over the years,” said Michigan State coach Tom Izzo, “is I’ve got one in Temple’s conference, one in Pittsburgh’s conference and one in Oral Roberts’ conference. They’d better share (scouting information).”
But first things first.
“We look like it like we’re playing this week in the Denver Open,” Brey said. “We’ll put that four-team bracket up for the guys. You win the Denver Open, then you worry about the next open.”
Old powers
No. 5 Michigan State (25-8) vs. No. 12 Temple (21-12)
The Spartans have one of the nation’s sharpest-shooting guards in senior Drew Neitzel. Second-year coach Fran Dunphy has returned the swagger to the Owls.
Pitt rolling
No. 4 Pittsburgh (26-9) vs. No. 13 Oral Roberts (24-8)
Led by Sam Young, Pitt has won its past five games and seven of eight. That includes a sweep of ranked opponents Louisville, Marquette and Georgetown to win the Big East Tournament.
Local connection
No. 4 Washington State (24-8) vs. No. 13 Winthrop (22-11)
Two Washington State junior frontcourt players hail from the Western Slope: Daven Harmeling and Caleb Forrest. Meanwhile, four of Winthrop’s top five scorers are seniors.
Irish ayes
No. 5 Notre Dame (24-7) vs. No. 12 George Mason (23-10)
Notre Dame has the inside-outside balance that coaches dream about, with scoring threats from center Luke Harangody (20.8), guard Kyle McAlarney (15.2) and forward Rob Kurz (12.8).
Tom Kensler: 303-954-1280 or tkensler@denverpost.com
