DENVER — March Madness is back in the Mile High City.
Denver will host first and second-round games of the NCAA men's basketball tournament on Friday and Sunday at Ball Arena.
It's the first time since 2016 that the arena has hosted tournament games.
The First Four kicks the tournament off Tuesday, March 14, and Wednesday, March 15, in Dayton, Ohio. Then, the remaining 64 teams will compete when the First Round gets underway on Thursday, March 16, and Friday, March 17.
Denver will host two sessions of First Round basketball on Friday, each with two back-to-back games.
Baylor and UC Santa Barbara open the first session Friday at 11:30 a.m., followed by Creighton and North Carolina State.
Ball Arena crews will then clear everyone out of the arena before the second session starts at 5:35 p.m. Friday. Gonzaga and Grand Canyon will play first, then TCU will host the winner of the First Four's Arizona State vs. Nevada matchup.
Friday, March 17
First Round Session 1
Baylor vs. UC Santa Barbara
- 3-seed Baylor Bears (22-10) vs. 14-seed UC Santa Barbara Gauchos (27-7)
- Friday at 11:30 a.m.
- Tickets at Ticketmaster.com
Creighton vs. NC State
- 6-seed Creighton Blue Jays (21-12) vs. 11-seed North Carolina State Wolfpack (23-10)
- Friday at 2 p.m.
- Tickets at Ticketmaster.com
Friday, March 17
First Round Session 2
Gonzaga vs. Grand Canyon
- 3-seed Gonzaga Bulldogs (28-5) vs. 14-seed Grand Canyon Antelopes (24-11)
- Friday at 5:35 p.m.
- Tickets at Ticketmaster.com
TCU vs. Arizona State/Nevada
- 6-seed Texas Christian Horned Frogs (21-12) vs. 11-seed Arizona State Sun Devils or Nevada Wolf Pack
- Friday at TBD
- Tickets at Ticketmaster.com
Sunday, March 19
Second Round
- Sunday
- Tickets at Ticketmaster.com
You can click here or below to download a printable bracket to fill out for March Madness 2023.
What are the odds of a perfect bracket?
According to NCAA.com, if you were to simply guess or flip a coin for each matchup, the odds of a perfect NCAA bracket are 1 in 9,223,372,036,854,775,808.
However, NCAA.com also notes that the odds are more like 1 in 120.2 billion, if the person making the bracket takes into account info about which teams are better and tournament history.
It's believed that the closest anyone has gotten to a perfect bracket occurred just three years ago.
During the 2019 tournament, an Ohio man correctly guessed all the games going into the Sweet 16, according to NCAA.com. But his streak of 49 correct picks was ended when Purdue beat Tennessee 99-94 in overtime of the second game in the Sweet 16.
In 2022 and 2021, it took just 28 games for there to be no more perfect brackets.
You can click here or below to download a printable bracket to fill out for March Madness 2023.
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