Justin Michael | DNVR Sports CBB Reporter

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Auto Trader. We are pleased to welcome Justin Michael of DNVR Sports, covering the games at Ball Arena this weekend. Most recently, the Gonzaga win, which of course we'll talk about. But Justin, this was the mile high version of March Madness. What was that atmosphere like in Colorado for college hoops?

It was awesome. I was really pleased with the turnout. It helps that you had some established program with really passionate fan bases. Getting Creighton was big because you could get the folks from Omaha. Gonzaga obviously travels well. But what I thought was neat was even seeing Grand Canyon University the other day.

They had the biggest student section of anybody I'd seen and I think they chartered them out there. But the energy in the building was just awesome, especially this early in the tournament. Gonzaga just finished off this first weekend of the NCAA tournament.

And with a 13-0 run in the second half is able to survive TCU. What did you see from the Zags in that second half? They really just started knocking down open shots. The first half, I kept turning to the people next to me. I was like, man, you don't love this spot if you're TCU because you've just absolutely dominated and you're only up 3-4 points.

It just kind of seemed like you were waiting for the other shoe to fall. In that second half, Timmy took over in the post. He's insane. His footwork, his touch is incredible. But really it just kind of came down to knocking down the open shots that they were missing in the first half. And putting the pressure on TCU to keep up with them. Because as exciting as TCU is, most of their offense is predicated on getting into the paint, going hard with Mike Miles. But as soon as Gonzaga started hitting those threes, you could feel the pressure on TCU. And they started jacking up threes themselves.

They weren't falling for them. It really just got TC out of their rhythm. I think that's just the difference and experience between these two teams. Gonzaga, they're like 8th straight, Sweet 16.

They played like they were ready for the moment, even when things weren't going well. Mark Few is a fixture. A man who has led his team to 8th straight, Sweet 16s for Gonzaga.

As you've had the chance to work this particular pod there in Denver, what are your impressions of him? How he not only relates to his team, but relates to the media and fans on this stage? Yeah, he just, he's cool. I mean during the games he gets a little worked up. I guess I was slightly surprised to see that in person. His face, like me, gets really red when he's emotional. So I sympathize in that regard.

Everyone knows exactly how we're feeling. But, you know, kind of going back to what I said before. Like the composure. They're missing shots early, really playing well, but they're just not falling for them. You see some coaches panic, start calling timeouts, trying to change things up. He just kind of let his team feel it out and play through it. And as it went on, you could just tell that their confidence grew. I think it's a coach who really has a firm understanding of his guys and just that they're ready for this. There's going to be cold stretches in the tournament that always happens.

I was really impressed with how he handled this moment, especially with all the pressure. You know, everyone talks about Mark Few and Gonzaga. Can they win the big game? That's crazy to me since, like you said, they've been to eight straight Sweet 16s. I was just really impressed how they handled both of these games. Well, as you point out, and that's a great note, the coach sets the tone for his team. Especially one who has been there, done that, and who has all that pressure of one of the greatest coaches never to have won a championship.

And so that certainly is transposed onto his team, and yet they handle it all very well. It's After Hours with Amy Lawrence on CBS Sports Radio. Really excited to welcome Justin Michael to the show for the first time. He was covering the pod and the games for the NCAA tournament in Denver for DNVR Sports. What team, or which teams, were garnering the most audible, most vocal fan support?

That's a good one. Probably Creighton, and that makes sense just with Omaha and Denver really drivable. This was, I thought, a good draw for Creighton as it succeeds some beatable teams. They played awesome tonight, just knocking down everything. Gonzaga certainly turned up well tonight, less so in the first game, but I think that probably comes down to them just expecting to be playing on Sunday and even in the second weekend at this point. GCU, though, I got to shout out Grand Canyon, only their second NCAA tournament ever, and they were into it. It was really cool to see. I know they're kind of trying to build themselves up as the new West Coast program, and I think they got a bright future.

It really seems like the people are energized. Well, I'm glad you brought up the Blue Jays. A nine-point win over the Baylor Bears, who are a recent champion, had an incredible backcourt with the three guards who really set the tone. What impressed you about the way that they were able to contain Baylor? I think with Creighton, you wonder if their finesse offense is going to translate against the physicality and athleticism of a team like Baylor, and it really did. I mean, they had some early turnovers, but other than that, the offensive execution I thought was really impressive from Creighton. Kalkbrenner is a monster in the post, and he really gave NC State fits.

Really, though, this one was all about Nembhard and just the play he got at point guard. I was so impressed with this Creighton team and their shot-making. If they play the way that they did in this one, and they can also handle the physicality defensively down low, that's a team that could really get hot and maybe even make a run at the championship. And thinking about what's next, I know it's not in Denver, but the Creighton Blue Jays against the Princeton Tigers, not match-up probably that many people had in their brackets when they filled them out. Yeah, I don't think any of us saw the FDU or Princeton run coming, but that's what makes this tournament special. And Creighton, I was pretty impressed with how they matched up, especially in that second match-up. You know, they can always get hot and hit threes. I was impressed with their athleticism. Creighton will probably be pretty heavily favored in this one, wouldn't even surprise me if it touched double digits just with how good they looked in this one. But man, this is what it's all about. Getting the Cinderella, it's only got one seed left. I can't wait to see how it plays out. Justin Michael is with us from Denver. It's After Hours with Amy Lawrence on CBS Sports Radio. I know from my time covering college basketball and being in these arenas, the NCAA does a really professional job.

It seems to run like a well-oiled machine at the various pods. And then I also enjoy seeing different people wandering around. You never know who you're going to see when it comes to March Madness.

So just the experience of having these games in the Mile High City. Well, it was especially fun this week because you had the combination of it being St. Patrick's Day. So on Friday for the first game, there's all kinds of people decked out in leprechaun costumes and St. Patrick's Day garbs. No!

Stop it! It was crazy. Leprechaun costumes for real? I think I counted probably at least five of them. I was pretty surprised. Admittedly, I'm kind of lame. I don't even think I remembered to wear green.

Thankfully, nobody pinched me. But I was just like, alright, these people are going for it. But you should, right? I mean, it's basically a national holiday. If you're fortunate enough to be in the building not having to work, you might as well embrace the energy. You know, one of the beer capitals of the world, people were just having a good time. Did you spot any green beer on Friday?

I did. Outside, it looked like there was a pregame thing going on. I'm not sure who sponsored it. But I was one of those where I was like, man, I'm really happy to be working this.

But I wish I could be having a green beer with these people out here. They seem to be doing it right. One of the great things is the access that you have to coaches and players.

Totally. So over the course of the last couple of days, we've mentioned a few. Mark Few, who is the player, one that you had a chance to maybe ask a question of or that you heard from, that also really stood out just in handling everything that comes along with being in March Madness?

I think I got to go with Timmy just because talking to him after Friday's win over GCU, it was just kind of one of those like, yeah, that was great. This was a lot of fun. We're going to enjoy it for 15 minutes.

And then it's on to a really good TCU team. And I'm just always amazed at how these players are able to compartmentalize that way and put the emotion behind them. Because this is a big deal, especially for some of these kids.

You know, you never know how many of these opportunities you're going to get. And it's hard because they should be able to get to enjoy it for longer than they do. But with the turnaround being so quick, they don't really have that moment.

I've already talked about this a lot, so I'm kind of beating a dead horse here. But just the composure of Gonzaga and I don't know. I don't know if it's just not having to be the one seed and maybe having some of that pressure off of their back. But it really just felt like they were playing with house money. And you could kind of see it against TCU, like as tight as that game was. They were just kept doing their thing, stuck with their game plan, kept getting up quality looks.

Eventually they fell. It didn't surprise me, especially after talking to Timmy. You also cover college football. It's interesting to me that very often when we're talking about college football, the transfer portal comes up. And man, I feel like the impact in basketball is even more significant. The various ways that this tournament, once again, seems like it's been thrown into a complete jumble where anything can happen.

Yeah, totally. I mean, I think the parody in college basketball right now is as good as it's been this century. I mean, when you look at the talent of some of these three through six, seven seeds. San Diego State has a five seed. Creighton and TCU has six seeds. These are teams that are capable of competing for final fours. And the fact that they're seeded that low just kind of shows how much talent there is.

I think the transfer portal is huge. You see it with a team like Oral Roberts being able to add Connor Vanover, true seven-footer out of Arkansas. That wouldn't have happened ten years ago. And they're able to add him with Max Aidsmith, one of the best scorers in the country. I think it gives some of these quality mid-majors and even lower than that an opportunity to add some talent from high schools. And on top of that, we're seeing with the COVID year and the fifth year, just the experience, some of these teams, 25, 26 years old playing college basketball. That's a huge difference between 18 and 19-year-old freshmen trying to handle the moment. Before I let you go, I see on your Twitter that you posted a photo of just a ginormous smile on your face, Justin, captioned with living out my childhood dream. So what did it mean to you to be there and have the opportunity to cover March Madness?

This is everything. I mean, I wake up every day and I don't know how I get paid to talk about sports for a living. It's crazy to me. I grew up obsessed with the tournament. Colorado State, Mountain West especially are things I'm passionate about.

So to, you know, get to be there in person, it's run by the Mountain West. It's just the real, you know. I know it's easy to kind of get used to this kind of stuff, take it for granted. But for me every night, it's just like, man, I can't believe I'm in this building right now. Well, I love the passion.

That's how I operate. I still can't believe after all these years that I get to do what I love every single night. So I appreciate that. Justin Michael, you can find him on Twitter at Justin T. Michael.

And he's a sports writer who's living out his dream with March Madness for DNVR Sports and catch him covering college football as well. It's great to catch up with you. Thank you so much for a few minutes, Justin. This is a blast. Anytime you guys want to talk anything, I'm always down. Thanks for having me on. Last year, you may have made some smart decisions and you may have made some not so smart decisions.

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