



It’s officially March Madness, which, over the past decade or so, has seen Minnesota take center stage on multiple occasions.
Even if the Gophers themselves haven’t made any noise as of late, some memorable moments include Apple Valley native Tyus Jones coming up clutch to lead Duke to a national championship, and St. Paul native Jalen Suggs hitting a buzzer beater for Gonzaga that will be shown on highlight reels forever.
Who’s going to be the next player to make a name of themselves? Here are all the Minnesotans competing in this year’s NCAA men’s basketball tournament:
>> Tre Holloman, No. 2 seed Michigan State, Cretin-Derham Hall: Though he isn’t a starter for the Spartans, he has grown into a fan favorite off the bench, averaging 9.0 points, 2.0 rebounds, and 3.8 assists, while serving as the heartbeat of the team whenever he’s on the court.
>> Nolan Winter, No. 3 seed Wisconsin, Lakeville North: He burst onto the scene for the Badgers this season, averaging 9.5 points and 5.9 rebounds.
>> Steven Crowl, No. 3 seed Wisconsin, Eastview: As a longtime fixture in the starting lineup, he has played in more than 150 games for the Badgers throughout his career.
>> Jack Janicki, No. 3 seed Wisconsin, White Bear Lake: After betting on himself and walking on with the Badgers despite offers elsewhere, he has managed to carve out a niche for himself.
>> Jack Robinson, No. 3 seed Wisconsin, Lakeville North: He played minimally for the Badgers, only appearing in in 13 games as a reserve.
>> Daniel Freitag, No. 3 seed Wisconsin, Breck: He has been somewhat lost in a logjam in the backcourt and hasn’t played much for the Badgers.
>> Curtis Jones, No. 3 seed Iowa State, Cretin-Derham Hall: He averaged 17.1 points off the bench to lead the Cyclones in scoring and was recently inserted into the starting lineup.
>> Nate Heise, No. 3 seed Iowa State, Lincoln: There is a good chance he is asked to take on more for the Cyclones with Keshon Gilbert out of the lineup for the foreseeable future.
>> Demarion Watson, No. 3 seed Iowa State, Totino-Grace: It’s unlikely this he will make much of an impact for the Cyclones given his numbers to this point.
>> Kerwin Walton, No 3 seed Texas Tech, Hopkins: Though he doesn’t stuff the stat sheet for the Red Raiders, he has a ton of experience that should be useful to everybody around him.
>> Pharrel Payne, No. 4 seed Texas A&M, Park: His decision to leave the Gophers has worked out well as he has become an important piece for the Aggies on both ends of the floor.
>> Camden Heide, No. 4 seed Purdue, Wayzata: If the Boilermakers can somehow make a run, he is somebody that could make his presence felt in a variety of ways.
>> Dain Dainja, No. 5 seed Memphis, Park Center: His tenacity has helped him average 14.4 points and 7.2 rebounds to lead the Tigers in the front court.
>> Will Tschetter, No. 5 seed Michigan, Stewartville: As a holdover from the previous regime, he has earned a role for the Wolverines despite an influx of transfers.
>> J’Vonne Hadley, No. 8 seed Louisville, Cretin-Derham Hall: As a highly touted transfer, he averaged 12.1 points and 7.3 rebounds to help the Cardinals spark their turnaround.
>> Jackson McAndrew, No. 9 seed Creighton, Wayzata: He has grown into a major contributor for the Blue Jays.
>> Kyle Jorgensen, No. 12 seed Colorado State, Minneapolis Washburn: After appearing in 32 games off the bench, he could make sense as a potential transfer for the Gophers depending how everything play out.
>> Jon Mekonnen, No. 12 seed Colorado State, Eastview: The redshirt that he used with the Rams could come in handy if head coach Niko Medved ends up taking the job with the Gophers.
>> Liam Carney, No. 14 seed High Point, Providence Academy: Though the Panthers are a trendy pick for a Cinderella run, he will likely be watching the action unfold from the bench.
>> Ja’Sean Glover, No. 15 seed Omaha, Madelia: His presence could provide some firepower for Mavericks considering he has reached double figures a dozen times.
>> Joshua Streit, No. 15 seed Omaha, Eden-Valley Watkins: His statistics don’t show how valuable he has been for the Mavericks off the bench.
>> Lincoln Palbicki, No. 15 seed Omaha, Maple Grove: He will only see the floor if the result of the game is already well in hand for the Mavericks.
>> Cham Okey, No. 16 seed SIU Edwardsville, Austin: There hasn’t been much playing time for him as the Cougars have a number of upperclassmen in front of him.
>> Adam Holod, No. 16 seed American, St. Paul Academy: Not much to note here as he has barely played for the Eagles.