March Madness: How did Nuggets players perform when they were in the tournament?

March Madness is here, and first and second round action is taking place at Ball Arena, the home of the Denver Nuggets, this weekend. Various Nuggets players have been a part of deep runs in the tournament, while some have never gotten to experience the highs and lows of the Big Dance. How did they perform when they were college kids on the biggest stage?

Christian Braun – Kansas

Braun had two chances in the tournament with the Jayhawks. In 2021, he was bounced in the second round, but came back to win the National Championship in 2022. In that run, Braun averaged 11.2 points and 7.3 rebounds per game while playing just over 35 minutes per game. In the Final Four, he hit a dagger 3-pointer to send the Jayhawks to the title game.

WHAT CAN BRAUN DO FOR YOU 🤯🤯

Christian Braun with an UNREAL triple!@KUHoops | #MFinalFour pic.twitter.com/EYArMWJKdZ

— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) April 2, 2022

Julian Strawther – Gonzaga

Strawther was a part of three impressive runs with the Bulldogs, making the Sweet 16, Elite 8 and the National Championship in different years. His best year came in 2023 when he averaged 16.3 points and 8.8 rebounds per game. While he only played three minutes per game in the 2021 run when the Bulldogs made it to the title game, he did nail a 3-pointer in his one minute of action.

His best moment in the tournament was his legendary 3-pointer in the Sweet 16 against UCLA to give his team the lead with just seconds to play.

One year ago, Julian Strawther STUNNED UCLA with this cold-blooded game-winner to help @ZagMBB reach the Elite 8 🤯#MarchMadness pic.twitter.com/LdpvGDiEHH

— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) March 23, 2024

Russell Westbrook – UCLA

Westbrook led the UCLA Bruins to the Final Four in 2008 as a freshman. He averaged just over 13 points per game and put up 22 points in a loss to national runner-up Memphis in the Final Four. In his final two games, he shot 17-for-30 from the field while only turning the ball over five times.

Aaron Gordon – Arizona

In the 2014 tournament, Aaron Gordon was down in the desert leading his team to the Elite 8. Gordon averaged 14.3 points and 9.5 rebound per game, but was stifled by the Wisconsin Badgers in the Elite 8 as he shot just 3-for-11 in a one-point overtime loss. In the first three games, he was an unstoppable force down low as he made 73% of his field goals.

PJ Hall – Clemson

PJ Halls’ March Madness run in 2024 was very impressive as he led the No. 6 Clemson Tigers to the Elite 8 in the West Region. He averaged 14 points per game as his Tigers beat both the No. 2 and No. 3 seeds in their region. While his performance in the tournament didn’t raise his stock high enough to be selected in the 2024 NBA Draft, he got on Calvin Booth’s radar as the Nuggets signed him to a two-way contract.

PJ HALL THROWS IT DOWN 🔨#MarchMadness @ClemsonMBB pic.twitter.com/6Llyy7qsXZ

— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) March 24, 2024

Trey Alexander – Creighton

Alexander played for the Creigton Bluejays in three consecutive runs, but never played his best basketball. He shot above 40% from the field in just three of the nine tournament games he played in, including a 3-for-12 performance in last year’s Sweet 16. However, he played all 50 minutes of a double overtime thriller against Oregon in the Round of 32 last year while scoring 20 points.

Trey Alexander getting shifty 💪 #MarchMadness @BluejayMBB pic.twitter.com/WIB71XIFKm

— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) March 24, 2024

Jamal Murray – Kentucky

Murray appeared in just two tournament games in his one season at Kentucky, as his Wildcats were upset by No. 5 Indiana in the Round of 32. Murray scored 16 and 19 points in those two games, but a 1-for-9 3-point shooting performance against Indiana was not enough to get his team into the second weekend of the tournament. Murray made just three of his 16 shots from deep in two games.

Jalen Pickett – Penn State

Pickett was the leader of the No. 10 seeded Penn State Nittany Lions as he propelled them to the second round. He averaged 15 points and 8.5 rebound per game, and came up just short of upsetting No. 2 Texas to reach the Sweet 16. In Penn State’s first round upset over No. 7 Texas A&M, he almost had a triple double with zero turnovers, and channeled his inner-Jokic on the way to eight assists.

Jalen Pickett's vision>>#MarchMadness pic.twitter.com/utmGHugqhe

— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) March 17, 2023

DaRon Holmes II – Dayton

Holmes led the Dayton Flyers to one of the most impressive comebacks in the entire tournament in 2024. Down 17 with under eight minutes left, Holmes found another gear to pull off an improbable comeback, and his 18 points were the most on the team. In the second round, the Flyers didn’t have enough firepower to compete with No. 2 Arizona, despite Holmes scoring 23 points. His performances caught the attention of Nuggets fans along with the front office as the team selected him in the first round of the 2024 NBA Draft.

Michael Porter Jr. – Missouri

MPJ is the final Nuggets player who has had significant playing time in the Big Dance. After missing almost the entire season with a back injury, Porter made his way back for the postseason. In the opening round, he had 16 points and 10 rebounds off the bench for the Tigers against No. 9 Florida State, but a poor shooting performance from the entire team resulted in an early exit for Porter.

While Ball Arena is occupied by March Madness for the weekend, the Nuggets are on the road in Portland Friday as they take on the Trail Blazers. Nikola Jokic has been ruled out for the third consecutive game. The team will be back at Ball Arena on Monday to take on the Chicago Bulls.