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It's March Madness in Denver as four First Round NCAA Tournament games take place at Ball Arena

It's March Madness in Denver as 4 games take place at Ball Arena
It's March Madness in Denver as 4 games take place at Ball Arena 02:28

March Madness is taking over in Denver. The Denver Sports Commission is expecting the NCAA Tournament men's games that are being played at Ball Arena to bring $4 to $8 million of revenue to the city.

UC Santa Barbara v Baylor
Flo Thamba #0 of the Baylor Bears tips off against Miles Norris #5 of the UC Santa Barbara Gauchos during the first half in the first round of the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Ball Arena on March 17, 2023 in Denver, Colorado. Justin Edmonds / Getty Images

Eight teams are playing in front of sold out crowds in the First Round. Visit CBSSports.com for live updates on all of the games.

(14) UC Stanta Barbara vs. (3) Baylor, 11:30 a.m.

(11) NC State vs. (6) Creighton, 2 p.m.

(14) Grand Canyon vs. (3) Gonzaga, 5:35 p.m.

(11) Arizona State vs. (6) TCU, 8:05 p.m.

NCAA MARCH MADNESS ROUND 1
The court before the opening round of the NCAA mens basketball tournament at Ball Arena in Denver on Thursday, March 16, 2023. AAron Ontiveroz/MediaNews Group/The Denver Post via Getty Images

One of the players who'll be playing on Friday who's on the Grand Canyon Antelopes has an interesting local tie to Denver sports history.

Grand Canyon Antelopes v Southern Utah Thunderbirds
Walter Ellis of the Grand Canyon Antelopes cuts a piece of the championship net following their win over the Southern Utah Thunderbirds during the Western Athletic Conference Basketball Tournament Championship game at the Orleans Arena on March 11, 2023 in Las Vegas, Nevada. The Antelopes defeated the Thunderbirds 84-66. Louis Grasse / Getty Images

Walter Ellis is a reserve guard for the team and is the son of former Denver Nuggets star LaPhonso Ellis.

A social media post from the Grand Canyon Men's Basketball Twitter account shows Ellis pointing with pride at the poster of his dad that's in one of the hallways of the arena.

RELATED: Baylor coach Scott Drew helps brother Bryce when Grand Canyon's uniforms don't arrive at NCAA Tournament site

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