March Madness Arrives, Nuggets Still Stuck & Avalanche Heating Up The Far End of the Bench – Episode 268 Blog
March is here, and if you're a sports fan, you already know what that means.
The calendar flips and suddenly the sports world goes from a slow winter grind to absolute chaos. Conference tournaments are tipping off in college basketball, the NFL Combine just wrapped up, the NHL trade deadline is heating up, the NBA playoff race is tightening, and before you know it we'll have March Madness brackets on every TV in the house.
This month is the sports world's version of controlled chaos — and we absolutely love it.
Episode 268 of The Far End of the Bench dives into all of it.
From conference tournament implications to the Denver Nuggets frustrations, to our first post-combine NFL mock draft discussion, there is no shortage of storylines right now. As we talked about on the show, this is one of the rare stretches on the sports calendar where everything matters at once.
If you feel like sleeping, wait until June.
The Glorious Month of March
The beauty of college basketball in March is simple.
You win your conference tournament — you're in the dance.
It doesn’t matter if you went 25–5 or 5–25 during the regular season. If you get hot at the right time and run through your conference tournament, you're punching a ticket to March Madness.
That’s what makes this time of year so unpredictable.
Programs that looked dead in January suddenly become dangerous. Bubble teams are playing for their season every night. And somewhere out there, a small school is about to become America's favorite Cinderella story.
Conference tournament week is where the chaos begins.
Nuggets Frustration Continues
Now let's talk about the elephant in the room.
The Denver Nuggets.
This team is still talented enough to compete with anyone in the Western Conference, but right now they are stuck in a frustrating stretch that feels eerily familiar.
The biggest issue?
Bad habits are creeping back in.
The injuries haven't helped. Aaron Gordon and key rotation players missing time has absolutely hurt the team defensively. But even with that reality, the Nuggets have been in multiple games recently where they simply failed to finish.
That is the worrying part.
The margin for error in the Western Conference is razor thin, and Denver is currently staring down one of the toughest remaining schedules in the league. The next stretch includes playoff-caliber opponents nearly every night.
If the Nuggets don't figure things out soon, the conversation shifts from playoff seeding to something much more uncomfortable.
The play-in tournament.
For a team with the best player in the world in Nikola Jokic, that should never even be part of the conversation.
First Look at the NFL Draft
We also took our first real look at the post-Combine NFL Draft landscape.
The Combine always reshapes the board a little bit. Players rise, players fall, and suddenly teams start rethinking what they thought they knew a month ago.
One name that continues to sit at the top of the board is Fernando Mendoza, who still looks like the most logical option for the Raiders with the number one overall pick.
But as we all know with the NFL Draft, logic doesn’t always win.
There are always surprises.
Edge rushers flying up boards. Quarterbacks going earlier than expected. Teams reaching because they fall in love with "their guy."
This year’s class is deep with defensive talent and intriguing offensive weapons, which means we could see some movement as teams jockey for position in the top ten.
Draft season is officially underway.
The Avalanche Are Heating Up
While the NBA drama continues, the Colorado Avalanche are quietly doing what they do best this time of year.
Getting hot.
The NHL playoff race is tightening and the Avs are starting to build momentum at exactly the right time.
And when the Avalanche get rolling in March, the rest of the league knows what's coming next.
Playoff hockey in Denver is one of the most electric environments in sports.
Player of the Week
Jimmy's Pick: Gabe Landeskog
Sometimes the media narrative doesn’t match reality.
Over the weekend, Gabe Landeskog delivered a six-point performance across two games — four points in the last two outings with two goals and two assists — yet somehow the conversation from certain corners of the media still revolved around the idea that he was "underachieving."
That’s ridiculous.
Landeskog continues to be the heartbeat of the Avalanche locker room and when he gets rolling offensively, the entire team feeds off that energy.
When your captain is producing and leading at the same time, that deserves recognition.
Niko's Pick: Andrew Kew (Colorado Mammoth)
Andrew Kew continues to dominate in the National Lacrosse League.
The Colorado Mammoth star currently sits near the top of the league scoring race with 31 goals and 28 assists, helping fuel a Mammoth team that is surging up the standings.
Kew has been the engine behind Colorado’s offensive attack this season and when he’s on the floor, the Mammoth instantly become more dangerous.
Benchwarmer of the Week
Jimmy's Pick: Cam Johnson
The Denver sports world expected Cam Johnson to be an impactful addition.
Instead, the early returns have been disappointing.
Johnson was brought in as a player who could provide scoring depth and offensive versatility, but so far he hasn’t lived up to that expectation. He’s not quite at the level of disappointment that Evan Engram has reached in Denver conversations, but he’s getting dangerously close.
The Nuggets need more from him — especially if they want to stay competitive in the Western Conference race.
Niko's Pick: Canadian Media
Sometimes the questions asked by the media say more than the answers.
Following the Olympic break, several members of the Canadian media decided to ask questions that felt more like loaded narratives than actual journalism.
Instead of focusing on performance or preparation, the tone of the questioning felt more like an attempt to manufacture controversy.
And when the questions are worse than the answers, that’s a pretty good sign someone deserves a spot on the benchwarmer list.
Final Thoughts
March is one of the best months in sports.
College basketball chaos.
The NFL Draft process heating up.
NBA playoff positioning tightening.
The NHL playoff race intensifying.
And the best part?
We’re just getting started.
Episode 268 of The Far End of the Bench covers all of it, so make sure you check it out.
Co-Host
Jimmy Pallotto - Co-Host, The Far End of the Bench
Born and raised in the heart of Colorado, Jimmy Pallotto is the passionate voice behind The Far End of the Bench. A lifelong sports enthusiast, Jimmy brings unparalleled energy, humor, and insight to the podcast, combining his deep-rooted love for the game with a sharp analytical edge. As a proud alumnus of Western Colorado University, where he majored in Communication Arts and Sociology, Jimmy’s background equips him to deliver thoughtful commentary and engage in meaningful discussions with fans and guests alike.
Jimmy’s love for sports extends beyond the mic. By day, he’s shaping young minds as a 7th-grade social studies teacher and multi-sport coach, mentoring athletes in wrestling and football. A dedicated coach and educator, Jimmy instills the same values of teamwork, leadership, and dedication in his students that he shares on the podcast.
When he's not in the classroom or recording episodes, Jimmy enjoys spending time with his girlfriend Carlye, their energetic Border Collie Boomer, and his close-knit family. Whether he's breaking down game-winning plays, sharing hilarious locker room stories, or diving deep into the latest sports controversies, Jimmy’s vibrant personality and authentic voice make him a fan favorite.
Catch Jimmy every week on The Far End of the Bench, where he and his co-host Niko Bryant tackle everything from Colorado sports to national headlines, bringing the sidelines to center stage.
Red, White & OWNED: USA Sweeps Canada + Nuggets Panic Button? 🔥 Companion Blog – Episode 267
