Herd Gets Together to Watch NCAA Basketball Tournament Picks

The bison are back for the first time in four years

FARGO, N.D. — When Brad Tanner went to NDSU back in the day, the university’s basketball team was still a part of Division II.

He says he never dreamed they’d eventually be part of Division I and now, headed back to the NCAA tournament.

“I was excited that they made it to the Summit League Championship and I hope for the best for them in the future for playing as far as they can,” Tanner said.

He’s now getting to meet the players as they wait to see who they will be taking on in the tournament.

But it’s his granddaughters who can’t seem to get enough of the basketball stars.

“We’ve gotten all of their signatures on our hoops,” said 8-year-old Jaden Melendez.

For these girls, it’s all about being able to just be a part of Bison Nation.

“It’s really nice to watch them on TV and also cheer them on and I also really like to watch them all,” Jaden said.

But they aren’t the only ones. Some fans are getting excited to see their favorite players up close for the first time.

“We just moved back here after being in Iowa for the last seven years so we’ve been watching from afar. These girls are absolutely in love with watching Bison basketball so they were itching to get down here,” said Nate Drege.

That even includes their dad, who didn’t attend NDSU but did go to plenty of basketball camps growing up when Tim Miles was still the head coach.

“I’ve had a love for Bison basketball for a long time,” Drege said.

He’s just hoping that now his girls will be able to see the Bison go even further in the tournament after they play Duke in Dayton, Ohio.

“You know, there’s always a Cinderella story. Maybe it could be ours,” Drege said.

“If they can make it this far, I bet they can make it all the way,” Jaden said.

If the team needs a little extra motivation to get there, some of their biggest fans want to remind them they’ve got a whole support system who will cheer them on.

“Go Bison! Go Bison!”