Two sons, one March Madness for this Hilliard family

Winning a March Madness game fulfilled a lifelong dream for area native Keaton Norris, but last night's Wright State victory in Dayton also had consequences for his family's travel plans.

• It's a good problem to have — while mom travels west to see Keaton play the next round, dad heads east to watch his older brother Braden play for Loyola Chicago tomorrow in Pittsburgh.

The intrigue: Having two Division I athletes in the same family is impressive enough, but this Hilliard clan has two sons competing in the 2022 NCAA tournament.

• An even more improbable scenario awaits if both teams win their next three games: Keaton and Braden would face each other in the Elite Eight.

What they're saying: "The whole experience is really difficult to put into words," father Brett Norris tells Axios. "Basketball has just been such an integral part of our lives."

State of play: Braden graduated as Hilliard Bradley High School's all-time leading scorer and first played collegiately at Oakland University in Michigan before transferring to Loyola Chicago.

• The Ramblers and fan favorite Sister Jean were on Braden's radar after pulling off an unexpected Final Four run in 2018.
• Braden fits in well with his new school as the starting point guard, leading the team in assists and averaging 10 points per game.

Meanwhile, Keaton rebounded from his pandemic-shortened high school junior season to be recruited by nearby Wright State.

• The freshman has started close to a dozen games and helped his Raiders win the Horizon League tournament to earn an automatic March Madness berth.

• He played 30 minutes in the Raiders' win over Bryant last night, chipping in three points, three assists and three rebounds.

Flashback: The sport brought the brothers' parents, Brett and Carrie, together when the two played collegiate basketball at the University of St. Francis in Fort Wayne, Indiana.

• Brett is now in his eighth season coaching at Hilliard Bradley, where both his sons played for him.

Of note: The Norrises are typically Buckeyes fans, but not when Braden takes the court against them tomorrow afternoon.

• "I've got a lot of friends who are on watch right now," Brett jokes. "I'm really anxious to see where their loyalties lie."