Legends are made in the NCAA tournament. Not every player who stands out during the Big Dance ends up performing well at the next level, but it’s certainly not a bad indicator by any means. Years from now, we might look back at some of the top performers in the latest men’s and women’s tournaments and say that this was the moment they truly became stars.
Many players who went to NBA and WNBA careers had incredible performances in the tournament. Here are a few of the best:
Morant led the 12-seed Murray State Racers to a first-round upset of the 5-seed Marquette Golden Eagles in the 2019 NCAA tournament. To top it off, he recorded a triple-double (17 points, 11 rebounds, 16 assists). Murray State fell to Florida State in the second round, but Morant didn’t go quietly, dropping 28 points in the loss.
In her junior season in 2017, Wilson led the South Carolina Gamecocks to their first tournament championship while winning Most Outstanding Player. She dropped a double-double in the title game against Mississippi State, scoring 23 points and grabbing 10 rebounds.
The third-seeded Stanford Cardinal had a tough second-round matchup against six-seeded Marquette in the 2008 tournament. Lopez, playing alongside his twin brother, Robin, stepped up when it counted, hitting a game-winning buzzer-beater in his team’s 82-81 victory.
Four seasons. Four NCAA tournament titles. Four Most Outstanding Player awards. What else needs to be said about Stewie’s career with the UConn Huskies? Her 2015-16 tournament was particularly dominant, as she averaged 20.3 points, 11 rebounds, 3.7 assists, 3.2 blocks and 2.3 steals.
The Davidson Wildcats were underdogs in each of their 2008 tournament games, but only because the world hadn’t been properly introduced to Curry yet. In the 2008 tournament, Curry led 11-seed Davidson to the Elite Eight, defeating the 7-seed Gonzaga Bulldogs (40 points), the 2-seed Georgetown Hoyas (30 points, including 25 in the second half) and the 3-seed Wisconsin Badgers (33 points) along the way. Davidson lost to the 1-seed and eventual champion Kansas Jayhawks in the Elite Eight, but not for lack of trying — Curry had 25 points and the game ended as a 59-57 nail-biter.
The seventh-seeded Washington Huskies went on an improbable run in the 2016 tournament, making it all the way to the Final Four — and Plum was a huge part of that. She averaged 24.4 points and 6.2 assists, including a 32-point outburst against the Maryland Terrapins in the second round.
The 2012 tournament’s Most Outstanding Player, Davis led the Kentucky Wildcats to their eighth NCAA title. He put up an 18-point, 14-rebound, 5-block performance against the Louisville Cardinals in the Final Four, and though he scored only six points in the national championship against Kansas, he was a force on defense, recording 16 rebounds, 6 blocks and 3 steals.
Taurasi was one of the main reasons UConn became such a dominant force in women’s college basketball. She helped lead the Huskies to three NCAA tournament titles and won Most Outstanding Player in the 2003 and 2004 contests. Taurasi was a scoring machine in the 2003 tournament, dropping 26.2 points per game en route to the championship.
Griffin had some “man among boys” energy in the 2009 NCAA tournament with the Oklahoma Sooners. Though the 2-seed Sooners didn’t win the championship, Griffin rampaged through, averaging 28.5 points and 15 rebounds in four games.
The Dallas Wings star might be one of the most clutch tournament players of all time. She hit two game-winning shots in the 2018 contest for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish — one with a second left in the semifinal against UConn and another with a mere .01 remaining in the final versus Mississippi State.
There have been only nine triple-doubles in the history of the men’s tournament since assists started being tracked in 1984. Green, who played in two Final Fours, has two of them. The Michigan State Spartans standout recorded his first in a loss to the UCLA Bruins in the 2011 tournament and his second in a win over LIU Brooklyn in 2012.
Griner’s performance in 2012 led the Baylor Bears to an undefeated season. She won the tournament’s Most Outstanding Player award and put up 26 points, 13 rebounds and 5 blocks to defeat Notre Dame in the final.
Jimmer Fredette
In 2011, Fredette was set to make his mark as the next up-and-coming sharpshooter in the NBA. The 6-foot-2 guard drove the country to “Jimmer Mania” with his deep range and shot-making ability.
Fredette led the No.3-seed BYU Cougars to the Sweet 16, where they fell to the Florida Gators 84-73 in overtime. His most iconic performance came against the Gonzaga Bulldogs in the round of 32, when Fredette scored 34 points.
Arguably one of the most hyped-up NBA prospects in recent memory, Williamson led the Duke Blue Devils to the Elite Eight playing next to Cam Reddish and RJ Barrett.
Williamson earned a consensus national player of the year award and was a first-team All-American selection. He was also the only NCAA player to average at least 20 points, 8 rebounds and 2 steals in the 2018-19 season, according to Duke Athletics.
Before Brunson took the leap to the NBA, he was a star for the Villanova Wildcats and helped the team win a national title in 2017-18. Brunson averaged 17.7 points throughout March Madness.
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