Center Stage Collapse: Zach Edey Joins POY List Failing to Win Playoff Game
March 24th, 2023 - 16:45
Despite regal effort (21 points/15 rebounds/3 blocked shots vs. #16 seed Fairleigh Dickinson), unanimous national Player of the Year Zach Edey (Purdue) joined a striking number of standouts who didn't win an NCAA Tournament game in season when they were named national POY. Edey joined Kentucky's Oscar Tshiebwe and Navy's David Robinson (1987) as the only unanimous POYs to incur an opening-round setback in NCAA playoffs. Following is list of fallen stars although majority of them provided prolific performances when their team was eliminated from postseason play:
| Year | National Player of Year | School | Award(s) | NCAA Tournament Summary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1957 | Chet Forte | Columbia | UPI | DNP |
| 1964 | Gary Bradds | Ohio State | AP/UPI | DNP |
| 1970 | Pete Maravich | Louisiana State | AP/UPI/USBWA/Naismith | participated in NIT (101-79 loss vs. Marquette in semifinals) |
| 1975 | David Thompson | North Carolina State | AP/UPI/NABC/USBWA/Naismith | DNP because Wolfpack was on NCAA probation |
| 1978 | Phil Ford | North Carolina | NABC/USBWA/Wooden | 14 points/3 assists/4 steals/7-of-19 FGs in 68-64 loss vs. San Francisco in West Regional |
| 1978 | Alfred "Butch" Lee | Marquette | AP/UPI/Naismith | 27 points/3 rebounds/3 steals in 84-81 overtime loss vs. Miami of Ohio in Mideast Regional |
| 1980 | Mark Aguirre | DePaul | AP/UPI/USBWA/Naismith | 19 points/9 rebounds/4 assists in 77-71 loss vs. UCLA in West Regional |
| 1980 | Michael Brooks | La Salle | NABC | 29 points/12 rebounds in 90-82 loss vs. Purdue in Mideast Regional |
| 1987 | David Robinson | Navy | AP/UPI/NABC/USBWA/Naismith/Wooden | 50 points/13 rebounds/3 steals in 97-82 loss vs. Michigan in East Regional |
| 1988 | Hersey Hawkins | Bradley | AP/UPI/USBWA | 44 points/10 rebounds/6 assists/3 steals in 90-86 loss vs. Auburn in Southeast Regional) |
| 1991 | Shaquille O'Neal | Louisiana State | AP/UPI | 27 points/16 rebounds/5 blocks in 79-62 loss vs. Connecticut in Midwest Regional |
| 1995 | Shawn Respert | Michigan State | NABC | 28 points/4 rebounds/3 assists in 79-72 loss vs. Weber State in Southeast Regional |
| 2016 | Denzel Valentine | Michigan State | AP/NABC | 13 points/6 rebounds/12 assists in 90-81 loss vs. Middle Tennessee State in Midwest Regional |
| 2022 | Oscar Tshiebwe | Kentucky | AP/NABC/USBWA/Naismith/Wooden | 30 points/16 rebounds in 85-79 overtime loss vs. Saint Peter's in East Regional |
| 2023 | Zach Edey | Purdue | AP/NABC/USBWA/Naismith/Wooden | 21 points/15 rebounds/3 blocked shots in 63-58 loss vs. Fairleigh Dickinson in East Regional |