"A life is not important except in the impact it has on other lives." - Jackie Robinson

Although postponed this year because of coronavirus, the entirety of SportsNation accepts the cultural significance of Jackie Robinson Day, an annual event commemorating and honoring the groundbreaking day he made his debut 73 years ago with the Brooklyn Dodgers as MLB's first African-American player.

But what many observers might not know about Robinson is the impact he also had in basketball. UCLA's initial all-conference hooper in the 1940s was a forward who compiled the highest scoring average in the Pacific Coast Conference both of his seasons with the Bruins (12.3 points per league game in 1939-40 and 11.1 ppg in 1940-41) after transferring from Pasadena (Calif.) City College. Continuing his scoring exploits, the six-time National League All-Star also materialized as the leading scorer for the Los Angeles Red Devils' barnstorming team in 1946-47.

In 1949, Jackie triggered a streak of eight different African-Americans winning a total of 11 N.L. MVPs in 14-year span through 1962. In deference to Robinson's uniform number, following is an alphabetical list of 42 more of the best African-American basketball players for four-year colleges who subsequently competed at the MLB level:

College Hooper	Four-Year College	Summary of College Basketball Career	Summary of MLB Career
Ron Allen	Youngstown State	Averaged 14.7 ppg from 1961-62 through 1963-64, leading Penguins in scoring and rebounding as sophomore.	Only hit in 11 MLB at-bats for 1B and brother of Dick Allen and Hank Allen was homer with St. Louis Cardinals at San Diego in 1972.
George Altman	Tennessee State	Four-year letterman was forward on teams compiling 88-17 record from 1951-52 through 1954-55 (including two NAIA Tournament appearances).	Two-time All-Star 1B hit .269 with 102 home runs in nine seasons from 1959 through 1967 with Chicago Cubs, St. Louis Cardinals and New York Mets before playing eight years in Japan.
Jim Bibby	Fayetteville State (N.C.)	Backup hooper's brother, Fred, set Fayetteville State single-season record with 18.1 rpg in 1963-64. Their younger brother, Henry, was consensus first-team All-American guard with UCLA in 1971-72.	RHP compiled 111-101 record and 3.76 ERA with St. Louis Cardinals, Texas Rangers, Cleveland Indians and Pittsburgh Pirates in 12 seasons from 1972 through 1984. Hurled first no-hitter in Rangers history in 1973 and started two games for victorious Pirates in 1979 World Series.
Dorian "Doe" Boyland	Wisconsin-Oshkosh	Averaged 5.6 ppg and 3.4 rpg in half a season in 1974-75.	1B had two hits in 19 at-bats with Pittsburgh Pirates in three years from 1978 to 1981. Traded to San Francisco Giants but never played for them.
Al Bumbry	Virginia State	Averaged 16.7 ppg (team runner-up) as freshman in 1964-65 and 12.4 ppg plus 4.6 rpg as junior in 1966-67.	Lefthanded-swinging OF hit .281 with Baltimore Orioles and San Diego Padres in 14 years from 1972 through 1985. Hit .337 as A.L. Rookie of the Year in 1973 when tying MLB single-game record with three triples. Finished among top nine in stolen bases five times in first nine years. Participated in World Series in 1979 and 1983.
Ray Burris	Southwestern Oklahoma State	Two-sport standout is in school's Hall of Fame.	RHP compiled 108-134 record and 4.17 ERA with Chicago Cubs, New York Yankees, New York Mets, Montreal Expos, Oakland A's, Milwaukee Brewers and St. Louis Cardinals in 15 years from 1973 through 1987. Started three postseason games for Expos in 1981 after averaging 227 innings pitched last four full seasons with Cubs.
Tony Clark	Arizona/San Diego State	Swingman averaged 11.6 ppg and 4.6 rpg for Aztecs as sophomore in 1991-92, leading them in scoring in WAC games.	1B averaged 31 HRs annually in four-year span from 1996 through 1999 with Detroit Tigers. Tallest switch-hitter (6-7) in MLB history hit .262 with 251 homers and 824 RBI in 15 seasons from 1995 through 2009 with Tigers, Red Sox, New York Mets, New York Yankees, Arizona Diamondbacks and San Diego Padres.
Donn Clendenon	Morehouse (Ga.)	Earned letters in four collegiate sports before leading Army base at Fort Jackson (Columbia, S.C.) to hoop title before discharge in time for spring training in 1959.	1B hit .274 with 159 home runs and 682 RBI with Pittsburgh Pirates, Montreal Expos, New York Mets and St. Louis Cardinals in 12 years from 1961 through 1972. World Series MVP with "Miracle Mets" in 1969 when hitting three home runs (Games 2, 4 and 5).
Vince Colbert	East Carolina	ECU's first African-American hooper averaged 14.3 ppg and 7.3 rpg in 1966-67 and 1967-68. J.C. transfer led Pirates in rebounding as junior.	RHP compiled 9-14 record and 4.57 ERA with Cleveland Indians in three years from 1970 through 1972. He was their only winning pitcher (7-6) with 10 or more starts in 1971.
George Crowe	Indiana Central	Four-year hoops letterman from 1939-40 through 1942-43 for college now known as University of Indianapolis after becoming first Indiana H.S. player named state's "Mr. Basketball."	1B hit .270 in nine years (1952, 1953 and 1955 through 1961) with Boston/Milwaukee Braves, Cincinnati Reds and St. Louis Cardinals. One year after named All-Star, led N.L. in pinch-hits (17) in first season with Cards in 1959 before slugging MLB-record 11th pinch-hit HR in 1960.
Arthur "Bill" Davis	Minnesota	Averaged 6.4 ppg and 5 rpg from 1961-62 through 1963-64 under coach John Kundla. Forward contributed 12.5 ppg as senior for team including eventual NBA standouts Archie Clark and Lou Hudson.	1B hit .181 with Cleveland Indians and San Diego Padres in three seasons (1965, 1966 and 1969).
Larry Doby	Virginia Union	Attended LIU on hoops scholarship but transferred to VU after Uncle Sam summoned him for World War II service. Reserve guard on team winning 1943 CIAA title.	Seven-time All-Star OF hit .283 with 253 HRs and 969 RBI in 13 years from 1947 through 1959 with Cleveland Indians and Chicago White Sox. First black player in A.L. twice led league in homers (1952 and 1954). Smacked 20 or more HRs eight seasons in row from 1949 through 1956.
Don Eaddy	Michigan	One of first two African-Americans to play hoops for Wolverines averaged 11.4 ppg in four seasons from 1951-52 through 1954-55. Led team in scoring in Big Ten Conference competition as sophomore.	INF played briefly with Chicago Cubs in 1959.
Amir Garrett	St. John's	Averaged 7.4 ppg and 4 rpg in 2011-12 and 2012-13 under coach Steve Lavin prior to transferring to Northridge State, where he had RS year before focusing only on baseball.	After representing Cincinnati Reds at 2016 All-Star Futures Game, LHP won his first two MLB decisions in April 2017 with six shutout innings in each start. In his third start, he tied Reds record for rookie LHP by fanning 12 Baltimore Orioles batters. In 2018, Garrett didn't allow a run in his first eight relief appearances and had a 1.35 ERA after 21 outings.
Bob Gibson	Creighton	First Bluejays player to average 20 ppg for his career (20.2). Led school in scoring in 1955-56 (40th in country with 22 ppg) and 1956-57 after being second-leading scorer in 1954-55.	Hall of Famer compiled 251-174 pitching record with 3,117 strikeouts and 2.91 ERA in 17 seasons from 1959 through 1975 with St. Louis Cardinals. In 1968, RHP tossed 13 shutouts en route to a 1.12 ERA. Ranked among N.L. top six in strikeouts 11 times from 1961 through 1972. He hit 24 home runs and won nine consecutive Gold Gloves (1965 through 1973). Notched 7-2 mark and 1.89 ERA in nine World Series games, including strikeout record of 17 Tigers in 1968 contest.
Tony Gwynn	San Diego State	Averaged 8.6 ppg and 5.5 apg from 1977-78 through 1980-81. Second-team All-WAC selection as junior and senior set school DI single-game mark with 18 assists vs. UNLV.	San Diego Padres OF hit .338 in 20 seasons (1982 through 2001), winning eight N.L. batting titles - 1984, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1994, 1995, 1996 and 1997. Played in 15th All-Star Game in 1999 before topping 3,000-hit plateau later in year.
Chuck Harmon	Toledo	Second-leading scorer as sophomore in 1946-47 (13.6 ppg) and as junior in 1947-48 (8.8). As freshman starter in 1942-43, swingman was second-leading scorer for 22-4 team finishing NIT runner-up.	Utilityman hit .238 in four seasons from 1954 through 1957 with Cincinnati Reds, St. Louis Cardinals and Philadelphia Phillies.
Billy Harrell	Siena	When school's first African-American player finished career, he held school records for most points in season (396 in 1951-52), career and game (28 against Arizona State in 1951) plus most rebounds in season (387 in 1949-50).	INF hit .231 in 173 games with Cleveland Indians (1955, 1957, 1958) and Boston Red Sox (1961).
Chuck Hinton	Shaw (N.C.)	Played multiple sports before serving two years in U.S. Army in mid-1950s. His brother, Checo, was lineman with him on football squad and power forward for hoops team.	OF-INF played every defensive position while hitting .264 with Washington Senators, Cleveland Indians and California Angels in 11 A.L. seasons from 1961 through 1971. In 1962, he was runner-up in stolen bases in A.L. and finished fourth in batting average. First expansion Senator to be named to All-Star team was final Senator to hit .300.
Monte Irvin	Lincoln (Pa.)	Athletic career was nearly prematurely ended when infection from scratched hand in hoops game kept him close to death for seven weeks.	Hall of Fame OF-1B hit .293 with 99 HRs and 443 RBI in eight years from 1949 through 1956 with New York Giants and Chicago Cubs. Irvin led N.L. in RBI with 121 in 1951 (same year led World Series in hitting with .458 mark vs. crosstown Yankees).
Anthony "Tony" Johnson	LeMoyne-Owen (Tenn.)	J.C. transfer forward was All-VSAC selection in 1976-77 and 1979-80 as team's top scorer.	LF hit .232 with Montreal Expos and Toronto Blue Jays in two years in 1981 and 1982.
"Sweet" Lou Johnson	Kentucky State	Teammate of legendary Alcorn State coach Davey Whitney averaged 5.7 ppg and 2 rpg in 1951-52.	OF hit .258 with Chicago Cubs, Los Angeles/California Angels, Milwaukee Braves, Los Angeles Dodgers and Cleveland Indians in eight seasons from 1960 through 1969. Contributed two homers and two doubles for Dodgers in 1965 World Series against Minnesota Twins.
Lynn Jones	Thiel (Pa.)	Averaged 10.4 ppg from 1970-71 through 1973-74.	OF hit .252 with Detroit Tigers and Kansas City Royals in eight seasons from 1979 through 1986. Doubled and tripled as pinch-hitter for Royals in 1985 World Series against St. Louis Cardinals.
David Justice	Thomas More (Ky.)	Led team in assists in 1984-85 while averaging 9.3 ppg and 3.5 rpg.	Three-time All-Star OF hit .279 in 14 seasons from 1989 through 2002 with Atlanta Braves, Cleveland Indians, New York Yankees and Oakland A's. Jacked 40 homers (N.L. runner-up) with 120 RBI (also runner-up) in 1993 with Braves and total of 41 homers (fourth in A.L.) with 118 RBI in 2000 with Indians and Yanks.
Kenny Lofton	Arizona	Averaged 4.8 ppg and 2.6 apg in four seasons from 1985-86 through 1988-89 under coach Lute Olson. Leader in steals for 1988 Final Four team compiling 35-3 record.	Lefthanded CF hit .299 and stole 622 bases in 17 seasons from 1991 through 2007 with Houston Astros, Cleveland Indians, Atlanta Braves, Chicago White Sox, San Francisco Giants, Pittsburgh Pirates, Chicago Cubs, New York Yankees, Philadelphia Phillies, Los Angeles Dodgers and Texas Rangers. Four-time Gold Glover led Indians with .325 batting mark (fourth in A.L.) and paced majors with 70 stolen bases in 1993. After trade to Cleveland, hit .285 for Indians in 1992 and led the A.L. in stolen bases with 66 (record for A.L. rookie). Six-time All-Star led A.L. in stolen bases five consecutive years from 1992 through 1996, hitting career-high .349 in 1994.
Davey Lopes	Iowa Wesleyan/Washburn (Kan.)	NAIA All-District 15 selection averaged 16.9 ppg and 3.4 rpg as All-IIAC first-team choice freshman in 1964-65 and 12.1 ppg as sophomore in 1965-66 before transferring with his coach. All-CIC selection in 1967-68 when averaging 7.6 ppg for NAIA Tournament team.	Four-time All-Star 2B hit .263 with Los Angeles Dodgers, Oakland A's, Chicago Cubs and Houston Astros in 16 seasons from 1972 through 1987. Led N.L. in stolen bases in back-to-back campaigns in 1975 (77) and 1976 (63) after finishing runner-up in 1974 (59). Swiped five bases in game in 1974, tying 70-year-old N.L. record before establishing since-broken N.L. mark with 38 consecutive successful thefts in 1975.
Terrell Lowery	Loyola Marymount	Two-time All-WCC first-team selection and league-leading scorer. Tallied career-high 48 points against Idaho State as junior in 1990-91 when finishing among top five nationally in scoring (28.5 ppg) and assists (9.1 apg).	OF hit .282 with Chicago Cubs, Tampa Bay Devil Rays and San Francisco Giants from 1997 through 2000. Stroked five hits for Giants in single game against Milwaukee Brewers in 2000.
Arnold "Bake" McBride	Westminster (Mo.)	Averaged 12.7 ppg and 8.1 rpg in 21 games in 1968-69 and 1969-70.	Lefthanded-swinging OF hit .299 with St. Louis Cardinals, Philadelphia Phillies and Cleveland Indians in 11 seasons from 1973 through 1983. N.L. Rookie of the Year in 1974 when hitting .309 with Cardinals was named to N.L. All-Star team two years later.
Lyle Mouton	Louisiana State	Averaged 8.2 ppg and 3.2 rpg as sophomore in 1988-89 under coach Dale Brown. Started in backcourt with All-American Chris Jackson when Tigers lost to UTEP in West Regional of NCAA playoffs.	OF hit .280 for Chicago White Sox, Baltimore Orioles, Milwaukee Brewers and Florida Marlins in seven years from 1995 through 2001.
Billy North	Central Washington	Collected two points and two rebounds in four games in 1967-68.	Switch-hitting CF posted .261 batting average with Chicago Cubs, Oakland Athletics, Los Angeles Dodgers and San Francisco Giants in 11 years from 1971 through 1981. Paced A.L. in stolen bases in 1974 (54) and 1976 (75).
Curtis Pride	William & Mary	Averaged 5.6 ppg and 3.1 apg from 1986-87 through 1989-90. Led team in steals three times and assists twice. Named to CAA All-Rookie team pick as freshman and All-Defensive team selection next two seasons.	Born with 95% hearing disability, lefthanded-swinging OF hit .250 in 11 seasons from 1993 to 2006 with seven franchises (Montreal Expos, Detroit Tigers, Boston Red Sox, Atlanta Braves, Montreal Expos, New York Yankees and Anaheim/California Angels).
Dave Ricketts	Duquesne	Three-year starter led Dukes in scoring as senior with 17.9-point average in 1956-57, finishing fourth in nation in free-throw percentage (86.2%). Converted school-record 42 FTAs in row.	Catcher hit .249 in six seasons (1962, 1965 and 1967 through 1970) with St. Louis Cardinals and Pittsburgh Pirates. Switch-hitter played with Cards in 1967 and 1968 World Series.
Dick Ricketts	Duquesne	Second-team consensus All-American choice as junior in 1953-54 and first five consensus All-American selection as senior in 1954-55. Converted all 19 FTAs in game against Dayton. School's all-time leading scorer averaged 17.7 ppg and 12.2 rpg in starting all 111 games during four-year career.	Compiled 1-6 pitching record in only season with St. Louis Cardinals in 1959.
Earl Robinson	California	Three-time All-PCC second-team selection averaged at least 10 ppg each season from 1955-56 through 1957-58 under coach Pete Newell. Averaged 15.5 points in four NCAA Tournament games his last two years, leading Bears in scoring in two of four playoff contests.	OF hit .268 in four seasons from 1958 to 1964 with Los Angeles Dodgers and Baltimore Orioles.
Ted Savage	Lincoln (Mo.)	Led in scoring average with 13.5 ppg in 1955-56 before averaging 14.5 ppg and 5.6 rpg in 1956-57.	OF hit .233 in nine seasons (1962, 1963 and 1965 through 1971) with Philadelphia Phillies, Pittsburgh Pirates, St. Louis Cardinals, Chicago Cubs, Los Angeles Dodgers, Cincinnati Reds, Milwaukee Brewers and Kansas City Royals.
Ken Singleton	Hofstra	Freshman hooper in mid-1960s.	Three-time All-Star OF hit .282 with 246 HRs and 1,065 RBI with New York Mets, Montreal Expos and Baltimore Orioles in 15 years from 1970 through 1984. Switch-hitter exceeded 20 HRs in five seasons, including high of 35 (fifth in A.L.) in 1979 with Orioles.
Lee Smith	Northwestern State	Forward averaged 3.4 ppg and 1.9 rpg in 1976-77 as teammate of Billy Reynolds, the nation's ninth-leading scorer that season.	Seven-time All-Star was all-time saves leader when he retired, notching 478 in 18 seasons from 1980 through 1997 with Chicago Cubs, Boston Red Sox, St. Louis Cardinals, New York Yankees, Baltimore Orioles, California Angels, Cincinnati Reds and Montreal Expos until Trevor Hoffman broke his mark in 2006. Set N.L. record in 1991 (subsequently broken) for most saves in season with 47 for Cardinals. RHP led N.L. in saves three times (1983-91-92) and A.L. once (1994).
Nate Smith	Tennessee State	Letterman in 1953-54 and 1954-55.	Catcher went 2 for 9 in five games with Baltimore Orioles in 1962.
Bob Veale	Benedictine (Kan.)	Scored 1,160 points from 1955-56 through 1957-58 as center for school previously called St. Benedict's.	LHP compiled 120-95 record and 3.08 ERA in 13 seasons from 1962 through 1974 with Pittsburgh Pirates and Boston Red Sox. Led N.L. in strikeouts with 250 in 1964 (first of four consecutive years he won at least 16 games and ranked among top seven in strikeouts).
Will Venable	Princeton	All-Ivy League first-team selection as junior and second-team choice as senior averaged 9.3 ppg under coach John Thompson III from 2001-02 through 2004-05.	Lefthanded OF hit .249 with San Diego Padres, Texas Rangers and Los Angeles Dodgers in nine seasons from 2008 through 2016. Finished among N.L. top 10 in triples (8th with 7) and stolen bases (9th with 29) in 2010.
Bill White	Hiram (Ohio)	Three-sport letterman played two years of hoops.	Five-time All-Star 1B hit .286 with New York/San Francisco Giants, St. Louis Cardinals and Philadelphia Phillies in 13 N.L. seasons in 1956 and from 1958 through 1969. Lefthander ranked among N.L. top 10 in RBI five times (1961-62-63-64-66). Placed among N.L. top eight in both doubles and triples three straight campaigns from 1959 through 1961. Gold Glover seven consecutive years from 1960 through 1966.
Desi Wilson	Fairleigh Dickinson	FDU's all-time leading scorer (1,902 points) was NEC player of year in 1989-90. Leading scorer (23.8 ppg) and rebounder (9.2 rpg) for 1990-91 league co-champion.	Lefthanded-swinging 1B hit .271 with San Francisco Giants in 1996.
Dave Winfield	Minnesota	Averaged 6.9 ppg and 5.4 rpg as junior in 1971-72 and 10.5 ppg and 6.1 rpg as senior in 1972-73 under coach Bill Musselman. Played entire playoff game in 1972, collecting eight points and eight rebounds against eventual Final Four participant Florida State, in Gophers' first NCAA Tournament appearance.	Hall of Fame OF hit .283 with 465 home runs, 1,833 RBI and 3,110 hits in 22 seasons (1973 through 1988 and 1990 through 1995) with San Diego Padres, New York Yankees, California Angels, Toronto Blue Jays, Minnesota Twins and Cleveland Indians. Led N.L. in total bases in 1979 with 333 before ranking among A.L. top four in batting average in 1984 (.340) and 1988 (.322). Seven-time Gold Glover appeared in 12 All-Star Games after never playing in minors. Participated in World Series with Yankees (1981) and Blue Jays (1992).

Prior to coronavirus cancellation, the national tourney this season was expected to be a bonanza year for mid-majors with Dayton (Atlantic 10), Gonzaga (West Coast) and San Diego State (Mountain West) ranked in Top 10. When given an opportunity via an at-large invitation to the Big Dance, members from 11 different mid-major conferences have more than held their own against opponents from elite leagues. The greatest example was Virginia Commonwealth, which defeated members from five different power leagues en route to the 2011 Final Four. It was preposterous there were any questions at all about Belmont (Ohio Valley) as an at-large team this campaign.

Power-conference setback totals against mid-major at-large entrants since 1992 include: Big Eight/Big 12 (22), Big East (19), Big Ten (15), SEC (15), ACC (13) and Pac-12 (11). In the previous 28 years (all but 2009 and 2017), the following total of 39 different mid-major at-large entrants went on to win in the NCAA playoffs against a total of 53 different power-conference members (listed in reverse chronological order):

Year	At-Large Entrant	Mid-Major Conference	Power-League Victim(s) in NCAA Tournament
2019	Houston	American Athletic	Ohio State (Big Ten)
2018	Nevada	Mountain West	Texas (Big 12)
2016	Virginia Commonwealth	Atlantic 10	Oregon State (Pac-12)
2016	Wichita State	Missouri Valley	Vanderbilt (SEC) and Arizona (Pac-12)
2015	Dayton	Atlantic 10	Providence (Big East)
2015	San Diego State	Mountain West	St. John's (Big East)
2015	UAB	C-USA	Iowa State (Big 12)
2015	Wichita State	Missouri Valley	Indiana (Big Ten) and Kansas (Big 12)
2014	Dayton	Atlantic 10	Ohio State (Big Ten), Syracuse (ACC) and Stanford (Pac-12)
2013	Colorado State	Mountain West	Missouri (SEC)
2013	La Salle	Atlantic 10	Kansas State (Big 12) and Ole Miss (SEC)
2013	San Diego State	Mountain West	Oklahoma (Big 12)
2013	Temple	Atlantic 10	North Carolina State (ACC)
2013	Wichita State	Missouri Valley	Pittsburgh (Big East) and Ohio State (Big Ten)
2012	Gonzaga	West Coast	West Virginia (Big East)
2012	Xavier	Atlantic 10	Notre Dame (Big East)
2011	George Mason	Colonial	Villanova (Big East)
2011	Temple	Atlantic 10	Penn State (Big Ten)
2011	Virginia Commonwealth	Colonial	USC (Pacific-10), Georgetown (Big East), Purdue (Big Ten), Florida State (ACC) and Kansas (Big 12)
2010	Brigham Young	Mountain West	Florida (SEC)
2010	Gonzaga	West Coast	Florida State (ACC)
2010	Xavier	Atlantic 10	Minnesota (Big Ten) and Pittsburgh (Big East)
2008	Xavier	Atlantic 10	Georgia (SEC), Purdue (Big Ten) and West Virginia (Big East)
2007	Butler	Horizon League	Maryland (ACC)
2007	Southern Illinois	Missouri Valley	Virginia Tech (ACC)
2006	Bradley	Missouri Valley	Kansas (Big 12) and Pittsburgh (Big East)
2006	George Mason	Colonial	Michigan State (Big Ten), North Carolina (ACC) and Connecticut (Big East)
2006	Wichita State	Missouri Valley	Seton Hall (Big East) and Tennessee (SEC)
2005	Cincinnati	C-USA	Iowa (Big Ten)
2005	Nevada	WAC	Texas (Big 12)
2005	Pacific	Big West	Pittsburgh (Big East)
2005	UAB	C-USA	Louisiana State (SEC)
2005	Utah	Mountain West	Oklahoma (Big 12)
2004	Memphis	C-USA	South Carolina (SEC)
2004	Saint Joseph's	Atlantic 10	Texas Tech (Big 12) and Wake Forest (ACC)
2004	UAB	C-USA	Washington (Pacific-10) and Kentucky (SEC)
2003	Butler	Horizon League	Mississippi State (SEC)
2003	Utah	Mountain West	Oregon (Pacific-10)
2002	Southern Illinois	Missouri Valley	Texas Tech (Big 12) and Georgia (SEC)
2001	Fresno State	WAC	California (Pacific-10)
2001	Saint Joseph's	Atlantic 10	Georgia Tech (ACC)
2000	Pepperdine	West Coast	Indiana (Big Ten)
1999	Miami (Ohio)	Mid-American	Washington (Pacific-10)
1999	Missouri State	Missouri Valley	Wisconsin (Big Ten) and Tennessee (SEC)
1999	New Mexico	WAC	Missouri (Big 12)
1998	Detroit	Midwestern Collegiate	St. John's (Big East)
1998	Rhode Island	Atlantic 10	Kansas (Big 12)
1998	Utah	WAC	Arkansas (SEC), West Virginia (Big East), Arizona (Pacific-10) and North Carolina (ACC)
1998	Western Michigan	Mid-American	Clemson (ACC)
1997	Charlotte	C-USA	Georgetown (Big East)
1997	Louisville	C-USA	Texas (Big 12)
1997	Temple	Atlantic 10	Ole Miss (SEC)
1996	Louisville	C-USA	Villanova (Big East)
1996	Santa Clara	West Coast	Maryland (ACC)
1996	Temple	Atlantic 10	Oklahoma (Big 12)
1996	Utah	WAC	Iowa State (Big 12)
1995	Manhattan	Metro Atlantic	Oklahoma (Big Eight)
1995	Miami (Ohio)	Mid-American	Arizona (Pacific-10)
1995	Saint Louis	Great Midwest	Minnesota (Big Ten)
1995	Tulsa	Missouri Valley	Illinois (Big Ten)
1994	Tulsa	Missouri Valley	UCLA (Pacific-10) and Oklahoma State (Big Eight)
1993	New Mexico State	Big West	Nebraska (Big Eight)
1993	Rhode Island	Atlantic 10	Purdue (Big Ten)
1993	Temple	Atlantic 10	Missouri (Big Eight) and Vanderbilt (SEC)
1993	Tulane	Metro	Kansas State (Big Eight)
1993	Utah	WAC	Pittsburgh (Big East)
1992	Louisville	Metro	Wake Forest (ACC)
1992	Texas-El Paso	WAC	Kansas (Big Eight)
1992	Tulane	Metro	St. John's (Big East)

NOTE: Butler (Big East), Cincinnati (Big East), Louisville (Big East and ACC), Utah (Pac-12) and Xavier (Big East) subsequently joined a power conference.

No state has won as much as 64% of its NCAA Tournament games and none has as many as five different schools with winning playoff records. The Michigan Wolverines reaching the 2018 NCAA final instead of the Kansas Jayhawks enabled Michigan (.6284) to nudge ahead of Kansas (.6279) as the state with highest all-time winning percentage before the Michigan State Spartans padded the state's advantage with a 2019 Final Four appearance. Kansas, one of 20 states represented by four or fewer members in the U.S. House of Representatives, is represented much more in the NCAA playoffs by ranking seventh with 163 victories from only three universities. Additional stately views of national winners and sinners you might want to review include:

• Schools from the state of North Carolina have collected more NCAA Tournament triumphs (324) than a total of 22 states including those with power-conference members such as Georgia, Missouri, New Jersey and West Virginia.
• All four ACC members in Carolina have more than 25 playoff triumphs. Each of them (Duke, North Carolina, North Carolina State and Wake Forest) has more all-time wins than entire states such as Colorado, Minnesota, Mississippi, Nebraska, New Mexico, Rhode Island and South Carolina.
• California is the only state with as many as 18 schools winning at least one NCAA Tournament game. Alas, less than 1/4 of them (four) have winning marks.
• Other than Syracuse, Canisius is the only current New York Division I school to compile a winning NCAA playoff record (6-4). CCNY, the NCAA's DI champion in 1950, assembled a 4-2 mark ledger before de-emphasizing its program.
• Despite Villanova's two NCAA titles in the last four seasons, Pennsylvania is the only state with at least 140 tourney victories to compile an overall losing mark (187-206).
• Syracuse (plus 28 in NY; 68-40) and Villanova (plus 28 in PA; 65-37) are the most games above .500 in states with overall losing playoff marks. On the flip side, Miami OH (minus 13; 6-19) and Murray State KY (minus 13; 4-17) are tied for most games below .500 in states with overall winning worksheets.
• Abilene Christian enabled Texas to nudge ahead of California for most different schools participating in the tourney with 24 although Houston (29-26) is the only institution from the Lone Star State posting a winning record. Texas (147-193) has a total of 13 Final Four teams after Texas Tech's success but is more games under .500 than any state (minus 46 including 11 different universities never winning a playoff contest).
• LSU is the only one of Louisiana's 12 schools appearing in the playoffs notching a winning record. South Carolina has the most universities participate in the tourney (nine) without any of them posting a break-even or winning playoff record. Kansas has only three different colleges appear in the NCAA Tournament but boasts seven times as many victories as South Carolina and four times as many triumphs as Louisiana.
• All six Mid-American Conference members from Ohio have losing records, combining for a 19-52 mark (.268).
• Tennessee, the winningest state in NCAA playoff history (78 triumphs) despite never having a national champion, is the only state with as many as six schools at least five games below .500 in NCAA tourney competition.
• Virginia is the only one of 12 different schools from its state and Memphis is only one of 11 different Tennessee schools appearing in the tourney to post a winning record.
• Memphis (34-26) is joined by Spokane, Wash.-based Gonzaga (34-22) as the only mid-major schools leading a state with more than 60 playoff wins.
• The only states with fewer than 45 tourney triumphs to assemble overall winning records are Nevada (39-28 by 6-9 Nevada and 33-19 UNLV) plus New Hampshire (10-7 by Dartmouth).
• Utah is the only state saddled with as many as three schools posting tourney marks more than 10 games below .500 - Brigham Young (15-32), Utah State (6-23) and Weber State (6-17).

Former #VicePlagiarist Joe Biden, amid aspiring details about his soap-opera family aren't circulated, hopes his prospects of success telling truth about attending HBCU Delaware State and as a presidential candidate are a mite higher than the NCAA Tournament win total of the state he served as Senator because Delaware is 0-6. Belmont, UCF, UC Irvine, Fairleigh Dickinson, Liberty and Wofford posted their initial NCAA tourney triumph in 2019. Following are NCAA Division I playoff cumulative records listed by most state victories through 2019 and coronavirus cancellation of 2020 tourney:

STATE (# of Tourney Schools)	Overall Record	Pct.	School-By-School NCAA Playoff Marks
NORTH CAROLINA (16)	324-195	.6243	Appalachian State (0-2), Campbell (0-1), Charlotte (7-12), Davidson (8-15), Duke (114-38), East Carolina (0-2), Gardner-Webb (0-1), North Carolina (126-47), North Carolina A&T (1-10), North Carolina Central (0-4), North Carolina State (37-26), UNC Asheville (2-4), UNC Greensboro (0-3), UNC Wilmington (1-6), Wake Forest (28-23) and Western Carolina (0-1)
KENTUCKY (seven)	236-156	.602	Eastern Kentucky (0-8), Kentucky (131-53), Louisville (76-44), Morehead State (6-8), Murray State (4-17), Northern Kentucky (0-2) and Western Kentucky (19-24)
CALIFORNIA (23)	235-214	.523	California (20-19), UC Davis (0-1), UC Irvine (1-2), Cal Poly (1-1), UC Santa Barbara (1-5), Cal State Bakersfield (0-1), Cal State Fullerton (2-3), Cal State Los Angeles (0-1), Cal State Northridge (0-2), Fresno State (2-6), Long Beach State (7-10), Loyola Marymount (5-5), Pacific (4-10), Pepperdine (5-14), Saint Mary's (5-10), San Diego (1-4), San Diego State (6-12), San Francisco (21-14), San Jose State (0-3), Santa Clara (11-13), Southern California (14-20), Stanford (23-16) and UCLA (106-42)
PENNSYLVANIA (15)	188-208	.475	Bucknell (2-8), Drexel (1-4), Duquesne (4-5), Lafayette (0-5), La Salle (14-11), Lebanon Valley (1-2), Lehigh (1-5), Penn (13-26), Penn State (9-11), Pittsburgh (24-27), Robert Morris (2-8), Saint Francis (0-1), Saint Joseph's (19-25), Temple (33-33) and Villanova (65-37)
INDIANA (nine)	181-147	.552	Ball State (3-7), Butler (24-16), Evansville (1-5), Indiana (66-34), IUPUI (0-1), Indiana State (5-4), Notre Dame (38-40), Purdue (42-31) and Valparaiso (2-9)
OHIO (12)	172-169	.504	Akron (0-4), Bowling Green (1-5), Cincinnati (46-32), Cleveland State (3-2), Dayton (19-20), Kent State (4-6), Miami (6-19), Ohio University (7-14), Ohio State (57-32), Toledo (1-4), Wright State (0-3) and Xavier (28-28)
KANSAS (three)	163-98	.6245	Kansas (108-47), Kansas State (37-35) and Wichita State (18-16)
TEXAS (24)	147-193	.432	Abilene Christian (0-1), Baylor (14-14), Hardin-Simmons (0-2), Houston (29-26), Houston Baptist (0-1), Lamar (5-6), North Texas (0-3), Prairie View A&M (0-2), Rice (2-5), Sam Houston State (0-2), Southern Methodist (10-14), Stephen F. Austin (2-5), Texas (35-37), Texas A&M (13-15), Texas A&M-Corpus Christi (0-1), Texas-Arlington (0-1), Texas Christian (5-8), Texas-El Paso (14-16), Texas-San Antonio (1-4), Texas Southern (1-8), Texas State (0-2), Texas Tech (16-18), Trinity (0-1) and West Texas A&M (0-1)
MICHIGAN (eight)	143-83	.633	Central Michigan (3-4), Detroit (3-6), Eastern Michigan (3-4), Michigan (61-28), Michigan State (69-32), Oakland (1-3), Wayne State (1-2) and Western Michigan (2-4)
NEW YORK (22)	140-171	.450	Albany (1-5), Binghamton (0-1), Buffalo (2-4), Canisius (6-4), CCNY (4-2), Colgate (0-3), Columbia (2-4), Cornell (2-6), Fordham (2-4), Hofstra (0-4), Iona (1-14), Long Island (0-7), Manhattan (3-9), Marist (0-2), NYU (9-9), Niagara (2-4), St. Bonaventure (7-9), St. John's (27-32), Siena (4-6), Stony Brook (0-1), Syracuse (68-40) and Wagner (0-1)
OKLAHOMA (five)	102-93	.523	Oklahoma (42-32), Oklahoma City (8-13), Oklahoma State (38-27), Oral Roberts (2-5) and Tulsa (12-16)
ILLINOIS (10)	95-95	.500	Bradley (11-9), DePaul (21-25), Eastern Illinois (0-2), Illinois (40-31), Illinois-Chicago (0-3), Illinois State (3-6), Loyola of Chicago (13-5), Northern Illinois (0-3), Northwestern (1-1) and Southern Illinois (6-10)
FLORIDA (11)	87-69	.558	Florida (47-20), Florida A&M (1-3), Florida Atlantic (0-1), Florida Gulf Coast (3-3), Florida International (0-1), Florida State (21-17), Jacksonville (4-5), Miami (8-10), North Florida (0-1), South Florida (2-3) and UCF (1-5)
VIRGINIA (12)	84-99	.459	George Mason (5-6), Hampton (2-6), James Madison (4-5), Liberty (1-4), Norfolk State (1-1), Old Dominion (3-12), Radford (1-3), Richmond (8-9), Virginia (35-22), Virginia Commonwealth (13-17), Virginia Military (3-3) and Virginia Tech (8-11)
WISCONSIN (four)	83-66	.557	Green Bay (1-5), Marquette (41-34), Milwaukee (3-4) and Wisconsin (38-23)
TENNESSEE (11)	78-117	.400	Austin Peay (2-8), Belmont (1-8), Chattanooga (3-11), East Tennessee State (2-11), Lipscomb (0-1), Memphis (34-26), Middle Tennessee State (4-9), Tennessee (22-23), Tennessee State (0-2), Tennessee Tech (0-2) and Vanderbilt (10-16)
ARIZONA (three)	70-53	.569	Arizona (56-34), Arizona State (14-17) and Northern Arizona (0-2)
WASHINGTON (five)	69-61	.531	Eastern Washington (0-2), Gonzaga (34-22), Seattle (10-13), Washington (19-18) and Washington State (6-6)
UTAH (five)	65-105	.382	Brigham Young (15-32), Southern Utah (0-1), Utah (38-32), Utah State (6-23) and Weber State (6-17)
CONNECTICUT (four)	60-42	.588	Central Connecticut State (0-3), Connecticut (59-30), Fairfield (0-3) and Yale (1-6)
IOWA (four)	59-60	.496	Drake (5-4), Iowa (30-28), Iowa State (19-20) and Northern Iowa (5-8)
MARYLAND (eight)	54-56	.491	Coppin State (1-4), Loyola (0-2), Maryland (42-27), Maryland-Baltimore County (1-2), Morgan State (0-2), Mount St. Mary's (2-5), Navy (8-12) and Towson (0-2)
DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA (five)	51-47	.520	American University (0-3), Catholic (0-2), George Washington (4-11), Georgetown (47-29) and Howard University (0-2)
ALABAMA (nine)	49-64	.434	Alabama (21-21), Alabama A&M (0-1), Alabama State (0-4), Auburn (17-10), Jacksonville State (0-1), Samford (0-2), South Alabama (1-8), Troy (0-2) and UAB (10-15)
MASSACHUSETTS (nine)	48-67	.417	Boston College (22-19), Boston University (2-7), Harvard (2-6), Holy Cross (8-13), Massachusetts (11-9), Northeastern (3-9), Springfield (0-1), Tufts (0-2) and Williams (0-1)
ARKANSAS (four)	45-39	.536	Arkansas (42-32), Arkansas-Pine Bluff (1-1), Arkansas State (0-1) and UALR (2-5)
LOUISIANA (12)	41-76	.350	Louisiana-Lafayette (4-11), Louisiana-Monroe (0-7), Louisiana State (26-25), Louisiana Tech (4-5), Loyola of New Orleans (0-3), McNeese State (0-2), New Orleans (1-5), Nicholls State (0-2), Northwestern State (2-3), Southeastern Louisiana (0-1), Southern (1-9) and Tulane (3-3)
NEVADA (two)	39-28	.582	Nevada (6-9) and UNLV (33-19)
OREGON (four)	37-39	.487	Oregon (25-15), Oregon State (12-20), Portland (0-2) and Portland State (0-2)
NEW JERSEY (seven)	36-65	.356	Fairleigh Dickinson (1-6), Monmouth (1-4), Princeton (13-29), Rider (0-3), Rutgers (5-7), Saint Peter's (0-3) and Seton Hall (16-13)
GEORGIA (five)	33-39	.458	Georgia (7-12), Georgia Southern (0-3), Georgia State (2-5), Georgia Tech (23-16) and Mercer (1-3)
WEST VIRGINIA (two)	32-35	.478	Marshall (1-6) and West Virginia (31-29)
MISSOURI (four)	31-45	.408	Missouri (22-27), Missouri State (3-6), Saint Louis (6-11) and Southeast Missouri State (0-1)
RHODE ISLAND (three)	23-33	.411	Brown (0-2), Providence (15-21) and Rhode Island (8-10)
SOUTH CAROLINA (nine)	23-59	.280	Charleston Southern (0-1), Clemson (11-12), Coastal Carolina (0-4), College of Charleston (1-5), Furman (1-7), South Carolina (8-10), South Carolina State (0-5), Winthrop (1-10) and Wofford (1-5)
MISSISSIPPI (six)	19-37	.339	Alcorn State (3-6), Jackson State (0-3), Mississippi (5-9), Mississippi State (11-11), Mississippi Valley State (0-5) and Southern Mississippi (0-3)
NEW MEXICO (two)	18-43	.295	New Mexico (8-16) and New Mexico State (10-27)
MINNESOTA (one)	14-14	.500	Minnesota (14-14)
COLORADO (four)	14-32	.304	Air Force (0-4), Colorado (10-16), Colorado State (4-11) and Northern Colorado (0-1)
NEBRASKA (two)	12-29	.293	Creighton (12-22) and Nebraska (0-7)
NEW HAMPSHIRE (one)	10-7	.588	Dartmouth (10-7)
WYOMING (one)	9-20	.310	Wyoming (9-20)
IDAHO (three)	9-24	.273	Boise State (0-7), Idaho (1-4) and Idaho State (8-13)
NORTH DAKOTA (two)	2-5	.286	North Dakota (0-1) and North Dakota State (2-4)
VERMONT (one)	2-7	.222	Vermont (2-7)
MONTANA (two)	2-16	.111	Montana (2-13) and Montana State (0-3)
HAWAII (one)	1-5	.167	Hawaii (1-5)
SOUTH DAKOTA (one)	0-5	.000	South Dakota State (0-5)
DELAWARE (two)	0-6	.000	Delaware (0-5) and Delaware State (0-1)

NOTE: Two states - Alaska and Maine - never had a school participate in the NCAA Division I Tournament.

An unsightly Pac-12 Conference flop in the NCAA playoffs the previous two years shouldn't have been a surprise unless you put stock in creepy porn lawyer #Avenaughty as a #Dimorat presidential candidate or always believe contrived comments from Muslim Brotherhood apologist/former CIA chief John "NBC News' Snoopy" Brennan. But at tourney time, the West frequently is worst. Oregon State (12-20) has the worst tourney record among longstanding power-league members. Moreover, Wyoming is the only former national champion (1943) to compile an all-time NCAA playoff record more than five games below .500 (9-20).

Everett Shelton, coach of Wyoming's titlist, is the only championship team bench boss to finish with a non-winning playoff record (4-12 from 1941 through 1958) and was more games under .500 in NCAA Division I Tournament competition than any coach in history until supplanted by Fran Dunphy (3-17 with Penn and Temple from 1993 through 2019). Also, Shelton is the only coach to lose three consecutive regional final games (1947, 1948 and 1949).

Joining Dunphy and Shelton among the eight coaches more than six games under .500 in NCAA playoff play are Rick Byrd (1-8 with Belmont from 2006 through 2019), Pete Carril (4-11 with Princeton from 1969 through 1996), Don Corbett (0-7 with North Carolina A&T from 1982 through 1988), Hugh Greer (1-8 with Connecticut from 1951 through 1960), Stew Morrill (1-9 with Montana and Utah State from 1991 through 2011) and Mike Vining (0-7 with Louisiana-Monroe from 1982 through 1996).

BYU, New Mexico State and Utah State are more games below .500 than any institutions in NCAA playoff history (minus 17). Would any of this trio emerged from tourney tomb this year if not for coronavirus cancellation? More than half of the following 12 schools at least 10 games below .500 in NCAA tourney competition are from west of the Mississippi River:

School	Playoff Record	Games Below .500 Mark	Summary of Tournament Tumult
Brigham Young	15-32	minus 17	only one of victories was by fewer than six points
New Mexico State	10-27	minus 17	lost last 12 games since 1993 after winning seven of 11 contests from 1968 through 1970
Utah State	6-23	minus 17	lost 17 of last 18 games with only victory in that span in OT against Ohio State in 2001
Princeton	13-29	minus 16	lost eight of first nine games from 1952 through 1963 and last five contests since 1998
Iona	1-14	minus 13	13 straight setbacks with first four of them by fewer than four points from 1980 through 1998
Miami (Ohio)	6-19	minus 13	only victory in 10-game span from 1969 through 1992 was in OT against defending NCAA champion Marquette in 1978
Murray State	4-17	minus 13	lost 11 games in a row from 1988 through 2006
Penn	13-26	minus 13	lost last 10 games and 15 of last 16 after entering 1979 Final Four with winning playoff record (11-9)
Montana	2-13	minus 11	won inaugural game in 1975 but lost last four contests since 2012 by an average of 26 points
Weber State	6-17	minus 11	seven of last nine defeats since 1979 were by fewer than 12 points
Wyoming	9-20	minus 11	1943 NCAA titlist before losing 12 of 13 games from 1947 through 1967
Creighton	12-22	minus 10	incurred four defeats by fewer than five points from 1974 through 1981

"Success is simple. Do what's right, the right way, at the right time." - Arnold H. Glasow

Here is another reason to schedule wisely. Bench boss switch for Jeff Linder (Northern Colorado to Wyoming) probably stems at least partially from what can be designated a job audition last season when UNC won easily at WY (74-53). The shift resembles 1970-71 when Digger Phelps guided Fordham to its winningest season in school history. But what likely really impressed Notre Dame's administration was a 94-88 victory that season over the Irish. He was UND's bench boss the next campaign and went on to compile seven triumphs against nationally top-ranked opponents in his career at South Bend.

Non-conference schedules frequently are frustrating for fans of power-league members because of what seems like feasting on a steady diet of cupcake opponents. But you never know when a single game becomes a career changer. Initial research of results in this category shows Mick Cronin's 29-point margin of victory two seasons ago for Cincinnati against UCLA is exceeded only by Tommy Amaker's 32-point difference when Michigan overwhelmed Harvard. Similar to almost any job, timing is everything. Following is an alphabetical list of impressionable coaches such as Linder generating such favorable reviews after defeating a school (in non-conference game) they were hired by for the same role before the next campaign:

Coach	Departing School	Triumph(s) Over Non-League Foe Hiring Him Next Season
Tommy Amaker	Michigan	Defeated Harvard, 82-50, in 2006-07
Duggar Baucom	Virginia Military	Defeated The Citadel, 66-65, at Army* in 2014-15
John Brady	Samford	Defeated Louisiana State, 53-50, in 1996-97
Tom Brennan	Yale	Defeated Vermont, 84-75, in 1985-86
Jim Calhoun	Northeastern	Defeated Connecticut, 90-73, in 1985-86
Joe Callero	Seattle	Defeated Cal Poly, 60-59, in 2008-09
Ben Carnevale	North Carolina	Defeated Navy, 51-49, in 1945-46
Jamion Christian	Siena	Defeated George Washington, 69-61, in 2018-19
Mick Cronin	Cincinnati	Defeated UCLA, 93-64, in 2018-19
Kermit Davis Jr.	Middle Tennessee State	Defeated Mississippi, 77-58, in 2017-18
Charles "Lefty" Driesell	Davidson	Defeated Maryland, 83-69, in 1968-69
Pat Foster	Houston	Defeated Nevada, 92-80, in 1992-93
Jim Hayford	Eastern Washington	Defeated Seattle, 80-76 in 2OT and 93-88 in 2OT, in 2016-17
Ron Hunter	Georgia State	Defeated Tulane, 80-76, in 2018-19
Maury John	Drake	Defeated Iowa State, 87-63, in 1970-71
Ed Kelleher	Fordham	Defeated Army, 68-42, in 1942-43
Lake Kelly	Austin Peay State	Defeated Oral Roberts, 80-76, in 1976-77
Jeff Linder	Northern Colorado	Defeated Wyoming, 74-53, in 2019-20
Billy McCann	Washington & Lee (VA)	Defeated Virginia, 73-69, in 1956-57
Neil McCarthy	Weber State	Defeated New Mexico State, 62-56, in 1984-85
Dan Monson	Gonzaga	Defeated Minnesota, 75-63, in 1998-99
Don Monson	Idaho	Defeated Oregon, 56-53, in 1982-83
Donald "Dudey" Moore	Duquesne	Defeated La Salle, 74-55, in 1957-58
Stew Morrill	Colorado State	Defeated Utah State, 68-59, in 1997-98
Richard "Digger" Phelps	Fordham	Defeated Notre Dame, 94-88, in 1970-71
Elmer Ripley	Georgetown	Defeated John Carroll (Ohio), 73-53, in 1948-49
Les Robinson	East Tennessee State	Defeated North Carolina State, 92-82, in 1989-90
Lorenzo Romar	Saint Louis	Defeated Washington, 71-70, in 2001-02
Charles "Sonny" Smith	Auburn	Defeated Virginia Commonwealth, 85-79, in 1988-89
Charlie Spoonhour	Southwest Missouri State	Defeated Saint Louis, 66-59, in 1991-92
Bill Strannigan	Colorado State	Defeated Iowa State, 65-57, in 1953-54
Bill Wade	Virginia Commonwealth	Defeated Louisiana State, 85-74, in 2016-17
Raymond "Bucky" Waters	West Virginia	Defeated Duke, 90-88, in 1968-69
Paul Weir	New Mexico State	Defeated New Mexico, 84-71, in 2016-17
Tim Welsh	Iona	Defeated Providence, 68-62, in 1997-98
Gary Williams	Boston College	Defeated Ohio State, 87-74, in 1985-86
Matt Zunic	Boston University	Defeated Massachusetts, 75-55 and 61-56, in 1958-59

*Competed in season-opening Military Classic before VMI defeated The Citadel twice in Southern Conference competition.

Extra! Extra! As we're still waiting for a new season to gain steam, you have time to read news all about memorable major league baseball achievements, moments and transactions involving former college basketball players! Numerous ex-college hoopers had front-row seats to many of the most notable games and dates in MLB history.

Baseball is portrayed as a thinking man's game but only 4% of active MLB players earned college diplomas. Eventual MLB managers in the news as players on this date after previously competing as college basketball hoopers included Roger Craig, Dallas Green, Gil Hodges, Davey Johnson and Bill Virdon. Unless you habitually pore over the content at baseballlibrary.com, baseballreference.com and nationalpastime.com, following is an April 11 calendar focusing on such versatile MLB athletes:

APRIL 11

• RHP Roger Craig (forward with North Carolina State's 1949-50 freshman basketball team) released by the Cincinnati Reds and promptly signed as a free agent by the Philadelphia Phillies in 1966.

• RHP Dallas Green (Delaware's runner-up in scoring and rebounding in 1954-55) purchased from the Philadelphia Phillies by the Washington Senators in 1965. Returned to the Phillies a month later.

• In 1932, utilityman Harvey Hendrick (Vanderbilt hoops letterman in 1918) traded with P Benny Frey and cash by the Cincinnati Reds to the St. Louis Cardinals for holdout OF Chick Hafey, the previous year's N.L. batting champion.

• 1B Gil Hodges (hooper for St. Joseph's IN in 1943 and Oakland City IN in 1947 and 1948) supplied the first homer in New York Mets history (at St. Louis in 1962).

• Atlanta Braves 2B Davey Johnson (averaged 1.7 ppg with Texas A&M in 1961-62) went 4-for-4 against the San Diego Padres in a 1973 game.

• In his second MLB game, Boston Red Sox RF Joe Lahoud (New Haven CT hoops letterman in mid-1960s) socked a homer off the Detroit Tigers' Denny McLain in 1968.

• Toronto Blue Jays DH Rick Leach (averaged 15.5 ppg for Michigan's JV squad in 1975-76) registered four hits against the New York Yankees in 1988.

• Cleveland Indians CF Kenny Lofton (Arizona's leader in steals for 1988 Final Four team compiling 35-3 record) notched at least one double or triple in each of first six games of 1999 campaign while hitting .467.

• Chicago Cubs CF Jerry Martin (1971 Southern Conference MVP after he was Furman's runner-up in scoring the previous season) whacked two homers against the New York Mets in a 1980 contest.

• Chicago White Sox RF Lyle Mouton (starter in LSU's backcourt with All-American Chris Jackson for 1989 NCAA playoff team) launched a game-winning, three-run homer in the bottom of the 11th inning against the Texas Rangers in 1996.

• In 1961, Hall of Fame RHP Robin Roberts (one of Michigan State's top three scorers each season from 1944-45 through 1946-47) tied Grover Cleveland Alexander's N.L. record with a 12th straight Opening Day start for the Philadelphia Phillies.

• St. Louis Cardinals rookie LF Wally Roettger (Illinois hoops letterman in 1921-22 and 1922-23) registered five RBI against the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1928 season opener.

• CF Bill Virdon (Drury MO hooper in 1949) traded by the New York Yankees to the St. Louis Cardinals in a deal involving OF Enos Slaughter in 1954. Seven years later, Virdon socked a two-out, three-run homer to give the Pittsburgh Pirates an 8-7 victory at San Francisco.

• New York Yankees RF Dave Winfield (starting forward for Minnesota's first NCAA playoff team in 1972) went 4-for-4 against the Boston Red Sox in 1985.

• 3B Eddie Yost (NYU freshman hooper in 1943-44 under coach Howard Cann) became the first-ever batter in Los Angeles Angels' history.

Extra! Extra! A new season still hasn't gained traction, but it gives you time to read news all about memorable major league baseball achievements, moments and transactions involving former college basketball players! Numerous ex-college hoopers had front-row seats to many of the most notable games and dates in MLB history.

Baseball is portrayed as a thinking man's game but only 4% of active MLB players earned college diplomas. Jerry Adair (Oklahoma State) and Sonny Siebert (Missouri) - former Big Seven Conference opponents as top three scorers for their respective teams in 1956-57 - supplied significant MLB performances on this date. Unless you habitually pore over the content at baseballlibrary.com, baseballreference.com and nationalpastime.com, following is an April 10 calendar focusing on such versatile MLB athletes:

APRIL 10

• Baltimore Orioles 2B Jerry Adair (one of Oklahoma State's top three basketball scorers in 1956-57 and 1957-58) went 3-for-3 on Opening Day against the New York Yankees in 1962.

• Cincinnati Reds LHP Amir Garrett (averaged 7.4 ppg and 4 rpg for St. John's under coach Steve Lavin in 2011-12 and 2012-13 before RS transfer year at Cal State Northridge) posted a victory against the Miami Marlins en route to holding opponents scoreless in his first seven relief appearances of the 2019 season while fanning 10 of 25 batters he faced over 6 2/3 innings.

• Washington Senators 1B Frank Howard (two-time All-Big Ten Conference first-team selection in 1956-57 and 1957-58 when leading Ohio State in scoring and rebounding) hammered two homers against the New York Yankees in 1969.

• Utilityman Bob Oliver (All-Valley Conference basketball choice for American River Community College CA in 1962) purchased from the Chicago White Sox by Philadelphia Phillies in 1976.

• In 1947, 1B Jackie Robinson (highest scoring average in Pacific Coast Conference both of his seasons with UCLA in 1939-40 and 1940-41) became the first black player of the 20th Century to sign a MLB contract (with Brooklyn Dodgers).

• OF Wally Roettger (Illinois hoops letterman in 1921-22 and 1922-23) traded by the St. Louis Cardinals to the New York Giants in 1930.

• In 1968 season opener, Cleveland Indians RHP Sonny Siebert (team-high 16.7 ppg for Missouri in 1957-58 as All-Big Eight Conference second-team selection) tossed a two-hit shutout against the Chicago White Sox.

• Atlanta Braves LHP George Stone (averaged 14.7 ppg and 6.5 rpg for Louisiana Tech in 1964-65 and 1965-66) tossed a six-hit shutout against the Houston Astros in his first start of the 1970 campaign.

• A pinch-hit grand slam by OF-1B Champ Summers (led SIUE in scoring in 1969-70 after doing same with Nicholls State in 1964-65) propelled the San Diego Padres to a 7-3 win against the St. Louis Cardinals in 1984. It was Summers' final MLB homer.

• Cleveland Indians 1B Jim Thome (played junior-college hoops for Illinois Central in 1988-89) hammered a grand slam in 2002 game against the Minnesota Twins. Circuit clout was the first of four consecutive contests where he hit a round-tripper.

• RHP Billy Wynne (one of prime hoopers in mid-1960s for Pfeiffer NC) returned by the Cleveland Indians to the New York Mets in 1967 after he was selected during the winter in the Rule 5 draft.

Extra! Extra! While waiting for a new season to unfold, we have time to read news all about memorable major league baseball achievements, moments and transactions involving former college basketball players. Numerous ex-college hoopers had front-row seats to many of the most notable games and dates in MLB history. Did you know that outfielder "Sweet" Lou Johnson, an ex-Kentucky State hooper, was traded three times the first nine days in April in deals involving Los Angeles-based teams?

In the minors, all-time basketball great Michael Jordan made his Organized Baseball debut on April 9, 1994, when the Chicago White Sox farmhand went hitless as right fielder for the Birmingham Barons (Southern League). What in the world was the then 31-year-old Jordan thinking en route to a .202 batting average and 114 strikeouts in 127 games? Unless Jordan won a bet with Robert "The Natural" Redford to acquire "Wonderboy" bat, the only way MJ could have reached the majors was via an Eddie Gaedel-like stunt. By the way, Jordan wasn't the best former college basketball standout performing as an outfielder with the AA franchise in 1994. The superior baseball player was teammate Scott Tedder, a 6-4 lefthander who graduated as Ohio Wesleyan's all-time leading scorer in 1988. Tedder, playing about 1/4 of the '94 season in the Southern League with Cubs' affiliate Orlando, hit .281. Tedder posted a .261 average over five years with the Barons. Another ex-college hooper on the Barons' roster that year was Ken Coleman, a utilityman who hit .191. Coleman is New Haven's all-time leader in assists after leading the Chargers in scoring feeds all four seasons from 1984-85 through 1987-88. Coleman, a two-time All-NECC basketball selection, played seven years in the minor leagues, finishing with a .258 batting mark. According to long-time MLB manager Joe Torre, on why playing baseball would be more difficult for MJ than playing basketball: "The basket is in the same place all the time."

Baseball is portrayed as a thinking man's game but only 4% of active MLB players earned college diplomas. George Altman (Tennessee State) joined Sweet Lou as former HBCU hoopers making MLB news on this date. Former juco hoopers Darrell Evans (Pasadena City CA) and Jim Thome (Illinois Central) each hit two homers in MLB games on this date. Unless you habitually pore over the content at baseballlibrary.com, baseballreference.com and nationalpastime.com, following is an April 9 calendar focusing on such versatile MLB athletes:

APRIL 9

• RF George Altman (appeared in 1953 and 1954 NAIA Tournament with Tennessee State's basketball squad) stroked four hits against the New York Mets on Opening Day 1963 in his debut with the St. Louis Cardinals.

• 1B George Crowe (four-year letterman from 1939-40 through 1942-43 for Indiana Central after becoming first high school player named state's "Mr. Basketball") traded by the Milwaukee Braves to the Cincinnati Reds in 1956.

• Detroit Tigers DH Darrell Evans (member of Jerry Tarkanian-coached Pasadena City CA club winning 1967 state community college crown) homered twice in a 1986 game against the Boston Red Sox.

• LF "Sweet" Lou Johnson (Kentucky State hoops teammate of legendary HBCU coach Davey Whitney averaged 5.7 ppg and 2 rpg in 1951-52) traded by the Detroit Tigers with $10,000 to the Los Angeles Dodgers for P Larry Sherry in 1964.

• In his first start of the 1992 campaign, Baltimore Orioles RHP Ben McDonald (started six times as freshman forward for LSU in 1986-87 under coach Dale Brown) tossed a two-hit shutout against the Cleveland Indians.

• Seattle Mariners RF Leon Roberts (grabbed one rebound in four basketball games for Michigan in 1970-71 under coach Johnny Orr) ripped a grand slam in 8-6 setback against the Minnesota Twins in 1978 season opener.

• RHP Mike Smithson (teammate of Tennessee All-American Ernie Grunfeld averaged 1.9 ppg and 1.6 rpg under coach Ray Mears in 1974-75 and 1975-76) traded by the Boston Red Sox to the Texas Rangers in 1982.

• Detroit Tigers 2B Gary Sutherland (averaged 7.4 ppg with USC in 1963-64) went 4-for-4 against the New York Yankees in 1974.

• Philadelphia Phillies 1B Jim Thome (played junior-college hoops for Illinois Central in 1988-89) collected two homers and five RBI in a 2003 game against the Atlanta Braves.

• Minnesota Twins DH Dave Winfield (starting forward for Minnesota's first NCAA playoff team in 1972) stroked three extra-base hits against the Kansas City Royals in 1993.

"I'm gonna make it to heaven, light up the sky like a flame. I'm gonna live forever. Baby, remember my name." - Theme from 1980s film and TV series Fame

Two-time All-American Kyle Guy MOP(ped) the Minneapolis floor last season. Two years ago, Villanova sixth man Donte DiVincenzo became the fourth in a row and 11th Most Outstanding Player overall in NCAA Tournament history who wasn't an All-American, joining Kansas' B.H. Born (1953), Villanova's Ed Pinckney (1985), Indiana's Keith Smart (1987), UNLV's Anderson Hunt (1990), North Carolina's Donald Williams (1993), Kentucky's Jeff Sheppard (1998), Louisville's Luke Hancock (2013), Duke's Tyus Jones (2015), Villanova's Ryan Arcidiacono (2016) and North Carolina's Joel Berry II (2017). If not for coronavirus outbreak, would another non-AA have broken out this year and become MOP?

Questions linger as to whether Guy will ever have any impact in the NBA. Perhaps that is why he should have thought about what happens when the ball stops bouncing. What did the brightest Final Four stars do in the real world after Father Time took its toll on their playing ability? The following individuals weren't always defined solely as basketball standouts after earning acclaim as the Final Four MOP:

Year(s) - NCAA Tournament Most Outstanding Player, Position, Class, School

1939 - Jimmy Hull, F, Sr., Ohio State
Employed as a dentist.

1940 - Marv Huffman, G, Sr., Indiana
Played one season with Goodyear in the National Industrial League in 1940-41 (5.1 ppg) and four with the Akron Collegians. After he stopped playing basketball, he was a special assistant to the president of Goodyear. He died in 1984 of multiple sclerosis.

1941 - John Kotz, F, Soph., Wisconsin
Retired in 1980 after working his way up from shipping clerk to president and majority stockholder of Badger Sporting Goods Company.

1942 - Howie Dallmar, G, Soph., Stanford
Averaged 9.6 ppg with the Philadelphia Warriors in three NBA seasons from 1946-47 through 1948-49. Compiled a 105-51 record (.673) for Penn in six seasons from 1948-49 through 1953-54 before posting a 264-264 record (.500) for Stanford in 21 seasons from 1954-55 through 1974-75. His best season was a 22-5 mark in 1952-53.

1943 - Kenny Sailors, G, Jr., Wyoming
Averaged 12.6 ppg and 2.8 apg with seven different NBA teams in five seasons from 1946-47 through 1950-51. Lived in Gakona, Alaska, where he owned a guided big-game hunting business with his son. Had a winter home in Arizona.

1944 - Arnie Ferrin, F, Fr., Utah
Averaged 5.8 ppg with the Minneapolis Lakers in three NBA seasons from 1948-49 through 1950-51. General Manager of the ABA's Utah Stars, athletic director for his alma mater and chairman of the NCAA Tournament selection committee in 1988.

1945 and 1946 - Bob Kurland, C, Jr./Sr., Oklahoma A&M
Retired Phillips Petroleum executive had a retirement home in Florida.

1947 - George Kaftan, F-C, Soph., Holy Cross
Averaged 7.5 ppg with the Boston Celtics, New York Knicks and Baltimore Bullets in five NBA seasons from 1948-49 through 1952-53. Graduated from Georgetown Dental School, coached C.W. Post for 17 seasons and maintained a dental practice.

1948 and 1949 - Alex Groza, C, Jr./Sr., Kentucky
Averaged 22.5 ppg with the Indianapolis Olympians in two NBA seasons in 1949-50 and 1950-51 before his pro career ended because of a college point-shaving scandal. Got a job at General Electric in Louisville before returning to his hometown (Martin's Ferry, Ohio) and running his mother's tavern. Compiled a 91-77 record (.542) as coach for Bellarmine College in seven seasons from 1959-60 through 1965-66. Executive with two ABA franchises (Kentucky Colonels and San Diego Conquistadors) before getting involved with professional volleyball. Joined Reynolds Metals in 1977 and traveled around the country as Pacific Coast manager of its chemical division.

1950 - Irwin Dambrot, F, Sr., CCNY
Became a dentist.

1951 - Bill Spivey, C, Sr., Kentucky
After 16 years in the bush leagues with assorted nondescript teams, he extended his nomadic existence with a series of jobs - salesman, insurance agent, real estate developer, government official (Kentucky's deputy insurance commissioner) and restaurant and bar owner - before relocating to Costa Rica.

1952 - Clyde Lovellette, C, Sr., Kansas
Averaged 17 ppg and 9.5 rpg with the Minneapolis Lakers, Cincinnati Royals, St. Louis Hawks and Boston Celtics in 11 NBA seasons from 1953-54 through 1963-64. Assistant coach for the Indiana Pacers in 1967 when they started their ABA franchise. Served as a sheriff in his native Indiana and taught and coached at White's Institute, a school for troubled youngsters in Wabash, before moving to Munising, Mich.

1953 - B.H. Born, C, Jr., Kansas
Played AAU basketball until the late 1950s with the Peoria (Ill.) Caterpillars before going to work in the personnel office for Caterpillar Bulldozers. He spent his entire career working for Caterpillar until his retirement.

1954 - Tom Gola, C-F, Jr., La Salle
Averaged 11.3 ppg and 8 rpg with the Philadelphia/San Francisco Warriors and New York Knicks in 11 NBA seasons from 1955-56 through 1965-66. He invested in driving ranges, apartment complexes, recycling companies and residential sites. Gola owned his own insurance company and a skating rink. He was a spokesman for Texaco, Vitalis and the Army Reserve. In 1966, Gola began a two-term career as a state legislator while coaching his alma mater before becoming Philadelphia's city controller. He later became a vice president of the Valley Forge Investment Corporation and served on the board of the Philadelphia Convention Center.

1955 - Bill Russell, C, Jr., San Francisco
Twelve-time All-Star averaged 15.1 ppg, 22.5 rpg and 4.3 apg with the Boston Celtics in 13 NBA seasons from 1956-57 through 1968-69. Five-time MVP was named one of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History (1996). Compiled a 341-290 record (.540) with the Celtics (1966-67 through 1968-69), Seattle SuperSonics (1973-74 through 1976-77) and Sacramento Kings (1987-88) in eight seasons. Network analyst dabbled with acting but retreated to the quiet life on Mercer Island in Washington, and has a clothing line company called Center Court.

1956 - Hal Lear, G, Sr., Temple
Played in three games for the NBA's Philadelphia Warriors in 1956-57 before playing 10 seasons in the Eastern Basketball League, becoming MVP in 1956-57 and averaging 39.7 ppg for Easton in 1960-61. Also averaged 13.1 ppg for Los Angeles and Cleveland in the ABL in 1961-62.

1957 - Wilt Chamberlain, C, Soph., Kansas
Averaged 30.1 ppg, 22.9 rpg and 4.4 apg with the Philadelphia/San Francisco Warriors, Philadelphia 76ers and Los Angeles Lakers in 14 NBA seasons from 1959-60 through 1972-73. Made a fortune in the restaurant business, designed homes, owned racehorses and played professional volleyball. Also wrote four books: Wilt; A View From Above; Chamberlain House: The Possible Dream, and Who's Running the Asylum: The Insane World of Sports Today.

1958 - Elgin Baylor, C, Jr., Seattle
Averaged 27.4 ppg, 13.5 rpg and 4.3 apg with the Minneapolis/Los Angeles Lakers in 14 seasons from 1958-59 through 1971-72. Coached the New Orleans Jazz for four seasons in the late 1970s (86-135 record). Executive with the Los Angeles Clippers.

1959 - Jerry West, F-G, Jr., West Virginia
Averaged 27 ppg, 5.8 rpg and 6.7 apg with the Los Angeles Lakers in 14 NBA seasons from 1960-61 through 1973-74. Long-time executive with the Lakers before accepting a similar position with the Memphis Grizzlies.

1960 and 1961 - Jerry Lucas, C, Soph./Jr., Ohio State
Seven-time All-Star averaged 17 ppg and 15.6 rpg with the Cincinnati Royals, San Francisco Warriors and New York Knicks in 11 NBA seasons from 1963-64 through 1973-74. One of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History (1996). Memory expert and motivational speaker lived in Templeton, Calif., while working on revolutionary educational programs. Taught his memory and learning technique to many Fortune 500 companies and countless churches. He authored more than 60 books on learning, including The Memory Book, which was on the New York Times' best-seller list for 50 weeks and reached the No. 2 position behind All the President's Men, the investigative story that uncovered the Watergate scandal.

1962 - Paul Hogue, C, Sr., Cincinnati
Averaged 6.3 ppg and 7.1 rpg with the New York Knicks and Baltimore Bullets in two NBA seasons in 1962-63 and 1963-64. Worked with the Tennessee juvenile program before moving back to Cincinnati to work at a milling machine firm. He served as a physical therapist at a state mental hospital, a counselor at a neighborhood youth center and as a counselor in a local school system before becoming the division supervisor for the Postal Services' Employee Assistance Program.

1963 - Art Heyman, F, Sr., Duke
Averaged 10.3 ppg and 2.8 rpg with the New York Knicks, Cincinnati Royals and Philadelphia 76ers in three NBA seasons from 1963-64 through 1965-66 before averaging 15.4 ppg and 6.4 rpg with the New Jersey Americans, Pittsburgh/Minnesota Pipers and Miami Floridians in three ABA seasons from 1967-68 through 1969-70. Owned and operated several restaurants.

1964 - Walt Hazzard, G, Sr., UCLA
Averaged 12.6 ppg, 3 rpg and 4.9 apg with five different NBA teams in 10 seasons from 1964-65 through 1973-74. Later named Mahdi Abdul-Rahmad, he worked in the Los Angeles Lakers' front office and coached his alma mater and Chapman College before suffering a stroke and undergoing open-heart surgery in 1996.

1965 - Bill Bradley, F, Sr., Princeton
Rhodes Scholar averaged 12.4 ppg, 3.2 rpg and 3.4 apg with the New York Knicks in 10 NBA seasons from 1967-68 through 1976-77. Three-term U.S. Senator (Democrat-N.J.) until 1995 was a tax and trade expert with a strong voice on race issues and campaign finance reform. The presidential candidate against Al Gore in 2000 authored two basketball books (Life on the Run in 1976 and Values of the Game in 1998).

1966 - Jerry Chambers, F, Sr., Utah
Averaged 8.3 ppg and 3.2 rpg with the Los Angeles Lakers, Phoenix Suns, Atlanta Hawks, Buffalo Braves, San Diego Conquistadors and San Antonio Spurs in six NBA/ABA seasons from 1966-67 to 1973-74. Worked for the L.A. city parks and recreation department for many years.

1967, 1968 and 1969 - Lew Alcindor, C, Soph./Jr./Sr., UCLA
Six-time league MVP averaged 24.6 ppg and 11.2 rpg in 20 NBA seasons with the Milwaukee Bucks and Los Angeles Lakers from 1969-70 through 1988-89. Nineteen-time All-Star later named Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is one of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History (1996). In 1999, he worked with a high school team at White Mountain Apache Reservation in Whiteriver, Ariz. He was an assistant coach for the Los Angeles Clippers in 2000 and then worked in training camp with the Indiana Pacers before becoming head coach of the USBL's Oklahoma Storm for one season. Hired by the New York Knicks as a scout in March, 2004 before serving as a Lakers aide helping develop center Andrew Bynum. In January 2012, he was appointed a Cultural Ambassador for the U.S. Department of State before becoming a TIME columnist.

1970 - Sidney Wicks, F, Jr., UCLA
Averaged 16.8 ppg and 8.7 rpg with the Portland Trail Blazers, Boston Celtics and San Diego Clippers in 10 NBA seasons from 1971-72 through 1980-81. Worked in property management. Served as an assistant coach at his alma mater under Walt Hazzard for four seasons in the mid-1980s. At the completion of his coaching stint with the Bruins, Wicks has been in private business.

1971 - Howard Porter, F, Sr., Villanova
Averaged 9.2 ppg and 4.1 rpg with the Chicago Bulls, New York Knicks, Detroit Pistons and New Jersey Nets in seven NBA seasons from 1971-72 through 1977-78. Senior probation officer for Ramsey County (Minn.) after getting clean from drugs with the help of a colleague working with him loading furniture for a construction firm in Orlando. Earlier, Porter failed at running a club in Florida and a convenience store. He was trying to trade money and crack cocaine for sex with a prostitute in St. Paul in May, 2007, when the probation officer was beaten to death, according to murder charges filed several months later.

1972 and 1973 - Bill Walton, C, Soph./Jr., UCLA
Averaged 13.3 ppg, 10.5 rpg and 3.4 apg with the Portland Trail Blazers, San Diego/Los Angeles Clippers and Boston Celtics in 10 NBA seasons from 1974-75 to 1986-87. Network commentator for both the NBA and NCAA after and while working in a similar capacity for the Clippers.

1974 - David Thompson, F, Jr., North Carolina State
Averaged 22.7 ppg and 4.1 rpg with the Denver Nuggets and Seattle SuperSonics in nine ABA/NBA seasons from 1975-76 through 1983-84. Motivational speaker with Unlimited Sports Management was also community relations director for the Charlotte Hornets.

1975 - Richard Washington, C-F, Soph., UCLA
Averaged 9.8 ppg and 6.3 rpg with the Kansas City Kings, Milwaukee Bucks, Dallas Mavericks and Cleveland Cavaliers in six NBA seasons from 1976-77 through 1981-82. Contractor in Portland.

1976 - Kent Benson, C, Jr., Indiana
Averaged 9.1 ppg and 5.7 rpg with four different NBA teams in 11 seasons from 1977-78 through 1987-88. Resided in Bloomington, where he worked with Diversified Benefit Services.

1977 - Butch Lee, G, Jr., Marquette
Averaged 8.1 ppg and 3.2 apg with the Atlanta Hawks, Cleveland Cavaliers and Los Angeles Lakers in two NBA seasons in 1978-79 and 1979-80. Owned two restaurants, coached pro ball in Puerto Rico and had a sign business in San Juan.

1978 - Jack Givens, F, Sr., Kentucky
Averaged 6.7 ppg and 2.9 rpg with the Atlanta Hawks in two NBA seasons in 1978-79 and 1979-80. Announcer for the Orlando Magic did not have his contract renewed after he was found not guilty following an arrest during summer of 2004 on charges of sexual battery and lewd molestation of a 14-year-old girl.

1979 - Earvin "Magic" Johnson, G, Soph., Michigan State
Averaged 19.5 ppg, 7.2 rpg and 11.2 apg with the Los Angeles Lakers in 13 NBA seasons from 1979-80 through 1990-91 and 1995-96. Business entrepreneur emphasized attempting to revitalize a number of minority neighborhoods. He owned the Magic Theatres, an L.A. restaurant chain (Fatburgers), a TGI Friday's and some Starbucks coffee shops. Johnson was a principal in a local black-owned bank and delved into the entertainment business as a concert promoter and owner of the Magic Johnson Record label. Part of ownership group that purchased the Los Angeles Dodgers in the spring of 2012.

1980 - Darrell Griffith, G, Sr., Louisville
Averaged 16.2 ppg and 3.3 rpg with the Utah Jazz in 11 NBA seasons from 1980-81 through 1990-91. Resides in Louisville where he has several real estate investments and business interests. Father-in-law of former NBA standout Derek Anderson established a foundation in his hometown.

1981 - Isiah Thomas, G, Soph., Indiana
Twelve-time All-Star averaged 19.2 ppg, 3.6 rpg and 9.3 apg with the Detroit Pistons in 13 NBA seasons from 1981-82 through 1993-94. One of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History (1996) served as president of the New York Knicks from 2003-04 through 2007-08. Executive and part owner of the Toronto Raptors, owner of the CBA and coach of the Indiana Pacers (131-115 record in three seasons from 2000-01 through 2002-03). Served as coach for Florida International three seasons. Named president and part-owner of the Knicks' WNBA sister team, the New York Liberty, subsequent to the re-hiring of Thomas' former Pistons teammate, Bill Laimbeer, as the team's coach.

1982 - James Worthy, F, Jr., North Carolina
Averaged 17.6 ppg, 5.1 rpg and 3 apg with the Los Angeles Lakers in 12 NBA seasons from 1982-83 through 1993-94. Served as network TV analyst.

1983 - Hakeem Olajuwon, C, Soph., Houston
Twelve-time All-Star averaged 21.8 ppg, 11.1 rpg and 3.1 bpg with the Houston Rockets and Toronto Raptors in 18 seasons from 1984-85 through 2001-02. Six-time All-NBA first-team selection was named as one of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History (1996). NBA Most Valuable Player in 1993-94 was one of only eight players in league history to amass more than 20,000 points and 12,000 rebounds. Split time between his ranch near Houston (buying real estate in cash-only purchases) and Jordan, where he pursued Islamic studies.

1984 - Patrick Ewing, C, Jr., Georgetown
Eleven-time All-Star averaged 21 ppg, 9.8 rpg and 2.4 bpg with the New York Knicks, Seattle SuperSonics and Orlando Magic in 17 seasons from 1985-86 through 2001-02. One of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History (1996) became an assistant coach with the Washington Wizards, Houston Rockets, Orlando Magic and Charlotte Bobcats before becoming head coach of his alma mater in 2017-18.

1985 - Ed Pinckney, F, Sr., Villanova
Averaged 6.8 ppg and 5 rpg with seven different NBA teams in 12 seasons from 1985-86 through 1996-97. Miami Heat TV analyst while trying to cope with an overactive thyroid.

1986 - Pervis Ellison, C, Fr., Louisville
Averaged 9.7 ppg and 6.8 rpg with the Sacramento Kings, Washington Bullets and Boston Celtics in 10 NBA seasons from 1989-90 through 1997-98 and 1999-00. Lived in Atlanta. Coached basketball for various teams throughout Southern New Jersey, including his son, Malik, at Life Center Academy.

1987 - Keith Smart, G, Jr., Indiana
Played in two games with the San Antonio Spurs in 1988-89 before basketball took him to the Philippines, Venezuela and France. After playing and coaching in the CBA with the Fort Wayne (Ind.) Fury, he joined the Cleveland Cavaliers as director of player development and assistant coach. Smart was named interim head coach of the Cavs midway through the 2002-03 campaign, replacing John Lucas. Also promoted from assistant to head coach with the Golden State Warriors and Sacramento Kings before becoming an aide for the Miami Heat.

1988 - Danny Manning, F, Sr., Kansas
Two-time All-Star averaged 14 ppg and 5.2 rpg with seven different franchises in 15 NBA seasons from 1988-89 through 2002-03. Assistant coach at his alma mater for nine seasons before accepting head coaching position with Tulsa and subsequently accepting a similar position at Wake Forest.

1989 - Glen Rice, F, Sr., Michigan
Averaged 18.3 ppg and 4.4 rpg with six different NBA franchises in 15 seasons from 1989-90 through 2003-04. Three-time All-Star was the Heat's all-time leading scorer.

1990 - Anderson Hunt, G, Soph., UNLV
Photograph was published of him with a couple of teammates in a hot tub with known sports fixer Richard Perry before pleading guilty to misdemeanor charges in connection with marijuana found in his possession during a traffic stop in October 1993. Played overseas in France, Poland, Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Venezuela. Worked in real estate market in Detroit following employment at Burger Palace inside the Imperial Palace Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas.

1991 - Christian Laettner, C-F, Jr., Duke
All-Star in 1996-97 averaged 12.8 ppg, 6.7 rpg and 2.6 apg with six different NBA franchises in 13 seasons from 1992-93 through 2004-05. He and Duke teammate Brian Davis faced huge financial and legal hurdles stemming from a loan their real estate company failed to repay nearly $700,000 to former Duke captain and current Stanford coach Johnny Dawkins. Court documents obtained by the Wall Street Journal indicated that Laettner and Davis were defendants in several civil lawsuits seeking repayment of about $30 million.

1992 - Bobby Hurley, G, Jr., Duke
Averaged 3.8 ppg and 3.3 apg with the Sacramento Kings and Vancouver Grizzlies in five NBA seasons from 1993-94 through 1997-98. Owned race horses and did TV commentary on the ACC for Fox Sports. Assistant coach under his brother, Danny, with Wagner and Rhode Island prior to becoming head coach with Buffalo and Arizona State.

1993 - Donald Williams, G, Soph., North Carolina
Played professional basketball overseas in Germany and Greece and with the Harlem Globetrotters.

1994 - Corliss Williamson, F, Soph., Arkansas
Averaged 11.1 ppg and 3.9 rpg with the Sacramento Kings, Toronto Raptors, Detroit Pistons and Philadelphia 76ers in 12 NBA seasons from 1995-96 through 2006-07. Scored a career-high 40 points against the Pistons on 3-4-98. Coached for Arkansas Baptist College and Central Arkansas before returning to the NBA as an assistant coach with the Kings.

1995 - Ed O'Bannon, F, Sr., UCLA
Averaged 5 ppg and 2.5 rpg with the New Jersey Nets and Dallas Mavericks in two NBA seasons in 1995-96 and 1996-97. After his brief NBA career, he played professionally in Europe (Italy, Spain, Greece and Poland) before becoming a Toyota salesman/marketing director in the Las Vegas area. Lead plaintiff in highly-publicized lawsuit against the NCAA, disputing the organization's use of the images of its former student-athletes for commercial purposes.

1996 - Tony Delk, G, Sr., Kentucky
Averaged 9.1 ppg, 2.5 rpg and 1.9 apg with eight different franchises in 10 NBA seasons from 1996-97 through 2005-06. Scored a career-high 53 points against the Kings on 1-2-01. Played overseas in Greece and Puerto Rico before serving as an assistant coach at his alma mater and New Mexico State.

1997 - Miles Simon, G, Jr., Arizona
Appeared in five games with the NBA's Orlando Magic in 1998-99. Played professionally in Israel in 2000 and Italy in 2001 before joining the Dakota Wizards of the CBA where he earned 2002 Newcomer of the Year and MVP honors. Also played in Venezuela and Turkey before joining his alma mater's staff as an assistant under Lute Olson in 2005. Served as a commentator for ESPN.

1998 - Jeff Sheppard, G, Sr., Kentucky
After playing the 1998-99 season with the Atlanta Hawks, he played professionally in Italy. Married former UK women's player Stacey Reed. They own an apparel company.

1999 - Richard Hamilton, F-G, Jr., Connecticut
Averaged 17.3 ppg, 3.1 rpg and 3.4 apg with the Washington Wizards, Detroit Pistons and Chicago Bulls in 14 seasons from 1999-00 to 2012-13.

2000 - Mateen Cleaves, G, Sr., Michigan State
Averaged 3.6 ppg and 1.9 apg with four different NBA franchises in six seasons from 2000-01 through 2005-06 before becoming a color commentator for Fox Sports Detroit and the CBS Sports Network prior to being investigated for a sexual assault charge.

2001 - Shane Battier, F, Sr., Duke
Averaged 8.6 ppg and 4.2 rpg with four different NBA franchises in 13 seasons from 2001-02 through 2013-14 before becoming an ESPN color commentator.

2002 - Juan Dixon, G, Sr., Maryland
Averaged 8.4 ppg with five different NBA franchises in seven seasons from 2002-03 through 2008-09 before playing overseas in Greece, Spain and Turkey and subsequently becoming an assistant coach for his alma mater and head coach of Coppin State.

2003 - Carmelo Anthony, F, Fr., Syracuse
Averaged 23.6 ppg, 6.5 rpg and 2.9 apg with the Denver Nuggets, New York Knicks, Oklahoma City Thunder, Houston Rockets and Portland Trail Blazers in 17 seasons from 2003-04 through 2019-20.

2004 - Emeka Okafor, C, Jr., Connecticut
Averaged 12 ppg, 9.7 rpg and 1.6 bpg with the Charlotte/New Orleans Hornets, Washington Wizards and New Orleans Pelicans in 10 seasons from 2004-05 to 2012-13 and 2017-18.

2005 - Sean May, C-F, Jr., North Carolina
Averaged 6.9 ppg and 4 rpg with the Charlotte Hornets and Sacramento Kings in four injury-plagued seasons from 2005-06 through 2009-10 before playing overseas. Joined his alma mater's staff under Roy Williams as assistant to the director of player development.

2006 - Joakim Noah, C, Soph., Florida
Averaged 8.9 ppg, 9.3 rpg, 2.9 apg and 1.3 bpg with the Chicago Bulls and New York Knicks in 11 seasons from 2007-08 to 2017-18.

2007 - Corey Brewer, F, Jr., Florida
Averaged 8.9 ppg and 2.8 rpg with the Minnesota Timberwolves, Dallas Mavericks, Denver Nuggets, Houston Rockets, Los Angeles Lakers and Oklahoma City Thunder in 11 seasons from 2007-08 to 2017-18. He scored 51 points in a single game against the Houston Rockets.

2008 - Mario Chalmers, G, Jr., Kansas
Averaged 8.9 ppg, 2.5 rpg, 3.7 apg and 1.5 spg with the Miami Heat and Memphis Grizzlies in nine seasons from 2008-09 through 2015-16 and 2017-18.

2009 - Wayne Ellington, G, Jr., North Carolina
Averaged 8 ppg and 2.2 rpg with the Minnesota Timberwolves, Memphis Grizzlies, Cleveland Cavaliers, Dallas Mavericks, Los Angeles Lakers, Brooklyn Nets, Miami Heat, Detroit Pistons and New York Knicks in 11 seasons from 2009-10 through 2019-20.

2010 - Kyle Singler, F, Jr., Duke
Second-round draft choice by the NBA's Detroit Pistons played overseas two seasons in Spain before averaging 6.5 ppg and 2.9 rpg in six seasons from 2012-13 to 2017-18 with the Pistons and Oklahoma Thunder.

2011 - Kemba Walker, G, Jr., Connecticut
Averaged 19.8 ppg, 3.8 rpg and 5.5 apg with the Charlotte Bobcats/Hornets in eight seasons from 2011-12 through 2018-19. After signing as a free agent with the Boston Celtics, he averaged 21.2 ppg, 4.1 rpg and 4.9 apg in 2019-20.

2012 - Anthony Davis, C, Fr., Kentucky
Averaged 23.7 ppg, 10.5 rpg and 2.4 bpg with the New Orleans Hornets/Pelicans in seven seasons from 2012-13 through 2018-19, becoming an NBA All-Star in his second season and sparking the Pelicans to the playoffs in 2015. Following a trade, he averaged 26.7 ppg, 9.4 rpg and 2.4 bpg with the Los Angeles Lakers in 2019-20.

2013 - Luke Hancock, G, Jr., Louisville
Averaged 12.3 ppg, 2.6 rpg and 2.2 apg for the Cardinals as a senior, helping defeat 2014 NCAA champion-to-be Connecticut a total of three times. Briefly played professionally in Greece before tearing a muscle in his calf and becoming financial adviser in Louisville.

2014 - Shabazz Napier, G, Sr., Connecticut
Averaged 7 ppg and 2.5 apg with six NBA franchises (Miami Heat, Orlando Magic, Portland Trail Blazers, Brooklyn Nets, Minnesota Timberwolves and Washington Wizards) in six seasons from 2014-15 to 2019-20.

2015 - Tyus Jones, G, Fr., Duke
Averaged 5.6 ppg and 3.6 apg with the Minnesota Timberwolves and Memphis Grizzlies in five seasons from 2015-16 to 2019-20.

2016 - Ryan Arcidiacono, G, Sr., Villanova
Played for the San Antonio Spurs' Development League team in Austin in 2016-17 before signing a similar developmental deal with the Chicago Bulls. Averaged 6.7 ppg and 3.3 apg for the Bulls in 2018-19.

2017 - Joel Berry II, G, Jr., North Carolina
Earned All-American status with the Tar Heels in 2017-18 before elimination in second round of NCAA playoffs by 21 points against Texas A&M. Undrafted by the NBA, he played in the G League for a couple different franchises.

2018 - Donte DiVincenzo, G, Jr., Villanova
Missing most of season because of a foot injury, he averaged 4.9 ppg as NBA rookie with the Milwaukee Bucks.

2019 - Kyle Guy, G, Jr., Virginia
Appeared in only two NBA games in 2019-20 with the Sacramento Kings prior to season being postponed.

Rather than celebrating a new champion last evening, we're simply assessing previous titlists. Notre Dame has a significant lead in compiling the most all-time victories against teams in a season the opponent went on to capture the NCAA championship. The Fighting Irish, boasting 14 such triumphs despite never winning a Final Four contest, are joined by Duke (nine), Kentucky (eight), Maryland (eight), St. John's (eight), Indiana (seven), Louisville (seven), Virginia (seven) and Wake Forest (seven) as the only schools defeating more than six eventual NCAA playoff titlists. Louisville leveled Connecticut a total of five times in 2011 and 2014.

St. John's (Georgetown '84/Villanova '85/Louisville '86) and Illinois (Indiana '87/Kansas '88/Michigan/'89) are the only schools to upend three different NCAA champions-to-be in as many years. Wake Forest knocked off four different North Carolina titlists in a 28-year span (1982, 1993, 2005 and 2009). Saint Louis, which kayoed four different national kingpins in a 13-year span from 1949 through 1961 (champions combining to win 94.3% of their other games those seasons), never has reached an NCAA tourney regional final.

In 2018, Butler and Creighton each collected their first-ever triumph against an NCAA titlist. Michigan State, despite advancing to eight Final Fours under coach Tom Izzo, never has beaten a school during the season the opponent eventually captured an NCAA championship. Other prominent universities with that dubious distinction include Arizona State, Baylor, Brigham Young, Colorado, Dayton, Penn State, Saint Joseph's, San Francisco, Texas A&M, Texas Christian, Texas-El Paso, Texas Tech and Virginia Tech.

Surprisingly, Northwestern has notched three triumphs against NCAA titlists despite never participating in the national tourney until 2017. Additional schools with more wins against NCAA kingpins during the regular season than playoff victories include Bowling Green (one tourney triumph), Nebraska (winless), Niagara (two tourney wins), Texas-Pan American (never appeared) and Wright State (winless). DII Alaska-Anchorage is among more than 25 non-power league members on the following alphabetical list of schools defeating NCAA DI champions-to-be:

School (Total Wins vs. Eventual DI Titlists)	Pre-NCAA Tournament Victories Against National Champions-to-Be
Alabama (three)	Kentucky (won title in 1978), Arkansas (1994) and Florida (2006)
Alaska-Anchorage (one)	Michigan (1989)
Arizona (four)	Duke (1991), Kentucky (1998), Michigan State (2000) and Maryland (2002)
Arkansas (three)	Oklahoma A&M (1945), Duke (1991) and Florida (2006)
Auburn (one)	Kentucky (1958)
Boston College (two)	Villanova (1985) and North Carolina (2009)
Bowling Green (two)	Oklahoma A&M (1946) and Loyola of Chicago (1963)
Bradley (three)	Oregon (1939) and Cincinnati (1961 and 1962)
Butler (one)	Villanova (2018)
California (two)	UCLA (1995) and Arizona (1997)
UC Santa Barbara (one)	UNLV (1990)
Canisius (one)	CCNY (1950)
Cincinnati (three)	Marquette (1977), Louisville (1986) and Connecticut (2014)
City College of New York (one)	Oregon (1939)
Clemson (one)	Indiana (1981)
Connecticut (two)	Syracuse (twice in 2003)
Creighton (one)	Villanova (2018)
DePaul (four)	Oklahoma A&M (1945 and 1946), Marquette (1977) and Georgetown (1984)
Detroit (one)	Marquette (1977)
Duke (nine)	Kansas (1988), North Carolina (1993, 2005 and twice in 2017), Maryland (2002), Louisville (2013) and Virginia (twice in 2019)
Duquesne (two)	Wyoming (1943) and Holy Cross (1947)
Florida (one)	Kentucky (1998)
Florida State (three)	Florida (2007), North Carolina (2009) and Virginia (2019)
Georgetown (five)	Villanova (twice in 1985), Duke (1991 and 2010) and Louisville (2013)
Georgia (one)	Villanova (1985)
Georgia Tech (six)	Kentucky (1958), North Carolina (1993, 2005 and 2017), Connecticut (2004) and Duke (2010)
Houston (two)	UCLA (1968) and Connecticut (2014)
Illinois (six)	UCLA (1965), Louisville (1980), Indiana (1987), Kansas (1988) and Michigan (twice in 1989)
Indiana (seven)	Ohio State (1960), Michigan State (1979 and 2000), Michigan (twice in 1989), Kentucky (2012) and North Carolina (2017)
Iona (one)	Louisville (1980)
Iowa (five)	UCLA (1965), Indiana (twice in 1981 and once in 1987) and Kansas (1988)
Iowa State (one)	Kansas (1988)
Kansas (four)	Louisville (twice in 1986), UNLV (1990) and Florida (2007)
Kansas State (six)	Kansas (1952, twice in 1988 and once in 2008), Indiana (1953) and California (1959)
Kentucky (eight)	Utah (1944), La Salle (1954), Ohio State (1960), Indiana (1981), Louisville (1986), Arkansas (1994), Michigan State (2000) and North Carolina (2017)
Louisiana State (three)	Kentucky (1978), UNLV (1990) and Florida (2007)
Louisville (seven)	North Carolina State (1983), Kentucky (1998) and Connecticut (twice in 2011 and three times in 2014)
Loyola of Chicago (two)	Kentucky (1949 and 1958)
Marquette (two)	Wisconsin (1941) and Connecticut (2011)
Maryland (eight)	Kentucky (1958), Marquette (1977), North Carolina State (twice in 1983), Villanova (1985), Duke (2001 and 2010) and North Carolina (2009)
Massachusetts (one)	Kentucky (1996)
Memphis (three)	North Carolina State (1983), Louisville (1986) and Syracuse (2003)
Miami FL (three)	Connecticut (1999), Duke (2015) and North Carolina (2017)
Michigan (five)	Marquette (1977), Michigan State (1979), Indiana (1981), North Carolina (1993) and Arizona (1997)
Minnesota (five)	Indiana (1940 and 1953), Wisconsin (1941), Marquette (1977) and Michigan (1989)
Mississippi (one)	Kentucky (1998)
Mississippi State (two)	Arkansas (1994) and Kentucky (1996)
Missouri (one)	North Carolina State (1983)
Nebraska (one)	Kansas (1988)
New Mexico (one)	Arizona (1997)
New Mexico State (one)	UNLV (1990)
Niagara (three)	CCNY (1950) and La Salle (twice in 1954)
North Carolina (six)	Indiana (1981), North Carolina State (1983), Duke (1991, 1992 and 2001) and Connecticut (2004)
North Carolina State (five)	Louisville (1986), Duke (1991, 2010 and 2015) and Maryland (2002)
Northwestern (three)	Indiana (1940), Holy Cross (1947) and Michigan State (1979)
Notre Dame (14)	Kentucky (1948), Indiana (1953), UCLA (1971 and 1975), Michigan State (1979), Indiana (1981), North Carolina State (1983), Kansas (1988), Connecticut (2004 and twice in 2011), Louisville (2013), Duke (twice in 2015)
Ohio State (two)	Indiana (1940) and Michigan State (2000)
Oklahoma (six)	CCNY (1950), Kansas (twice in 1988), UNLV (1990), Maryland (2002) and Villanova (2016)
Oklahoma State (two)	Kansas (1952 and 2008)
Oregon (four)	California (1959), UCLA (1970 and 1995) and Arizona (1997)
Oregon State (two)	Oregon (1939) and Stanford (1942)
Pittsburgh (five)	Wisconsin (1941), Villanova (1985), Syracuse (2003) and Connecticut (2004 and 2011)
Providence (three)	Connecticut (2004) and Villanova (2016 and 2018)
Purdue (four)	Michigan State (1979 and 2000) and Indiana (1981 and 1987)
Rutgers (one)	Syracuse (2003)
St. John's (eight)	Georgetown (1984), Villanova (three times in 1985), Louisville (1986), Kansas (1988), Connecticut (2011) and Villanova (2018)
Saint Louis (four)	Kentucky (1949 and 1951), California (1959) and Cincinnati (1961)
Santa Clara (two)	Stanford (1942) and North Carolina (2005)
Seattle (one)	Texas Western (1966)
Seton Hall (two)	Cincinnati (1961) and Villanova (2016)
South Carolina (two)	Florida (twice in 2006)
Southern California (four)	Stanford (1942), UCLA (1969 and 1970) and Arizona (1997)
Southern Methodist (three)	Kentucky (1958) and Connecticut (twice in 2014)
Stanford (six)	Oregon (1939), California (1959), UCLA (1975), Arizona (1997), Duke (2001) and Connecticut (2014)
Syracuse (six)	CCNY (1950), Villanova (1985), Connecticut (1999, 2004 and 2011) and Louisville (2013)
Temple (three)	Oklahoma A&M (1945), Kentucky (1948) and La Salle (1954)
Tennessee (three)	Florida (twice in 2006 and once in 2007)
Texas (two)	Michigan State (2000) and Kansas (2008)
Texas-Pan American (one)	Indiana (1981)
UCLA (five)	CCNY (1950), San Francisco (1955), North Carolina State (1974) and Arizona (twice in 1997)
Utah (two)	Ohio State (1960) and Louisville (1980)
Vanderbilt (four)	Kentucky (1951 and 2012), Indiana (1987) and Florida (2007)
Villanova (two)	Georgetown (1984) and Louisville (2013)
Virginia (seven)	North Carolina (1982 and 2017), North Carolina State (twice in 1983), Duke (1991 and 2001) and Villanova (2016)
Wake Forest (seven)	North Carolina (1982, 1993, 2005 and 2009), North Carolina State (1983) and Duke (1991 and 1992)
Washington (two)	UCLA (1975) and Arizona (1997)
Washington State (one)	Oregon (1939)
West Virginia (two)	Kentucky (1958) and Connecticut (2011)
Wichita State (three)	Cincinnati (1962), Loyola of Chicago (1963) and Marquette (1977)
Wisconsin (three)	Michigan State (1979), Michigan (1989) and Duke (2010)
Wright State (one)	Michigan State (2000)
Wyoming (one)	Holy Cross (1947)
Xavier (one)	Villanova (2016)

NOTE: During World War II, NCAA champions Stanford lost to the Athens Club in 1942, Wyoming lost at Denver Legion in 1943, Utah lost to Ft. Warren, Salt Lake AB and Dow Chemical in 1944 and Oklahoma A&M lost to NATTS Skyjackets in 1945.

We should have been celebrating a new champion last evening. Instead, we're simply assessing previous kingpins. There has been some smooth sailing, but it usually is a rugged road en route to becoming NCAA champion such as Virginia last year when the Cavaliers won their last four playoff games by an average of 4.5 points. Most titlists have near-death experiences and are severely tested at least once on the serpentine tourney trail. In 1997, Arizona won each of its playoff contests by a single-digit margin.

A total of 51 champions won a minimum of one playoff game by fewer than five, including 24 titlists to win at least one contest by just one point. Wyoming '43 would have become the only champion to trail at halftime in every tournament game if the Cowboys didn't score the last three baskets of the first half in the national final to lead Georgetown at intermission (18-16). Four titlists trailed at intermission in both of their Final Four games - Kentucky '51, Louisville '86, Duke '92 and Kentucky '98.

UCLA '67, the first varsity season for Lew Alcindor (became Kareem Abdul-Jabbar), set the record for largest average margin of victory for a champion when the Bruins started a dazzling streak of 10 consecutive Final Four appearances. They won their 12 NCAA playoff games with Alcindor manning the middle by an amazing average margin of 21.5 points.

Which of John Wooden's 10 national champion UCLA teams did the Wizard of Westwood perceive as his best?

"I've never come out and said it," Wooden said before passing away two years ago, "but it would be hard to pick a team over the 1968 team. I will say it would be the most difficult team to prepare for and play against offensively and defensively. It created so many problems. It had such great balance. We had the big center (Alcindor) who is the most valuable player of all time. Mike Warren was a three-year starter who may have been the most intelligent floor leader ever, going eight complete games once without a turnover. Lucius Allen was a very physical, talented individual who was extremely quick. Lynn Shackleford was a great shooter out of the corner who didn't allow defenses to sag on Jabbar. Mike Lynn didn't have power, but he had as fine a pair of hands around the boards as I have ever seen."

The roster for UCLA's 1968 national champion included six players with double-digit season scoring averages, but senior forward Edgar Lacey dropped off the team with an 11.9-point average following a dispute with Wooden after a ballyhooed mid-season defeat against Houston before 52,693 fans at the Astrodome. Lacey, assigned to defend Cougars star Elvin Hayes early in the game, was annoyed with Wooden for singling him out following Hayes' 29-point first-half outburst. Lacey, the leading rebounder for the Bruins' 1965 NCAA titlist when he was an All-Tournament team selection, missed the 1966-67 campaign because of a fractured left kneecap.

The three Lew-CLA teams rank among the seven NCAA champions with average margins of victory in a tournament of more than 19 points per game. It's no wonder a perceptive scribe wrote the acronym NCAA took on a new meaning during the plunderous Alcindor Era - "No Chance Against Alcindor."

"Bill Walton might have been a better all-around player (than Alcindor)," Wooden said. "If you were grading a player for every fundamental skill, Walton would rank the highest of any center who ever played. But Alcindor is the most valuable, owing to the pressure he put on the other team at both ends of the court."

UNC won all six of its playoff contests by double digits in 2009 but the only titlist to win all of its tournament games by more than 15 points was Ohio State '60. Center Jerry Lucas, a first-team All-American as a sophomore, averaged 24 points and 16 rebounds in four playoff contests for the Buckeyes. He collected 36 points and 25 rebounds to help them erase a six-point halftime deficit in their Mideast Regional opener against Western Kentucky.

Duke's five kingpins under Mike Krzyzewski have all come with average winning margin of at least 12.5 points per playoff game. Virginia became the sixth NCAA titlist to win two playoff games in overtime. Following is the breakdown of point differential and average margin of victory in NCAA playoffs for first 81 national champions:

*All-time tournament record (111-42 first-round victory over Tennessee Tech).
NOTE: Sixteen teams participated in a total of 23 overtime games en route to national titles - Utah (1944), North Carolina (two triple-overtime Final Four games in 1957), Cincinnati (1961), Loyola of Chicago (1963), Texas Western (two in 1966, including a double overtime), North Carolina State (double overtime in 1974), UCLA (two in 1975), Louisville (two in 1980), North Carolina State (double overtime in 1983), Michigan (1989), Duke (1992), North Carolina (1993), Arizona (two in 1997), Kentucky (1998), Kansas (2008), Connecticut (2014) and Virginia (two in 2019).