Mr. Big Shot: Mullins' Logo 3-Pointer Provides Buzzer Beater For the Ages

March 30th, 2026 - 15:20

What we missed the most from cancellation of NCAA tourney six years ago was adding to striking list of scintillating storybook moments in playoff lore when your blood percolates as game is decided in unforgettable closing moments. More than one-fourth of the NCAA Tournament's games were determined in overtime or in regulation by fewer than four points since the field expanded to at least 32 teams in 1975. Four riveting national finals in an eight-year span from 1982 through 1989 furnished memories etched indelibly in our minds because clutch players appeared impervious to pressure by producing in last-second situations. Yearning for more, UConn freshman guard Braylon Mullins capped off a series of down-to-the-wire shots of adrenaline when swishing a logo three-pointer to upset #1 seed in the East Regional final.

This is how legends are made. When time allows, pass-the-time videos help us remember buzzer beaters far beyond the actual moment. Butler's Gordon Hayward almost joined this group but his heave from near half-court rimmed out in 2010 national final against Duke. Hayward learned close only counts in hand grenades, horseshoes and old-school, drive-in movies. The following alphabetical list details numerous individuals who supplied a trip-down-memory-lane field goal or free throw as time expired or in waning moments in an NCAA tourney tilt:

Player School Description of Decisive Last-Second Basket
Danny Ainge Brigham Young Coast-to-coast drive including behind-the-back dribble and finishing with scoop shot edged #2 seed Notre Dame, 51-50, in 1981 East Regional semifinals.
Keith Anderson Cal State Fullerton Capping comeback from 15-point, second-half deficit, he drilled jumper with three seconds remaining to break a 72-72 deadlock against Bill Cartwright-led San Francisco in 1978 West Regional semifinals.
BeeJay Anya North Carolina State Erasing 16-point, second-half deficit, Anya's tip-in got Wolfpack within a point and his lefthanded hook from middle of lane just before final buzzer lifted #8 seed to 66-65 victory against LSU in 2015 East Regional first round.
Paul Atkinson Jr. Notre Dame Rebound basket with 1.4 seconds remaining in double overtime gave the Fighting Irish a Happy St. Patrick's Day success in 2022 First Four (89-87 over Rutgers at Dayton).
Marco Baldi St. John's Averaging fewer than four points per game and with All-American playmaker Mark Jackson double-teamed, unheralded Italian center sank 12-foot jumper with one second remaining to give St. John's a 57-55 nod over Wichita State in 1987 Midwest Regional first round.
Elgin Baylor Seattle Long shot at the buzzer closer to mid-court than head of the key gave the Chiefs a 69-67 success at San Francisco in 1958 West Regional semifinals.
Len Bias Maryland Freshman who averaged modest 7.2 ppg before subsequently becoming All-American sank 15-footer off dribble from free-throw line area to thrust Terrapins past UT Chattanooga, 52-51, in 1983 Midwest Regional first round.
Rolando Blackman Kansas State Jumper from 17 feet from right baseline was the difference in 50-48 verdict against #1 seed Oregon State in second round of 1981 West Regional.
Vander Blue Marquette Drive and lefthanded layup with one second remaining climaxed rally from five-point deficit with fewer than 30 seconds remaining in 59-58 nod over Davidson in opening round of 2013 East Regional.
Nicholas Boyd Florida Atlantic Receiving a baseline in-bounds pass in the right corner, he promptly drove straight to the basket in heavy traffic for a lefthanded layup with 2.5 seconds remaining to give the Owls their first-ever playoff triumph (66-65 over Memphis in 2023 East Regional opener).
Tony Branch Louisville Seldom-used guard stepped through double team and floated up his lone field-goal attempt of the game that bounced around rim before falling in as time expired in overtime to give Cardinals a 71-69 win against Kansas State in 1980 Midwest Regional second round.
Ron Brewer Arkansas Backed in off dribble before sinking turnaround jumper between free-throw line and head of key as time expired to give Razorbacks a 71-69 success against Notre Dame in 1978 national third-place contest.
Rodney Bullock Providence Layup with 1.5 seconds remaining off baseline in-bounds pass lifted the Friars to 70-69 win against Southern California in first round of 2016 East Regional.
Pembrook Burrows III Jacksonville Put-back with three seconds remaining enabled the Dolphins to outlast Iowa, 104-103, in 1970 Mideast Regional semifinals.
Nathaniel Burton Georgetown Driving layup surviving instant-replay review was final margin in 63-61 nod over Arkansas in first round of 2001 West Regional.
Lamont Butler San Diego State Capping off rally from 14-point deficit, dribble move on right side of court resulted in medium-range jumper at buzzer giving the Aztecs their only lead in second half of 72-71 win over Florida Atlantic in 2023 national semifinals.
Will Bynum Georgia Tech Drive down right side of lane and layup with 1.5 seconds left gave Yellow Jackets a 67-65 triumph against Oklahoma State in 2004 national semifinals.
Casey Calvary Gonzaga Tipped in game-winner with 4.4 seconds remaining in 73-72 verdict over Florida in 1999 West Regional semifinals.
Lorenzo Charles North Carolina State Sophomore forward, averaging a modest 8 ppg, converted guard Dereck Whittenburg's off-line desperation shot from well beyond the three-point arc into decisive dunk in 54-52 success against Houston in 1983 championship game.
Chris Chiozza Florida The Gators, trailing Wisconsin by two points with fewer than four seconds remaining in OT in 2017 East Regional semifinals, got the ball in hands of Chiozza, who went coast-to-coast and sank a running three-pointer at the buzzer for 84-83 triumph.
JaKobe Coles Texas Christian Driving floater down the middle of the lane with 1.5 seconds remaining propelled the Horned Frogs to a 72-70 verdict over Arizona State in 2023 West Regional first round.
Terry Coner Alabama After tying score with drive down lane with 53 seconds remaining, Coner sank spinning (some observers thought "traveling") off-balance jumper from just inside free-throw line as time expired to give Crimson Tide a 58-56 decision over Illinois in 1986 Southeast Regional second round.
Fran Corcoran Canisius Corcoran's jumper with four seconds remaining - his only points of the four-overtime game - catapulted the Golden Griffins to a 79-78 success against #2-ranked North Carolina State in first round of 1956 East Regional.
Aaron Craft Ohio State Playmaker swished three-pointer from right side of head of key with 0.5 seconds remaining to boost Buckeyes to 78-75 success against Iowa State in 2013 West Regional second round.
Dylan Darling St. John's Lefthander converted layup with his off hand at the buzzer on drive down right side of lane - his only basket of the game - to give Red Storm a 67-65 triumph over Kansas in 2026 East Regional second round.
Davonte "Devo" Davis Arkansas Lefthanded jumper by freshman in traffic off penetration dribble from midway down right side of free-throw lane with 3.1 seconds remaining lifted Razorbacks to 72-70 success against Oral Roberts in 2021 South Regional semifinal.
Todd Day Arkansas Follow-up of his own missed shot with three seconds remaining raised Razorbacks to an 86-84 win against Dayton in second round of 1990 Midwest Regional.
Terry Dehere Seton Hall Capping off rally erasing eight-point deficit with four minutes remaining, Dehere drilled 19-foot jumper from left baseline with three ticks left to propel Pirates to 78-76 success against La Salle in 1992 East Regional first round.
Cameron Dollar UCLA Short runner in middle of lane with less than two seconds remaining after length-of-the-court drive in overtime upended Iowa State, 74-73, in 1997 Midwest Regional semifinals.
Leonard Drake Central Michigan Converted pair of free throws after time expired in 77-75 nod over Georgetown in first round of 1975 Mideast Regional. The contest marked first NCAA Tournament appearance for CMU and Hoyas coach John Thompson Jr.
Bryce Drew Valparaiso Signature three-pointer after touch pass following three-quarter court pass from minor-league baseball player on baseline to another hoop teammate gave #13 seed a 70-69 victory against Ole Miss in first round of 1998 Midwest Regional.
Tyus Edney UCLA Length-of-the-court drive mixing in behind-the-back dribble before layup from right side gave #1 seed a 75-74 triumph against Missouri in second round of 1995 West Regional.
Dale Ellis Tennessee Only shot taken by either team in overtime was successful 15-footer with two seconds remaining to give Volunteers a 58-56 victory over Virginia Commonwealth in 1981 East Regional second round.
Juan Fernandez Temple Cork-screwing around defender as time ran out, he hit off-balance 18-footer from right side to give Owls a 66-64 nod over Penn State, ending coach Fran Dunphy's NCAA playoff record 11-game losing streak.
Alvaro Folgueiras Iowa Three-pointer from right corner with 4.5 seconds remaining lifted the Hawkeyes to a 73-72 win over defending champion Florida in second round of 2026 South Regional.
James Forrest Georgia Tech Freshman forward, who didn't attempt a three-pointer all year, nailed a desperation shot from beyond the arc on left side after receiving sideline out-of-bounds pass for 79-78 win against Southern California in second round of 1992 Midwest Regional.
Rick Fox North Carolina Drive along right baseline for leaning bank shot in 79-77 upset of top-ranked Oklahoma in second round of 1990 Midwest Regional.
Braden Frager Nebraska Lefthander's layup after driving down left side of lane with 2.2 seconds remaining lifted the Huskers to a 74-72 victory over Vanderbilt in second round of 2026 South Regional. They survived a heave from beyond half-court by Vandy guard Tyler Tanner that went in-and-out.
Kevin Gamble Iowa Straight-away three-pointer with one second remaining in overtime against Oklahoma provided 93-91 triumph in 1987 West Regional semifinals.
Tate George Connecticut Turnaround jumper from right baseline after length-of-the-court pass from eventual MLB first-round draft choice Scott Burrell clipped Clemson, 71-70, in 1990 East Regional semifinals.
Clarence Gilbert Missouri Jumper from 15 feet helped withstand furious Georgia rally, 70-68, in first round of 2001 East Regional.
Clarence Glover Western Kentucky Pretending to tie his shoestring after an opponent's turnover, he received an in-bounds pass in closing seconds and put in decisive basket in 74-72 nod over Jacksonville in first round of 1971 Mideast Regional.
Demetri Goodson Gonzaga Short running bank shot from left side of lane following length-of-the court drive by eventual Baylor CB and NFL draft choice lifted Zags to 83-81 triumph against Western Kentucky in second round of 2009 South Regional.
Robert Gray Houston Drove right side of lane for up-and-under layup with 1.1 seconds remaining to finish with 39 points in 67-65 triumph against San Diego State in 2018 West Regional first round.
Jeff Green Georgetown It looked like a walk violation, but Green squeezed through traffic to sink jumper off spin move from right side of lane with 2.5 seconds remaining in 66-65 verdict over Vanderbilt in 2007 East Regional semifinals.
Jerry Hahn Arizona State After sinking free throw to tie score with 16 seconds remaining, Hahn connected for field goal as time expired to send Sun Devils to 72-70 success against Seattle in 1961 West Regional first round.
Richard Hamilton Connecticut Off-balance fall-away in lane following rebound gave Huskies a 75-74 win against Washington in 1998 East Regional semifinals.
Bob Heaton Indiana State Shifted ball from his normal right hand to left for short shot bouncing twice on rim before going down with one second remaining to send Sycamores to 73-71 success against Arkansas in 1979 Midwest Regional final.
Sean Higgins Michigan Following 33 lead changes, Higgins rebounded a teammate's missed three-point attempt and scored from from short range on left baseline with one second remaining to lift Wolverines to 83-81 win against Illinois in 1989 national semifinal.
Jeff Hodge South Alabama Desperation three-pointer off broken play in waning moments gave USA an 86-84 victory against Alabama in opening round of 1989 Southeast Regional.
Shaheen Holloway Seton Hall Mercurial point guard drove length of the court through and around a double-team to score on a scoop shot high off the glass from middle of lane with 1.9 seconds remaining in overtime to frustrate Oregon, 72-71, in first round of 2000 East Regional.
Jeff Hornacek Iowa State Fall-away 25-footer from left side off an out-of-bounds pass with two seconds remaining in overtime gave the Cyclones their first NCAA playoff victory in 42 years - 81-79 against Miami (Ohio) in opening round of 1986 Midwest Regional.
Matt Howard Butler Rebound basket from left side of rim as buzzer sounded gave defending national runner-up a 60-58 victory against Old Dominion in 2011 Southeast Regional first round.
Trevon Hughes Wisconsin Twisting layup down middle of lane turned into conventional three-point play with two seconds remaining in overtime to boost Badgers to 61-59 win against Florida State in 2009 East Regional first round.
Charles Hunter Oklahoma City Basket in closing seconds catapulted Abe Lemons-coached Chiefs to 70-68 nod over Colorado State in 1965 West Regional first round.
R.J. Hunter Georgia State Son knocked his excited father/coach (Ron Hunter) off stool along sideline with long straight-on three pointer with 2.6 seconds remaining to give Panthers a 57-56 success against #3 seed Baylor in first round of 2015 Midwest Regional.
Donte Ingram Loyola of Chicago Straight-on three-pointer from well beyond arc propelled Ramblers to 64-62 success against Miami (Fla.) in 2018 South Regional first round.
De'Jon Jackson San Diego Fade-away 18-footer from right side with 1.2 seconds remaining in overtime for #13 seed accounted for 70-69 decision over UConn in 2008 West Regional.
Marius Janulis Syracuse Lithuanian sank a three-pointer with 1.2 seconds remaining - his second trey in final minute - to lift the Orangemen to a 63-61 win against Iona in first round of 1998 South Regional.
Kris Jenkins Villanova On the heels of miracle off-balance three-pointer by North Carolina's Marcus Paige tying the score at 74-74 with fewer than five seconds remaining, Jenkins responded by drilling a game-winning trey from right side following clever hand-off by Nova's playmaker in 2016 title tilt.
Paul Jesperson Northern Iowa Half-court bank shot after several dribbles crossing from right sideline to middle of hardwood propelled #11 seed to a 75-72 nod over Texas in opening round of 2016 West Regional.
Kannard Johnson Western Kentucky After having his FGA rejected out of bounds with three seconds remaining, Johnson cut in front of defender on ensuing in-bounds play under WKU's basket to receive pass and made twisting shot to lift Hilltoppers to 64-62 win against West Virginia in 1987 East Regional first round.
Mike Jones Wichita State Two long-range baskets from left side in last 50 seconds - second jumper with three ticks remaining - sent Shockers to 66-65 decision over Kansas in 1981 Midwest Regional semifinal in first game between the schools in 36 years.
Stan Joplin Toledo Nailed straight-on, top-of-the-key jumper just before final buzzer to propel Rockets to 74-72 win against Iowa in 1979 Mideast Regional second round.
Kevin Joyce South Carolina A 20-foot-plus jumper in waning moments gave Gamecocks their first-ever NCAA tourney triumph (53-51 over Temple in 1972 East Regional first round).
DeAndre Kane Iowa State Layup high off backboard with less than two seconds remaining after driving down middle of lane lifted Cyclones to 85-83 victory against North Carolina in second round of 2014 East Regional.
Trey Kaufman-Renn Purdue Muscling up via over-the-back tip-in with less than one second remaining boosted the Boilermakers to a 79-77 decision over Texas in 2026 West Regional semifinals.
Brian Kellerman Idaho His 15-foot jumper bounced couple of times on rim before going through basket in closing seconds of overtime to give Vandals a 69-67 triumph against Iowa in 1982 West Regional second round.
Jason Kidd California Twisting layup from right side with one second remaining following drive down lane enabled the Bears to edge Louisiana State, 66-64, in first round of 1993 Midwest Regional.
Jimmy King Michigan Offensive rebound put-back basket with 1.5 seconds remaining after off-balance miss by teammate Jalen Rose enabled the Wolverines to complete rally from 19-point, first-half deficit and give them an 86-84 overtime success against UCLA in 1993 West Regional second round.
Brandon Knight Kentucky Held scoreless for more than 39 minutes, Knight supplied scoop layup with two seconds remaining after driving down right side of lane to catapult Wildcats to 59-57 decision over Princeton in 2011 East Regional first round.
Toby Knight Notre Dame Tip-in with two seconds remaining after Cincinnati failed to inbound the ball and was called for a five-second violation six seconds earlier lifted Irish to a 79-78 victory in 1976 Midwest Regional first round.
Amaar Knox Alabama State Retrieving a deflected length-of-the-court pass underneath the basket, Knox converted a short field goal with one second remaining in 70-68 win against Saint Francis PA in 2025 First Four.
Bronson Koenig Wisconsin Swished three-pointer from right corner off sideline out-of-bounds play in 66-63 triumph against #2 seed Xavier in second round of 2016 East Regional. His decisive basket left him 16-of-31 from beyond the arc in last five minutes of games during the season.
Chris Kramer Purdue Drive past one defender down left side of lane and right-handed layup with 4.2 seconds remaining over another defender taller than him boosted Boilermakers past Texas A&M, 63-61, in overtime in second round of 2010 South Regional.
Christian Laettner (1) Duke After in-bounding ball with 2.6 seconds remaining in overtime, he received it back and converted contorted leaner from left side for 79-78 win against UConn in 1990 East Regional final.
Christian Laettner (2) Duke In perhaps most memorable shot in NCAA playoff history, he received pass from opposite baseline from Grant Hill and sank turnaround jumper near top of the key for 104-103 overtime victory against Kentucky in 1992 East Regional final.
Rolando Lamb Virginia Commonwealth Contested free-throw line jumper at buzzer propelled Rams to 70-69 win against Jim Calhoun-coached Northeastern in first round of 1984 East Regional.
Jim Lee Syracuse Mid-range jumper from left wing with five seconds remaining put Orangemen ahead in 78-76 win against North Carolina in 1975 East Regional semifinal.
Gabe Lewullis Princeton Layup from the right side of basket off a back-door cut with less than four seconds remaining proved decisive for #13 seed in 43-41 triumph against defending NCAA champion UCLA in first round of 1996 Southeast Regional.
Chris Lofton Tennessee Jumper from right corner after receiving sideline in-bounds pass for #2 seed in 63-61 win against upstart Winthrop in first round of 2006 Washington/East Regional.
Brook Lopez Stanford Dropped in twisting right-baseline leaner with 1.3 seconds remaining to outlast Marquette in overtime, 82-81, in second round of 2008 South Regional.
Korie Lucious Michigan State Straight-on three-pointer from top of key at buzzer in 85-83 decision over Maryland in second round of 2010 Midwest Regional.
Tramon Mark Texas Lefthander sank an 18-foot jumper from right wing with 1.1 seconds remaining to give the Longhorns a 68-66 success against North Carolina State in 2026 First Four.
Luke Maye North Carolina Jumper from left side just inside three-point arc with 0.3 seconds remaining was the difference in 75-73 win against Kentucky in 2017 South Regional final.
Eric Maynor Virginia Commonwealth Swished jumper off dribble move from just beyond middle of free-throw line with 1.8 seconds left for 79-77 upset win against Duke in 2007 West Regional opener.
Ken McCally Navy After two-minute freeze, reserve supplied his only points of the game - making 18-foot one-handed basket with three seconds remaining - to give Midshipmen a 69-67 win against Cornell in 1954 East Regional semifinals.
Scooter McCray Louisville After withstanding Arkansas' 16-0 first-half run, second of back-to-back tip-in attempts went in as time expired to provide the difference in a 65-63 result in 1983 Mideast Regional semifinal.
Paris McCurdy Ball State Made conventional three-point play at buzzer after receiving in-bounds pass from under his own basket to boost Cardinals to 54-53 win against Gary Payton Sr.-led Oregon State in 1990 West Regional first round.
Lance Miller Villanova Isolated with score tied before sinking floater in lane in last second to give Nova a 50-48 verdict over Princeton in 1991 East Regional first round.
Mike Miller Florida Fall-down short shot driving left side of lane in overtime gave eventual national runner-up a 69-68 nod over Butler in first round of 2000 East Regional.
Guy Minnifield Morehead State Two-time All-OVC selection recovered his loose ball to hit a jumper from the middle of the lane with four seconds remaining for his lone basket of the game, lifting Eagles to 70-69 success against North Carolina A&T in 1984 preliminary round.
Darrel Mitchell Louisiana State Long three-pointer with 3.9 seconds remaining enabled the Tigers to top Texas A&M, 58-57, in second round of 2006 South/Atlanta Regional.
Ronald Moore Siena Connecting from identical spot where he made three-pointer at end of first overtime, another trey with fewer than four seconds left in second OT sent the Saints past Ohio State, 74-72, in first round of 2009 Midwest Regional.
Rick Mount Purdue Mid-range jumper from the right side with one tick remaining in overtime boosted Boilermakers to 75-73 success against Marquette in 1969 Mideast Regional final.
Dan Muller Illinois State Future head coach for his alma mater positioned himself on right side of rim to receive pass from teammate for easy lay-in in overtime to elevate Redbirds to 82-81 success against Tennessee in 1998 West Regional first round.
Braylon Mullins Connecticut Swished logo three-pointer with 0.4 seconds remaining following a steal to climax rally from 19-point deficit late in the first half and give the Huskies a 73-72 triumph over #1 seed Duke in 2026 East Regional final. UConn made only one of first 18 three-point attempts - including four misfires by Mullins - prior to sinking four of their last five treys.
Maurice Newby Northern Iowa Three-point basket from left side with two seconds remaining in 74-71 triumph against #3 seed Missouri in first round of 1990 Southeast Regional.
Drew Nicholas Maryland Dribbled much of length of court before firing three-pointer from right side to nip UNC Wilmington, 75-73, in first round of 2003 South Regional.
Freddie Owens Wisconsin Lefthander's three-pointer from left corner capped comeback from 13-point deficit in a 61-60 success against Tulsa in second round of 2003 Midwest Regional.
Kenton Paulino Texas Three-pointer from left side propelled #2 seed to a 74-71 victory against West Virginia in Sweet 16 of 2006 Atlanta/South Regional.
JP Pegues Furman Three-pointer with 2.4 seconds remaining lifted Paladins to a 68-67 win over Virginia in opening round of 2024 East Regional.
Ron Pflueger Notre Dame Tip-in with 1.5 seconds remaining climaxed a 76-75 come-from-behind victory against upstart Stephen F. Austin in second round of 2016 East Regional.
Quincy Pondexter Washington Driving short bank shot from left side with 1.7 seconds remaining in an 80-78 win against Marquette in opening round of 2010 East Regional.
Jordan Poole Michigan Spread-eagle trey from well beyond the arc on right side gave Wolverines a 64-63 triumph over Houston in 2018 West Regional second round.
Ken Pryor Oklahoma Backup's only basket in 1947 tourney, a two-handed banked set shot from left wing in closing seconds, gave OU a 55-54 success against Texas in national semifinals.
Derik Queen Maryland Freshman sensation drove down left side of lane after receiving ball at top of the key and hit a fadeaway bank shot at the buzzer as he approached baseline in 72-71 verdict over Colorado State in second round of 2025 West Regional.
U.S. Reed Arkansas In aftermath of clutch field goal by Louisville's Derek Smith, a criss-crossing drive down right side resulted in mid-court heave giving Hogs a 74-73 win in second round of 1981 Midwest Regional.
Don Reid Georgetown Grabbed Allen Iverson's three-pointer falling short of rim and flipped ball back over his head for basket in 53-51 victory against Weber State in second round of 1995 Southeast Regional.
Scottie Reynolds Villanova Length-of-court drive and successful short jumper in middle of lane against #1 seed Pittsburgh for 78-76 triumph in 2009 East Regional final.
Cameron Ridley Texas Lefthanded basket at buzzer off rebound of missed shot lifted Longhorns to 87-85 triumph against Arizona State in first round of 2014 Midwest Regional.
Ty Rogers Western Kentucky Desperation 30-foot three-pointer from right side in overtime against Drake lifted WKU to 101-99 first-round victory in 2008 West Regional.
Vic Rouse Loyola of Chicago Junior forward jumped high to redirect center Les Hunter's shot from free-throw line into the basket to climax Ramblers' first year in playoffs with 60-58 overtime success against Cincinnati in 1963 championship game.
Tyrone Sally West Virginia After blocking a three-point attempt, Sally raced downcourt for decisive dunk with fewer than three seconds remaining to propel Mountaineers to a 63-61 verdict over Creighton in first round of 2005 Albuquerque/West Regional.
Vee Sanford Dayton Flyers edged Ohio State, 60-59, in first round of 2014 South Regional when Sanford banked in short runner down right side of lane with 3.8 seconds remaining.
Charlie Scott North Carolina Basket at the buzzer from the Tar Heels' first African-American player beat Lefty Driesell-coached Davidson, 87-85, in 1969 East Regional final.
KJ Simpson Colorado Guard sank a right baseline jumper off the dribble with 1.7 seconds remaining after receiving sideline in-bounds pass and using his left arm to help create space to boost the Buffaloes to a 102-100 victory against Florida in 2024 South Regional First Round.
Keith Smart Indiana Junior college recruit, IU's fifth-leading scorer, tallied 12 of the Hoosiers' final 15 points, including 15-foot jumper from left baseline to give them a 74-73 victory against Syracuse in 1987 championship game.
Charles Smith Georgetown Banked in three-pointer with two seconds remaining as Hoyas leveled Louisiana State, 66-63, in 1988 East Regional first round.
Ishmael Smith Wake Forest Jumper from right side with less than two seconds remaining capped comeback from eight-point deficit in overtime in an 81-80 win against Texas in opening round of 2010 East Regional.
John Smith Saint Joseph's Converted layup after adroit pass from teammate in right corner with three seconds remaining in 49-48 decision over top-ranked DePaul in second round of 1981 Mideast Regional.
Steve Smith Michigan State Three-pointer near top of the key with one tick remaining beat Wisconsin-Green Bay, 61-58, in 1991 West Regional opener.
Dave Sorenson Ohio State Banked in shot with three seconds remaining to give OSU an 82-81 victory against Kentucky in 1968 Mideast Regional final at Lexington, Ky., where fifth-ranked UK failed to lose all season.
Terence Stansbury Temple Swished 25-footer for 65-63 win against St. John's in first round of 1984 East Regional after All-American Chris Mullin, a 91% free-throw shooter, missed the front end of a one-and-one opportunity.
Salim Stoudamire Arizona Lefthander hit off-balance jumper from left side with less than three seconds remaining to nip Oklahoma State, 79-78, in 2005 Chicago/Midwest Regional semifinals.
Jalen Suggs Gonzaga Freshman banked in three-pointer on run after crossing mid-court at end of first overtime to give Zags a 93-90 win over UCLA in 2021 national semifinal.
Robert Tatum Ohio University Freshman picked up a loose ball at left corner of free-throw line before nailing fade-away, double-clutch shot for 51-49 triumph against Illinois State in first round of 1983 Mideast Regional.
Terrell Taylor Creighton His eighth three-pointer of game (following move after receiving out-of-bounds pass from left sideline) gave Bluejays an 83-82 double-overtime win against Florida in first round of 2002 Midwest Regional.
Tom Thacker Cincinnati Not known as long-range shooter, Thacker connected from beyond 20 feet - his only field goal of game - with three seconds remaining to boost Bearcats to 72-70 success against UCLA in 1962 national semifinal.
Danero Thomas Murray State Fall-away jumper from right side just inside three-point arc for #13 seed secured a 66-65 verdict over Vanderbilt in 2010 West Regional.
Wayman Tisdale Oklahoma Lefthander's turnaround jumper from eight feet out along the left baseline bounced multiple times on rim before falling through with :02 remaining in overtime to give Sooners an 86-84 win against Karl Malone-led Louisiana Tech in 1985 Midwest Regional semifinals.
Andre Turner Memphis State "Little General" contributed back-to-back free-throw high, game-winning jumpers in Midwest Regional (67-66 vs. UAB with five seconds left in overtime and shot at buzzer in 59-57 success vs. Boston College) to carry Tigers to 1985 Final Four.
Milos Uzan Houston In a perfectly-executed inbounds play, Uzan was the inbounds passers under his basket with 2.8 seconds remaining and hit teammate Joseph Tugler with a direct pass before cutting to hoop, receiving a bounce pass back from Tugler and laying in field goal with 0.9 seconds on clock for 62-60 nod over Purdue in 2025 Midwest Regional semifinals.
David Vaughn III Memphis State Put-back field goal from right baseline with 1.1 seconds remaining after teammate's missed mid-range jumper from other side of court propelled Tigers to 75-73 victory against Purdue in second round of 1995 Midwest Regional.
Jermaine Wallace Northwestern State Step-back three-pointer from left corner after retrieving long rebound catapulted Demons to triumph over #3 seed Iowa, 64-63, in first round of 2006 Atlanta/South Regional.
John Wallace Syracuse Lean-in three-pointer with less than three seconds remaining in overtime produced 83-81 win against Georgia in 1996 West Regional semifinals.
Richard Washington UCLA Short jumper from right baseline in closing seconds of overtime boosted the Bruins to 75-74 win over Louisville in 1975 national semifinals in coach John Wooden's swan song.
Tremont Waters Louisiana State Scoop layup driving down right side of lane in traffic with 1.6 seconds remaining gave the Tigers a 69-67 success against Maryland in second round of 2019 East Regional.
Jarrod West West Virginia Banked in long three-pointer with less than one second remaining for a 75-74 victory against #2 seed Cincinnati in second round of 1998 West Regional. UC had just made a trey seconds earlier.
Jerome Whitehead Marquette Received length-of-the-court baseball pass from Butch Lee in middle of the lane, took one dribble and banked in short buzzer beater to provide the difference in 51-49 triumph against UNC Charlotte in 1977 national semifinal.
Herb Wilkinson Utah Freshman swingman connected from beyond head of the key with three seconds remaining to give Utes a 42-40 overtime win against Dartmouth in 1944 championship game.
Anthony Wilson Louisiana State Retrieving ball following wild scramble for rebound, Wilson banked in prayer from right side of lane as horn sounded to lift Bayou Bengals to 83-81 homecourt triumph against Memphis State in 1986 Southeast Regional second round.
Adam Woodbury Iowa Redirected teammate's air-ball attempt from right baseline into basket as time expired to give the Hawkeyes a 72-70 success against Temple in 2016 South Regional first round.
Danny Young Wake Forest Drove to hoop for basket and 73-71 triumph in overtime against #1 seed DePaul in 1984 Midwest Regional semifinals, spoiling legendary coach Ray Meyer's swan song.

Juco Jewels: Lendeborg Among Premier Juco Recruits Appearing at Final Four

March 30th, 2026 - 8:49

Michigan's Yaxel Lendeborg (Arizona Western) is close to joining luminary list of former juco recruits who became NCAA DI All-Americans and led a Final Four participant in rebounding included St. John's Walter Berry (1985), Utah's Jerry Chambers (1966), UNLV's Armon Gilliam (1987), Jacksonville's Artis Gilmore (1970), Oklahoma's Harvey Grant (1988), UNLV's Larry Johnson (1990 and 1991), Memphis State's Larry Kenon (1973), North Carolina's Bob McAdoo (1972) and Kansas State's Willie Murrell (1964).

Junior college products have made a significant difference for NCAA Tournament titlists. Keith Erickson (El Camino CA), Jack Hirsch (Los Angeles Valley CA), Larry Hollyfield (Compton CA), Terry Schofield (Santa Monica CA), John Vallely (Orange Coast CA) and Sidney Wicks (Santa Monica CA) were instrumental in helping UCLA win seven of its NCAA championships (1964-65-69-70-71-72-73) and mighty mite Bobby Joe Hill (Burlington IA) was the spark-plug for Texas Western when the Miners captured the 1966 title. Wicks is the only individual to become a member of three NCAA champions after playing in junior college.

Garden City (Kan.) and Vincennes (Ind.) have each had more than six alums participate in the NCAA DI tourney national semifinals. But as DI academic exemptions become pervasive, the impact of juco recruits has decreased. Following is an alphabetical list of key Final Four team regulars previously playing for a junior college:

J.C. Recruit Pos. Final Four Team(s) Junior College(s)
George Ackles C UNLV '91 Garden City (Kan.)
Tony Allen G Oklahoma State '04 Wabash Valley (Ill.)
Malcolm Armstead G Wichita State '13 Chipola (Fla.)
Rex Bailey G Western Kentucky '71 Vincennes (Ind.)
Chad Baker-Mazara G Auburn '25 Northwest Florida State
Jarvis Basnight F UNLV '87 Mount San Antonio (Calif.)
Warren Baxter G San Francisco '55 & '56 San Francisco City
Corey Beck G Arkansas '94 & '95 South Plains (Tex.)
Walter Berry F St. John's '85 San Jacinto (Tex.)
Kavell Bigby-Williams F-C Oregon '17 Gillette (Wyo.)
Daron "Mookie" Blaylock G Oklahoma '88 Midland (Tex.)
Corie Blount C Cincinnati '92 Rancho Santiago (Calif.)
Carl Boldt F San Francisco '56 Glendale (Calif.)
Kenny Booker F-G UCLA '70 & '71 Long Beach (Calif.)
Roy Boone G Wisconsin '00 Coffeyville (Kan.)
Ron Brewer G Arkansas '78 Westark (Ark.)
Karl Brown G Georgia Tech '90 Chipola (Fla.)
Terry Brown G Kansas '91 Erie (Pa.) & Northeastern Oklahoma A&M
Pembrook Burrows III F Jacksonville '70 Brevard (Fla.)
David Butler C UNLV '90 San Jacinto (Tex.)
Chet Carr F Southern California '54 Vallejo (Calif.)
Jerry Chambers F-C Utah '66 Trinidad (Colo.)
Jason Cipolla G Syracuse '96 Tallahassee (Fla.)
DeShawn Corprew F Texas Tech '19 South Plains (Tex.)
William "Bo" Crain F Utah '61 Weber State (Utah)
Charlie Criss G New Mexico State '70 New Mexico J.C.
Eric Curry C-F Indiana State '79 Wabash Valley (Ill.)
Howie Dallmar G Stanford '42 Menlo (Calif.)
Bennett Davison F Arizona '97 West Valley (Calif.)
Art Day C San Francisco '57 Hannibal-LaGrange (Mo.)
Jason Detrick G Oklahoma '02 Southwest Missouri State-West Plains
Mohamed Diarra F-C North Carolina State '24 Garden City (Kan.)
Alex Dillard G Arkansas '94 & '95 Southern Union (Ala.)
Don Draper G Drake '69 Coffeyville (Kan.)
Al Dunbar G San Francisco '57 Hannibal-LaGrange (Mo.)
Malik Dunbar G-F Auburn '19 College of Central Florida
Jerry Dunn F Western Kentucky '71 Vincennes (Ind.)
Cleanthony Early F Wichita State '13 Sullivan County (N.Y.)
Ebi Ere G Oklahoma '02 Barton County (Kan.)
Denny Fitzpatrick G California '59 Orange Coast (Calif.)
Jerry Frizzell F Seattle '58 Grays Harbor (Wash.)
Isaiah Gaines F Florida Atlantic '23 Northwest Mississippi
Dean Garrett C Indiana '87 City College of San Francisco
Alex Gilbert C Indiana State '79 Coffeyville (Kan.)
Armon Gilliam F-C UNLV '87 Independence (Kan.)
Artis Gilmore C Jacksonville '70 Gardner-Webb (N.C.)
Ricky Grace G Oklahoma '88 Midland (Tex.)
Harvey Grant F Oklahoma '88 Independence (Kan.)
Jeff Graves F-C Kansas '03 Iowa Western
Hassani Gravett G South Carolina '17 Pensacola State (Fla.)
Evric Gray F UNLV '91 Riverside (Calif.)
Rickey Green G Michigan '76 Vincennes (Ind.)
Carl Hall F Wichita State '13 Middle Georgia & Northwest Florida State
Arnette Hallman F Purdue '80 Joliet (Ill.)
Dick Hammer G Southern California '54 Fullerton (Calif.)
Darrin Hancock F Kansas '93 Garden City (Kan.)
Josh Harrellson C Kentucky '11 Southwestern Illinois
Bobby Joe Hill G Texas Western '66 Burlington (Iowa)
Larry Hollyfield G-F UCLA '72 & '73 Compton (Calif.)
Lenzie Howell F Arkansas '90 San Jacinto (Tex.)
Othello Hunter F Ohio State '07 Hillsborough (Fla.)
Roy Irvin C Southern California '54 Fullerton (Calif.)
Aundre Jackson F Loyola of Chicago '18 McLennan (Tex.)
Bobby Jackson G Minnesota '97 Western Nebraska
Alonzo Jamison F Kansas '91 Rancho Santiago (Calif.)
David Johanning C Kansas '91 Hutchinson (Kan.)
Larry Johnson F UNLV '90 & '91 Odessa (Tex.)
Denver Jones G Auburn '25 Garden City (Kan.)
Dontae' Jones F Mississippi State '96 Northeast Mississippi
Herb Jones F Cincinnati '92 Butler County (Kan.)
John Keller F-G Kansas '52 Garden City (Kan.)
Larry Kenon F Memphis State '73 Amarillo (Tex.)
Weldon Kern F Oklahoma A&M '45 & '46 Cameron (Okla.)
Dwayne Koroma F Connecticut '26 Salt Lake UT
Charlie Koon G Washington '53 Olympic (Wash.)
Don Kruse C Houston '67 Kilgore (Tex.)
Yaxel Lendeborg F Michigan '26 Arizona Western
Vern Lewis G Houston '67 & '68 Tyler (Tex.)
Chadrack Lufile F Wichita State '13 Chipola (Fla.), Vincennes (Ind.) & Coffeyville (Kan.)
Akolda Manyang C Oklahoma '16 Indian Hills (Iowa)
Archie Marshall F Kansas '86 Seminole (Okla.)
Erik Martin F Cincinnati '92 Rancho Santiago (Calif.)
Bob McAdoo C North Carolina '72 Vincennes (Ind.)
Bill McClintock F California '59 & '60 Monterey Peninsula (Calif.)
J'Von McCormick G Auburn '19 Lee (Tex.)
Aaron McGhee F-C Oklahoma '02 Vincennes (Ind.)
Johnny McNeil C Georgia Tech '90 Chowan (N.C.)
Lincoln Minor G Kansas '88 Midland (Tex.)
Wat Misaka G Utah '44 Weber (Utah)
Casey Mitchell G West Virginia '10 Chipola (Fla.)
Larry Moffett C UNLV '77 Compton (Calif.)
Rex Morgan G Jacksonville '70 Lake Land (Ill.)
Roger Morningstar F Kansas '74 Olney (Ill.) Central
Willie Murrell F Kansas State '64 Eastern Oklahoma A&M
Dick Myers G Texas Western '66 Hutchinson (Kan.)
Swen Nater C UCLA '72 & '73 Cypress (Calif.)
Carl Nicks G Indiana State '79 Gulf Coast (Fla.)
Jim Nielsen F UCLA '67 & '68 Pierce (Calif.)
Charles Okwandu C Connecticut '11 Harcum (Pa.)
Ehimen Orukpe C Wichita State '13 Three Rivers (Mo.)
V.C. "Buck" Overall F Texas '43 Tyler (Tex.)
Andre Owens G Oklahoma State '95 Midland (Tex.)
Gerald Paddio F UNLV '87 Kilgore (Tex.) & Seminole (Okla.)
Hal Patterson F Kansas '53 Garden City (Kan.)
Bob Peters G Santa Clara '52 Santa Rosa (Calif.)
Mike Preaseau F San Francisco '56 & '57 Menlo (Calif.)
Nick Pringle F-C Alabama '24 Dodge City KS
Ryan Randle F-C Maryland '02 Allegany (Md.)
George Reese F Ohio State '99 Independence (Kan.)
George Reynolds G Houston '68 Imperial Valley (Calif.)
Morris "Moe" Rivers G North Carolina State '74 Gulf Coast (Fla.)
Dave Rose G Houston '83 Dixie State (Utah)
Lynden Rose G Houston '82 North Harris County (Tex.)
Terrell Ross G Texas '03 Allegany (Md.)
Randy Rutherford G Oklahoma State '95 Bacone (Okla.)
Greg Samuel G Florida State '72 Broward (Fla.)
Terry Schofield G UCLA '69, '70 & '71 Santa Monica (Calif.)
Moses Scurry F UNLV '90 San Jacinto (Tex.)
Daryan Selvy F Oklahoma '02 Carl Albert (Okla.)
Tony Skinn G George Mason '06 Blinn (Tex.)
Keith Smart G Indiana '87 Garden City (Kan.)
Odie Smith G Kentucky '58 Northeast Mississippi
Robert Smith G UNLV '77 Arizona Western
Sam Smith F UNLV '77 Seminole (Okla.)
Ray Snyder F Oregon State '49 Marin (Calif.)
Phil Spence F North Carolina State '74 Vincennes (Ind.)
Elmore Spencer C UNLV '91 Connors (Okla.) State
Leroy Staley F Indiana State '79 Florida J.C.
Dwight Stewart C Arkansas '94 & '95 South Plains (Tex.)
Jozsef Szendrei C Oklahoma '02 Northeastern (Colo.)
Rich Tate G Utah '66 Trinidad (Colo.)
Ron Thomas F Louisville '72 Henderson County (Tex.)
Tom Tolbert F Arizona '88 Cerritos (Calif.)
Nick Van Exel G Cincinnati '92 Trinity Valley (Tex.)
Eloy Vargas C Kentucky '11 & '12 Miami-Dade (Fla.)
Toby Veal F Virginia Commonwealth '11 Northwest Florida State
Mark Wade G UNLV '87 El Camino (Calif.)
Mohamed Wague F-C Alabama '24 Harcum (Pa.)
Dinjiyl Walker G Oklahoma '16 Iowa Western
Russell Walters F Mississippi State '96 Jones County (Miss.)
Lloyd Walton G Marquette '74 Moberly (Mo.)
Brandon Weatherspoon G Florida Atlantic '23 Holmes (Miss.)
Janavor Weatherspoon G Oklahoma State '04 Odessa (Tex.)
William "Wes" Westfall F Memphis State '73 Trinidad (Colo.)
Quannas White G Oklahoma '02 Midland (Tex.)
Jerome Whitehead C Marquette '77 Riverside (Calif.) City
Nick Wiggins G Wichita State '13 Vincennes (Ind.) & Wabash Valley (Ill.)
Andre Wiley F Oklahoma '88 Compton (Calif.)
David Willard C UNLV '87 Laredo (Tex.)
Willie Wise F Drake '69 San Francisco City
Gary Zeller G Drake '69 Long Beach (Calif.)

Star Light: Each Final 4 Team Lost Undergrad as 1st-Round Pick in NBA Draft

March 30th, 2026 - 8:36

For the first time, all of the 2026 Final Four teams weren't deterred after losing at least one undergraduate to the previous NBA draft as a first-round pick. For the 16th straight tourney, at least one team reached the Final Four after losing at least one vital player who could have still been eligible if not defecting the previous year to make himself available for the NBA draft or turn pro overseas.

Among schools losing a prominent undergraduate early, UConn several years ago (after losing guard James Bouknight) joined Kentucky '98) (Ron Mercer), Duke '10 (Gerald Henderson) and UK '12 (Brandon Knight) as the only teams still capturing a crown sans such a standout early departure. In a once-in-a-lifetime achievement, UK returned to the national semifinals in 2011 after losing five undergraduates who became NBA first-round draft choices.

The Final Four has had at least one team arrive after losing a prominent undergraduate to the NBA draft 27 times in the last 24 tourneys. Following is a list of the 49 squads unfazed by the early loss of key player(s) who left college the previous year with eligibility still remaining:

Final Four Team Prominent Undergraduate Defection in Previous Year
Marquette '74 Larry McNeill, F (25th pick overall in 1973 NBA draft)
Louisiana State '81 DeWayne Scales, F (36th pick in 1980 draft)
Georgia '83 Dominique Wilkins, F (3rd pick in 1982 draft)
Houston '83 Rob Williams, G (19th pick in 1982 draft)
Houston '84 Clyde Drexler, G-F (14th pick in 1983 draft)
Louisiana State '86 Jerry "Ice" Reynolds, G-F (22nd pick in 1985 draft)
Syracuse '87 Pearl Washington, G (13th pick in 1986 draft)
Kentucky '97 Antoine Walker, F-G (6th pick in 1996 draft)
North Carolina '97 Jeff McInnis, G (37th pick in 1996 draft)
Kentucky '98 Ron Mercer, G-F (6th pick in 1997 draft)
Indiana '02 Kirk Haston, F (16th pick in 2001 draft)
Kansas '03 Drew Gooden, F (4th pick in 2002 draft)
Georgia Tech '04 Chris Bosh, F (4th pick in 2003 draft)
Louisiana State '06 Brandon Bass, F (33rd pick in 2005 draft)
UCLA '07 Jordan Farmar, G (26th pick in 2006 draft)
North Carolina '08 Brandan Wright, F (8th pick in 2007 draft)
Kansas '08 Julian Wright, F (13th pick in 2007 draft)
UCLA '08 Arron Afflalo, G (27th pick in 2007 draft)
Duke '10 Gerald Henderson, G (12th pick in 2009 draft)
Kentucky '11 John Wall, G (1st pick in 2010 draft)
Kentucky '11 DeMarcus Cousins, F (5th pick in 2010 draft)
Butler '11 Gordon Hayward, F (9th pick in 2010 draft)
Kentucky '11 Patrick Patterson, F (14th pick in 2010 draft)
Virginia Commonwealth '11 Larry Sanders, F (15th pick in 2010 draft)
Kentucky '11 Eric Bledsoe, G (18th pick in 2010 draft)
Kentucky '11 Daniel Orton, C-F (29th pick in 2010 draft)
Kentucky '12 Brandon Knight, G (8th pick in 2011 draft)
Kansas '12 Markieff Morris, F (13th pick in 2011 draft)
Kansas '12 Marcus Morris, F (14th pick in 2011 draft)
Kansas '12 Josh Selby, G (49th pick in 2011 draft)
Syracuse '13 Dion Waiters, G (4th pick in 2012 draft)
Syracuse '13 Fab Melo, C (22nd pick in 2012 draft)
Kentucky '14 Nerlens Noel, C (6th pick in 2013 draft)
Kentucky '14 Archie Goodwin, G-F (29th pick in 2013 draft)
Michigan State '15 Gary Harris, G (19th pick in 2014 draft)
Duke '15 Rodney Hood, G-F (23rd pick in 2014 draft)
Duke '15 Jabari Parker, F (2nd pick in 2014 draft)
Kentucky '15 Julius Randle, F (7th pick in 2014 draft)
Kentucky '15 James Young, G (17th pick in 2014 draft)
North Carolina '16 J.P. Tokoto, F-G (58th pick in 2015 draft)
Syracuse '16 Chris McCullough, G (29th pick in 2015 draft)
Gonzaga '17 Domantas Sabonis, F-C (11th pick in 2016 draft)
Kansas '18 Josh Jackson, G-F (4th pick in 2017 draft)
Michigan '18 D.J. Wilson, F (17th pick in 2017 draft)
Michigan State '19 Miles Bridges, F (12th pick in 2018 draft)
Michigan State '19 Jaren Jackson, F (4th pick in 2018 draft)
Texas Tech '19 Zhaire Smith, F (16th pick in 2018 draft)
Gonzaga '21 Filip Petrusev, C (withdrew from draft and returned to native Serbia)
Houston '21 Nate Hinton, G-F (played in NBA G League after going undrafted)
Duke '22 Matthew Hurt, F (undrafted before playing in NBA G League until incurring season-ending injury)
Duke '22 Jalen Johnson, F (20th pick in 2021 draft)
Duke '22 D.J. Steward, G (undrafted before playing in G League for Sacramento Kings)
North Carolina '22 Day'Ron Sharpe, F (29th pick in 2021 draft)
Villanova '22 Jeremiah Robinson-Earl, F (32nd pick in 2021 draft)
Connecticut '23 James Bouknight, G (11th pick in 2021 draft)
Alabama '24 Noah Clowney, F (21st pick in 2023 draft)
Connecticut '24 Jordan Hawkins, G (14th pick in 2023 draft)
Connecticut '24 Andre Jackson, G (36th pick in 2023 draft)
Alabama '24 Brandon Miller, F (2nd pick in 2023 draft)
Duke '25 Kyle Filipowski, C (32nd pick in 2024 draft)
Florida '25 Alex Judge, F (undrafted in 2023 following sophomore season)
Duke '25 Jared McCain, G (16th pick in 2024 draft)
Arizona '26 Carter Bryant, F (14th pick in 2025 draft)
Connecticut '26 Liam McNeeley, F (29th pick in 2025 draft)
Illinois '26 Kasparas Jakucionis, G (20th pick in 2025 draft)
Illinois '26 Will Riley, F (21st pick in 2025 draft)
Michigan '26 Danny Wolf, F (27th pick in 2025 draft)

College Exam: #Day 16 Regarding One-&-Only NCAA Tourney Trivia Challenge

March 30th, 2026 - 8:14

Unless you're busy hoarding toilet paper to wipe butt of George Soros butt kisser/flunky Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg, listening to social scholar Charles Barkley about immigration rather than hoops, seeking translator to try to understand incoherent "visibility" of Plagiarist Biledumb or cowering in fetal position waiting for directive from deity Dr. Fraudci, it's your opportunity to start taking online tests for 23 quarantined days symbolic of normal time frame from Selection Sunday to Monday evening championship contest.

We need something to occupy our minds during quarantine from much of the invective-infected #MessMedia. Emphasizing a "one-and-only" theme for a "one-and-only" event, here is Day 16 of a treasure-trove of tantalizing NCAA Tournament trivia questions from CollegeHoopedia.com tracking the only coach, conference, player or school to be linked to a distinguished or dubious achievement (click here for answers or conduct research digesting historical morsels in CollegeHoopedia.com's year-by-year highlights):

1. Name the only school to have four players score more than 14,000 points in the pros after never participating in national postseason competition (NCAA playoffs and NIT). Hint: One member of the foursome left college early after just one season of eligibility when he averaged 30 points per game and another is the highest scorer in NBA history to never participate in NBA playoffs.

2. Name the only father-son combination to be on the rosters of two teams from the same school to win NCAA Tournament championships. Hint: Both of them were underclassmen when their teams captured NCAA titles.

3. Who is the only player never to appear in the NBA or ABA after averaging more than 20 points per game for a team reaching an NCAA Tournament final? Hint: A college teammate was member of the NBA championship team drafting him.

4. Who is the only undergraduate non-center to average more than 23 points per game for a national champion? Hint: He is the last player to score the most points in a single game of an NCAA Tournament and play for championship team.

5. Who is the only player to appear at a minimum of two Final Fours and be game-high scorer in every Final Four contest he played? Hint: His brother is an NFL Hall of Famer.

6. Who is the only coach to win an NBA championship after directing a college to the Final Four? Hint: His college squad was implicated in a game-fixing scandal.

7. Who is the only player to grab more than 41 rebounds at a single Final Four? Hint: He is the only player to retrieve more than 21 missed shots in a championship game and only player to score more than 20 points and grab more than 20 rebounds in back-to-back NCAA finals.

8. Who is the only Final Four Most Outstanding Player to later coach a school other than his alma mater to the playoffs? Hint: He coached for more than 20 years in the same conference against UCLA legend John Wooden. He is also the only Final Four Most Outstanding Player to complete his college playing career attending another university.

9. Who is the only junior college player to later be selected Final Four Most Outstanding Player? Hint: He won the award when Final Four was held in his home state and eventually became an NBA head coach.

10. Name the only school with a losing league record to defeat a conference rival by more than 20 points in a season the opponent wound up winning the national championship. Hint: The school with a losing league mark participated in NCAA playoffs the next season for first time since reaching Final Four more than 20 years earlier when a consensus first-team All-American became only player in school history to average more than 25 points in a season.

Answers (Day 16)
Day 15 Questions and Answers
Day 14 Questions and Answers
Day 13 Questions and Answers
Day 12 Questions and Answers
Day 11 Questions and Answers
Day 10 Questions and Answers
Day 9 Questions and Answers
Day 8 Questions and Answers
Day 7 Questions and Answers
Day 6 Questions and Answers
Day 5 Questions and Answers
Day 4 Questions and Answers
Day 3 Questions and Answers
Day 2 Questions and Answers
Day 1 Questions and Answers

Sizzling Scorers: Freshman Wagler Leads Final 4 Players in Scoring Average

March 29th, 2026 - 21:40

Illinois freshman All-American guard Keaton Wagler is the leading scorer at this season's Final Four with 17.9 ppg. Fellow frosh Cooper Flagg of Duke was the top such point producer entering last year's national semifinals. Flagg and Wagler are the first yearlings in this category since Syracuse's Carmelo Anthony in 2002-03.

Two years ago, Purdue's Zach Edey (25 ppg) had an opportunity to become the first player in more than 70 years to pace the country in scoring for an NCAA champion but the Boilermakers bowed in the championship contest against Connecticut. Edey and Oklahoma's Buddy Hield (25.4 ppg in 2016) are the only players to average at least 25 ppg for a Final Four participant since Georgia Tech's Dennis Scott (27.7 in 1989-90).

Hield came close to duplicating one of the most overlooked achievements in NCAA Tournament history. In 1951-52, Clyde Lovellette of champion Kansas became the only player to lead the nation in scoring average (28.4 ppg) while competing for a squad reaching the NCAA tourney title game. Final Four luminaries averaging more than 30 ppg include Elvin Hayes (36.8/Houston '68), Oscar Robertson (33.7/Cincinnati '60 and 32.6/Cincinnati '59), Rick Mount (33.3/Purdue '69), Elgin Baylor (32.5/Seattle '58), Bill Bradley (30.5/Princeton '65) and Len Chappell (30.1/Wake Forest '62).

Lovellette, an 11-year NBA center who passed away four years ago, served as sheriff of Vigo County in his native Indiana (noted for raid on Terre Haute brothels). Edey aspired to "raid" the Final Four by joining Lovellette as the only other player cracking the 30-point plateau in the national semifinals and championship contest in the same season (33 against both Santa Clara and St. John's).

Only two other Final Four players notched higher scoring averages than Edey, Hield and Scott since the playoff field expanded to at least 32 teams in 1975 - Larry Bird (28.6 ppg for Indiana State '79 and Glen Rice (25.6 for Michigan '89). Rice scored 59 points in two Final Four games. The highest F4 total since him was accrued by Arizona guard Miles Simon with 54 in 1997 until Edey supplied 57. Wagler joined the following list of individuals in the last 35 tourneys amassing the highest scoring average from a Final Four club since Scott's mark of 27.7 ppg in 1989-90:

Season Top Scorer Among Final Four Participants (Class) School Average Final Four's Two-Game Top Scorer
1989-90 Dennis Scott (Jr.) Georgia Tech 27.7 ppg Duke's Phil Henderson/UNLV's Anderson Hunt (49 points)
1990-91 Larry Johnson (Sr.) UNLV 22.7 ppg Duke's Christian Laettner (46 points)
1991-92 Christian Laettner (Sr.) Duke 21.5 ppg Duke's Bobby Hurley (35 points)
1992-93 Jamal Mashburn (Jr.) Kentucky 21.0 ppg Michigan's Chris Webber/ UNC's Donald Williams (50 points)
1993-94 Khalid Reeves (Sr.) Arizona 24.2 ppg Arkansas' Corliss Williamson (52 points)
1994-95 Bryant Reeves (Sr.) Oklahoma State 21.5 ppg UCLA's Ed O'Bannon (45 points)
1995-96 John Wallace (Sr.) Syracuse 22.2 ppg Wallace (50 points)
1996-97 Antawn Jamison (Soph.) North Carolina 19.1 ppg Arizona's Miles Simon (54 points)
1997-98 Antawn Jamison (Jr.) North Carolina 22.2 ppg Kentucky's Jeff Sheppard (43 points)
1998-99 Richard Hamilton (Jr.) Connecticut 21.5 ppg Hamilton (51 points)
1999-00 Morris Peterson (Sr.) Michigan State 16.8 ppg Peterson (41 points)
2000-01 Jay Williams (Soph.) Duke 21.6 ppg Duke's Shane Battier (43 points)
2001-02 Juan Dixon (Sr.) Maryland 20.4 ppg Dixon (51 points)
2002-03 Carmelo Anthony (Fr.) Syracuse 22.2 ppg Anthony (53 points)
2003-04 Ben Gordon (Jr.) Connecticut 18.5 ppg UConn's Emeka Okafor (42 points)
2004-05 Sean May (Jr.) North Carolina 17.5 ppg May (48 points)
2005-06 Glen Davis (Soph.) Louisiana State 18.6 ppg Florida's Lee Humphrey (34 points)
2006-07 Arron Affalo (Jr.) UCLA 16.9 ppg Ohio State's Greg Oden (38 points)
2007-08 Tyler Hansbrough (Jr.) North Carolina 22.6 ppg Memphis' Chris Douglas-Roberts (50 points)
2008-09 Tyler Hansbrough (Sr.) North Carolina 20.7 ppg UNC's Ty Lawson (43 points)
2009-10 Jon Scheyer (Sr.) Duke 18.2 ppg Duke's Kyle Singler (40 points)
2010-11 Kemba Walker (Jr.) Connecticut 23.5 ppg Butler's Shelvin Mack (37 points)
2011-12 Thomas Robinson (Jr.) Kansas 17.7 ppg Robinson (37 points)
2012-13 Russ Smith (Jr.) Louisville 18.7 ppg Louisville's Luke Hancock (42 points)
2013-14 Shabazz Napier (Sr.) Connecticut 18.0 ppg Kentucky's James Young (37 points)
2014-15 Frank Kaminsky (Sr.) Wisconsin 18.8 ppg Kaminsky (41 points)
2015-16 Buddy Hield (Sr.) Oklahoma 25.4 ppg Villanova's Josh Hart (35 points)
2016-17 Sindarius Thornwell (Sr.) South Carolina 21.6 ppg UNC's Justin Jackson/Gonzaga's Nigel Williams-Goss (38 points)
2017-18 Jalen Brunson (Jr.) Villanova 19.2 ppg Villanova's Donte DiVincenzo (46 points)
2018-19 Jarrett Culver (Soph.) Texas Tech 18.9 ppg Virginia's De'Andre Hunter (41 points)
2018-19 Cassius Winston (Jr.) Michigan State 18.9 ppg Virginia's De'Andre Hunter (41 points)
2020-21 Drew Timme (Soph.) Gonzaga 19 ppg Baylor's Jared Butler (39 points)
2021-22 Ochai Agbaji (Sr.) Kansas 18.9 ppg Kansas' David McCormack (40 points)
2022-23 Adama Sanogo (Jr.) Connecticut 17.1 ppg Sanogo (38 points)
2023-24 Zach Edey (Sr.) Purdue 25 ppg Edey (57 points)
2024-25 Cooper Flagg (Fr.) Duke 19 ppg Florida's Walter Clayton Jr. and Houston's LJ Cryer (45 points)
2025-26 Keaton Wagler (Fr.) Illinois 17.9 ppg TBD

Fresh Faces: NCAA Final Four is Virgin Territory For Lloyd and Underwood

March 29th, 2026 - 21:29

Arizona's Tommy Lloyd, in his fifth campaign with the Wildcats, is the sixth mentor in the last five years to reach the Final Four for the first time with fewer than seven years of head-coaching experience. They were a long way from matching Cliff Ellis (833) for most DI victories without appearing at national semifinals.

Three Final Four coaching newbies were at the Final Four two years ago for the second straight season. All four coaches two years ago could have been Final Four newcomers if Rodney Terry's Texas squad didn't squander a 10-point lead midway through the second half in regional final against Miami (Fla.). The last time all four coaches were F4 newbies was in 1959 (California's Pete Newell/West Virginia's Fred Schaus/Cincinnati's George Smith/Louisville's Peck Hickman).

Hubert Davis realized coaching nirvana as rookie head coach by reaching national semifinals in inaugural campaign four years ago similar to fellow North Carolina mentor Bill Guthridge in 1998. In the previous 60-plus years, the F4 college rookie class also includes Steve Fisher (Michigan interim in 1989), Larry Brown (UCLA in 1980), Bill Hodges (Indiana State in 1979) and Gary Thompson (Wichita in 1965). Kansas State's Jerome Tang could have joined group but the Wildcats were upset in 2023 regional final by Florida Atlantic.

Final Four debuts were a long time coming the previous decade for Dana Altman (Oregon), Mark Few (Gonzaga) and Big Ten Conference coaches John Beilein (Michigan) and Bo Ryan (Wisconsin). Since the start of the NCAA Tournament in 1939, no coach ever took longer in his four-year college career to reach the DI Final Four than Beilein (31 seasons; 21 at major-college level). Ryan (30) and Altman (28) joined five other coaches to take more than Matt Painter's 20 years at Purdue to achieve the milestone - Jim Calhoun (27), Dick Bennett (24), Gary Williams (23), Jim Larranaga (22 with George Mason) and Norm Sloan (22).

There was at least one fresh face among bench bosses at the national semifinals all but once (1993) in a 27-year span from 1985 through 2011. Connecticut's Kevin Ollie joined Indiana's Mike Davis and VCU's Shaka Smart as coaches only in their second campaign to steer squads to the Final Four in the 21st Century. Lloyd and Underwood joined the following list of coaches advancing to the Final Four for first time since legendary John Wooden's first F4 in 1962 in his 14th campaign at UCLA (in reverse order):

*Subsequently returned to the Final Four.

We Shall Return: Arizona & Illinois Reach Final 4 For First Time in > 20 Years

March 29th, 2026 - 16:43

Try, try again! History repeats itself but can take longer than anyone wants or expects. For instance, the hoop-obsessed triangle including Indiana, Kentucky and Louisville is absent from the NCAA Final Four 10 consecutive tournaments for the first time in history since UK was there in 2015. Nonetheless, it isn't anywhere close to a source of tourney frustration for Iowa State, which was seeking to end an 82-year drought since last Final Four appearance. Among this year's participants, Arizona (2001) and Illinois (2005) are returning for the first time in more than 20 seasons since early this century.

Five seasons ago, Baylor participated in the Final Four for the first time since 1950. The Bears' 71-year absence between national semifinal appearances is exceeded only by Oregon (78). Illinois is among the following 15 institutions going more than 35 years before returning to the Promised Land at some point in their history:

Final Four School Famine Years Coaches Between Final Fours NCAA Tournament Appearances During Lapse
Oregon 78 Howard Hobson (1939) to Dana Altman (2017) 13: 1945-60-61-95-00-02-03-07-08-13-14-15-16
Baylor 71 Bill Henderson (1950) to Scott Drew (2021) nine: 1988-08-10-12-14-15-16-17-19
Wisconsin 59 Bud Foster (1941) to Dick Bennett (2000) four: 1947-94-97-99
Stanford 56 Everett Dean (1942) to Mike Montgomery (1998) five: 1989-92-95-96-97
Texas 56 Jack Gray (1947) to Rick Barnes (2003) 17: 1960-63-72-74-79-89-90-91-92-94-95-96-97-99-00-01-02
Loyola of Chicago 54 George Ireland (1964) to Porter Moser (2017) four: 1964-66-68-85
Wichita State 48 Gary Thompson (1965) to Gregg Marshall (2013) seven: 1976-81-85-87-88-06-12
Oklahoma State 44 Hank Iba (1951) to Eddie Sutton (1995) nine: 1953-54-58-65-83-91-92-93-94
Purdue 43 Lee Rose (1980) to Matt Painter (2024) 31: 1983-84-85-86-87-88-90-91-93-94-95-96-97-98-99 and 2000-03-07-08-09-10-11-12-15-16-17-18-19-21-22-23
Oklahoma 41 Bruce Drake (1947) to Billy Tubbs (1988) six: 1979-83-84-85-86-87
North Carolina State 40 Jim Valvano (1983) to Kevin Keatts (2024) 17: 1985-86-87-88-89-91 and 2002-03-04-05-06-12-13-14-15-18-23
Georgetown 39 Elmer Ripley (1943) to John Thompson Jr. (1982) five: 1975-76-79-80-81
Houston 37 Guy Lewis (1984) to Kelvin Sampson (2021) six: 1987-90-92-10-18-19
Illinois 37 Harry Combes (1952) to Lou Henson (1989) eight: 1963-81-83-84-85-86-87-88
DePaul 36 Ray Meyer (1943) to Ray Meyer (1979) seven: 1953-56-59-60-65-76-78

State Delegates: NJ Has Nearly As Many Out-of-State A-As as Tourney Wins

March 29th, 2026 - 12:35

If you are qualified and gotten more interested these days in the vanguard of state-by-state All-American blackboard information than bored by which state petty politicians are lying in, then campaign with the following strategic delegate knowledge: Michigan's Yaxel Lendeborg, who commenced his high school career in New Jersey, is the 43rd product from the state to become an All-American named by AP, NABC and USBWA for an out-of-state university. Incredibly, that's almost as many as the total number of all-time NCAA Tournament victories assembled by NJ universities (44).

Jersey is among six states accounting for more than 40 different A-As beyond their borders. The leaders are: New York (97), Illinois (67), Pennsylvania (52), Indiana (44), California (43), New Jersey (43), Texas (32), Georgia (29), Maryland (28), Ohio (24), Missouri (22), North Carolina (22), Michigan (21), Virginia (21) and Florida (20). Following is an alphabetical list of states supplying players who were from or attended high school (some before attending prep school) in a state other than where they earned All-American recognition while attending a four-year university:

Alabama (11) - Kentucky's DeMarcus Cousins (2010), Jacksonville's Artis Gilmore (1970 and 1971), Kentucky State's Travis Grant (1972), Colorado State's Bill Green (1963), Memphis State's Larry Kenon (1973), Southern Illinois' Joe C. Meriweather (1975), Louisville's Allen Murphy (1975), Kansas' Bud Stallworth (1972), Texas Southern's Ben Swain (1958), Southwestern Louisiana's Andrew Toney (1980) and Indiana's D.J. White (2008)

Alaska (2) - Duke's Trajan Langdon (1998 and 1999) and Carlos Boozer (2002)

Arizona (6) - Duke's Mark Alarie (1986), Duke's Marvin Bagley III (2018), Gonzaga's Brandon Clarke (2019), Dayton's DaRon Holmes II (2024), Marquette's Markus Howard (2019 and 2020) and Brigham Young's Joe Richey (1953)

Arkansas (9) - Oklahoma State's James Anderson (2010), Texas Western's Jim Barnes (1964), Gonzaga's Frank Burgess (1961), San Diego State's Michael Cage (1984), Memphis State's Keith Lee (1982-83-84-85), Minnesota's Quincy Lewis (1999), Seattle's Eddie Miles (1963), Kentucky's Malik Monk (2017) and Memphis State's Dexter Reed (1977)

California (43) - Baylor's James Akinjo (2022), UNLV's Stacey Augmon (1991), Oregon's Greg Ballard (1977), Oregon State's Fred Boyd (1982), Arizona State's Joe Caldwell (1963), Oregon State's Lester Conner (1982), New Mexico's Michael Cooper (1978), Penn's Howie Dallmar (1945), Boston College's Jared Dudley (2007), Brigham Young's John Fairchild (1965), Kansas' Drew Gooden (2002), Utah State's Cornell Green (1962), Texas' Jordan Hamilton (2011), Arizona State's James Harden (2009), Brigham Young's Mel Hutchins (1951), Arizona's Stanley Johnson (2015), Oregon State's Steve Johnson (1980 and 1981), Arizona's Steve Kerr (1988), Weber State's Damian Lillard (2012), Oregon's Stan Love (1971), Oregon State's John Mandic (1942), Utah's Billy McGill (1960 through 1962), Utah's Andre Miller (1998 and 1999), Arizona's Chris Mills (1993), Duke's DeMarcus Nelson (2008), Notre Dame's Kevin O'Shea (1947 through 1950), Oregon State's Gary Payton (1990), Kansas' Paul Pierce (1998), Kentucky's Tayshaun Prince (2001 and 2002), UNLV's J.R. Rider (1993), Creighton's Paul Silas (1962 through 1964), Arizona's Miles Simon (1998), Boston College's Craig Smith (2005 and 2006), Brigham Young's Michael Smith (1988), Temple's Terence Stansbury (1984), Oregon's Vic Townsend (1941), Vanderbilt's Jan van Breda Kolff (1974), Utah's Keith Van Horn (1996 and 1997), Kansas' Jacque Vaughn (1995 through 1997), Arizona's Derrick Williams (2011), Portland State's Freeman Williams (1977 and 1978), Kansas' Jeff Withey (2013) and Utah's Delon Wright (2015)

Colorado (11) - Utah's Art Bunte (1955 and 1956), Purdue's Joe Barry Carroll (1979 and 1980), Iowa's Chuck Darling (1952), Nevada's Nick Fazekas (2006 and 2007), Wyoming's Bill Garnett (1982), Notre Dame's Pat Garrity (1998), Gonzaga's Graham Ike (2026), Wyoming's Harry Jorgensen (1955), Tennessee's Dalton Knecht (2024), Kansas' Mark Randall (1990) and North Carolina State's Ronnie Shavlik (1955 and 1956)

Connecticut (12) - Boston College's John Bagley (1982), Dartmouth's Gus Broberg (1940 and 1941), Massachusetts' Marcus Camby (1996), Providence's Kris Dunn (2016), UCLA's Rod Foster (1981 and 1983), Duke's Mike Gminski (1978 through 1980), Providence's Ryan Gomes (2004), Niagara's Calvin Murphy (1968 through 1970), Seattle's Frank Oleynick (1975), Villanova's John Pinone (1983), Rhode Island's Sly Williams (1978 and 1979) and Michigan's Henry Wilmore (1971 and 1972)

Delaware (1) - Temple's Terence Stansbury (1984)

District of Columbia (13) - Seattle's Elgin Baylor (1957 and 1958), Syracuse's Dave Bing (1965 and 1966), Notre Dame's Austin Carr (1970 and 1971), Utah's Jerry Chambers (1966), Duke's Johnny Dawkins (1985 and 1986), Syracuse's Sherman Douglas (1988 and 1989), Iowa's Luka Garza (2020 and 2021), San Francisco's Ollie Johnson (1965), North Carolina's Bob Lewis (1966 and 1967), Syracuse's Lawrence Moten (1995), Kansas' Thomas Robinson (2012), Duke's Jim Thompson (1934) and Providence's John Thompson Jr. (1964)

Florida (20) - Duke's Grayson Allen, North Carolina's Joel Berry (2018), Houston's Otis Birdsong (1977), Duke's Cameron Boozer (2026), Auburn's Johni Broome (2024 and 2025), Duke's Vernon Carey Jr. (2020), North Carolina's Vince Carter (1998), North Carolina State's Chris Corchiani (1991), Oklahoma State's Joey Graham (2005), Georgia Tech's Tom Hammonds (1989), Illinois' Derek Harper (1983), Wake Forest's Frank Johnson (1981), Vanderbilt's Will Perdue (1988), Villanova's Howard Porter (1969 through 1971), Kansas State's Mitch Richmond (1988), Duke's Austin Rivers (2012), Louisville's Clifford Rozier (1994), Ohio State's D'Angelo Russell (2015), Minnesota's Mychal Thompson (1977 and 1978) and Kansas' Walt Wesley (1966)

Georgia (29) - California's Shareef Abdur-Rahim (1996), Texas Tech's Christian Anderson (2026), Virginia's Malcolm Brogdon (2015 and 2016), Providence's Marshon Brooks (2011), Marquette's Jae Crowder (2012), North Carolina's Hook Dillon (1946 and 1947), Florida State's Toney Douglas (2009), Tennessee's Dale Ellis (1982 and 1983), Louisville's Pervis Ellison (1989), Southern Illinois' Walt Frazier (1967), Oklahoma's Harvey Grant (1988), Clemson's Horace Grant (1987), Grambling's Charles Hardnett (1961 and 1962), Utah's Merv Jackson (1968), Tennessee's Reggie Johnson (1980), Auburn's Walker Kessler (2022), Mississippi State's Jeff Malone (1983), Kentucky's Jodie Meeks (2009), Baylor's Davion Mitchell (2021), Auburn's Mike Mitchell (1978), Arkansas' JD Notae (2022), Clemson's Tree Rollins (1977), Kentucky State's Elmore Smith (1971), Auburn's Jabari Smith Jr. (2022), Kentucky's Bill Spivey (1950 and 1951), Florida State's Al Thornton (2007), Kentucky's Kenny Walker (1985 and 1986), North Carolina's Caleb Wilson (2026) and North Carolina's Al Wood (1980 and 1981)

Idaho (1) - Brigham Young's Roland Minson (1951)

Illinois (67) - Ohio State's Keita Bates-Diop (2018), Minnesota's Jim Brewer (1973), Seattle's Charley Brown (1958 and 1959), Villanova's Jalen Brunson (2018), Indiana's Quinn Buckner (1974 through 1976), Iowa's Carl Cain (1956), Penn's Corky Calhoun (1973), Detroit's Bob Calihan (1939), West Virginia's Jevon Carter (2018), Kansas' Sherron Collins (2009 and 2010), Wisconsin's Bobby Cook (1947), Kentucky's Anthony Davis (2012), Indiana's Archie Dees (1957 and 1958), Detroit's Bill Ebben (1957), Marquette's Bo Ellis (1975 through 1977), Michigan State's Jeremy Fears Jr. (2026), California's Larry Friend (1957), William & Mary's Chet Giermak (1950), Michigan's Rickey Green (1976 and 1977), Indiana's A.J. Guyton (2000), Wisconsin's Ethan Happ (2017 and 2019), Notre Dame's Tom Hawkins (1958 and 1959), Michigan's Juwan Howard (1994), Kentucky's Dan Issel (1969 and 1970), Wisconsin's Frank Kaminsky (2015), Central Missouri's Earl Keth (1938), Minnesota's Tom Kondla (1967), Notre Dame's Moose Krause (1932 through 1934), Iowa's Ronnie Lester (1979 and 1980), Ohio State's E.J. Liddell (2022), Oklahoma A&M's Bob Mattick (1954), Marquette's Jerel McNeal (2009), Colorado's Cliff Meely (1971), Dartmouth's George Munroe (1942), Iowa's Don Nelson (1961 and 1962), Wisconsin's Ab Nicholas (1952), Duke's Jahlil Okafor (2015), Duke's Jabari Parker (2014), Valparaiso's Alec Peters (2017), Houston's Gary Phillips (1961), Kansas State's Jacob Pullen (2011), Murray State's Bennie Purcell (1952), Kentucky's Antonio Reeves (2024), Wisconsin's Don Rehfeldt (1950), Notre Dame's Eddie Riska (1941), Marquette's Doc Rivers (1982 and 1983), Wyoming's Flynn Robinson (1965), Kansas' Dave Robisch (1971), Memphis' Derrick Rose (2008), Michigan's Cazzie Russell (1964 through 1966), Duke's Jon Scheyer (2010), Evansville's Jerry Sloan (1965), Purdue's Forrest Sprowl (1942), Notre Dame's Jack Stephens (1955), Indiana's Isiah Thomas (1981), Wisconsin's Alando Tucker (2007), Ohio State's Evan Turner (2010), Kentucky's Tyler Ulis (2016), Wichita State's Fred VanVleet (2014), Marquette's Dwyane Wade (2003), Arkansas' Darrell Walker (1983), Marquette's Lloyd Walton (1976), Marquette's Jerome Whitehead (1978), Cincinnati's George Wilson (1963), Kansas' Julian Wright (2007), Arizona's Michael Wright (2001) and Georgia Tech's Rich Yunkus (1970 and 1971)

Indiana (44) - Michigan State's Chet Aubuchon (1940), Tennessee State's Dick Barnett (1958 and 1959), Xavier's Trevon Bluiett (2018), Cincinnati's Ron Bonham (1963 and 1964), Denver's Vince Boryla (1949), Louisville's Junior Bridgeman (1975), Wyoming's Joe Capua (1956), Memphis' Rodney Carney (2006), East Tennessee State's Tom Chilton (1961), Kentucky's Louie Dampier (1966 and 1967), North Carolina State's Dick Dickey (1948 and 1950), Kentucky's LeRoy Edwards (1935), Arizona's Jason Gardner (2002 and 2003), Western Michigan's Harold Gensichen (1943), Virginia's Kyle Guy (2018 and 2019), Florida's Joe Hobbs (1958), Georgia Tech's Roger Kaiser (1960 and 1961), Wyoming's Milo Komenich (1943), Texas' Jim Krivacs (1979), Kansas' Clyde Lovellette (1950 through 1952), Kentucky's Kyle Macy (1978 through 1980), North Carolina's Sean May (2005), Drake's Willie McCarter (1969), Tennessee State's Porter Merriweather (1960), North Carolina State's Vic Molodet (1956), North Carolina's Eric Montross (1993 and 1994), Texas Christian's Lee Nailon (1998), Kentucky's Cotton Nash (1962 through 1964), Ohio State's Greg Oden (2007), Kentucky's Jack Parkinson (1946), Duke's Mason Plumlee (2013), Louisville's Jim Price (1972), Northwestern's Ray Ragelis (1951), North Carolina State's Sam Ranzino (1950 and 1951), Cincinnati's Oscar Robertson (1958 through 1960), Michigan State's Scott Skiles (1986), Wake Forest's Jeff Teague (2009), Ohio State's Deshaun Thomas (2013), Tennessee's Gene Tormohlen (1959), North Carolina State's Monte Towe (1974), Michigan's John Townsend (1937 and 1938), Southern California's Ralph Vaughn (1940), UCLA's Mike Warren (1967 and 1968) and North Carolina's's Tyler Zeller (2012)

Iowa (8) - North Carolina's Harrison Barnes (2012), Creighton's Ed Beisser (1943), Kansas' Nick Collison (2003), Kansas' Kirk Hinrich (2002 and 2003), Creighton's Kyle Korver (2003), Kansas' Raef LaFrentz (1997, Creighton's Doug McDermott (2012 through 2014) and 1998) and Carleton's Wayne Sparks (1937)

Kansas (8) - Kentucky's Bob Brannum (1944), Kentucky's Willie Cauley-Stein (2015), Vanderbilt's Matt Freije (2004), Army's Dale Hall (1945), Colorado's Jack Harvey (1940), Villanova's Jeremiah Robinson-Earl (2021), Oklahoma's Gerry Tucker (1943 and 1947) and Illinois' Keaton Wagler (2026)

Kentucky (19) - Navy's Buzz Borries (1934), Florida State's Dave Cowens (1970), Cincinnati's Ralph Davis (1960), Tennessee Tech's Jimmy Hagan (1959), Alabama's Jerry Harper (1956), Tennessee's Allan Houston (1992 and 1993), Virginia's Jeff Lamp (1980 and 1981), Tennessee's Chris Lofton (2006 through 2008), Louisiana State's Rudy Macklin (1980 and 1981), Duke's Jeff Mullins (1963 and 1964), Ohio State's Arnie Risen (1945), Ohio State's D'Angelo Russell (2015), Tennessee's Danny Schultz (1964), Furman's Frank Selvy (1952 through 1954), Army's Mike Silliman (1966), Xavier's Hank Stein (1958), Cincinnati's Tom Thacker (1963), Duquesne's Jim Tucker (1952) and South Carolina's Grady Wallace (1957)

Louisiana (14) - Texas' D.J. Augustin (2008), Creighton's Benoit Benjamin (1985), Baylor's Jared Butler (2020 and 2021), Duke's Chris Duhon (2004), Houston's Louis Dunbar (1974), Iowa State's Marcus Fizer (2000), Vanderbilt's Shan Foster (2008), Houston's Elvin Hayes (1966 through 1968), Villanova's Kerry Kittles (1995 and 1996), Georgetown's Greg Monroe (2010), Kentucky's Cotton Nash (1962 through 1964), Oklahoma's Hollis Price (2003), Jacksonville's James Ray (1980) and Kentucky's Rick Robey (1977 and 1978)

Maine (1) - Duke's Cooper Flagg (2025)

Maryland (28) - Virginia's Justin Anderson (2015), Boston College's John Austin (1965 and 1966), Kansas State's Michael Beasley (2008), Wyoming's Charles Bradley (1981), North Carolina State's Kenny Carr (1976 and 1977), San Francisco's Quintin Dailey (1982), Notre Dame's Adrian Dantley (1975 and 1976), Michigan's Hunter Dickinson (2021) before duplicating feat with Kansas (2024), Texas' Kevin Durant (2007), Syracuse's C.J. Fair (2014), Duke's Danny Ferry (1988 and 1989), North Carolina's Joseph Forte (2001), Washington's Markelle Fultz (2017), Connecticut's Rudy Gay (2006), Notre Dame's Jerian Grant (2015), Kansas' Tony Guy (1982), Villanova's Josh Hart (2016 and 2017), Davidson's Fred Hetzel (1963 through 1965), North Carolina's Ty Lawson (2009), St. John's RJ Luis Jr. (2025), North Carolina State's Rodney Monroe (1991), Indiana's Victor Oladipo (2013), Duke's Nolan Smith (2011), Virginia Tech's Dale Solomon (1982), Saint Joseph's Delonte West (2004), North Carolina State's Hawkeye Whitney (1980), Georgetown's Reggie Williams (1987) and Pittsburgh's Sam Young (2009)

Massachusetts (15) - Rutgers' James Bailey (1978 and 1979), Villanova's Michael Bradley (2001), Notre Dame's Bonzie Colson (2017), Brigham Young's Anicet "AJ" Dybansta (2026), Georgetown's Patrick Ewing (1982 through 1985), Rhode Island State's Chet Jaworski (1939), Yale's Tony Lavelli (1946 through 1949), Oregon's Ron Lee (1974 through 1976), Marshall's Russell Lee (1972), Rhode Island State's Stan Modzelewski (1942), Connecticut's Shabazz Napier (2014), Iowa State's Georges Niang (2015 and 2016), Ohio State's Scoonie Penn (1999 and 2000), Michigan's Rumeal Robinson (1990) and Providence's Jimmy Walker (1965 through 1967)

Michigan (21) - Arkansas' Darius Acuff Jr. (2026), Duke's Shane Battier (2000 and 2001), Dayton's Bill Chmielewski (1962), Syracuse's Derrick Coleman (1989 and 1990), New Mexico's Mel Daniels (1967), Memphis' Chris Douglas-Roberts (2008), Arizona's Bob Elliott (1977), Canisius' Larry Fogle (1974), Iowa State's Jeff Grayer (1988), Texas Western's Bobby Joe Hill (1966), Florida's Al Horford (2007), Kansas' Josh Jackson (2017), Arkansas' George Kok (1948), North Carolina's Tom LaGarde (1977), Alabama State's Kevin Loder (1981), Temple's Mark Macon (1988), Tennessee State's Carlos Rogers (1994), Purdue's Steve Scheffler (1990), Missouri's Doug Smith (1990 and 1991), Bradley's Chet Walker (1960 through 1962) and Iowa's Sam Williams (1968)

Minnesota (8) - Kansas' Cole Aldrich (2010), Boston College's Troy Bell (2001 and 2003), Gonzaga's Chet Holmgren (2022), Dayton's John Horan (1955), Duke's Tre Jones (2020), Gonzaga's Jalen Suggs (2021), Wisconsin's Jordan Taylor (2011) and South Dakota State's Nate Wolters (2013)

Mississippi (5) - Missouri's Melvin Booker (1994), Murray State's Isaiah Canaan (2012), Louisiana State's Chris Jackson (1989 and 1990), UC Irvine's Kevin Magee (1981 and 1982) and Alabama's Derrick McKey (1987)

Missouri (22) - UCLA's Lucius Allen (1968), Princeton's Bill Bradley (1963 through 1965), Idaho State's Lawrence Butler (1979), Duke's Chris Carrawell (2000), Notre Dame's Ben Hansbrough (2011), North Carolina's Tyler Hansbrough (2006 through 2009), Tulsa's Steve Harris (1985), Creighton's Ryan Kalkbrenner (2025), Southern Methodist's Jon Koncak (1985), Southern Methodist's Jim Krebs (1957), Oklahoma A&M's Bob Kurland (1944 through 1946), Arizona's Caleb Love (2024), Kansas' Ben McLemore (2013), Drake's Red Murrell (1958), Tulsa's Bob Patterson (1955), Georgetown's Otto Porter Jr. (2013), Kansas' Fred Pralle (1938), Texas-Pan American's Marshall Rogers (1976), Notre Dame's Dick Rosenthal (1954), Kansas' Brandon Rush (2008), Kansas' Jo Jo White (1967 through 1969) and Memphis State's Win Wilfong (1957)

Montana (3) - Iowa's Chuck Darling (1952), Utah State's Wayne Estes (1964 and 1965) and Duke's Mike Lewis (1968)

Nebraska (7) - Kansas State's Bob Boozer (1958 and 1959), South Dakota State's Mike Daum (2019), George Washington's Bob Faris (1939), Michigan's Mike McGee (1981), Wisconsin's John Tonje (2025), Wyoming's Les Witte (1932 and 1934) and Iowa's Andre Woolridge (1997)

Nevada (4) - New Mexico's Darington Hobson (2010), Arizona State's Lionel Hollins (1975), Iowa State's Joshua Jefferson (2026) and Missouri's Willie Smith (1976)

New Jersey (43) - Miami's Rick Barry (1964 and 1965), Temple's Mike Bloom (1938), West Virginia's Da'Sean Butler (2010), DePaul's Clyde Bradshaw (1980), Illinois' Tal Brody (1965), Notre Dame's Gary Brokaw (1974), George Washington's Corky Devlin (1955), Providence's Vinnie Ernst (1963), Morehead State's Kenneth Faried (2011), Dayton's Henry Finkel (1966), Columbia's Chet Forte (1957), Villanova's Randy Foye (2006), South Carolina's Skip Harlicka (1968), Holy Cross' Tom Heinsohn (1955 and 1956), Duke's Bobby Hurley (1992 and 1993), North Carolina's Tommy Kearns (1957 and 1958), Kentucky's Michael Kidd-Gilchrist (2012), Pittsburgh's Brandin Knight (2002), Stanford's Brevin Knight (1997), Southern California's Mo Layton (1971), Michigan's Yaxel Lendeborg (2026), Villanova's Bill Melchionni (1966), Providence's Eric Murdock (1991), Notre Dame's Troy Murphy (2000 and 2001), Seattle's Eddie O'Brien (1953), Seattle's Johnny O'Brien (1952 and 1953), North Carolina's Mike O'Koren (1978 through 1980), Holy Cross' Togo Palazzi (1953 and 1954), Notre Dame's David Rivers (1988), Massachusetts' Lou Roe (1994 and 1995), Iowa's Ben Selzer (1934), Notre Dame's John Shumate (1974), Duke's Jim Spanarkel (1978 and 1979), Kansas' Tyshawn Taylor (2012), Kentucky's Karl-Anthony Towns (2015), Notre Dame's Kelly Tripucka (1979 through 1981), Duke's Bob Verga (1966 and 1967), Saint Joseph's Bryan Warrick (1981 and 1982), Xavier's David West (2002 and 2003), Long Island's Sherman White (1950), Duke's Jason Williams (2001 and 2002), Miami's Isaiah Wong (2023) and Tennessee's Zakai Zeigler (2025/also NY)

New Mexico (2) - Kansas' Bill Bridges (1961) and West Texas State's Charles Halbert (1942)

New York (97) - UCLA's Lew Alcindor (1967 through 1969), Georgia Tech's Kenny Anderson (1990 and 1991), Penn State's Jesse Arnelle (1955), Minnesota's Ron Behagen (1973), Kansas State's Rolando Blackman (1980 and 1981), Duke's Elton Brand (1999), North Carolina's Pete Brennan (1958), Dartmouth's Audie Brindley (1944), Utah's Ticky Burden (1975), North Carolina State's Lorenzo Charles (1984), Missouri's Derrick Chievous (1987), Illinois' Kofi Cockburn (2021 and 2022), New Mexico State's Jimmy Collins (1970), Holy Cross' Bob Cousy (1948 through 1950), North Carolina's Billy Cunningham (1964 and 1965), Wake Forest's Charlie Davis (1971), North Carolina's R.J. Davis (2024), Wichita State's Cleanthony Early (2014), Maryland's Len Elmore (1974), Massachusetts' Julius Erving (1971), Duke's Kyle "Flip" Filipowski (2024), Georgia's Vern Fleming (1984), Brigham Young's Jimmer Fredette (2010), Louisville's Francisco Garcia (2005), Louisville's Don Goldstein (1959), Louisiana State's Al Green (1979), Duquesne's Sihugo Green (1954 through 1956), UNLV's Sidney Green (1983), Tennessee's Ernie Grunfeld (1976 and 1977), North Carolina State's Tom Gugliotta (1992), Penn's Ron Haigler (1975), Loyola of Chicago's Jerry Harkness (1963), Notre Dame's Billy Hassett (1945), Hawaii's Tom Henderson (1974), Villanova's Larry Hennessy (1952 and 1953), Duke's Art Heyman (1961 through 1963), North Carolina State's Julius Hodge (2004), Xavier's Tu Holloway (2011), Baylor's Vinnie Johnson (1979), West Virginia's Kevin Jones (2012), South Carolina's Kevin Joyce (1973), Holy Cross' George Kaftan (1947 and 1948), Guilford's Bob Kauffman (1968), Cincinnati's Sean Kilpatrick (2014), Maryland's Albert King (1980 and 1981), Tennessee's Bernard King (1975 through 1977), North Carolina's Mitch Kupchak (1975 and 1976), Duke's Christian Laettner (1991 and 1992), North Carolina's York Larese (1959 through 1961), Marquette's Butch Lee (1977 and 1978), Davidson's Mike Maloy (1968 through 1970), Georgia Tech's Stephon Marbury (1996), Kentucky's Jamal Mashburn (1993), Louisville's Rodney McCray (1983), Richmond's Bob McCurdy (1975), Marquette's Dean Meminger (1970 and 1971), North Carolina's Doug Moe (1961), Notre Dame's John Moir (1936-37-38), Florida's Joakim Noah (2007), Kansas State's Markquis Nowell (2023), Louisville's Jordan Nwora (2020), Boston College's Jim O'Brien (1971), Kentucky's Bernie Opper (1939), Idaho's Ken Owens (1982), North Carolina's Sam Perkins (1982 through 1984), Penn State's Jalen Pickett (2023), Connecticut's A.J. Price (2008), Villanova's Allan Ray (2006), Arizona's Khalid Reeves (1994), South Carolina's Tom Riker (1972), Kentucky's Pat Riley (1966), South Carolina's John Roche (1969 through 1971), North Carolina's Lennie Rosenbluth (1956 and 1957), Georgia Tech's John Salley (1986), North Carolina's Charlie Scott (1968 through 1970), Rutgers' Phil Sellers (1975 and 1976), Iowa State's Don Smith (1968), North Carolina's Kenny Smith (1987), Louisville's Russ Smith (2013 and 2014), Providence's Kevin Stacom (1974), DePaul's Rod Strickland (1988), Miami of Ohio's Wally Szczerbiak (1999), Marquette's Earl Tatum (1976), Princeton's Chris Thomforde (1967), Marquette's George Thompson (1969), Iowa State's Jamaal Tinsley (2001), Marquette's Bernard Toone (1979), Dayton's Obi Toppin (2020), Connecticut's Kemba Walker (2011), Providence's Lenny Wilkens (1960), Southern California's Gus Williams (1975), Austin Peay's Fly Williams (1973), Michigan's Henry Wilmore (1971 and 1972), Wyoming's Tony Windis (1959), Tennessee's Howard Wood (1981), Marquette's Sam Worthen (1980) and Tennessee's Zakai Zeigler (2025/also NJ)

North Carolina (22) - Fresno State's Courtney Alexander (2000), Indiana's Walt Bellamy (1960), UCLA's Henry Bibby (1972), Arizona's Jaden Bradley (2026), Kansas' Devon Dotson (2020), Kansas State's Mike Evans (1978), Furman's Darrell Floyd (1955 and 1956), Georgetown's Sleepy Floyd (1981 and 1982), Kansas' Devonte' Graham (2018), Minnesota's Lou Hudson (1965 and 1966), Minnesota's Bobby Jackson (1997), Maryland's John Lucas (1974 through 1976), Kansas' Danny Manning (1986 through 1988), Louisiana State's Pete Maravich (1968 through 1970), Lamar's Mike Olliver (1981), Texas' P.J. Tucker (2006), Kentucky's John Wall (2010), Xavier's David West (2002), Tennessee's Tony White (1987), Georgia's Dominique Wilkins (1981 and 1982), Maryland's Buck Williams (1981) and Tennessee's Grant Williams (2019)

Ohio (24) - Michigan's Trey Burke (2013), Southern California's Sam Clancy (2002), Washington State's Don Collins (1980), Northwestern's Evan Eschmeyer (1999), Notre Dame's Bob Faught (1942), Michigan's Gary Grant (1987 and 1988), Michigan State's Johnny Green (1958 and 1959), Kentucky's Kevin Grevey (1974 and 1975), Kentucky's Alex Groza (1947 through 1949), Michigan's Phil Hubbard (1977), Duke's Luke Kennard (2017), Southwestern Louisiana's Bo Lamar (1972 and 1973), Pittsburgh's Jerome Lane (1987 and 1988), Kentucky's Jim Line (1950), Indiana's Scott May (1975 and 1976), Purdue's Todd Mitchell (1988), Notre Dame's John Paxson (1982 and 1983), Kentucky's Mike Pratt (1970), Long Beach State's Ed Ratleff (1972 and 1973), Arkansas' Alvin Robertson (1984), Davidson's Dick Snyder (1966), North Carolina State's Bobby Speight (1953), Oklahoma Baptist's Albert Tucker (1966 and 1967) and Kansas State's Chuckie Williams (1976)

Oklahoma (7) - Texas Western's Jim Barnes (1964), San Francisco's Winford Boynes (1978), Arkansas' Lee Mayberry (1992), Kansas State's Willie Murrell (1964), Georgia Tech's Mark Price (1984 through 1986), Syracuse's Etan Thomas (2000) and Duke's Shelden Williams (2005 and 2006)

Oregon (9) - Brigham Young's Danny Ainge (1979 through 1981), Duke's Mike Dunleavy (2002), UCLA's Kevin Love (2008), Gonzaga's Blake Stepp (2004), Arizona's Damon Stoudamire (1995), Arizona's Salim Stoudamire (2005), UCLA's Richard Washington (1975 and 1976), Gonzaga's Nigel Williams-Goss (2017) and Gonzaga's Kyle Wiltjer (2015)

Pennsylvania (52) - Duke's Gene Banks (1979 and 1981), Kentucky's Sam Bowie (1981 and 1984), Kansas' Wilt Chamberlain (1957 and 1958), Wake Forest's Len Chappell (1961 and 1962), Syracuse's Rakeem Christmas (2015), DePaul's Dallas Comegys (1987), Seton Hall's Bob Davies (1941 and 1942), Cincinnati's Danny Fortson (1996 and 1997), Loyola Marymount's Hank Gathers (1989 and 1990), UNLV's Armon Gilliam (1987), North Carolina's George Glamack (1940), Duke's Dick Groat (1951 and 1952), Connecticut's Richard Hamilton (1998 and 1999), Florida's Thomas Haugh (2026), UCLA's Walt Hazzard (1963 and 1964), Duke's Gerald Henderson (2009), Kansas' Wayne Hightower (1960 and 1961), West Texas State's Simmie Hill (1969), George Washington's Joe Holup (1956), Virginia's De'Andre Hunter (2019), Loyola Marymount's Bo Kimble (1990), Duke's Ed Koffenberger (1946 and 1947), Rutgers' Bob Lloyd (1967), Drake's Lewis Lloyd (1980 and 1981), Navy's Elliott Loughlin (1933), Marquette's Maurice Lucas (1974), Duke's Jack Marin (1966), Connecticut's Donyell Marshall (1994), Vanderbilt's Billy McCaffrey (1993), Michigan State's Julius McCoy (1956), Maryland's Tom McMillen (1972 through 1974), North Carolina's Larry Miller (1967 and 1968), Winston-Salem State's Earl Monroe (1967), Kansas' Marcus Morris (2011), Syracuse's Billy Owens (1990 and 1991), Virginia's Barry Parkhill (1972 and 1973), North Carolina State's Lou Pucillo (1959), North Carolina State's John Richter (1959), West Virginia's Wil Robinson (1972), North Carolina's Lee Shaffer (1959 and 1960), West Virginia's Lloyd Sharrar (1958), Virginia's Sean Singletary (2007), Utah's Mike Sojourner (1974), Weber State's Willie Sojourner (1971), Cincinnati's Jack Twyman (1955), Michigan State's Horace Walker (1960), Virginia's Wally Walker (1976), North Carolina's Rasheed Wallace (1995), Syracuse's Hakim Warrick (2004 and 2005), Miami's Isaiah Wong (2023) and North Carolina's Dennis Wuycik (1972)

Rhode Island (1) - Marquette's Tyler Kolek (2023 and 2024)

South Carolina (7) - Connecticut's Ray Allen (1995 and 1996), North Carolina's Raymond Felton (2005), North Carolina's Brice Johnson (2016), Louisiana State's Pete Maravich (1968 through 1970), Wichita State's Xavier McDaniel (1985), Murray State's Ja Morant (2019) and Duke's Zion Williamson (2019)

Tennessee (16) - Wake Forest's Skip Brown (1977), Arkansas' Todd Day (1991 and 1992), Kentucky's Tony Delk (1996), Oral Roberts' Richie Fuqua (1972 and 1973), Oklahoma A&M's Bob Harris (1949), Indiana's Kirk Haston (2001), Cincinnati's Paul Hogue (1961 and 1962), Mississippi State's Bailey Howell (1958 and 1959), Marquette's Kam Jones (2025), Kansas' Dedric Lawson (2019), Western Kentucky's Tom Marshall (1954), Kentucky's Ron Mercer (1997), Alabama's Brandon Miller (2023), Mississippi's Johnny Neumann (1971), Oral Roberts' Anthony Roberts (1977) and Tulsa's Bingo Smith (1969)

Texas (32) - Oral Roberts' Max Abmas (2023), Oklahoma's Mookie Blaylock (1989), Kentucky's Bob Burrow (1955 and 1956), Oklahoma State's Cade Cunningham (2021), Detroit's Antoine Davis (2023), Wyoming's Fennis Dembo (1988), Arizona State's Ike Diogu (2005), Purdue's Keith Edmonson (1982), Purdue's Carsen Edwards (2018 and 2019), Memphis' PJ Haggerty (2025), North Carolina's Justin Jackson (2017), UNLV's Larry Johnson (1990 and 1991), Syracuse's Wesley Johnson (2010), San Diego State's Jaedon LeDee (2024), Oklahoma State's John Lucas III (2004), Cincinnati's Kenyon Martin (2000), Kansas' Kevin McCullar Jr. (2024), Oklahoma's Eduardo Najera (2000), Connecticut's Tristen Newton (2024), Connecticut's Emeka Okafor (2003 and 2004), Louisiana State's Shaquille O'Neal (1991 and 1992), UNLV's Eddie Owens (1977), Kentucky's Julius Randle (2014), Mississippi State's Lawrence Roberts (2004), Mississippi's Ansu Sesay (1998), Oklahoma State's Marcus Smart (2013 and 2014), Wichita State's Dave Stallworth (1963 through 1965), Gonzaga's Drew Timme (2021 through 2023), South Carolina's Freddie Tompkins (1934), Kentucky's P.J. Washington (2019), Illinois' Deron Williams (2005) and Kansas' Jalen Wilson (2023)

Utah (3) - Montana State's Cat Thompson (1929 and 1930), Montana State's Frank Ward (1930) and Iowa's Herb Wilkinson (1945)

Virginia (21) - Duke's Tommy Amaker (1987), North Carolina's Armando Bacot (2023 and 2024), Maryland's Bosey Berger (1932), Kentucky's Keith Bogans (2003), Wake Forest's Randolph Childress (1995), Duke's Grant Hill (1992 through 1994), Georgetown's Allen Iverson (1996), East Tennessee State's Mister Jennings (1991), Kansas State's Keyontae Johnson (2023), North Carolina's Kendall Marshall (2012), Kansas' Frank Mason III (2017), Georgetown's Alonzo Mourning (1989 through 1992), Kansas State's Jack Parr (1957 and 1958), Tulsa's Paul Pressey (1982), Duke's J.J. Redick (2004 through 2006), North Carolina's J.R. Reid (1988 and 1989), Villanova's Scottie Reynolds (2010), Navy's David Robinson (1986 and 1987), Georgia Tech's Dennis Scott (1990), Maryland's Joe Smith (1994 and 1995) and Xavier's David West (2002 and 2003)

Washington (7) - Duke's Paolo Banchero (2022), Oregon's Aaron Brooks (2007), Arizona's Michael Dickerson (1998), San Diego State's Malachi Flynn (2020), Arizona's Jason Terry (1999), Louisville's Terrence Williams (2009) and Oregon's Slim Wintermute (1938 and 1939)

West Virginia (2) - Virginia Tech's Chris Smith (1960) and Virginia's Buzz Wilkinson (1955)

Wisconsin (8) - St. Louis' Dick Boushka (1955), Iowa's Fred Brown (1981), Connecticut's Caron Butler (2002), Louisville's Reece Gaines (2003), Iowa's John Johnson (1970), Utah's Jeff Jonas (1977), Minnesota's Chuck Mencel (1953 and 1955) and Cincinnati's Nick Van Exel (1993)

Wyoming (1) - Utah's Vern Gardner (1948 and 1949)

NOTE: Hawaii, New Hampshire, North Dakota, South Dakota and Vermont are the only states failing to supply an All-American for an out-of-state college.

College Exam: Day #15 Regarding One-&-Only NCAA Tourney Trivia Challenge

March 29th, 2026 - 7:13

Unless you're busy hoarding toilet paper to wipe big butts of George Soros NY flunkies (Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg and State AG Letitia James), craving translator to try to understand Plagiarist Biledumb's Easter message, taking ugly pill to join "No Kings" rally or cowering in fetal position seeking medical directive from Dr. Fraudci, it's your opportunity to start taking online tests for 23 quarantined days symbolic of normal time frame from Selection Sunday to Monday evening championship contest.

We need something to occupy our minds during quarantine from much of the invective-infected #MessMedia. Emphasizing a "one-and-only" theme for a "one-and-only" event, here is Day 15 of a treasure-trove of tantalizing NCAA Tournament trivia questions from CollegeHoopedia.com tracking the only coach, conference, player or school to be linked to a distinguished or dubious achievement (click here for answers or conduct research digesting historical morsels in CollegeHoopedia.com's year-by-year highlights):

1. Who is the only individual to play for two NCAA champions, play for more than two NBA champions and coach two NBA champions. Hint: He was the first of four players to be a member of an NCAA championship team one year and an NBA titlist the next season as a rookie. He won the high jump in the West Coast Relays his senior year.

2. Who is the only individual to average fewer than four points per game as a freshman and then be selected Final Four Most Outstanding Player the next season as a sophomore. Hint: He had more three-point baskets in two Final Four games than contributing his entire freshman season.

3. Who is the only player named to an All-NCAA Tournament team not to score a total of more than 10 points in two Final Four games? Hint: He had the same point total in each Final Four game for a team whose star had same last name.

4. Who is the only Final Four Most Outstanding Player to later coach his alma mater in the NCAA Tournament? Hint: The guard was named Most Outstanding Player although he was his team's fourth-leading scorer at Final Four that year.

5. Name the only school to have two of the six eligible teams ranked among the top five in the AP and/or UPI final polls to not participate in either the NCAA Tournament or the NIT in the days before teams other than the conference champion could be chosen to the NCAA playoffs as at-large entrants. Hint: The school lost three regional finals in one four-year span and hasn't reached Final Four in last 50-plus years.

6. Who is the only coach to lose more than five regional final games? Hint: His regional final defeats were by an average margin of 10 points and his biggest nemesis was the Big Ten Conference.

7. Who is the only individual to become NBA Rookie of the Year and Most Valuable Player to participate in the NCAA Tournament but never win an NCAA playoff game? Hint: He shared the NBA Rookie of the Year award with another player who was on the losing end in his only NCAA Tournament appearance. Two years later, he was NBA All-Star Game Most Valuable Player the same season named league MVP.

8. Of the more than 40 different players to be named NBA Most Valuable Player, score more than 20,000 points in the pros or be selected to an All-NBA team at least five times after participating in the NCAA Tournament, who is the only one to average fewer than 10 points per game in the NCAA playoffs? Hint: He is believed to be the youngest Hall of Famer to appear in an NCAA championship game at the tender age of 16 and subsequently was named to 12 consecutive All-NBA teams.

9. Who is the only guard to score more than 35 points in an NCAA final? Hint: He led his team in scoring in back-to-back Final Fours but wasn't named Final Four Most Outstanding Player either year. He is the only championship team player to have a two-game total of at least 70 points at the Final Four and is the shortest undergraduate to average more than 20 points per game for an NCAA titlist.

10. Who is the only player to have as many as 20 field goals in an NCAA championship game? Hint: He scored fewer than seven points in both his tourney debut and final playoff appearance.

Answers (Day 15)
Day 14 Questions and Answers
Day 13 Questions and Answers
Day 12 Questions and Answers
Day 11 Questions and Answers
Day 10 Questions and Answers
Day 9 Questions and Answers
Day 8 Questions and Answers
Day 7 Questions and Answers
Day 6 Questions and Answers
Day 5 Questions and Answers
Day 4 Questions and Answers
Day 3 Questions and Answers
Day 2 Questions and Answers
Day 1 Questions and Answers

Doubling Your Pleasure: Illini Has One of Top Set of Twins in Playoff History

March 28th, 2026 - 19:48

Illinois boasts a set of twins in this year's NCAA playoffs (seven-foot Croatians Tomislav and Zvonimiar Ivisic). Their performance at Finals Four will tell where they should be placed in the following Top 20 ranking of the most impactful sets of twins to play together in NCAA tourney:

Rank Twin Teammates School Year(s)/Regional NCAA Tournament Summary Together
1. Caleb and Cody Martin Nevada 2018/South and 2019/West North Carolina State transfers combined for 37 points, 11 rebounds and six steals in 69-68 L vs. Final Four-bound Loyola of Chicago; 35 points and 11 rebounds in helping the Wolf Pack set NCAA-playoff record comeback (erasing 22-point second-half deficit to defeat Cincinnati, 75-73); 33 points, 14 rebounds and 11 assists in 87-83 overtime W vs. Texas, plus 42 points, 13 rebounds and 7 steals in 70-61 L vs. Florida.
2. Johnny and Eddie O'Brien Seattle 1953/West Combined for 63 points in 88-77 W vs. Idaho State, 33 points in 92-70 L vs. Washington before 46 points in 80-64 W vs. Wyoming.
3. Brook and Robin Lopez Stanford 2007/South and 2008/South Combined for 21 points (game-high 18 by Brook) and 11 rebounds in 78-58 L vs. Louisville; 18 points, 6 rebounds and 6 blocks (5 by Robin) in 77-53 W vs. Cornell; 48 points (game-high 30 by Brook), 13 rebounds (game-high 9 by Robin) and 4 blocks in 82-81 overtime W vs. Marquette; 32 points (game-high 26 by Brook) and 15 rebounds (game-high 10 by Brook) in 82-62 L vs. Texas.
4. Jarvis and Jonas Hayes Georgia 2002/East Western Carolina transfers combined for 45 points and 19 rebounds in 85-68 W vs. Murray State and 32 points and 15 rebounds in 77-75 L vs. Southern Illinois.
5. Jarron and Jason Collins Stanford 2000/South and 2001/West Combined for 15 points and 12 rebounds in 84-65 win vs. South Carolina State; 12 points and 10 rebounds in 60-53 L vs. North Carolina; 33 points (game-high 25 by Jason), 14 rebounds and 4 blocks in 89-60 W vs. UNC Greensboro; 37 points (team-high 22 by Jason) and 15 rebounds in 90-83 W vs. St. Joseph's; 29 points and 15 rebounds (game-high 8 by Jason) in 78-65 W vs. Cincinnati, plus 21 points and 7 rebounds in 87-73 L vs. Maryland.
6. Marcus and Markieff Morris Kansas 2009/Midwest, 2010/Midwest and 2011/Southwest Combined for 10 points and 10 rebounds in 84-74 W vs. North Dakota State; 2 points and 5 rebounds in 60-43 W vs. Dayton; 6 points and 9 rebounds in 67-62 L vs. Michigan State; 28 points (game-high 26 by Marcus) and 13 rebounds (game-high 10 by Marcus) in 90-74 W vs. Lehigh; 26 points (game-high 16 by Marcus) and 7 rebounds in 69-67 L vs. Northern Iowa; 31 points (team-high 16 by Marcus) and 17 rebounds (game-high 9 by Marcus) in 72-53 W vs. Boston University; 41 points (game-high 24 by Markieff) and 24 rebounds (game-high 12 by Marcus and Markieff) in 73-59 W vs. Illinois; 18 points and 13 rebounds in 77-57 W vs. Richmond, plus 33 points (team-high 20 by Marcus) and 28 rebounds (game-high 16 by Marcus) in 71-61 L vs. VCU.
7. Lloyd and Floyd Kerr Colorado State 1969/Midwest Combined for 28 points and 12 rebounds in 52-50 W vs. Dayton, 26 points and 12 rebounds in 64-56 W vs. Colorado and 33 points and 14 rebounds in 84-77 L vs. Drake.
8. Aaron and Andrew Harrison Kentucky 2014/Midwest and 2015/Midwest Combined for 25 points, 6 rebounds and 6 assists in 56-49 W vs. Kansas State; 39 points (team-high 20 by Andrew) in 78-76 W vs. Wichita State; 29 points, 8 rebounds and 7 assists in 74-69 W vs. Louisville; 20 points in 75-72 W vs. Michigan; 17 points, 6 rebounds and 6 assists in 74-73 W vs. Wisconsin; 15 points, 9 rebounds, 5 assists and 5 steals in 60-54 L vs. UConn; 17 points, 11 rebounds and 6 assists in 79-56 W vs. Hampton; 18 points (game-high 13 by Aaron) in 64-51 W vs. Cincinnati; 25 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists and 4 steals in 78-39 W vs. West Virginia; 13 points and 7 rebounds in 68-66 W vs. Notre Dame, plus 25 points, 5 rebounds and 4 assists in 71-64 L vs. Wisconsin.
9. Carl and Charles Thomas Eastern Michigan 1988/Midwest and 1991/East Charles scored 12 points in 108-90 L vs. Pitt; combined for 25 points, 7 rebounds and 8 assists in 76-56 W vs. MS State; 18 points, 13 rebounds and 7 assists in 71-68 overtime W vs. Penn State, plus 35 points, 10 rebounds, 8 assists and 4 steals in 93-67 L vs. North Carolina.
10. Barry and Garry Nelson Duquesne 1969/East and 1971/East Combined for 24 points and 23 rebounds (game-high 18 by Garry) in 74-52 W vs. St. Joseph's; 18 points and 10 rebounds in 79-78 L vs. North Carolina; 6 points and 8 rebounds in 75-72 W vs. St. John's, plus 17 points and 16 rebounds in 70-65 L vs. Penn.
11. Joey and Stephen Graham Oklahoma State 2004/East and 2005/Midwest UCF transfers combined for 10 points and 4 rebounds in 75-56 W vs. Eastern Washington; Joey scored team-high 21 points in 70-53 W vs. Memphis; combined for 11 points in 63-51 W vs. Pittsburgh; Joey collected 17 points and 11 rebounds in 64-62 W vs. St. Joseph's; Joey had team highs of 17 points and 10 rebounds while Stephen contributed two points in 67-65 L vs. Georgia Tech; combined for 9 points in 63-50 W vs. Southeastern Louisiana; 11 points, 5 rebounds and 7 assists in 85-77 W vs. Southern Illinois, plus 31 points (game-high 26 by Joey) in 79-78 L vs. Arizona.
12. Fousseyni and Hassan Drame Saint Peter's 2022/East Combined for 11 points and 10 rebounds in 85-79 upset of Kentucky; 10 points and 14 rebounds in 70-60 W vs. Murray State; 12 points in 67-64 W vs. Purdue, plus 19 points and 7 rebounds in 69-49 L to eventual national runner-up North Carolina.
13. Bill and Bob Jenkins Valparaiso 1998/Midwest Bill grabbed game-high 11 rebounds and Bob chipped in with a couple of caroms in 70-69 W vs. Ole Miss; Bill grabbed game-high nine rebounds and Bob contributed four boards in 83-77 overtime W vs. Florida State, plus Bob grabbed game-high eight rebounds and Bill retrieved five missed shots in 74-68 L vs. Rhode Island.
14. Clifford and Beauford Minx Missouri 1944/West Combined for 25 points in 61-46 W vs. Pepperdine after combining for 10 points in 45-35 L vs. Utah.
15. Keegan and Kris Murray Iowa 2022/Midwest Combined for 24 points (team-high 21 by Keegan), 14 rebounds (team-high 9 by Keegan) and 3 steals in 67-63 L vs. Richmond.
16. David and Travis Wear UCLA 2013/South and 2014/South North Carolina transfers combined for 14 points and 11 rebounds in 83-63 L vs. Minnesota; 12 points and 4 rebounds in 76-59 W vs. Tulsa; 9 points and 6 rebounds in 77-60 W vs. Stephen F. Austin, plus 21 points and 8 rebounds in 79-68 L vs. Florida.
17. Johnny and Jordan Davis Wisconsin 2021/South and 2022/Midwest Combined for 9 points in 85-62 W vs. North Carolina and 20 points (team-high 17 by Johnny) in 54-49 L vs. Iowa State.
18. Dwayne and Dwight Praylow Wichita State 1987/Midwest and 1988/Midwest Combined for 17 points and five steals in 83-62 L vs. DePaul after Dwight collected 16 points and four rebounds in 57-55 L vs. St. John's.
19. Kalib and Keylan Boone Oklahoma State 2021/Midwest Combined for six points and five rebounds in 69-60 W vs. Liberty before Keylan grabbed team-high eight rebounds to go with 13 points and Kalib contributed four points in 80-70 L vs. Oregon State.
20. Sammie and Simeon Haley Missouri 1995/West Juco transfers combined for 8 points, 12 rebounds and 4 blocks in 65-60 W vs. Indiana plus 5 points in 75-74 L vs. UCLA.

Clash of Titans: How Have Winningest Tourney Coaches Done vs. Each Other?

March 28th, 2026 - 12:29

The four active coaches with the highest NCAA playoff winning percentages (minimum of 80 decisions) are John Calipari (61-24, .718), Tom Izzo (61-27, .693), Rick Pitino (57-23, .713) and Bill Self (58-25, .699). Izzo and Pitino were on a collision course to possibly meet in East Regional final but both lost in regional semifinals. Calipari has some breathing room in the following comparison of how the four luminaries have fared against each other in their college careers (including stints with Illinois, Iona, Louisville, Massachusetts and Tulsa):

Elite Coach vs. Calipari vs. Izzo vs. Pitino vs. Self Combined Record (Pct.)
John Calipari ..... 3-3 10-5 7-7 20-15 (.571)
Tom Izzo 3-3 ..... 3-1 7-8 13-12 (.520)
Rick Pitino 5-10 1-3 ..... 1-1 7-14 (.333)
Bill Self 7-7 8-7 1-1 ..... 16-15 (.516)

Best Tourney Trivia Item Involving Calipari and Pitino: Did you know Kentucky coach Mark Pope hit all six of his free throws in 1996 Final Four game when UK defeated Massachusetts in first-ever NCAA playoff meeting between Calipari and Pitino?

Either Barnes or May Will Join Coaches Guiding Multiple Schools to Final Four

March 28th, 2026 - 11:19

Either Tennessee's Rick Barnes or Michigan's Dusty May will become the 17th coach a total of 19 times (John Calipari and Rick Pitino doing so twice) to direct multiple schools to Final Four when they meet in Midwest Regional final. Barnes, who guided Texas to 2003 national semifinals, would have the longest such stint between appearances with different institutions, breaking current mark of 22 years set by Lon Kruger (Florida 94/Oklahoma 16). May, who steered Florida Atlantic to F4 in 2023, would tie Forddy Anderson (Bradley 54/Michigan State 57), Gene Bartow (Memphis State 73/UCLA 76), John Calipari (Memphis 08/Kentucky 11) and Lee Rose (UNC Charlotte 77/Purdue 80) at three years between appearances - one season longer than Roy Williams' shortest-ever stint of two years (Kansas 03/North Carolina 05).

Kansas, Kentucky, Memphis, North Carolina and Oklahoma have been involved multiple times. Following is an alphabetical list of bench bosses directing different schools to the Final Four:

Multiple-School Coach (Years) First F4 School Next F4 School
Forddy Anderson (3) Bradley 54 Michigan State 57
Gene Bartow (3) Memphis State 73 UCLA 76
Larry Brown (6) UCLA 80 Kansas 86
John Calipari (12) Massachusetts 96 Memphis 08
John Calipari (3) Memphis 08 Kentucky 11
Hugh Durham (11) Florida State 72 Georgia 83
Jack Gardner (10) Kansas State 51 Utah 61
Lou Henson (19) New Mexico State 70 Illinois 89
Bob Huggins (18) Cincinnati 92 West Virginia 10
Lon Kruger (22) Florida 94 Oklahoma 16
Jim Larranaga (17) George Mason 06 Miami (Fla.) 23
Frank McGuire (5) St. John's 52 North Carolina 57
Lute Olson (8) Iowa 80 Arizona 88
Rick Pitino (6) Providence 87 Kentucky 93
Rick Pitino (8) Kentucky 97 Louisville 05
Lee Rose (3) UNC Charlotte 77 Purdue 80
Kelvin Sampson (19) Oklahoma 02 Houston 21
Eddie Sutton (17) Arkansas 78 Oklahoma State 95
Roy Williams (2) Kansas 03 North Carolina 05

College Exam: Day #14 Regarding One-&-Only NCAA Tourney Trivia Challenge

March 28th, 2026 - 8:33

Unless you're busy hoarding toilet paper again to wipe butts of disgraced #Dimorat politicians for failing to pay TSA personnel plus Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg, NY Governor Kathy Hochul and NY State AG Letitia James after they were told to leave funeral by family of slain police officer, it's your opportunity to start taking online tests for 23 quarantined days symbolic of normal time frame from Selection Sunday to Monday evening championship contest.

We need something to occupy our minds during quarantine from much of the invective-infected #MessMedia. Emphasizing a "one-and-only" theme for a "one-and-only" event, here is Day 14 of a treasure-trove of tantalizing NCAA Tournament trivia questions from CollegeHoopedia.com tracking the only coach, conference, player or school to be linked to a distinguished or dubious achievement (click here for answers or conduct research digesting historical morsels in CollegeHoopedia.com's year-by-year highlights):

1. Name the only school to compile a losing record in a season it won on the road against a conference rival later capturing the NCAA championship. Hint: The school is a former national titlist itself, but had just one winning league mark in 12 years from 1977-78 through 1988-89.

2. Name the only school to compile a conference record of more than 10 games below .500 in a season it defeated a league rival becoming NCAA champion. Hint: The school, which finished in first or second place in league competition four consecutive seasons in early 1930s, had 44 consecutive non-winning records in conference play before securing its first tourney appearance.

3. Name the only school to trail by at least 10 points at halftime of a tournament game and end up winning the contest by more than 20. Hint: A prominent network broadcaster played for the team. The next year, the school became the only one in tourney history to win back-to-back overtime games by double-digit margins.

4. Who is the only coach to lose in back-to-back seasons to teams seeded 14th or worse? Hint: He captured an NCAA championship later that decade.

5. Name the only double-digit seeded team to reach the Final Four until Virginia Commonwealth achieved the feat last year. Hint: It's the worst-seeded school to defeat a #1 seed, a conference rival that defeated the team a total of three times that year during the regular season and postseason league tournament. The next year, the university became only school to reach back-to-back regional finals as a double-digit seed.

6. Name the only school to win a regional final game it trailed by more than 15 points at halftime. Hint: The school lost its next game at the Final Four to a team that dropped a conference game against the regional final opponent by a double-figure margin. Three years later, it became the only school to score more than 100 points in a championship game and win national final by more than 21 points.

7. Who is the only team-leading scorer to be held more than 25 points under his season average in a Final Four game? Hint: He scored 39 points against the same opponent earlier in the season to help end the third-longest winning streak in major-college history. He is the only player to lead the playoffs in scoring and rebounding in back-to-back seasons although he wasn't named to the All-Tournament team one of those years despite becoming the only player to lead a tourney in scoring by more than 60 points. In addition, he is the only player in tournament history to collect more than 40 points and 25 rebounds in same game.

8. Name the only school to lead the nation in scoring offense and win the NCAA title in the same season. Hint: The top four scorers were undergraduates for the only titlist to win all of its NCAA Tournament games by more than 15 points.

9. Name the only school to play in as many as three overtime games in a single tournament. Hint: One of the three overtime affairs was a national third-place game.

10. Who is the only Final Four Most Outstanding Player to go scoreless in two NCAA Tournament games in a previous year? Hint: His NBA scoring average decreased each of last nine seasons in the league after becoming Rookie of the Year.

Answers (Day 14)
Day 13 Questions and Answers
Day 12 Questions and Answers
Day 11 Questions and Answers
Day 10 Questions and Answers
Day 9 Questions and Answers
Day 8 Questions and Answers
Day 7 Questions and Answers
Day 6 Questions and Answers
Day 5 Questions and Answers
Day 4 Questions and Answers
Day 3 Questions and Answers
Day 2 Questions and Answers
Day 1 Questions and Answers

MIA: Premier Programs Failing to Oppose Each Other in NCAA Tourney Play

March 27th, 2026 - 21:11

Although the event is in its ninth decade, there are attractive power school match-ups never to have occurred in NCAA Tournament. The potentially entertaining intra-sectional playoff contests between storied programs never to take place in the NCAA playoffs include:

A-As Bradley, Fears, Jefferson and Smith Struggled in Previous Tourney Play

March 27th, 2026 - 18:45

There is a long history of current and future All-Americans struggling at some point in the NCAA playoffs. This season A-As Jaden Bradley (scoreless in first two playoff contests with Alabama in 2023 before transferring to Arizona), Jeremy Fears (two points for Michigan State in 2025 regional final defeat vs. Auburn), Joshua Jefferson (scoreless for Saint Mary's as freshman in 2023 tourney opener vs. VCU before transferring to Iowa State) and Braden Smith (three points for Purdue in 2024 national semifinals against North Carolina State) had shaky moments in previous NCAA tourneys.

If the stars were aligned a couple of years ago and rejection of one-and-done was in offing, they could have returned and become conquering heroes. But freshman phenoms Reed Sheppard and D.J. Wagner, after absorbing significant criticism from Kentucky zealots as frosh flops combining for only one field goal in the Wildcats' upset loss against Oakland in South Regional opener, moved on to next chapter of their hoop lives via NBA draft as undergraduate and transfer portal. If it's any consolation to Sheppard and Wagner specifically plus Big Blue Nation generally, they should be aware 1978 Final Four Most Outstanding Player Jack Givens of UK also laid a goose egg by going scoreless in his NCAA Tournament debut. In fact, Sheppard's father, Jeff, scored fewer than five points in half of his first 12 playoff games with UK before becoming 1998 Final Four Most Outstanding Player.

For what it's worth in comparing Big Blue standouts, Reed Sheppard matched consensus All-American Ralph Beard's three-point outputs in two NCAA tourney outings for UK's 1949 national champion and outscored NBA prolific point producer Devin Booker, who had only two points in his debut against Hampton in 2015 before averaging more than 22 ppg each of the past eight seasons with the Phoenix Suns. Additional fizz-free UK luminaries included celebrated center Sam Bowie scoring only two points and fouling out in UK's setback against Duke as a freshman in 1980; Michael Bradley was scoreless in two playoff games as a freshman with 1998 kingpin prior to transferring and becoming an All-American with Villanova in 2000-01; Willie Cauley-Stein going scoreless in Midwest Regional defeat against arch-rival Louisville in 2014 before contributing only two points as All-American the next year in 33 minutes of loss against Wisconsin at Final Four; freshman All-American DeMarcus Cousins contributed only five points in 2010 opener against East Tennessee State; national POY Anthony Davis was named Final Four MOP in 2012 despite his 1-of-10 FG shooting in NCAA Tournament final; Tony Delk going scoreless in 1992 playoff game against Utah and had two other tourney tilts with fewer than five points as freshman for Final Four squad; all-time great Cliff Hagan managed only four points in playoff win against St. John's in 1951; eventual All-American Vern Hatton contributed just four points in tourney setback against Iowa in 1956; Thad Jaracz, an A-A as a sophomore, was limited to two points in playoff game as senior in 1968; three-time All-American Wallace "Wah Wah" Jones scored fewer than five points in two of three tourney games as senior for 1949 NCAA kingpin; freshman All-American Michael Kidd-Gilchrist contributed only two points in second-round victory against Iowa State for 2012 champion; eventual All-American Jim Line was scoreless in 1948 Final Four outing against Holy Cross; All-American Kyle Macy was restricted to two points in 1978 playoff tilt against Miami (Ohio); eventual All-American Ron Mercer was scoreless in 1996 regional final against Wake Forest; eventual All-American Tayshaun Prince scored a total of nine points in 62 minutes in his first three playoff assignments as a freshman in 1999; All-American Frank Ramsey made only 2-of-19 FGAs in 1951 Final Four contest against Illinois; eventual two-time All-American Rick Robey was restricted to two points while fouling out of 1975 NCAA final against UCLA; eventual A-A Jack Tingle was scoreless in 1945 regional third-place outing; freshman A-A Karl-Anthony Towns scored one point in a Sweet 16 outing against West Virginia in 2015; eventual A-A Melvin Turpin tallied only two points as a freshman in 1981 opening-round defeat against UAB; freshman Tyler Ulis scored a total of five points in back-to-back 2015 Midwest Regional contests before becoming consensus first-team A-A the next year; eventual three-time NBA All-Star Antoine Walker scored only two points as a freshman in 1995 regional final loss against North Carolina; eventual All-American Kenny Walker supplied only two points in 1983 regional final loss against Louisville plus four points in 1984 Final Four setback against Georgetown, and eventual A-A Kyle Wiltjer (after transferring to Gonzaga) was scoreless in a pair of UK playoff games as a freshman in 2012.

Additional eventual MOPs joining Givens in a zilch/zero/nada category were Kansas' B.H. Born (1953), Marquette's Butch Lee (1977), UCLA's Ed O'Bannon (1995), UCLA's Richard Washington (1975) and UCLA's Sidney Wicks (1970). Born scored a total of only seven points in four playoff games the year before becoming MOP. Incredibly, Givens and Lee were blanked in the same game in their freshman season when UK mauled Marquette (76-54) in 1975 Mideast Regional opening round. O'Bannon was scoreless as a medical redshirt freshman in 1992 playoff contest against Louisville. Washington was scoreless as a freshman in 1974 West Regional semifinals when the Bruins outlasted Dayton (111-100 in triple overtime). Wicks, after one season in junior college, was blanked as a sophomore in the 1969 West Regional semifinals when UCLA defeated New Mexico State (53-38) and also went scoreless at the national semifinals when the Bruins defeated Drake (85-82).

If it was easy to excel, then everyone would do it every game. Even all-time leading playoff scorer Christian Laettner (Duke) had three tourney games with fewer than nine points. You can also ask ACC Player of the Year RJ Davis of North Carolina after he went 4-for-20 from the floor (missing all nine attempts beyond the three-point arc) in elimination loss against Alabama about the same time a former Tar Heel teammate - Arizona All-American Caleb Love - also went 0-for-9 from three-point territory. Sizzling scorers learn anew it's not always a walk in the park in postseason play. For instance, two-time national Player of the Year Zach Edey went scoreless as a freshman in 2020-21 when Purdue was eliminated by North Texas. Elsewhere, Hall of Famer Bob Cousy scored more than six points only once in his first six playoff games with Holy Cross in 1947 and 1948. UCLA All-American Keith Erickson, after erupting for 57 points in two 1965 West Regional outings, scored a total of five points in two Final Four contests. Shane Battier (Duke) became 2001 POY and MOP after scoring five or six points in four consecutive playoff contests as a sophomore and four points in a tourney tilt as freshman. Gary Bradds, a sophomore backup to national POY Jerry Lucas in 1962 before earning same award himself two years later, was scoreless for Ohio State in Mideast Regional final victory against Kentucky. Consensus national POY Trey Burke scored only six points on 2-of-12 field-goal shooting in Michigan's opening-round win against South Dakota State in 2013. Virginia's Kyle Guy was scoreless as a freshman in 2017 playoff defeat against Florida before becoming an All-American and F4 MOP two years later. Luke Hancock scored a total of 17 points in Louisville's first three playoff games in 2013 before becoming Final Four MOP that year. Kansas' Danny Manning managed only four points in 1986 Final Four setback against Duke before becoming F4 MOP and national POY two years later. Cincinnati's Kenyon Martin was scoreless as a freshman in 1997 playoff loss against Iowa State three years before becoming national POY. Indiana's Scott May, hampered by a broken left arm, scored a total of two points in 11 minutes in three 1975 NCAA playoff games before earning national POY acclaim the next season. Connecticut guard Shabazz Napier scored fewer than five points in four of his last five games as a freshman for 2011 NCAA champion before becoming a consensus first-team All-American and F4 MOP three years later. Connecticut unanimous first-team All-American Emeka Okafor was restricted to two points in 2004 regional final against Alabama before becoming F4 MOP. Houston's Akeem Olajuwon was limited to two points in a pair of 1982 playoff contests before becoming an All-American and F4 MOP two years later. Michigan State's Shawn Respert scored three points in 30 minutes against Missouri State in his first NCAA playoff game as a medical redshirt freshman in 1992 before becoming NABC national POY three years later. Michigan State's Denzel Valentine went scoreless in his playoff debut as a freshman in 2013 prior to becoming national POY in 2016. National POY Bill Walton scored only four points against Weber State in his inaugural playoff game for UCLA as a sophomore in 1972.

Former NBA sensation Clyde Drexler averaged more than 17 points per game each of his last 13 NBA seasons, but he glided to more than 17 points in just one of 11 NCAA Tournament contests for the University of Houston from 1981 through 1983 (including only four in national title game). Elsewhere, eventual All-American Luther Head scored fewer than six points in three of his first five playoff assignments with Illinois in 2002 and 2003; two-time All-American Bobby Hurley (Duke) scored fewer than six points in six of his first eight playoff games; UCLA's Marques Johnson, national POY as a senior, went scoreless as a freshman in Final Four game against North Carolina State; eventual consensus All-American Bobby Jones (North Carolina) scored a total of nine points in his first two playoff games as a sophomore; eventual NCAA unanimous All-American Stacey King contributed only two points in a pair of playoff games as an Oklahoma sophomore in 1987; two-time Kansas State All-American Dick Knostman scored fewer than four points in three of four playoff assignments as a sophomore in 1951; eventual All-American Kyle Korver made only 4-of-23 three-point field-goal attempts in his first two tourney contests (both opening-round losses) with Creighton in 2000 and 2001; eventual All-American Ty Lawson scored a total of nine points on 4-of-19 FG shooting in back-to-back playoff games for North Carolina in 2007; Quincy Lewis contributed only two points on 1-of-9 FG shooting in Minnesota's 1997 Final Four loss against Kentucky before All-American made only 3-of-19 shots from floor in 1999 playoff opener defeat against Gonzaga; eventual UCLA All-American Dave Meyers scored a total of eight points in his last three playoff games for 1973 champion; eventual North Carolina All-American Eric Montross scored one point as freshman in 1991 regional final; premier playmaker Steve Nash struggled while making only one field goal in three of five playoff contests for Santa Clara in the mid-1990s, shooting a paltry 29.2% from the floor in his postseason games; eventual Duke All-American DeMarcus Nelson scored fewer than five points in five playoff games from 2005 through 2008; Connecticut All-American A.J. Price went scoreless in 2008 opening-round loss against San Diego (injured midway through first half), and eventual Marquette A-A Jerome Whitehead supplied only two points in back-to-back games in 1977.

Two-time NBA slam-dunk champion Jason Richardson (5th pick overall in 2001) was grounded by the NCAA playoffs, going scoreless in three consecutive contests as a Michigan State freshman in 2000 before earning All-American acclaim the next year. Ditto eventual All-American Clifford Rozier with North Carolina in 1991 before transferring to Louisville. Eventual All-Americans Clyde Bradshaw (DePaul), Rakeem Christmas (Syracuse), L.J. Cryer (Baylor before transferring to Houston), Rui Hachimura (Gonzaga), Brian Evans (Indiana), Yogi Ferrell (Indiana), Collin Gillespie (Villanova), Brendan Haywood (North Carolina), Al Horford (Florida), Mark Randall (Kansas), Thomas Robinson (Kansas), Jamal Shead (Houston), Charles E. Smith IV (Georgetown), Ken Spain (Houston), Jeff Withey (Kansas) and Tyler Zeller (North Carolina) each went scoreless in two NCAA playoff games. Cole Aldrich (Kansas) had three scoreless outings as freshman for 2008 NCAA champion, eventual All-American Alan Henderson (Indiana) did likewise in consecutive playoff contests as a sophomore in 1993, Wisconsin's Frank Kaminsky went scoreless in all three playoff games as a freshman in 2012 before becoming unanimous national POY three years later for tourney runner-up, North Carolina's Luke Maye went scoreless in four playoff outings in 2016 and 2017 before becoming an A-A, eventual A-A Jason Terry (Arizona) went scoreless in a total of three tourney tilts in 1996 and 1998 and eventual A-A Scottie Wilbekin (Florida) went scoreless in three consecutive playoff outings as a freshman in 2011.

Also going scoreless in a tourney game were eventual All-Americans Grayson Allen (Duke), Justin Anderson (Virginia), Udoka Azubuike (Kansas), James Bailey (Rutgers), Keita Bates-Diop (Ohio State), Charlie Bell (Michigan State), A.L. Bennett (Oklahoma A&M), Jim Bredar (Illinois), Mikal Bridges (Villanova), Don Burness (Stanford), Sherron Collins (Kansas), Darren Collison (UCLA), Bonzie Colson (Notre Dame), Brian Cook (Illinois), Marcus Denmon (Missouri), Dan Dickau (Washington before transferring to Gonzaga), Michael Dickerson (Arizona), Chris Duhon (Duke), Mike Dunleavy Jr. (Duke), Mike Farmer (San Francisco), Danny Ferry (Duke), Kendall Gill (Illinois), Ben Gordon (Connecticut), Devonte' Graham (Kansas), Gary Grant (Michigan), Aaron Gray (Pittsburgh), Roy Hamilton (UCLA), Derek Harper (Illinois), Josh Hart (Villanova), Udonis Haslem (Florida), Joe Hassett (Providence), Mark Jackson (St. John's), Corey Kispert (Gonzaga), Ted Kitchel (Indiana), Trajan Langdon (Duke), Rudy Macklin (Louisiana State), Gale McArthur (Oklahoma A&M), Billy McCaffrey (Duke before transferring to Vanderbilt), Derrick McKey (Alabama), Brandon Miller (Alabama), Todd Mitchell (Purdue), Marcus Morris (Kansas), Kris Murray (Iowa), Dikembe Mutombo (Georgetown), Joakim Noah (Florida), Kelly Olynyk (Gonzaga), Mason Plumlee (Duke), Juan "Pepe" Sanchez (Temple), Nik Stauskas (Michigan), Earl Tatum (Marquette), Jordan Taylor (Wisconsin), Deshaun Thomas (Ohio State), Denzel Valentine (Michigan State), Mark West (Old Dominion), Terrence Williams (Louisville) and Andy Zimmer (Indiana) before Alabama freshman phenom Brandon Miller duplicated their inability to dent the scoreboard in 2023 opener against a #16 seed. Miller's goose egg was the most disappointing playoff performance by a Bama standout since eventual four-time NBA All-Star Latrell Sprewell went 2-for-15 from the floor in a reversal against North Carolina in 1992.

Ferry scored fewer than 10 points in six straight tourney tilts before averaging 20 ppg in his last 11 playoff outings; three-time All-American Grant Hill (Duke) failed to tally more than 14 points in all of his first 11 postseason outings in 1991 and 1992; Kirk Hinrich (Kansas) scored fewer than four points in playoff games as an All-American in 2002 and 2003, and Syracuse All-American Kris Joseph never scored more than 12 points in 11 NCAA playoff contests from 2009 through 2012. Sometimes it only matters when you score points. All-American Lorenzo Charles had a woeful four-point game against heavily-favored Houston in 1983 NCAA Tournament final but his second basket (dunk at buzzer) lifted North Carolina State to an upset win. Memo to UK Fans: If Sheppard had returned to UK, you shouldn't have expected him to duplicate Austin Carr's prolific playoff scoring with Notre Dame after a slow start. Carr collected only six points in a loss against Miami (Ohio) in 1969 before averaging 47.2 ppg in his next six tourney contests in 1970 and 1971.

Remember Me? Miller Came Close to Coaching vs. Two Different Previous Jobs

March 27th, 2026 - 11:25

Texas' Sean Miller came a questionable over-the-back tip by Purdue from becoming the first coach to compete in NCAA tourney against two different schools he previously piloted. X marked the first head coaching spot for Miller when he directed Xavier for five seasons from 2004-05 through 2008-09 before leaving with nine years remaining on a contract to join Arizona. In 2017, the Cincinnati-based Jesuit school meant eXit for the frustrated mentor seeking his initial Final Four appearance. Miller, who guided the Musketeers to a regional semifinal each of his last two campaigns with them, opposed his old stomping grounds in the West Regional for the second time in three-year span.

Norm Sloan is the only coach to post an NCAA playoff victory against a school he previously guided to the national championship. Sloan was Florida's mentor in 1987 when the Gators notched an 82-70 first-round triumph over North Carolina State, the institution he took to the 1974 title.

Gene Bartow is the only individual to oppose two different schools in the playoffs he previously coached to the Final Four (UAB lost against Memphis State in 1985 and UCLA in 1990). North Carolina's Roy Williams lost three times by double-digit margins against Kansas in a six-year span from 2008 through 2013 after guiding the Jayhawks to the Final Four on four occasions (1991, 1993, 2002 and 2003).

Lute Olson is the only coach to twice defeat the same school he previously took to the NCAA playoffs (Arizona beat Iowa in 1988 and 1996). A total of 18 different bench bosses are on the following chronological list of "muscle-memory" mentors opposing a school in the NCAA Tournament they previously directed in the playoffs:

Tourney Coach School Playoff Round Foe Previously Took to NCAA Playoffs Tournament Career Summary
Ben Carnevale Navy 1959 First Round W vs. North Carolina, 76-63 Carnevale compiled 2-1 mark in NCAA playoffs with Tar Heels in 1946 before going 4-6 with Midshipmen (1947-53-54-59-60).
Frank McGuire South Carolina 1972 Regional Semifinal L vs. North Carolina, 92-69 McGuire was 5-1 with Tar Heels in 1957 and 1959 before going 4-5 with Gamecocks (1971 through 1974).
Gene Bartow UAB 1985 Second Round L vs. Memphis State, 67-66 Bartow was 3-1 with Tigers in 1973 before going 6-9 with Blazers (1981-82-83-84-85-86-87-90-94).
Johnny Orr Iowa State 1986 Second Round W vs. Michigan, 72-69 Orr was 7-4 with Wolverines from 1974 through 1977 before going 3-6 with Cyclones (1985-86-88-89-92-93).
Norm Sloan Florida 1987 First Round W vs. North Carolina State, 82-70 Sloan was 5-2 with Wolfpack (1970-74-78) before going 3-3 with Gators from 1987 through 1989.
Lute Olson Arizona 1988 Regional Semifinal W vs. Iowa, 99-79 Olson was 7-6 with Hawkeyes from 1979 through 1983 before going 39-22 with Wildcats from 1985 through 2007.
Gene Bartow UAB 1990 First Round L vs. UCLA, 68-56 Bartow was 5-2 with Bruins in 1976 and 1977 before going 6-9 with Blazers (1981-82-83-84-85-86-87-90-94).
Nolan Richardson Jr. Arkansas 1994 Regional Semifinal W vs. Tulsa, 103-84 Richardson was 0-3 with Golden Hurricane (1982-84-85) before going 26-12 with Razorbacks from 1988 through 1996 and 1998 through 2001.
Lute Olson Arizona 1996 Second Round W vs. Iowa, 87-73 Olson was 7-6 with Hawkeyes from 1979 through 1983 before going 39-22 with Wildcats from 1985 through 2007.
Gale Catlett West Virginia 1998 Second Round W vs. Cincinnati, 75-74 Catlett was 2-3 with Bearcats from 1975 through 1977 before going 5-8 with Mountaineers (1982-83-84-86-87-89-92-98).
Lon Kruger Illinois 2000 Second Round L vs. Florida, 93-76 Kruger was 4-2 with Gators in 1994 and 1995 before going 3-3 with Illini (1997-98-00).
Lefty Driesell Georgia State 2001 Second Round L vs. Maryland, 79-60 Driesell was 10-8 with Terrapins (1973-75-80-81-83-84-85-86) before going 1-1 with Panthers in 2001.
Tubby Smith Kentucky 2002 Second Round W vs. Tulsa, 87-82 Smith was 4-2 with Golden Hurricane in 1994 and 1995 before going 18-6 with Wildcats from 1998 through 2004.
Thad Matta Ohio State 2007 Second Round W vs. Xavier, 78-71 Matta was 5-3 with Muskeeters (2002 through 2004) before going 18-9 with Buckeyes from 2006 through 2017.
Ben Howland UCLA 2007 Regional Semifinal W vs. Pittsburgh, 64-55 Howland was 4-2 with Panthers (2002 and 2003) before going 15-7 with Bruins (2005-06-07-08-09-11-13).
Roy Williams North Carolina 2008 National Semifinal L vs. Kansas, 84-66 Williams was 34-14 with Jayhawks (1990 through 2003) before going 36-10 with Tar Heels from 2004 through 2016.
Bill Self Kansas 2011 Second Round W vs. Illinois, 73-59 Self was 6-3 with Illini (2001 through 2003) before going 30-12 with Jayhawks from 2004 through 2016.
Roy Williams North Carolina 2012 Regional Final L vs. Kansas, 80-67 Williams was 34-14 with Jayhawks (1990 through 2003) before going 36-10 with Tar Heels from 2004 through 2016.
Roy Williams North Carolina 2013 Second Round L vs. Kansas, 70-58 Williams was 34-14 with Jayhawks (1990 through 2003) before going 36-10 with Tar Heels from 2004 through 2016.
Larry Brown Southern Methodist 2015 First Round L vs. UCLA, 60-59 Brown was 5-2 with Bruins in 1980 and 1981 before going 0-1 with Mustangs.
Sean Miller Arizona 2015 Regional Semifinal W vs. Xavier, 68-60 Miller was 6-4 with Musketeers from 2006 through 2009 before going 13-6 with Wildcats from 2011 through 2017.
Sean Miller Arizona 2017 Regional Semifinal L vs. Xavier, 73-71 Miller was 6-4 with Musketeers from 2006 through 2009 before going 13-6 with Wildcats from 2011 through 2017.
Bobby Hurley Arizona State 2019 Regional First Round L vs. Buffalo, 91-74 Hurley was 0-1 with Bulls in 2015 before joining Sun Devils and losing back-to-back NCAA tourney outings in 2018 and 2019.
Dana Altman Oregon 2024 Regional Second Round L vs. Creighton, 86-73, in 2OT Altman guided Bluejys to seven NCAA tourneys in a nine-year span from 1999 through 2007 (2-7 record) before shepherding the Ducks to 2017 Final Four.
Rick Barnes Tennessee 2024 Regional Second Round W vs. Texas, 62-58 Barnes directed the Longhorns to NCAA playoffs 16 times in 17 seasons from 1998-99 through 2014-15 (19-16 tourney record). Barnes was 8-5 with the Vols after beating the 'Horns.

Biggest Blunders: Shorthanded Huskers Not First School to Endure Brain Fart

March 27th, 2026 - 10:03

Feeling the pressure? If looking at tournament glass as half empty, the coronavirus outbreak was culprit bringing postseason competition to a screeching halt six years ago. If gazing at glass as half full, the shutdown possibly averted additional tourney stigma now attached to Nebraska after the Huskers' late-game miscue deploying only four players on the court before Iowa converted crucial conventional three-point play in final minute of regional semifinal contest.

Three years ago, Virginia playmaker Kihei Clark, who went from adroit delivery as freshman helping Cavaliers capture 2019 NCAA crown to senseless panic pass (surrounded by defenders in corner with option of requesting team timeout still remaining) allowing Furman a last-second opportunity for game-winning three-pointer in his college career finale. Five seasons ago, Alabama's Herb Jones, the SEC Player of the Year, committed a pair of offensive fouls in opening minute before missing three of four free throws in the last 37 seconds of regulation, making only 2-of-7 from the charity stripe for the entire game, as #2 seed was eliminated by #11 seed UCLA in overtime in regional semifinal.

Remember Northern Iowa's 2016 complete collapse in squandering a 12-point lead in the last 35 seconds of regulation against Texas A&M en route to a 92-88 setback in double overtime. The Panthers' cataclysmic cave-in almost makes you forget about Arizona's fiasco flop when the Wildcats frittered away a 15-point advantage with four minutes remaining in regulation against Illinois in 2005 playoffs.

If you think about gaffes from a human perspective for a moment, having their playoff balloon pop by dull pin is terrible thing to happen to a team. On the other hand, a scorned squad can share the blame-game burden while an individual player could be branded for lifetime. Truth be told, some players probably will live with major miscue in front of God and country for the remainder of their Earthly existence. No one deserves a humiliating label, even after bad blunder on the biggest stage, but spit happens where temperatures rise and afflicted seek a stay-at-home order. Punctuated by fable-like failure, the following chronological list details 10 additional fatal stumbles at the wrong time since the tourney field expanded to at least 32 teams in 1975:

1975: Louisville reserve guard Terry Howard, after converting all 28 of his previous foul shots during season, missed the front end of a one-and-one free-throw opportunity with 20 seconds remaining in overtime and the Cardinals leading by one point. UCLA prevailed in national semifinal, 75-74, when Richard Washington sank short jumper from right baseline in closing seconds.
1982: Georgetown sophomore guard Fred Brown's errant pass, ostensibly seeing a teammate out of the corner of his right eye, went directly to North Carolina forward James Worthy and prevented the Hoyas from attempting a potential game-winning shot in the closing seconds of 63-62 setback against the Tar Heels.
1993: Michigan rallied to trim deficit to 73-71 before two North Carolina players trapped Chris Webber on the right sideline with only 11 seconds remaining after he dribbled downcourt when referees failed to call him for walking after grabbing rebound of missed free-throw attempt. The Wolverines' consensus first-team All-American called a fateful timeout his team did not have. Donald Williams wrapped up the game with four consecutive free throws to give Carolina a 77-71 triumph. "Sometimes winning a basketball game is just plain luck," UNC coach Dean Smith said. Meanwhile, Webber's family took mental lapse in stride and showed time heals all wounds when his father, Mayce, acquired a vanity license plate proclaiming "Timeout," a reference to his son's excruciating blunder.
1994: The score was tied when Connecticut All-American Donyell Marshall, who hit 77% of his foul shots during three-year college career, missed two free throws with 3.4 seconds remaining in regulation in East Regional semifinals. UConn wound up losing to Florida, 69-60, in overtime.
1995: Upon making splendid steal off baseline in-bounds pass by Arkansas, Lucious Jackson called an unnecessary timeout while prone in right corner with 4.3 seconds remaining in regulation although Syracuse was out of them and had possession arrow pointing in direction of the Orange. The Razorbacks made one-of-two technical foul charity tosses to knot score, 82-82, and won second-round game in overtime, 96-94.
2006: In the last 20 seconds, Gonzaga's Jose Bautista committed a foul going for rebound following teammate's missed field-goal attempt and subsequently had ball stolen from him after receiving in-bounds pass triggering go-ahead basket for UCLA, giving the Bruins their first lead of game en route to 73-71 come-from-behind victory. The reversal left national player of the year Adam Morrison of the Zags weeping prostrate at mid-court.
2008: Given multiple chances to put away Kansas in national final including leading by nine points with fewer than two minutes remaining in regulation, Memphis All-Americans Derrick Rose and Chris Douglas-Roberts combined to convert only one of five foul shots in the final 1:12 of regulation (including one front end of a one-and-one). They were 1-of-4 in the last 16 seconds. Rose and Douglas-Roberts had collaborated to sink 20-of-23 in a semifinal rout of UCLA. The Tigers hit only 59% from the line for the season after losing to KU, 75-68.
2014: Virginia Commonwealth's JeQuan Lewis ran into Stephen F. Austin player (Desmond Haymon) as lefthander made three-point field goal with 3.6 seconds remaining in regulation in second round of South Regional. After Haymon converted free throw to complete four-point play, VCU went on to lose in overtime, 77-75.
2019: New Mexico State's Terrell Brown missed two of three free throws with 1.1 seconds remaining in a 78-77 opening-round setback against Auburn after getting fouled by Bryce Brown beyond the three-point arc. Terrell Brown made a team-leading 77.6% of his charity tosses during the entire season.
2019: Auburn's Samir Doughty fouled Virginia's Kyle Guy at buzzer when sharpshooter launched a three-point attempt from the left corner. Guy sank all three free throws to give the Cavaliers a 63-62 win in national semifinals.

College Exam: Day #13 Regarding One-&-Only NCAA Tourney Trivia Challenge

March 27th, 2026 - 9:32

Unless you're busy hoarding toilet paper to wipe George Soros flunky Alvin Bragg's attorney butt, standing in long airport line because #Dimorats won't underwrite TSA, seeking translator to try to understand Plagiarist Biledumb or cowering in fetal position from listening to #TheView's self-anointed vixens, it's your opportunity to start taking online tests for 23 quarantined days symbolic of normal time frame from Selection Sunday to Monday evening championship contest.

We need something to occupy our minds during quarantine from much of the invective-infected #MessMedia. Emphasizing a "one-and-only" theme for a "one-and-only" event, here is Day 13 of a treasure-trove of tantalizing NCAA Tournament trivia questions from CollegeHoopedia.com tracking the only coach, conference, player or school to be linked to a distinguished or dubious achievement (click here for answers or conduct research digesting historical morsels in CollegeHoopedia.com's year-by-year highlights):

1. Who is the only team-leading scorer of a Final Four team to go scoreless when the school was eliminated from championship contention at the national semifinals? Hint: He was a center who along with four teammates averaged between 11 and 12.5 points per game.

2. Who is the only player to twice lead the nation in scoring average while playing for teams advancing to the Final Four? Hint: He is the only team-leading scorer to twice be more than 10 points below his season scoring mark when his school was eliminated at the Final Four.

3. Name the only school to lose two national championship games by at least 18 points after leading the finals at halftime. Hint: The two opponents, 17 years apart, combined to win 66 of 68 games those seasons.

4. Name the only school to make as many as eight consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances from the year it participated in the event for the first time. Hint: The school's last playoff victory wasn't during this streak, but it later handed UCLA its first West Regional defeat in 14 years.

5. Name the only school to lose as many as 15 opening-round games in the NCAA Tournament. Hint: The university also lost a first-round game in 1984 after winning a qualifying round contest when playoff field was 53 teams.

6. Who is the only athlete to collect more than 3,000 major league hits, including 465 homers, after playing the entire basketball game for a school when it appeared in the NCAA Tournament for the first time. Hint: The outfielder appeared in 12 All-Star Games and two World Series after never playing in minors.

7. Who is the only player to have a single-digit point total in a national semifinal game and then increase his output by more than 20 points in the championship game? Hint: The center for two years between two three-time consensus first-team All-Americans shot just over 40% from the floor for the season entering title game where he had a game-high and career-high point total.

8. Who is the only player to have a decrease of more than 25 points from his national semifinal game scoring total to his championship game output? Hint: He was a member of the first undefeated NCAA champion and subsequently became an NBA first-round draft choice.

9. Name the only school to defeat two eventual Final Four teams by double-digit margins in their conference tournament. Hint: The school was handily eliminated in the NCAA playoffs by one of the two Final Four teams it decisively defeated in their league tourney.

10. Name the only school to reach the NCAA championship game in back-to-back seasons it was defeated by double-digit margins in its conference tournament. Hint: The school swept its home-and-home series in regular-season conference competition against the teams defeating it in league tourney.

Answers (Day 13)
Day 12 Questions and Answers
Day 11 Questions and Answers
Day 10 Questions and Answers
Day 9 Questions and Answers
Day 8 Questions and Answers
Day 7 Questions and Answers
Day 6 Questions and Answers
Day 5 Questions and Answers
Day 4 Questions and Answers
Day 3 Questions and Answers
Day 2 Questions and Answers
Day 1 Questions and Answers

Elite Hate: Six Power-League Members Failing to Reach NCAA Regional Final

March 26th, 2026 - 21:59

First things first! This admonition for handful of prominent schools is finally winning an NCAA playoff regional semifinal game. Nebraska finally got out of starter's block but joined Texas A&M this year in failing to advance to a regional final.

Some fans hate that their university never has been in a position to secure one more victory and reach the Final Four love-fest. The Huskers and Aggies are among a total of six existing power-conference members failing to advance to an NCAA Tournament regional final. The frustration list included Miami (Fla.) before the Hurricanes left dubious list with Midwest Regional success at 2022 party. Combining for 86 NCAA playoff appearances (including 2026) and 66-78 record (.458), following is an alphabetical list of the half-dozen "Elite Eight" no-shows from top six leagues:

Power-League Member App. Record Pct. Premier Players for Previous NCAA Tournament Teams
Arizona State 17 15-18 .455 Larry Armstrong, Isaac Austin, Art Becker, Mario Bennett, Joe Caldwell, Dexter Cambridge, Jahii Carson, Tony Cerkvenik, Ike Diogu, Jamal Faulkner (transferred to Alabama), James Harden, Tra Holder, DJ Horne (transferred to North Carolina State), Lionel Hollins, Alton Lister, Scott Lloyd, Remy Martin (transferred to Kansas), Kurt Nimphius, Ron Riley, Byron Scott and Rudy White
Boston College 18 22-19 .537 Danya Abrams, Michael Adams, Steve Adelman, John Bagley, Troy Bell, Bob Carrington, Bill Curley, Terry Driscoll, Jared Dudley, Howard Eisley, John Garris, Jay Murphy, James "Scoonie" Penn (transferred to Ohio State), Tyrese Rice and Craig Smith
Mississippi 10 7-10 .412 Keith Carter, Carlos Clark, Terence Davis, Aaron Harper, Marshall Henderson, Marcus Hicks, Stefan Moody, Justin Reed, Sean Pedulla, Ansu Sesay, Elston Turner and Breein Tyree
Nebraska 9 2-9 .182 Cookie Belcher, Jaron Boone, Derrick Chandler, Bernard Day, Juwan Gary, Venson Hamilton, Carl Hayes, Rich King, Tyronn Lue, Rienk Mast, Terran Petteway, Eric Piatkowski, Pryce Sandfort, Shavon Shields, Erick Strickland, Keisei Tominaga, Brice Williams and Andre Woolridge (transferred to Iowa)
Northwestern 3 3-3 .500 Chase Audige, Brooks Barnhizer, Boo Buie, Ryan Langborg, Vic Law, Scottie Lindsey, Bryant McIntosh and Dererk Pardon
Texas A&M 18 16-19 .457 Rashaun Agee, Billy Bob Barnett, John Beasley, Josh Carter, Winston Crite, Barry Davis, Tyler Davis, Mike Heitmann, Danuel House, Jalen Jones, Joseph Jones, Acie Law IV, Bennie Lenox, Khris Middleton, Steve Niles, Sonny Parker, Ronnie Peret, Zhuric Phelps, Tyrece Radford, Claude Riley, Vernon Smith, Wade Taylor IV, Robert Williams, Rudy Woods and Rynn Wright

Lords of No Rings: No Final 4 For Jamie Dixon, Sean Miller & Fran McCaffery

March 26th, 2026 - 21:13

Purdue's Matt Painter got the monkey off his back in 2024 but Jamie Dixon (TCU), Sean Miller and Fran McCaffery couldn't duplicate feat this campaign. Miller had become the first coach to twice leave same school (Xavier) promptly after guiding it to the NCAA playoffs when he was hired by Texas a year ago after previously leaving X for Arizona in 2009.

The Final Four missing-in-action microscope in recent years focused on a pair of pilots from Indiana universities - Notre Dame's Mike Brey and Painter) - as the most prominent active power-league coaches participating in more than a dozen tourneys never to reach the national semifinals. Brey, prior to departing to the NBA as an assistant, and Painter were in same AWOL category with all-time greats John Chaney, Fran Dunphy, Lefty Driesell, Gene Keady and Norm Stewart - retired luminaries failing to advance to the national semifinals in a total of 81 NCAA Tournaments before Dunphy returned to coaching ranks at his alma mater (La Salle). "It's so difficult not being able to make that final step," said Chaney, who lost five regional finals with Temple.

Driesell made 11 NCAA playoff appearances with Davidson and Maryland from 1966 through 1986. "I always wanted to get to the Final Four, but not as much as some people think," said Driesell, who lost four regional finals. "I'm not obsessed with it."

Maryland coach Buzz Williams, after directing three other power-conference members to the NCAA Tournament, may join Final Four no-show list the first time he guides the Terrapins to a playoff berth. He has participated in 11 tourneys with a 13-11 mark.

Only four schools - North Carolina, Duke, Georgetown and Syracuse - supplied more NCAA consensus first- and second-team All-Americans from 1982 through 1992 than Stewart-coached Missouri (seven). It was particularly frustrating for Mizzou fans when the Tigers compiled a 4-8 NCAA tourney worksheet in that span.

Some mentors never will receive the accolades they deserve because of failing to reach the Promised Land. Exhibit A much of this century was Purdue, where Keady and Painter combined for 32 NCAA tourney appearances without advancing to national semifinals until Painter took care of business two years ago in his 15th trip to the playoffs with the Boilermakers. There were 100,000 reasons Sean Miller joined this dubious list after dismal first-round loss against Buffalo in 2018 despite bringing freshman phenom Deandre Ayton to Arizona in some form or fashion (cause or no cause). Miller needed a safe space on campus to curl up in fetal position stemming from eventual fallout from FBI probe prior to returning to Xavier, but the following "Generation Hex" list - with Painter exiting - includes prominent coaches without a Final Four berth on their resume despite at least a dozen NCAA Tournament appearances:

Coach NCAA Tourneys Playoff Record (Pct.) Closest to Reaching Final Four
Gene Keady 18 19-18 (.514) regional runner-up with Purdue in 1994 and 2000
John Chaney 17 23-17 (.575) regional runner-up with Temple five times (1988-91-93-99-01)
Fran Dunphy 17 3-17 (.150) won three opening-round games with Penn and Temple (1994, 2011 and 2013)
Norm Stewart 16 12-16 (.429) regional runner-up with Missouri in 1976 and 1994
Mike Brey 15 15-15 (.500) regional runner-up with Notre Dame in 2015 and 2016
Jamie Dixon 15 15-15 (.500) regional runner-up with Pittsburgh in 2009
Sean Miller 14 25-14 (.641) four regional final losses (with Arizona previous decade)
Steve Alford 13 11-13 (.458) Sweet 16 on four occasions (once with Southwest Missouri State and three times with UCLA)
Lefty Driesell 13 16-14 (.533) regional runner-up four times with Davidson and Maryland (1968-69-73-75)
Fran McCaffery 13 6-13 (.316) six opening-round victories with Siena (two) and Iowa (four)
Greg McDermott 13 12-13 (.480) regional runner-up with Creighton in 2023

Familiar Territory: Will Wade Returning to Old Stomping Grounds at LSU

March 26th, 2026 - 15:22

Will Wade, rehired by Louisiana State, boasts an opportunity to achieve something rare in the major-college coaching community. The Tigers reeled Martin back in despite a trend where resurrected mentors failed to come anywhere close to duplicating success during previous tenure. Wade won 67.3% of his games in previous five-season stint.

Although eight of them posted losing marks during initial stint, Ronnie Arrow (South Alabama), Jim McCafferty (Loyola LA) and Ritchie McKay (Liberty) are the only three of the 42 mentors a total of 44 times in this "Comeback Club" category over the last 60-plus years to compile a higher winning percentage the second time around.

Several years ago, Xavier's Sean Miller reupped to align with Lou Carnesecca (St. John's) and Lake Kelly (Austin Peay State) as the only coaches to win NCAA playoff games in two different stints with the same school. Wade is the fourth active coach on the following alphabetical list of coaches returning to their former major-college stomping grounds if their tenures weren't interrupted solely by World War II:

Two-Time Coach DI College First Stint W-L Pct. Second Stint W-L Pct.
Ronnie Arrow South Alabama 1988-95 114-93 .551 2008-13 97-68 .588
Tom Asbury Pepperdine 1989-94 125-59 .679 2009-11 28-68 .292
Lou Carnesecca St. John's 1966-70 104-35 .748 1974-92 422-165 .719
Ed Conroy The Citadel 2007-10 49-76 .392 since 2023 38-90 .297
Paul Cormier Dartmouth 1985-91 87-95 .478 2011-16 55-116 .322
Kermit Davis Idaho 1989 and 1990 50-12 .806 1997 13-17 .433
Mike Dement UNC Greensboro 1992-95 55-56 .495 2006-12 69-125 .356
Joe Dooley East Carolina 1996-99 57-52 .523 2019-22 44-67 .396
Homer Drew Valparaiso 1989-2002 235-185 .560 2004-11 136-120 .531
Marshall Emery Delaware State 1977-79 30-50 .375 1986-88 18-66 .214
Dan Fitzgerald Gonzaga 1979-81 51-29 .638 1986-97 203-140 .592
Blair Gullion Washington (Mo.) 1948-52 65-41 .613 1954-59 69-61 .531
Lou Henson New Mexico State 1967-75 173-71 .709 1998-2005 136-105 .564
Ben Jobe Southern (La.) 1987-96 191-100 .656 2002 and 2003 16-40 .286
Phil Johnson San Jose State 1999 12-16 .429 2003-05 19-67 .221
Donald Kellett Penn 1944 and 1945 22-9 .710 1947 and 1948 24-22 .522
Lake Kelly Austin Peay State 1972-77 110-52 .679 1986-90 79-70 .530
Joe Lapchick St. John's 1937-47 181-54 .770 1957-65 154-75 .672
Dave Leitao DePaul 2003-05 58-34 .630 2016-21 66-113 .369
Abe Lemons Oklahoma City 1956-73 309-181 .631 1984-90 123-84 .594
Cuonzo Martin Missouri State 2009-11 61-41 .598 since 2025 25-41 .379
Thad Matta Butler 2001 24-8 .750 2023-26 63-69 .477
Jim McCafferty Loyola (La.) 1950 9-15 .375 1955-57 38-36 .514
Dave McDowell Kent State 1949-51 56-20 .737 1956 and 1957 15-29 .341
Ritchie McKay Liberty 2008 and 2009 39-28 .582 since 2016 259-114 .694
Doc Meanwell Wisconsin 1912-17 92-9 .911 1921-34 154-90 .631
Sean Miller Xavier 2005-09 120-47 .719 2023-25 65-40 .619
Robert Moreland Texas Southern 1976-2001 399-352 .531 2008 7-25 .219
Joe Mullaney Providence 1956-69 271-94 .742 1982-85 48-70 .407
Buzz Peterson Appalachian State 1997-2000 79-39 .669 2010 24-13 .649
Steve Prohm Murray State 2012-15 104-29 .782 2023-25 45-51 .469
Bill Reinhart George Washington 1936-42 100-38 .725 1950-66 216-201 .518
Elmer Ripley Georgetown 1928 and 1929 24-6 .800 1939-43 68-39 .636
Elmer Ripley Georgetown 1939-43 68-39 .636 1947-49 41-37 .526
Jack Rohan Columbia 1962-74 154-161 .489 1991-95 43-87 .331
Lorenzo Romar Pepperdine 1997-99 42-44 .488 2019-24 76-112 .404
Glen Rose Arkansas 1934-42 154-47 .766 1953-66 171-154 .526
John "Honey" Russell Seton Hall 1937-43 101-32 .759 1950-60 194-97 .647
Joe Scott Air Force 2001-04 51-63 .447 2021-26 46-119 .279
Larry Shyatt Wyoming 1998 19-9 .679 2012-16 98-69 .587
Norm Sloan Florida 1961-66 85-63 .574 1981-89 150-131 .534
Ken Trickey Oral Roberts 1970-74 118-23 .837 1988-93 96-93 .508
Billy Tubbs Lamar 1977-80 75-46 .620 2004-06 46-43 .517
Butch van Breda Kolff Lafayette 1952-55 68-34 .667 1985-88 64-51 .557
Butch van Breda Kolff Hofstra 1956-62 112-43 .723 1989-94 79-81 .494
Will Wade Louisiana State 2018-22 105-51 .673 since 2027 TBD TBD
Donald White Rutgers 1946-56 98-145 .403 1963 7-16 .304
Davey Whitney Alcorn State 1971-89 395-199 .665 1997-2003 115-93 .553

NOTES: VBK also had two stints at Hofstra, but Hofstra wasn't at the major-college level his first stint there. . . . OCU de-emphasized its program to the NAIA level after Lemons returned. . . . ORU wasn't always at the Division I level for either of Trickey's stints.

Deal or No Deal: Contracts Don't Mean a Lot to Many NCAA DI Head Coaches

March 26th, 2026 - 10:04

Should I stay or should I go? It's a good thing universities play in mammoth arenas because the egos of their "Pompous Pilots" wouldn't fit any other place. Much of the excess in the canonization of coaches is perpetuated by coaches-turned-television commentators who shamelessly fawn over their former colleagues. Instead, the analysts should be more concerned about encouraging mentors to spare fans the pious blather about school loyalty and the sanctity of a contract.

Granted, it's survival of the fittest amid the offer-you-can't-refuse backdrop. But in many instances, schools have been little more than convenient steppingstones for "larger-than-life" coaches along their one-way street to success. It's understandable in many instances why mercenaries are leaving the minute they're appointed because coaches are in a distasteful "hired-to-be-fired" vocation, where a pink slip is only one losing season or poor recruiting class away.

If not about the money and perks, why did obsessive Buzz Williams reportedly file FOIA requests annually for the contracts of every basketball and football coach for every NCAA Division I public institution to discern how an agreement should be created?

Whatever the case, it's a black eye on the sport when loyalty seems to have become too much of a one-way street. At times, it makes one wonder how the bench bosses can look themselves in the mirror. Five of Tulsa's six coaches in one stretch - Nolan Richardson, Tubby Smith, Steve Robinson, Bill Self and Buzz Peterson - abandoned ship for more prestigious positions despite each of them having at least three years remaining on their deals.

More than 75 different active coaches had at least three years remaining on their pacts when leaving for greener pastures. Will Wade became the first coach to exit four schools with at least four years remaining on their contract among the following alphabetical list of mentors departing three or four schools before their pacts expired:

Deal or no deal? The length of contracts doesn't seem to carry any weight as a factor in the equation as long as your brain cells or ethical standards don't put any stock into length of an existing pact. Dusty May had nine years remaining on his pact with FAU upon departing for Michigan. Following is an alphabetical list detailing coaches reportedly still having contractual obligations of more than five seasons when they left a school for greener pastures during their careers:

College Exam: Day #12 Regarding One-&-Only NCAA Tourney Trivia Challenge

March 26th, 2026 - 8:03

Unless you're busy hoarding toilet paper to wipe derriere of George Soros butt boy NYC attorney Alvin Bragg, trying to help Supreme Court Justice define a woman or cowering in fetal position awaiting directive from deity Dr. Fraudci, it's your opportunity to start taking online tests for 23 quarantined days symbolic of normal time frame from Selection Sunday to Monday evening championship contest.

We need something to occupy our minds during quarantine from much of the invective-infected #MessMedia. Emphasizing a "one-and-only" theme for a "one-and-only" event, here is Day 12 of a treasure-trove of tantalizing NCAA Tournament trivia questions from CollegeHoopedia.com tracking the only coach, conference, player or school to be linked to a distinguished or dubious achievement (click here for answers or conduct research digesting historical morsels in CollegeHoopedia.com's year-by-year highlights):

1. Who is the only championship team player to have a season scoring average of less than six points per game entering a Final Four but tally more than 30 points in the national semifinals and final? Hint: He is the only player with a single-digit season scoring average to score more than 25 points in an NCAA championship game.

2. Who is the only player to score at least 25 points in eight consecutive NCAA playoff games? Hint: He is the only player to rank among top five in scoring average in both NCAA Tournament and NBA playoffs. He was denied a championship ring in his only Final Four appearance when a player who would become an NBA teammate tipped in decisive basket in the closing seconds.

3. Name the only Final Four Most Outstanding Player who wasn't among the top five scorers on his team. Hint: The only other player to earn the award who wasn't among top four scorers on his team attended same university.

4. Who is the only individual to be named the NCAA Final Four Most Outstanding Player and NIT Most Valuable Player? Hint: As a freshman, he shared one of the awards with a teammate.

5. Who is the only U.S. Congressman to become chairman of the House Judiciary Committee after playing in the NCAA Tournament championship game? Hint: Starting out as a Democrat, he became a 12-term Republican Congressman from Illinois.

6. Who is the only individual to be named Final Four Most Outstanding Player and NBA Finals Most Valuable Player in back-to-back seasons? Hint: He holds the NBA Finals single-game record for most points by a rookie.

7. Name the freshman who had the highest season scoring average for a team to reach the NCAA Tournament championship game until Carmelo Anthony achieved the feat for 2003 champion Syracuse. Hint: The word "Boss" is tattooed to his chest for a good reason because he also led his team in assists as freshman.

8. Who is the only freshman to score more than 30 points in a national semifinal or championship game before failing to score more than half that total in his next four playoff outings? Hint: He didn't score more than 15 points in any of his next four NCAA playoff games, all defeats, and averaged a modest 8.2 points per game in an eight-year NBA career with an all-time pro season high of 11.4 ppg and game high of 28.

9. Who is the only freshman on a Final Four team to score more than 20 points in as many as four tournament games? Hint: He did not play in the national championship game and his school lost in the NCAA playoffs to opponents with double-digit seeds each of four seasons before he arrived.

10. Name the only season-leading scorer of a titlist to be held more than 14 points below his average in the NCAA championship game. Hint: He was named national player of the year by the U.S. Basketball Writers Association. He is one of four Final Four Most Outstanding Players held scoreless in their NCAA Tournament debuts in a previous season. He is also the only individual to become a member of three NCAA titlists after playing one season in junior college.

Answers (Day 12)
Day 11 Questions and Answers
Day 10 Questions and Answers
Day 9 Questions and Answers
Day 8 Questions and Answers
Day 7 Questions and Answers
Day 6 Questions and Answers
Day 5 Questions and Answers
Day 4 Questions and Answers
Day 3 Questions and Answers
Day 2 Questions and Answers
Day 1 Questions and Answers

Bumpy Ride: Fifteen Ex-NCAA Champions Lost Playoff Game By > 28 Points

March 25th, 2026 - 20:59

It's a good thing Kentucky got off to a sizzling start, leading Iowa State by 11 points midway through the first half, before the Cyclones turned up the defensive pressure and battered the Big Blue by 19 points. The Wildcats came perilously close to their most-lopsided loss in NCAA playoff history (24 points vs. Western Kentucky in 1971).

An embarrassing NCAA Tournament defeat is almost inevitable. For instance, it was a jolt to Indiana fans when the Hoosiers were smothered by Saint Mary's, 82-53, in the first round of the 2022 East Regional. But their ardent followers could take some solace in fact that 13 other former champions lost an NCAA Tournament game by as many points over the years.

On the other end of the setback spectrum, is a traditional blueblood other than Connecticut, Duke, Georgetown, Kansas, Kentucky, North Carolina, UCLA or Villanova the only former national kingpin never to lose an NCAA playoff game by fewer than 15 points? No, but the ex-champ holding this distinction boasts school colors of Blue and Gold. It's La Salle, the 1954 titlist which subsequently lost three separate tourney games by 14 points.

Ohio State appeared to be on shaky ground (trailing TCU by 15 points at intermission), but the Buckeyes remained the lone power-conference member in this group never to incur an NCAA playoff setback by at least 20 points. Former NCAA champions Wyoming (49 points) and UConn (47) sustained the worst reversals on the following list of most-lopsided losses in NCAA Tournament competition among the 37 former titlists:

Previous Champion Largest Margin Opponent(s) Most-Lopsided NCAA Tournament Loss(es)
Arizona 39 #1 seed Louisville 103-64 in 2009 Midwest Regional semifinal
Arkansas 35 Cincinnati 97-62 in 1958 Midwest Regional third-place contest
Baylor 23 #1 Duke 89-66 in 2025 East Regional second round
California 20 Ohio State/#1 Connecticut 75-55 in 1960 national final/74-54 in 1990 East Regional second round
Cincinnati 24 #5 Illinois 92-68 in 2004 Atlanta Regional second round
City College of New York 15 Holy Cross 60-45 in 1947 national semifinal
Connecticut 47 Duke 101-54 in 1964 East Regional final
Duke 30 #1 UNLV 103-73 in 1990 national final
Florida 23 #3 Michigan 108-85 in 1988 West Regional second round
Georgetown 24 #1 Massachusetts 86-62 in 1996 East Regional final
Holy Cross 39 #1 Oregon 91-52 in 2016 West Regional first round
Indiana 29 #5 Saint Mary's 82-53 in 2022 East Regional first round
Kansas 34 #6 Southern California 85-51 in 2021 West Regional second round
Kentucky 24 Western Kentucky 107-83 in 1971 Mideast Regional semifinal
La Salle 14 San Francisco/Columbia/#9 Wichita State 77-63 in 1955 NCAA final/83-69 in 1968 East Regional first round/72-58 in 2013 West Regional semifinal
Louisville 23 #1 North Carolina 97-74 in 1997 East Regional final
Loyola of Chicago 19 Western Kentucky 105-86 in 1966 Mideast Regional first round
Marquette 33 #2 Kansas 94-61 in 2003 national semifinal
Maryland 35 #3 Indiana/#6 UCLA 99-64 in 1981 Mideast Regional second round/105-70 in 2000 Midwest Regional second round
Michigan 34 #11 Loyola Marymount 149-115 in 1990 West Regional second round
Michigan State 20 #1 Duke/#1 Kansas 81-61 in 2015 national semifinal/90-70 in 2017 Midwest Regional second round
North Carolina 27 Purdue 92-65 in 1969 national semifinal
North Carolina State 21 #2 Texas 75-54 in 2006 Atlanta Regional second round
Ohio State 18 #7 Georgetown 70-52 in 2006 Minneapolis Regional second round
Oklahoma State 24 Kansas State 68-44 in 1951 West Regional final
Oregon 21 California 70-49 in 1960 West Regional final
San Francisco 26 UNLV 121-95 in 1977 West Regional first round
Stanford 23 #1 Kansas/#9 Mississippi State 86-63 in 2002 Midwest Regional second round/93-70 in 2005 Austin Regional first round
Syracuse 29 #4 Kansas 87-58 in 2001 Midwest Regional second round
Texas-El Paso 25 Indiana 78-53 in 1975 Mideast Regional first round
UCLA 27 #2 Indiana 106-79 in 1992 West Regional final
UNLV 23 #3 Seton Hall 84-61 in 1989 West Regional final
Utah 31 #1 Kentucky 101-70 in 1996 Midwest Regional semifinal
Villanova 26 #3 Purdue 87-61 in 2019 South Regional second round
Virginia 37 #3 Michigan 102-65 in 1989 Southeast Regional final
Wisconsin 30 #1 Maryland 87-57 in 2002 East Regional second round
Wyoming 49 UCLA 109-60 in 1967 West Regional semifinal

Training Ground: Siena Loses Five Different Head Coaches in 21st Century

March 25th, 2026 - 20:44

Siena has lost five different head coaches this century after Gerry McNamara returned to his old stomping grounds at Syracuse. A striking number of mid-major schools have had even more bench bosses depart for greener pastures. For instance, Ryan Odom's departure to Virginia a year ago enabled Virginia Commonwealth to become the first school to lose nine head coaches to other major colleges or the NBA. VCU, which moved up to NCAA Division I level in the mid-1970s, had six bench bosses bid adieu for power-conference members in the last 20 years.

Incredibly, Tulsa lost four coaches in a seven-year period from 1995 to 2001. The following list shows Idaho (11 years from 1983 to 1993), Princeton (12 years from 2000 to 2011), Murray State (14 years from 1985 to 1998), New Orleans (14 years from 1994 to 2007), Penn (15 years from 1971 to 1985), Louisiana Tech (16 years from 1974 to 1989) and Xavier (16 years from 1994 through 2009) losing four coaches in comparable short spans:

Virginia Commonwealth (nine head coaches departed for other schools) - Dana Kirk (Memphis State/1979), J.D. Barnett (Tulsa/1985), Mike Pollio (Eastern Kentucky/1989), Jeff Capel III (Oklahoma/2006), Anthony Grant (Alabama/2009), Shaka Smart (Texas/2015), Will Wade (Louisiana State/2017), Mike Rhoades (Penn State/2023), Ryan Odom (Virginia/2025)

Murray State (eight) - Ron Greene (departed for Indiana State/1985), Steve Newton (South Carolina/1991), Scott Edgar (Duquesne/1995), Mark Gottfried (Alabama/1998), Mick Cronin (Cincinnati/2006), Billy Kennedy (Texas A&M/2011), Steve Prohm (Iowa State/2015), Matt McMahon (Louisiana State/2022)

Xavier (eight) - Ned Wulk (Arizona State/1957), Bob Staak (Wake Forest/1985), Pete Gillen (Providence/1994), Skip Prosser (Wake Forest/2001), Thad Matta (Ohio State/2004), Sean Miller (Arizona/2009), Chris Mack (Louisville/2018), Sean Miller (Texas/2025)

Idaho (seven) - Dave MacMillan (Minnesota/1927), Dave Strack (Michigan/1960), Joe Cipriano (Nebraska/1963), Don Monson (Oregon/1983), Tim Floyd (New Orleans/1988), Kermit Davis (Texas A&M/1990), Larry Eustachy (Utah State/1993)

Kansas State (seven) - Jack Gardner (Utah/1953), Tex Winter (Washington/1968), Cotton Fitzsimmons (Phoenix Suns/1970), Lon Kruger (Florida/1990), Dana Altman (Creighton/1994), Bob Huggins (West Virginia/2008), Frank Martin (South Carolina/2012)

Louisiana Tech (seven) - Scotty Robertson (New Orleans Jazz/1974), J.D. Barnett (Virginia Commonwealth/1979), Andy Russo (Washington/1985), Tommy Joe Eagles (Auburn/1989), Jim Wooldridge (assistant with Chicago Bulls/1998), Michael White (Florida/2015), Eric Konkol (Tulsa/2022)

Montana (seven) - Jud Heathcote (Michigan State/1976), Jim Brandenburg (Wyoming/1978), Mike Montgomery (Stanford/1986), Stew Morrill (Colorado State/1991), Pat Kennedy (Towson/2004), Larry Krystkowiak (assistant with Milwaukee Bucks/2006), Wayne Tinkle (Oregon State/2014)

Penn (seven) - Howie Dallmar (Stanford/1954), Jack McCloskey (Wake Forest/1966), Dick Harter (Oregon/1971), Chuck Daly (assistant with Philadelphia 76ers/1977), Bob Weinhauer (Arizona State/1982), Craig Littlepage (Rutgers/1985), Fran Dunphy (Temple/2006)

Tulsa (seven) - Ken Hayes (New Mexico State/1975), Nolan Richardson Jr. (Arkansas/1985), Tubby Smith (Georgia/1995), Steve Robinson (Florida State/1997), Bill Self (Illinois/2000), Buzz Peterson (Tennessee/2001), Danny Manning (Wake Forest/2014)

Pages

Subscribe to Front page feed