Stars are made during the NCAA Basketball Tournament. Many sports fans consider March Madness to be the greatest sporting event in the world, and rightfully so. The tournament creates iconic games, moments, and players. Every year there are a couple of players who hit some big shots and go down as March Madness legends, but we wanted to rank the very best.
March Madness has been played every year since 1939 (except 2020 due to COVID-19). That means that a lot of players deserve to be on the following list, but not everyone can fit. Some March Madness legends had long careers in the NCAA Basketball Tournament, while others made a big impact in a short amount of time. Some players contributed to dynasties, while others single-handedly orchestrated Cinderella Stories.
The reasoning behind why a player sticks out among the best from March Madness might vary, but no one would doubt that the following 25 players are some of the most important players in the history of the Big Dance. With that said, here are the 25 greatest players in March Madness history.
25. Larry Johnson, UNLV
Larry Johnson's run with the UNLV Runnin' Rebels of the early '90s was iconic. He could play inside or out, and he was a force with the ball in his hand. Both of Johnson's seasons with UNLV ended with a trip to the Final Four. He won the championship over Duke the first go around before losing to that team in the Final Four the following year.
24. Larry Bird, Indiana State
Larry Bird put Indiana State on the map. The team had never been to the Big Dance before his arrival, but his heroics led them to an unbeaten regular season that went all the way to the National Championship Game. Unfortunately, they lost to Magic Johnson's Michigan State Spartans in that game, but Bird still had a great postseason run for the Sycamores in their only March Madness appearance during his tenure.
23. David Thompson, NC State
UCLA won every championship except for two from 1964-75. The Bruins didn't make the tournament in 1966, and their only time losing in March Madness during that stretch came in 1974. The reason UCLA fell short: David Thompson. Skywalker Thompson was a high-flyer and accomplished the impossible when he took down UCLA in the Final Four en route to beating Marquette in the National Championship Game. Thompson scored 24.2 points per game during this run, but most impressive, he did it after cracking his head in a nasty fall that sent him to the hospital against Pittsburgh.
22. Alex Groza, Kentucky
Everyone knows Kentucky today as one of the powerhouses in college basketball. That is largely in part because of the success of Alex Groza. The big man helped the Wildcats win their first two championships in 1948 and 1949. He was named the tournament's Most Outstanding Player in both of those seasons and as a part of the original “Fabulous Five,” Groza set the course for Kentucky recruiting elite classes of amateurs.
21. Shane Battier, Duke
Defense wins championships, and that was evident with Shane Battier. As a three-time Defensive Player of the Year in college, few players have been better defensively in the history of the NCAA. That led to Battier reaching the Final Four twice and even winning it all in 2001.
20. Jerry West, West Virginia
At the time, Jerry West's 160 points in the 1959 NCAA Basketball Tournament were the most ever in a single tournament. That figure is still the fifth-best mark ever. West's West Virginia made it to the national championship game, and West was named the Most Outstanding Player, but he wasn't able to win the big game.
19. Jimmer Fredette, BYU
Jimmer Fredette's run with BYU was iconic and led to some massive moments during March Madness. Some of Fredette's biggest shots came in the Mountain West Conference Tournament, but the team made the NCAA Basketball Tournament all four years that he was there. Under his leadership, they made the Sweet 16 in 2011, and the year prior, they advanced to the Round of 32 after Fredette scored 37 points.
18. Carmelo Anthony, Syracuse
Carmelo Anthony only played one season of college basketball for Syracuse, but he certainly made the most of it, and his March Madness run in 2003 was one of the best ever. Anthony put up over 20 points and 10 rebounds and never lost a game in the NCAA Basketball Tournament. He was unstoppable in March and became the rare freshman to be named Most Outstanding Player.
17. Bob Kurland, Oklahoma A&M
Bob Kurland is one of only five players to be named the NCAA Basketball Tournament's Most Outstanding Player multiple times. He was also the first to ever accomplish that feat. Kurland led Oklahoma A&M (now known as Oklahoma State) to two titles, and few players have impacted the game as much as Kurland did.
He is one of the players credited with popularizing dunking, and his shot-blocking was so potent that defensive goaltending had to be implemented.
16. Michael Jordan, UNC
The signs that Michael Jordan would go on to become the greatest basketball player of all time were there when he was a college player for UNC. In his freshman season, Jordan hit the game-winner in the championship game against Georgetown. That play is one of the most well-known in college basketball history, and it also set Jordan down the path of G.O.A.T status. After becoming champion, Jordan still did enough to carry the Tar Heels to the Elite Eight and the Sweet 16 in the succeeding years.
15. Austin Carr, Notre Dame
Austin Carr could score with the best of them. Or perhaps we should say, Austin Carr could score better than any of them. The highest points per game mark ever in a March Madness tournament came when Carr dropped 52.7 points per game in 1970 for Notre Dame. That amounted to 158 total points, but Carr followed that epic performance up with 41.7 points per game in the 1971 tournament, which was the second-best mark ever.
Over seven postseason games, Carr averaged 50 points per game. That is a record that will likely never be broken. He even has the record for single-game scoring, with 61 points against Ohio. That comes on top of two more of the top five single-game scoring marks in March Madness history. Unfortunately, Carr never advanced past the Sweet Sixteen, and that prevents him from ranking any higher on this list. There wasn't a whole lot more Carr could have done, though, and his records will likely stand the test of time.
14. Elvin Hayes, Houston
Elvin Hayes scored 167 points in the 1968 NCAA Basketball Tournament. That is the third most in a single tournament ever, and it helped him reach 358 career March Madness points, which is the second most ever. For Houston, Hayes averaged an outstanding 27.5 points per game in the Big Dance.
13. Jerry Lucas, Ohio State
Jerry Lucas was a two-time Most Outstanding Player and one-time champion during March Madness. Ohio State made the championship game all three years that he played for them. His postseason highlights include the first-ever tournament 30-point, 30-rebound game, as well a resilient performance in the 1962 National Championship Game where Lucas played on a severely hurt knee.
12. Kemba Walker, UConn
One of the most clutch and best shot-makers in college basketball history, Kemba Walker certainly deserves to be on the list of greatest players in March Madness history. UConn's 11-game winning streak that ended in a title in 2011 was iconic and a direct result of a number of big shots from Walker.
11. Magic Johnson, Michigan State
Magic Johnson will forever be tied to Larry Bird, and that includes during his time in college. Johnson was one of the biggest recruits ever, while Bird played at a little-known school called Indiana State. Yet they met in the championship game like they often would in the NBA.
In March Madness, Johnson got the better of Bird, as Michigan State won that game in 1979, and Johnson was named Most Outstanding Player. Johnson only played two seasons for Michigan State, but he led the Spartans to an Elite Eight appearance in the prior season as well.
10. Glen Rice, Michigan
Glen Rice's single-tournament scoring record from 1989 still stands. That year, he scored 184 points en route to a championship victory. Rice wasn't a one-hit wonder, though. He had a total of 308 points during his March Madness career, which is the sixth most all-time.
9. Bill Russell, San Francisco
All Bill Russell did was win, and that includes his time before he got to the Boston Celtics. San Francisco is far from a powerhouse program, but Bill Russell led them to back-to-back national championships. His hustle, rebounding, defense, and leaping ability were all unmatched during his time, which made him a force in March.
8. Oscar Robertson, Cincinnati
Oscar Robertson always stuffed the stat sheet, and that extended to his time with Cincinnati. As was the case in the NBA, he came up short of the championship more than he should have (one NBA championship but no NCAA championship). He did make the Final Four twice, though.
It was the statistics that jumped off the page for Robertson in March Madness, though. He only played in 10 NCAA Basketball Tournament games, yet he managed to amass 324 total points, which is the fifth most ever. That means he was scoring at a rate of 32.4 points per game, which is an absurd total for 40-minute games. On top of the scoring, he was always one of the best playmakers, rebounding guards, and defenders when the lights were brightest, and that made him the king of the triple-double.
7. Akeem Olajuwon, Houston
Phi Slama Jama is one of the most iconic teams in college basketball history, and Akeem Olajuwon (Hakeem Olajuwon in the NBA) was at the forefront of it. With great footwork and incredible shot-blocking ability, the big man was a force in the paint, and it led to a lot of success for Houston in the NCAA Basketball Tournament.
Olajuwon was a backup on the team in 1982, but he still helped them reach the Final Four. Over the next two years, he took his team to new heights and reached the NCAA Championship Game twice. Unfortunately, the Cougars fell in both go-arounds, but advancing that far in the NCAA Basketball Tournament was impressive nonetheless.
Houston's running-and-gunning, high-flying offense completely changed the game of basketball, and Olajuwon was the engine that made it work. What makes Olajuwon's college journey all the more impressive is the fact that no one could have predicted the success that he would have. He visited Houston without much recruiting interest out of Nigeria but turned into a March Madness monster.
6. Patrick Ewing, Georgetown
Akeem Olajuwon was great in college in a similar fashion to Patrick Ewing. They were both next-level big men in a time in which the center position was king. Ewing has a slight leg up on Olajuwon, though, and that is because he beat him in the National Championship Game.
In college, Ewing wasn't quite the scorer that some of the other players on this list were. He definitely scored when need be, but it was his defense that was other-worldly.
Georgetown went to the National Championship Game three times with Ewing leading the way. They won it all in 1984, and Ewing was named Most Outstanding Player.
5. Tyler Hansbrough, UNC
Tyler Hansbrough is one of the best college basketball players ever, and that is saying a lot, considering few all-time greats come from his era because most top guys leave for the NBA early. Hansbrough stayed in Chapel Hill for all four years, though, and it paid off with a National Championship his senior year.
Psycho T is certainly one of the best college basketball players of the 21st century. In fact we rank him as the best player since the turn of the century. A lot of his success came during March Madness. There, he became the fourth leading scorer with 325 points. He was tenacious and played with an extreme motor, and he was willing to put his body on the line for the betterment of his team.
Hansbrough was the ultimate dirty-work player, and this is part of the reason that his teammate, Wayne Ellington, was named Most Outstanding Player in 2009. Regardless, Hansbrough's collegiate career was iconic, and you can guarantee that he was ecstatic for Ellington, because that is how he played basketball.
4. Danny Manning, Kansas
Danny Manning is perhaps the most underappreciated college basketball legend. His 328 NCAA Basketball Tournament points are the third most ever. Manning was the Most Outstanding Player in 1988 for the Kansas team known as “Danny and the Miracles.” He put the team on his back with 27.2 points per game in that tournament, and it led to a championship victory.
Manning had his best game when it mattered the most. In the National Championship Game, the Jayhawks' star had 31 points and 18 rebounds. Few players in college basketball history have single-handedly willed their team to victory as much as Manning did.
3. Bill Walton, UCLA
John Wooden won 10 national championships at the helm for UCLA. While Lew Alcindor was pretty clearly his best player (and arguably the best college basketball player ever), another center of his was pretty great too. Bill Walton also has a case as one of the best college basketball players ever, and that was especially true in March.
Being a back-to-back winner of the Most Outstanding Player award is a thing of the past now, and Walton was the last one to do it. He won the championship in each of his first two seasons with UCLA, and the Bruins were underway with an 88-game winning streak at this time.
2. Christian Laettner, Duke
Duke has been dominant throughout its history, and they almost always have a hated megastar. Christian Laettner is the poster child for that, as his basketball brilliance (and antics) drove opposing fans crazy. Laettner was the best player on the second most recent team to go back-to-back in the National Championship Game.
On top of his two championships, Laettner made the Final Four in all four of his seasons. His prowess as a scorer in the biggest moments is what most helped Duke win games. The biggest moments come in March/April, and Laettner delivered with an all-time record 407 points in the tournament. He is not only the only player with over 400 March Madness points, but he has 49 more points than the next-best NCAA Basketball Tournament scorer.
On top of the scoring record, Laettner has the most games played (23), games won (21), and free throw makes (142) in the history of the tournament. Not only did opposing fans hate how good he was, but they hated how often they had to watch him play.
Laettner most thrived in the Elite Eight. In that round, he had not one, but two game-winning buzzer-beating shots in overtime to advance to the Final Four. Both game-winners are two of the most iconic plays in college basketball history, and the latter came in a perfect 10-10 performance from Laettner.
1. Lew Alcindor, UCLA
Most know this basketball legend as Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, but the big man conquered college basketball as Lew Alcindor before he changed his name. UCLA has a claim to be the greatest dynasty in college basketball history, and perhaps even sports history. It started a little bit before Alcindor joined the team, as the Bruins had two championships before the center joined the Bruins. It was during his time with the squad that they truly established themselves as a dynasty, though.
Alcindor's Bruins won the championship in all three years that he was on the team. He had a great team around him, but Alcindor was clearly the top dog and miles ahead of his opponents. He was the tournament's Most Outstanding Player all three years that he played in March Madness. Winning the award twice is rare enough, but never not winning the award is unfathomable.
In Alcindor's day, the tournament was a smaller format, as he only has 12 March Madness games to his name. He made the most of that time, though. Not only was Alcindor a champion in all three of his collegiate seasons, but his 304 NCAA Basketball Tournament points rank seventh all-time and amount to an average of 25.3 points per game. He did this while also deploying elite rim protection.
Follow Us
Subscribe