HOUSTON, TX - APRIL 04: Kemba Walker #15 of the Connecticut Huskies reacts after a play against the Butler Bulldogs during the National Championship Game of the 2011 NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament at Reliant Stadium on April 4, 2011 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
11.
It’s March, and as sports fans we all know what that means. This is the one time of the year when we turn our attention toward college basketball as we agonize over our brackets in hopes of picking that one upset no one else saw coming. Because with UMBC making history a year ago as the only No. 16 seed to knock off a No. 1, last season proved that anything can happen in the Big Dance.
But the NCAA Tournament has also served as a televised audition for those with aspirations of playing in the NBA, and as a result, unforgettable moments and runs through the tourney have been authored by many of today’s biggest ballers. That’s what makes March Madness must-see TV and why we keep watching year after year—you never know when you might be witnessing the NBA’s next superstar on college hoops’ biggest stage.
So, without further ado, these are the best NCAA Tournament runs among today’s NBA stars.
10.Dwyane Wade, Marquette—2003
Playing in his 16th and final NBA season, Dwayne Wade is no doubt headed for the Hall of Fame after a remarkable professional and Olympic career. Yet, it was a run to the 2003 Final Four, led by a triple-double performance of 29 points, 11 assists, and 11 rebounds against top-seeded Kentucky, that put the 13-time NBA All-Star square on the map at an early age. While the Marquette legend didn’t get the chance to compete for a national championship after a blowout loss to Kansas in the national semifinals, Wade still did his part during all five games, shooting close to 49 percent from the field to surprise the nation.
9.Frank Kaminsky, Wisconsin—2015
Frank Kaminsky has been an average-to-below-average NBA player since being selected No. 9 overall in 2015 by the Hornets, but it was his performance in the NCAA Tournament a few months prior that made his stock soar. The Big Ten Player of the Year and First Team All-American averaged 22 points during the Big Dance, scoring 29 against No. 2 seed Arizona in the Elite Eight, to guide Wisconsin to its second straight Final Four appearance. And although the Badgers would eventually fall to Duke in the national championship game, Kaminsky still managed to record a team-high 21 points and 12 boards in the loss while shooting more than 50 percent from the field for the tourney.
8.Wayne Ellington, North Carolina—2009
“Wayne Ellington?” you might be asking. Yes, the Pistons shooting guard, who has bounced around the NBA—he’s currently on his eighth team since being drafted in 2009—averaged close to 20 points per game in guiding North Carolina to what would be its fifth national championship at the time. But it was 20 and 19-point efforts against Villanova and Michigan State at the Final Four that sealed his inclusion in this list. Ellington was also named Most Outstanding Player of the entire tourney that year joining fellow Tar Heels James Worthy, Donald Williams, and Sean May to earn an achievement that eluded Michael Jordan.
7.Stephen Curry, Davidson—2008
Steph Curry could have very well been No. 1 on this list had he been given the chance to play in two more tournament games. The “Baby-Faced Assassin,” who started his ascent the previous season with 30 points in a first-round loss to Maryland, returned to the dance and unleashed 40 on Gonzaga, 30 on Georgetown, and 33 on Wisconsin to reach the Elite Eight, but 10th-seeded Davidson wasn’t able to outlast No. 1 seed Kansas, losing by two with a trip to the Final Four on the line. Of course, with three NBA championships and two MVP awards to his name now, Curry’s 2008 run was only the tip of the iceberg for the future Hall of Famer.
6.Derrick Rose, Memphis—2008
Though his NBA career has been full of ups and downs, Derrick Rose still put together one of the best runs in the NCAA tourney by a freshman during his one year at Memphis. Leading the Tigers to the nation’s No. 1 ranking and a top seed in the South Regional, the McDonald’s All-American scored 20 points or more in three straight games, starting with 27 against Michigan State in the Sweet 16 and later pouring in 25 versus UCLA in the Final Four. Unfortunately, a missed free throw with 10 seconds left that would have sealed a national championship for John Calipari and company will likely haunt the former NBA MVP and Tigers fans forever.
5.Anthony Davis, Kentucky—2012
The Unibrow became one of the few freshmen in college basketball who have led their team to a national championship before leaving for the NBA, and he did it in every facet of the game. Though Davis’ offensive numbers during the NCAA tourney’s 2012 edition don’t stand out as much as some others’ listed here, he showed just how dominant he can be on the defensive end of the floor with averages of 12.3 rebounds and 4.8 blocks per game to go along with his 13.6 points over the Wildcats’ six-game run that included wins over Louisville and Kansas in the national semifinal and championship game, respectively. There aren’t too many who can say they’ve won a title and the Naismith College Player of the Year award in the same season, and the six-time NBA All-Star sits among rare company.
4.Joakim Noah, Florida—2006
The former NBA Defensive Player of the Year isn’t the same player he was during his days in Chicago and finds himself assuming a bench role on one of the league’s worst teams now in Memphis. But it wasn’t always that bad for the two-time NBA All-Star who won back-to-back national championships in his three years at Florida. Noah, don’t forget, was the go-to guy during the Gators’ first title run, filling up the stat sheet with averages of 16.1 points, 9.5 rebounds, 4.8 blocks, and 3.1 assists per game that earned him the Most Outstanding Player award after dominant wins over No. 11 seed George Mason in the national semifinal and second-seeded UCLA in the title game.
3.Shabazz Napier, UConn—2014
After being ruled academically ineligible for postseason play the previous year, UConn entered the NCAA Tournament field in 2014 as a longshot to win its fourth national championship before making history as the first No. 7 seed to hoist the trophy. Much of the team’s success can be attributed to Shabazz Napier, the 6’1” point guard who averaged 21.1 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 4.5 assists per game during the Huskies’ latest title run. But it was his 22 points on 8-of-16 shooting, six rebounds, three assists, and three steals against Kentucky in the finale that earned him the Most Outstanding Player award and a second NCAA crown to bookend a storied collegiate career.
2.Carmelo Anthony, Syracuse—2003
We’re not sure if Carmelo Anthony’s NBA playing days are officially over after things didn’t work out in Houston this season, but his one and only year at Syracuse saw the 10-time NBA All-Star light up the scoreboard and cut down the nets for the school’s first and only national championship. His 33 points against Texas is easily one of the best offensive performances ever in the Final Four. And to do that at merely 18 years old and follow it up with 20 points, 10 rebounds, and seven assists versus Kansas in the national title game proved that we were witnessing something truly special from Melo.
1.Kemba Walker, UConn—2011
Not only does Kemba Walker’s six-game stretch back in 2011 that helped UConn capture its third national championship rank as our top NCAA Tournament performance by a current NBA player, but it also stands as one of the best ever in college basketball history. Riding the wave of a Big East Tournament title, Walker went for more than 30 points in back-to-back contests, including 36 in the Sweet 16 versus second-seeded San Diego State and Kawhi Leonard, and showed he can do more than fill it up with seven assists against Arizona and Kentucky in the Elite Eight and Final Four. Yet, what may get even more overlooked are the nine rebounds that the 6'1" point guard grabbed in a lopsided victory over Butler on the tournament’s final night despite struggling from the perimeter.