It is that time of the year again. March Madness is right around the corner and is arguably the most exciting postseason in all sports. The NCAA Men’s Championship tournament has helped catapult many players to superstardom and cemented lifelong legacies for others.
In today’s list – we look at the 10 best individual March Madness runs since the year 2000, and then reveal how high they were taken in the NBA draft.
Kemba Walker (UConn) 2011
Kemba Walker’s 2011 postseason will be remembered as one of the most surprising and dominant runs in recent history. UConn had 9 losses going into the Big East tournament and wasn’t thought of as a true contender. They went on to win their final 11 games, capturing the Big East Championship as well as the NCAA championship. The Huskies were led by none other than their undersized superstar point guard, Kemba Walker. Kemba averaged 23.5 points a game in the NCAA tournament, including a 33-point performance against Cincinnati in the Round of 32, and a 36-point performance in the Sweet 16 against San Diego State. The Huskies were only a 4 seed, but Kemba’s historic performances led them to their 3rd NCAA championship at the time. This incredible March Madness run helped Kemba rise to the 9th overall pick in the 2011 NBA Draft to the Charlotte Bobcats.
Anthony Davis (Kentucky) 2012
The 2012 Kentucky Wildcats were one of the most dominant teams in college basketball history. Led by mostly freshmen and sophomores in the one-and-done era, the Wildcats went 38-2 and captured their first championship since 1998 and John Calipari’s only championship to this day. Although Kentucky was filled with future NBA draft picks, no one stood out as much as the 6’10 athletic freshman, Anthony Davis. Davis averaged 13.7 points, 12.3 rebounds, and 4.8 blocks per game in the NCAA tournament. Although his scoring numbers weren’t gaudy, his defensive impact was unlike any we have seen in recent history. Averaging almost 5 blocks a game in the biggest games of the season, Anthony Davis was dominant on the defensive end leading Kentucky to a championship over Kansas. Anthony Davis would go on to be the consensus number-one overall draft pick in the 2012 NBA draft to the New Orleans Hornets.
Carmelo Anthony (Syracuse) 2003
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Carmelo Anthony is one of the most gifted scorers in basketball history and that was on full display in the 2003 NCAA tournament. The freshman sensation averaged 20.2 points and 9.8 rebounds per game leading the 30-5 Syracuse Orange to the championship. His best game came in the Final Four against Texas, scoring a dominant 33 points and grabbing 14 rebounds. Despite this incredible performance, Carmelo was drafted #3 overall in the now legendary 2003 NBA Draft, behind LeBron James and Darko Millicic.
Steph Curry (Davidson) 2008
Steph Curry arrived in the basketball world in the 2008 March Madness tournament when he brought the 10 seed, Davidson Wildcats one game away from the Final Four. Curry lit up the tournament averaging 32 points per game and hit 23 three-pointers in a 4-game span. He was playing in a way we had never seen, putting up and making difficult threes with consistency. Curry would miss a potential game-winning three-pointer against the Kansas Jayhawks with a chance to go to the Final Four. They may have lost the game, but Curry cemented his college legacy in that four-game run. Curry would go on to be drafted with the #7 overall pick in the following 2009 NBA draft, and the rest is history.
Shabazz Napier (UConn) 2014
Shabazz Napier made a name for himself in the 2014 NCAA Tournament leading the 7 seed UConn all the way to a National Championship. One of the most unlikely tournament winners came this year when 6 foot 1 point guard, Shabazz Napier was scorching from deep and played great all-around basketball, averaging 21.2 points 5.5 rebounds and 4.5 assists per game. Shabazz was not expected to be a first-round draft pick, but thanks to his fantastic tournament (and some social media pressure from LeBron) the Miami Heat took Napier with the 24th overall pick.
Buddy Hield (Oklahoma) 2016
Buddy Hield had one of the most fun senior seasons we’ve seen in recent history back in 2016. Having a fantastic season where he averaged 25 points per game and won the Naismith Award, the pressure was on Buddy to deliver on the biggest stage, and he delivered. Averaging 25.2 points per game, he led the Oklahoma Sooners all the way to the Final Four where they fell to Villanova. His signature performance came in the Elite 8 where he scored 37 points, hitting 8 of his 13 three-point attempts. Hield would go on to be drafted 6th overall in the 2016 NBA draft by the New Orleans Pelicans.
Juan Dixon (Maryland) 2002
Many people will never forget the legendary Maryland team, led by guards Steve Blake and Juan Dixon that went on to win the National Championship. Juan Dixon still has the most total points in an NCAA Tournament for this century, averaging 25.8 points per game. Dixon left his impact when he scored 33 points and hit 5 three-pointers in their 97-88 shootout win against Kansas in the Final Four. Dixon was the 17th overall NBA draft pick in 2002, taken by the Washington Wizards.
Carsen Edwards (Purdue) 2019
The Purdue Boilermakers weren’t quite able to make the Final Four in 2019, but we couldn’t deny Carsen Edwards’s historic tournament run from this list. Edwards would score over 40 points twice during the Madness, 42 points against Villanova in the round of 32, and then 42 points again in their Elite 8 loss to Virginia. Edwards would average 34.7 points per game and hit 28 threes in a four-game span, including 10 three-pointers in their loss to Virginia. No one can deny that Edwards did all he could in that tournament. Despite this run, he was taken with only the 33rd overall draft pick by the Boston Celtics in 2019.
Joakim Noah (Florida) 2006
The common basketball fan was introduced to Joakim Noah during Florida’s National Championship run in 2006. Led by multiple future NBA players including Corey Brewer, and Al Horford – nobody stood out more than Joakim Noah. Noah’s effort, energy, and defensive presence jumped out of the TV. Noah would go on to average 16 points, 9.5 rebounds, 4.8 blocks, and 2.5 steals per game. The Florida Gators would go on to repeat as National Champions in 2007 and Noah was drafted 9th overall by the Chicago Bulls.
Derrick Rose (Memphis) 2008
Derrick Rose had an electric freshman season, capped off by an incredible run all the way to the NCAA Championship. The Memphis Tigers would fall short in overtime against the Kansas Jayhawks in an iconic game featuring Mario Chalmers’s deep game-tying three-pointer in regulation. Rose averaged 20.8 points, 6.5 rebounds, and 6 assists during the NCAA tournament and went on to be the #1 overall draft pick in 2009 to the Chicago Bulls.
