{"id":704560,"date":"2026-04-08T04:33:34","date_gmt":"2026-04-08T04:33:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/704560\/"},"modified":"2026-04-08T04:33:34","modified_gmt":"2026-04-08T04:33:34","slug":"mens-final-four-most-outstanding-players-from-1939-to-present-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/704560\/","title":{"rendered":"Men&#8217;s Final Four Most Outstanding Players from 1939 to present"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>The Final Four&#8217;s Most Outstanding Player has been awarded every year going back to 1939. From Jimmy Hull that first year to UCLA&#8217;s Bill Walton and Kentucky&#8217;s Anthony Davis, many big-name players have earned the honor.<\/p>\n<p>Find a list of all of the Most Outstanding Player winners below for each NCAA tournament.<\/p>\n<p>Final Four Most Outstanding Players from 1939 to present<\/p>\n<p>Here is the complete history of the Final Four&#8217;s Most Outstanding Players:<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\tYEAR<br \/>\n\t\t\tNAME<br \/>\n\t\t\tCLASS<br \/>\n\t\t\tSCHOOL<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t2026<br \/>\n\t\t\tElliot Cadeau<br \/>\n\t\t\tJunior<br \/>\n\t\t\tMichigan<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t2025<br \/>\n\t\t\tWalter Clayton Jr.<br \/>\n\t\t\tSenior<br \/>\n\t\t\tFlorida<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t2024<br \/>\n\t\t\tTristen Newton<br \/>\n\t\t\tSenior<br \/>\n\t\t\tUConn<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t2023<br \/>\n\t\t\tAdama Sanogo<br \/>\n\t\t\tJunior<br \/>\n\t\t\tUConn<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t2022<br \/>\n\t\t\tOchai Agbaji<br \/>\n\t\t\tSenior<br \/>\n\t\t\tKansas<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t2021<br \/>\n\t\t\tJared Butler<br \/>\n\t\t\tJunior<br \/>\n\t\t\tBaylor<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t2019<br \/>\n\t\t\tKyle Guy<br \/>\n\t\t\tJunior<br \/>\n\t\t\tVirginia<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t2018<br \/>\n\t\t\tDonte DiVincenzo<br \/>\n\t\t\tJunior<br \/>\n\t\t\tVillanova<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t2017<br \/>\n\t\t\tJoel Berry II<br \/>\n\t\t\tJunior<br \/>\n\t\t\tNorth Carolina<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t2016<br \/>\n\t\t\tRyan Arcidiacono<br \/>\n\t\t\tSenior<br \/>\n\t\t\tVillanova<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t2015<br \/>\n\t\t\tTyus Jones<br \/>\n\t\t\tFreshman<br \/>\n\t\t\tDuke<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t2014<br \/>\n\t\t\tShabazz Napier<br \/>\n\t\t\tSenior<br \/>\n\t\t\tUConn<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t2013<br \/>\n\t\t\tLuke Hancock<br \/>\n\t\t\tSenior<br \/>\n\t\t\tLouisville*<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t2012<br \/>\n\t\t\tAnthony Davis<br \/>\n\t\t\tFreshman<br \/>\n\t\t\tKentucky<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t2011<br \/>\n\t\t\tKemba Walker<br \/>\n\t\t\tJunior<br \/>\n\t\t\tUConn<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t2010<br \/>\n\t\t\tKyler Singler<br \/>\n\t\t\tJunior<br \/>\n\t\t\tDuke<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t2009<br \/>\n\t\t\tWayne Ellington<br \/>\n\t\t\tJunior<br \/>\n\t\t\tNorth Carolina<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t2008<br \/>\n\t\t\tMario Chalmers<br \/>\n\t\t\tJunior<br \/>\n\t\t\tKansas<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t2007<br \/>\n\t\t\tCorey Brewer<br \/>\n\t\t\tJunior<br \/>\n\t\t\tFlorida<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t2006<br \/>\n\t\t\tJoakim Noah<br \/>\n\t\t\tSophomore<br \/>\n\t\t\tFlorida<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t2005<br \/>\n\t\t\tSean May<br \/>\n\t\t\tJunior<br \/>\n\t\t\tNorth Carolina<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t2004<br \/>\n\t\t\tEmeka Okafor<br \/>\n\t\t\tJunior<br \/>\n\t\t\tUConn<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t2003<br \/>\n\t\t\tCarmelo Anthony<br \/>\n\t\t\tFreshman<br \/>\n\t\t\tSyracuse<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t2002<br \/>\n\t\t\tJuan Dixon<br \/>\n\t\t\tSenior<br \/>\n\t\t\tMaryland<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t2001<br \/>\n\t\t\tShane Battier<br \/>\n\t\t\tSenior<br \/>\n\t\t\tDuke<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t2000<br \/>\n\t\t\tMateen Cleaves<br \/>\n\t\t\tSenior<br \/>\n\t\t\tMichigan State<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t1999<br \/>\n\t\t\tRichard Hamilton<br \/>\n\t\t\tJunior<br \/>\n\t\t\tUConn<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t1998<br \/>\n\t\t\tJeff Sheppard<br \/>\n\t\t\tSenior<br \/>\n\t\t\tKentucky<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t1997<br \/>\n\t\t\tMiles Simon<br \/>\n\t\t\tJunior<br \/>\n\t\t\tArizona<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t1996<br \/>\n\t\t\tTony Delk<br \/>\n\t\t\tSenior<br \/>\n\t\t\tKentucky<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t1995<br \/>\n\t\t\tEd O&#8217;Bannon<br \/>\n\t\t\tSenior<br \/>\n\t\t\tUCLA<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t1994<br \/>\n\t\t\tCorliss Williamson<br \/>\n\t\t\tJunior<br \/>\n\t\t\tArkansas<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t1993<br \/>\n\t\t\tDonald Williams<br \/>\n\t\t\tSophomore<br \/>\n\t\t\tNorth Carolina<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t1992<br \/>\n\t\t\tBobby Hurley<br \/>\n\t\t\tJunior<br \/>\n\t\t\tDuke<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t1991<br \/>\n\t\t\tChristian Laettner<br \/>\n\t\t\tJunior<br \/>\n\t\t\tDuke<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t1990<br \/>\n\t\t\tAnderson Hunt<br \/>\n\t\t\tSophomore<br \/>\n\t\t\tUNLV<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t1989<br \/>\n\t\t\tGlen Rice<br \/>\n\t\t\tSenior<br \/>\n\t\t\tMichigan<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t1988<br \/>\n\t\t\tDanny Manning<br \/>\n\t\t\tSenior<br \/>\n\t\t\tKansas<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t1987<br \/>\n\t\t\tKeith Smart<br \/>\n\t\t\tJunior<br \/>\n\t\t\tIndiana<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t1986<br \/>\n\t\t\tPervis Ellison<br \/>\n\t\t\tFreshman<br \/>\n\t\t\tLouisville<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t1985<br \/>\n\t\t\tEd Pinckney<br \/>\n\t\t\tSenior<br \/>\n\t\t\tVillanova<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t1984<br \/>\n\t\t\tPatrick Ewing<br \/>\n\t\t\tJunior<br \/>\n\t\t\tGeorgetown<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t1983<br \/>\n\t\t\tAkeem Olajuwon**<br \/>\n\t\t\tSophomore<br \/>\n\t\t\tHouston<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t1982<br \/>\n\t\t\tJames Worthy<br \/>\n\t\t\tJunior<br \/>\n\t\t\tNorth Carolina<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t1981<br \/>\n\t\t\tIsiah Thomas<br \/>\n\t\t\tSophomore<br \/>\n\t\t\tIndiana<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t1980<br \/>\n\t\t\tDarrell Griffith<br \/>\n\t\t\tSenior<br \/>\n\t\t\tLouisville<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t1979<br \/>\n\t\t\tMagic Johnson<br \/>\n\t\t\tSophomore<br \/>\n\t\t\tMichigan State<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t1978<br \/>\n\t\t\tJack Givens<br \/>\n\t\t\tSenior<br \/>\n\t\t\tKentucky<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t1977<br \/>\n\t\t\tButch Lee<br \/>\n\t\t\tJunior<br \/>\n\t\t\tMarquette<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t1976<br \/>\n\t\t\tKent Benson<br \/>\n\t\t\tJunior<br \/>\n\t\t\tIndiana<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t1975<br \/>\n\t\t\tRichard Washington<br \/>\n\t\t\tSophomore<br \/>\n\t\t\tUCLA<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t1974<br \/>\n\t\t\tDavid Thompson<br \/>\n\t\t\tSophomore<br \/>\n\t\t\tNC State<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t1973<br \/>\n\t\t\tBill Walton %<br \/>\n\t\t\tJunior<br \/>\n\t\t\tUCLA<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t1972<br \/>\n\t\t\tBill Walton<br \/>\n\t\t\tN\/A<br \/>\n\t\t\tUCLA<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t1971<br \/>\n\t\t\tVacated<br \/>\n\t\t\tN\/A<br \/>\n\t\t\tN\/A<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t1970<br \/>\n\t\t\tSidney Wicks<br \/>\n\t\t\tN\/A<br \/>\n\t\t\tUCLA<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t1969<br \/>\n\t\t\tLew Alcindor %<br \/>\n\t\t\tN\/A<br \/>\n\t\t\tUCLA<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t1968<br \/>\n\t\t\tLew Alcindor %<br \/>\n\t\t\tN\/A<br \/>\n\t\t\tUCLA<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t1967<br \/>\n\t\t\tLew Alcindor<br \/>\n\t\t\tN\/A<br \/>\n\t\t\tUCLA<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t1966<br \/>\n\t\t\tJerry Chambers **<br \/>\n\t\t\tN\/A<br \/>\n\t\t\tUtah<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t1965<br \/>\n\t\t\tBill Bradley **<br \/>\n\t\t\tN\/A<br \/>\n\t\t\tPrinceton<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t1964<br \/>\n\t\t\tWalt Hazzard<br \/>\n\t\t\tN\/A<br \/>\n\t\t\tUCLA<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t1963<br \/>\n\t\t\tArt Heyman **<br \/>\n\t\t\tN\/A<br \/>\n\t\t\tDuke<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t1962<br \/>\n\t\t\tPaul Hogue\u00a0<br \/>\n\t\t\tN\/A<br \/>\n\t\t\tCincinnati<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t1961<br \/>\n\t\t\tJerry Lucas **%<br \/>\n\t\t\tN\/A<br \/>\n\t\t\tOhio State<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t1960<br \/>\n\t\t\tJerry Lucas<br \/>\n\t\t\tN\/A<br \/>\n\t\t\tOhio State<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t1959<br \/>\n\t\t\tJerry West **<br \/>\n\t\t\tN\/A<br \/>\n\t\t\tWest Virginia<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t1958<br \/>\n\t\t\tElgin Baylor **<br \/>\n\t\t\tN\/A<br \/>\n\t\t\tSeattle<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t1957<br \/>\n\t\t\tWilt Chamberlain **<br \/>\n\t\t\tN\/A<br \/>\n\t\t\tKansas<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t1956<br \/>\n\t\t\tHal Lear **<br \/>\n\t\t\tN\/A<br \/>\n\t\t\tTemple<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t1955<br \/>\n\t\t\tBill Russell<br \/>\n\t\t\tN\/A<br \/>\n\t\t\tSan Francisco<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t1954<br \/>\n\t\t\tTom Gola<br \/>\n\t\t\tN\/A<br \/>\n\t\t\tLa Salle<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t1953<br \/>\n\t\t\tB.H. Born**<br \/>\n\t\t\tN\/A<br \/>\n\t\t\tKansas<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t1952<br \/>\n\t\t\tClyde Lovellette<br \/>\n\t\t\tN\/A<br \/>\n\t\t\tKansas<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t1951<br \/>\n\t\t\tBill Spivey<br \/>\n\t\t\tN\/A<br \/>\n\t\t\tKentucky<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t1950<br \/>\n\t\t\tIrwin Dambrot<br \/>\n\t\t\tN\/A<br \/>\n\t\t\tCCNY<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t1949<br \/>\n\t\t\tAlex Groza %<br \/>\n\t\t\tN\/A<br \/>\n\t\t\tKentucky\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t1948<br \/>\n\t\t\tAlex Groza<br \/>\n\t\t\tN\/A<br \/>\n\t\t\tKentucky<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t1947<br \/>\n\t\t\tGeorge Kaftan<br \/>\n\t\t\tN\/A<br \/>\n\t\t\tHoly Cross<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t1946<br \/>\n\t\t\tBob Kurland %<br \/>\n\t\t\tN\/A<br \/>\n\t\t\tOklahoma A&amp;M***<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t1945<br \/>\n\t\t\tBob Kurland<br \/>\n\t\t\tN\/A<br \/>\n\t\t\tOklahoma A&amp;M***<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t1944<br \/>\n\t\t\tArnie Ferrin<br \/>\n\t\t\tN\/A<br \/>\n\t\t\tUtah<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t1943<br \/>\n\t\t\tKen Sailors<br \/>\n\t\t\tN\/A<br \/>\n\t\t\tWyoming<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t1942<br \/>\n\t\t\tHowie Dallmar<br \/>\n\t\t\tN\/A<br \/>\n\t\t\tStanford<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t1941<br \/>\n\t\t\tJohn Kotz<br \/>\n\t\t\tN\/A<br \/>\n\t\t\tWisconsin<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t1940<br \/>\n\t\t\tMarvin Huffman<br \/>\n\t\t\tN\/A<br \/>\n\t\t\tIndiana<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t1939<br \/>\n\t\t\tJimmy Hull**<br \/>\n\t\t\tN\/A<br \/>\n\t\t\tOhio State<\/p>\n<p>* \u2013 Louisville&#8217;s participation in the 2013 NCAA tournament was later vacated<br \/>** \u2013 Indicates player named MOP without winning national championship<br \/>*** \u2013 Now known as Oklahoma State<br \/>% \u2013 Repeat winner<\/p>\n<p>2026: Elliot Cadeau \u2014 Michigan<\/p>\n<p>Cadeau and the Wolverines won the program&#8217;s first national title since 1989. He had 17 points in the Sweet 16 win against Alabama while adding seven assists and five rebounds. In the Final Four, Cadeau posted a double-double with 13 points and 10 assists along with five blocks and four steals. Then, he had 19 points, three boards, two assists and two steals in the championship win against UConn.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<p>2025: Walter Clayton Jr. \u2014 Florida<\/p>\n<p>Clayton led the Gators to their first title since 2007. He had 30 points against Texas Tech to lead Florida to the Final Four and then scored 34 in the semifinals against Auburn. In the title game against Houston, Clayton rebounded from a slow first half to finish with 11 points, seven assists, five rebounds, one block and one steal as the Gators rallied.<\/p>\n<p>2024: Tristen Newton \u2014 UConn<\/p>\n<p>Newton helped the Huskies to another championship, posting 12 points and nine assists in the Final Four win against Alabama before leading UConn with 20 points, seven assists and five rebounds in the title bout vs. Purdue.<\/p>\n<p>2023: Adama Sanogo \u2014 UConn<\/p>\n<p>Adama Sanogo scored 17 points on 55 percent shooting from the field with 10 rebounds and a block in the title game. It was Sanogo&#8217;s fourth double-double of the tournament. He scored 28 and 24 points in the first two rounds of the tournament and then landed his third 20-plus point scoring night in the Final Four against Miami (Fla.) with 21 points.<\/p>\n<p>2022:\u00a0Ochai Agbaji \u2014 Kansas<\/p>\n<p>After scoring only 5 points against Providence,\u00a0Agbaji heated up in the last three games. He posted 18 against Miami (Fla.) in the Elite Eight, 21 vs. Villanova\u00a0in the Final Four and then 12 in the title game against North Carolina.\u00a0Agbaji made six of his seven 3-point attempts against Villanova.<\/p>\n<p>2021: Jared Butler \u2014 Baylor<\/p>\n<p>Butler averaged 15.2 points per game in the NCAA tournament, capped off by a 22-point performance against Gonzaga in the national championship game.<\/p>\n<p>2019: Kyle Guy \u2014\u00a0Virginia<\/p>\n<p>                    NCAA Photos<br \/>\n                <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/kyle-guy-virginia-basketball-2019.JPG\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"Virginia's Kyle Guy\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Kyle Guy averaged 14.3 points and 5.2 rebounds per game throughout\u00a0the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncaa.com\/news\/basketball-men\/article\/2020-05-06\/2019-ncaa-tournament-bracket-scores-stats-records?utm_campaign=inline-article\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">2019 NCAA tournament<\/a>. In the national championship game against Texas Tech, Guy scored 24 points on 8-of-15 shooting. He also added three rebounds and one steal as Virginia won its first title.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>2018:\u00a0Donte DiVincenzo \u2014 Villanova<\/p>\n<p>                    NCAA Photos<br \/>\n                <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/donte-divincenzo-villanova.JPG\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"Villanova's Donte DiVincenzo\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Donte DiVincenzo never started a game during the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncaa.com\/news\/basketball-men\/article\/2020-05-06\/2018-ncaa-tournament-bracket-scores-stats-records?utm_campaign=inline-article\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">2018 NCAA tournament<\/a>. Yet he still managed to average 15.0 points, 5.5 rebounds and 3.7 assists per game. DiVincenzo shined in the national championship against Michigan, leading all scorers with 31 points on 10-of-15 shooting.<\/p>\n<p>2017: Joel Berry II \u2014 North Carolina<\/p>\n<p>                    NCAA Photos<br \/>\n                <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/joel-berry-ii-north-carolina.JPG\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"North Carolina's Joel Berry II\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Joel Berry II averaged 13.8 points, 3.2 assists and 2.3 rebounds per game during the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncaa.com\/news\/basketball-men\/article\/2020-05-06\/2017-ncaa-tournament-bracket-scores-stats-records?utm_campaign=inline-article\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">2017 NCAA tournament<\/a>. He led all scorers in the national championship against Gonzaga\u00a0with 22 points on 7-of-19 shooting. Berry also added six assists, three rebounds, two steals and one block.<\/p>\n<p>2016: Ryan Arcidiacono \u2014 Villanova<\/p>\n<p>                    NCAA Photos<br \/>\n                <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/ryan-arcidiacano-villanova.JPG\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"Villanova's Ryan Arcidiacano\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Ryan Arcidiacono averaged 15.8 points, 3.0 assists and 1.8 rebounds per game throughout the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncaa.com\/news\/basketball-men\/article\/2020-05-07\/2016-ncaa-tournament-bracket-scores-stats-records?utm_campaign=inline-article\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">2016 NCAA tournament<\/a>. In the national championship against North Carolina, he finished with 16 points, two rebounds, two assists and one steal. Arcidiacono&#8217;s\u00a0most memorable play was\u00a0setting up teammate Kris Jenkins for a\u00a0game-winning 3-pointer at the buzzer.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>2015: Tyus Jones \u2014 Duke<\/p>\n<p>                    NCAA Photos<br \/>\n                <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/tyus-jones-duke.JPG\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"Duke's Tyus Jones\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Tyus Jones became the fifth, and most recent, freshman to be named Most Outstanding Player in 2015. He\u00a0averaged 13.0 points, 4.5 assists, 3.2 rebounds and 1.7 steals per game during the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncaa.com\/news\/basketball-men\/article\/2020-05-08\/2015-ncaa-tournament-bracket-scores-stats-records?utm_campaign=inline-article\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">NCAA tournament<\/a>.\u00a0\u00a0Jones led all scorers with 23 points on 7-of-13 shooting and also added five rebounds and one assist in Duke&#8217;s 68-63 victory against Wisconsin to win the title.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>2014: Shabazz Napier \u2014 UConn<\/p>\n<p>Shabazz Napier averaged 21.2 points, 5.5 rebounds, 4.5 assists and 2.5 steals per game in the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncaa.com\/news\/basketball-men\/article\/2020-05-10\/2014-ncaa-tournament-bracket-scores-stats-records?utm_campaign=inline-article\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">2014 NCAA tournament<\/a>. In the national championship, he led all scorers with 22 points on 8-of-16 shooting. Napier also added six rebounds, three assists and three steals.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>2013: Luke Hancock \u2014 Louisville<\/p>\n<p>                    NCAA Photos<br \/>\n                <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/luke-hancock-louisville-edit_0.jpg\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"Louisville's Luke Hancock\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Luke Hancock never started a game during the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncaa.com\/news\/basketball-men\/article\/2020-05-11\/2013-ncaa-tournament-bracket-scores-stats-records?utm_campaign=inline-article\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">2013 NCAA tournament<\/a>. But he put up big numbers off the bench in the Final Four, scoring 20 and 22 points in the national semifinals and national championship, respectively. Hancock made 11 of his 17 field-goal attempts and eight of his 10 3-point attempts in the Final Four. He was a perfect 5-for-5 from beyond the arc in the title game against Michigan.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>2012: Anthony Davis \u2014 Kentucky<\/p>\n<p>Anthony Davis became just the fourth freshman to be named Most Outstanding Player in 2012. He averaged 13.7 points, 12.3 rebounds, 4.8 blocks and 3.2 assists per game throughout\u00a0the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncaa.com\/news\/basketball-men\/article\/2020-05-11\/2012-ncaa-tournament-bracket-scores-stats-records?utm_campaign=inline-article\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">NCAA tournament<\/a>. While he struggled offensively in the national championship (six points on 1-of-10 shooting), Davis\u00a0still made his presence known with\u00a016 rebounds, six blocks, five assists and three steals.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>2011: Kemba Walker \u2014 UConn<\/p>\n<p>Kemba Walker averaged 23.5 points, 6.0 rebounds and 5.7 assists per game during the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncaa.com\/news\/basketball-men\/article\/2020-05-05\/2011-ncaa-tournament-bracket-scores-stats-records?utm_campaign=inline-article\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">2011 NCAA tournament<\/a>. He led all scorers with 18 points in a nail-biting victory over Kentucky in the national semifinals. Walker added seven assists, six rebounds, two steals and one block as the Huskies won 56-55.<\/p>\n<p>2010: Kyle Singler \u2014 Duke<\/p>\n<p>                    NCAA Photos<br \/>\n                <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/kyle-singler-duke.JPG\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"Duke's Kyle Singler\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Kyle Singler averaged 18.0 points, 7.3 rebounds and 2.7 assists per game throughout the the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncaa.com\/news\/basketball-men\/article\/2020-05-12\/2010-ncaa-tournament-bracket-scores-stats-records?utm_campaign=inline-article\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">2010 NCAA tournament<\/a>. In the national semifinals against West Virginia, Singler posted 21 points (8-of-16 shooting), nine rebounds and five assists.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>2009: Wayne Ellington \u2014 North Carolina<\/p>\n<p>                    NCAA Photos<br \/>\n                <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/wayne-ellington-north-carolina.jpg\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"North Carolina's Wayne Ellington\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Wayne Ellington averaged 19.2\u00a0points, 5.7\u00a0rebounds and 2.7\u00a0assists per game in the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncaa.com\/news\/basketball-men\/article\/2020-05-06\/2009-ncaa-tournament-bracket-scores-stats-rounds?utm_campaign=inline-article\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">2009 NCAA tournament<\/a>. He finished with 20 points (7-of-14 shooting), nine rebounds and four assists in the national semifinals against Villanova.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>2008: Mario Chalmers \u2014 Kansas<\/p>\n<p>Mario Chalmers averaged 14.8 points, 3.0 assists and 2.8 steals per game during the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncaa.com\/news\/basketball-men\/article\/2020-05-07\/2008-ncaa-tournament-bracket-scores-stats-records?utm_campaign=inline-article\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">2008 NCAA tournament<\/a>. In the national championship against Memphis, he finished with 18 points, four steals, three assists and three rebounds. But Chalmers is best remembered for his game-tying 3-pointer with 2.1 seconds to play in regulation. Kansas would win in overtime 75-68.<\/p>\n<p>2007: Corey Brewer \u2014 Florida<\/p>\n<p>                    NCAA archives<br \/>\n                <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/corey-brewer-florida.JPG\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"Florida's Corey Brewer\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Corey Brewer averaged 15.8 points, 5.5 rebounds and 1.7 steals per game in the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncaa.com\/news\/basketball-men\/article\/2020-05-07\/2007-ncaa-tournament-bracket-scores-stats-records?utm_campaign=inline-article\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">2007 NCAA tournament<\/a>. Brewer recorded 13 points, eight rebounds, three steals, one assist and one block in the national championship game against Ohio State.<\/p>\n<p>2006: Joakim Noah \u2014 Florida<\/p>\n<p>                    NCAA archives<br \/>\n                <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/joakim-noah-florida-basketball-edit.jpg\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"Florida's Joakim Noah\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Joakim Noah averaged 16.2 points, 9.5 rebounds and 4.8 blocks per game throughout the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncaa.com\/news\/basketball-men\/article\/2020-05-07\/2006-ncaa-tournament-bracket-scores-stats-records?utm_campaign=inline-article\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">2006 NCAA tournament<\/a>. In the national championship against UCLA, Noah finished with 16 points, nine rebounds, six blocks, three assists and one steal.<\/p>\n<p>2005: Sean May \u2014 North Carolina<\/p>\n<p>                    NCAA archives<br \/>\n                <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/sean-may-north-carolina.JPG\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"North Carolina's Sean May\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Sean May averaged 22.3 points and 10.7 rebounds per game during the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncaa.com\/news\/basketball-men\/article\/2020-05-07\/2005-ncaa-tournament-bracket-scores-stats-records?utm_campaign=inline-article\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">2005 NCAA tournament<\/a>. May led all scorers with 26 points (9-of-10 shooting) and 10 rebounds in the national championship against Illinois. His Tar Heels hung on for a 75-70 victory.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>2004: Emeka Okafor \u2014 UConn<\/p>\n<p>                    NCAA archives<br \/>\n                <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/emeka-okafor-uconn-edit.jpg\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"UConn's Emeka Okafor\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Emeka Okafor averaged 13.5 points and a tournament-high\u00a011.3 rebounds in 2004. In the national championship against Georgia Tech, Okafor recorded a 24-point, 15-rebound double-double that clinched UConn&#8217;s second title in five years. He was named Most Outstanding Player at the conclusion of the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncaa.com\/news\/basketball-men\/article\/2020-05-07\/2004-ncaa-tournament-brackets-scores-stats-records?utm_campaign=inline-article\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">NCAA tournament<\/a>.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>2003: Carmelo Anthony \u2014 Syracuse<\/p>\n<p>Carmelo Anthony became just the third freshman to be named Most Outstanding Player in 2003. Anthony averaged 20.2 points, 9.8 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game during the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncaa.com\/news\/basketball-men\/article\/2020-05-07\/2003-ncaa-tournament-bracket-scores-stats-rounds?utm_campaign=inline-article\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">NCAA tournament<\/a>. He posted 33 points, 14 rebounds, three steals and one assists in the national semifinals against Texas.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>2002: Juan Dixon \u2014 Maryland<\/p>\n<p>                    NCAA archives<br \/>\n                <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/juan-dixon-maryland.JPG\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"Maryland's Juan Dixon\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Juan Dixon averaged 25.8 points, 3.8 rebounds and 3.2 assists per game throughout the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncaa.com\/news\/basketball-men\/article\/2020-05-06\/2002-ncaa-tournament-bracket-scores-stats-rounds?utm_campaign=inline-article\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">2002 NCAA tournament<\/a>. In the national semifinals against Kansas, Dixon scored a game-high 33 points (10-of-18 shooting) while adding three rebounds, two assists and two steals.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>2001: Shane Battier \u2014 Duke<\/p>\n<p>                    NCAA archives<br \/>\n                <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/shane-battier-duke-edit.jpg\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"Duke's Shane Battier\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Shane Battier was a serious two-way threat during the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncaa.com\/news\/basketball-men\/article\/2020-05-07\/2001-ncaa-tournament-bracket-scores-stats-rounds?utm_campaign=inline-article\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">2001 NCAA tournament<\/a>. He averaged 22.5 points, 10.2 rebounds, 2.7 blocks and 2.0 steals per game. Battier posted 25 points, eight rebounds, four blocks, two assists and two steals in the national semifinals against Maryland.<\/p>\n<p>2000: Mateen Cleaves \u2014 Michigan State<\/p>\n<p>            <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncaa.com\/video\/basketball-men\/2013-01-11\/all-time-players-mateen-cleaves\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\"><\/p>\n<p>                        <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/mateenthumbnailjpg-2278833_frame_01_640x360.jpg\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"\"\/><\/p>\n<p>            <\/a><\/p>\n<p>Mateen Cleaves &#8211; G &#8211; Michigan State<\/p>\n<p>Mateen Cleaves averaged 14.2 points, 4.5 assists and 1.2 steals per game in the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncaa.com\/news\/basketball-men\/article\/2020-05-07\/2000-ncaa-tournament-bracket-scores-stats-rounds?utm_campaign=inline-article\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">2000 NCAA tournament<\/a>. Cleaves scored 18 points on an efficient 7-of-11 shooting in the national championship against Florida. He also went\u00a03-for-4 from the\u00a03-point line\u00a0and dished out\u00a0four assists.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>1999: Richard Hamilton \u2014 UConn<\/p>\n<p>                    NCAA archives<br \/>\n                <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/richard-hamilton-uconn-basketball-edit.jpg\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"UConn's Richard Hamilton\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Richard Hamilton averaged 24.2 points and\u00a04.7 rebounds per game during the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncaa.com\/news\/basketball-men\/article\/2020-05-06\/1999-ncaa-tournament-bracket-scores-stats-records?utm_campaign=inline-article\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">1999 NCAA tournament<\/a>. In the Final Four alone, Hamilton averaged 25.5 points and 6.0 rebounds as he led the Huskies to their first national championship.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>1998: Jeff Sheppard \u2014 Kentucky<\/p>\n<p>                    NCAA archives<br \/>\n                <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/jeff-sheppard-kentucky-edit.jpg\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"Kentucky's Jeff Sheppard\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Jeff Sheppard averaged 16.5 points, 4.8 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game throughout the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncaa.com\/news\/basketball-men\/article\/2020-05-08\/1998-ncaa-tournament-bracket-scores-stats-records?utm_campaign=inline-article\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">1998 NCAA tournament<\/a>. In the national semifinals against Stanford, he finished with 27 points, six rebounds, four assists and two steals as Kentucky topped the Cardinal 86-85.<\/p>\n<p>1997: Miles Simon \u2014 Arizona<\/p>\n<p>                    NCAA archives<br \/>\n                <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/miles-simon-arizona-edit_0.jpg\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"Arizona's Miles Simon\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Miles Simon averaged 22.0 points, 4.0\u00a0rebounds and 3.2 assists per game in the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncaa.com\/news\/basketball-men\/article\/2020-05-08\/1997-ncaa-tournament-bracket-scores-stats-records?utm_campaign=inline-article\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">1997 NCAA tournament<\/a>. He scored a game-high 30 points in the national championship against Kentucky.<\/p>\n<p>1996: Tony Delk \u2014 Kentucky<\/p>\n<p>                    NCAA archives<br \/>\n                <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/tony-delk-kentucky-edit.jpg\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"Kentucky's Tony Delk\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Tony Delk averaged 18.8 points and 3.7 rebounds per game during the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncaa.com\/news\/basketball-men\/article\/2020-05-11\/1996-ncaa-tournament-bracket-scores-stats-records?utm_campaign=inline-article\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">1996 NCAA tournament<\/a>. He led all Kentucky scorers with 24 points in the national championship\u00a0against Syracuse,\u00a0while also adding seven rebounds, two assists, two steals and one block.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>1995: Ed O&#8217;Bannon \u2014 UCLA<\/p>\n<p>                    NCAA archives<br \/>\n                <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/ed-obannon-ucla.jpg\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"UCLA's Ed O'Bannon\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Ed O&#8217;Bannon led all scorers with 30 points in the national championship game against Arkansas. He also finished with 17 rebounds, three assists and three steals, as UCLA won its first title in 20 years. O&#8217;Bannon averaged 19.2 points and 9.0 rebounds per game during the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncaa.com\/news\/basketball-men\/article\/2020-05-12\/1995-ncaa-tournament-bracket-scores-stats-records?utm_campaign=inline-article\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">1995 NCAA tournament<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>1994: Corliss Williamson \u2014 Arkansas<\/p>\n<p>                    NCAA archives<br \/>\n                <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/corliss-williamson-arkansas-edit.jpg\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"Arkansas' Corliss Williamson\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Corliss Williamson averaged 21.7 points, 8.2 rebounds and 3.3 assists per game throughout the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncaa.com\/news\/basketball-men\/article\/2020-05-13\/1994-ncaa-tournament-bracket-scores-stats-records?utm_campaign=inline-article\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">1994 NCAA tournament<\/a>. His run was highlighted by a 29-point, 13-rebound double-double against Arizona in the national semifinals. Williamson also added five assists, two steals and a block in the Razorbacks&#8217; 91-82 win.<\/p>\n<p>1993: Donald Williams \u2014 North Carolina<\/p>\n<p>                    North Carolina Athletics<br \/>\n                <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/donald-williams-north-carolina.jpeg\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"North Carolina's Donald Williams\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Donald Williams averaged 19.7 points per game during the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncaa.com\/news\/basketball-men\/article\/2020-05-14\/1993-ncaa-tournament-bracket-scores-stats-records?utm_campaign=inline-article\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">1993 NCAA tournament<\/a>. In the Final Four, Williams made 15 of his 23 field-goal attempts\u00a0(65.1 percent) and 10 of his 14 3-point attempts (71.4 percent). His efficient shooting helped the Tar Heels capture their first title in 11 years.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>1992: Bobby Hurley \u2014 Duke<\/p>\n<p>                    NCAA archives<br \/>\n                <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/bobby-hurley-duke-edit.jpg\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"Duke's Bobby Hurley\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Bobby Hurley averaged 13.9 points and 7.8 assists per game in the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncaa.com\/news\/basketball-men\/article\/2020-05-14\/1992-ncaa-tournament-bracket-scores-stats-records?utm_campaign=inline-article\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">1992 NCAA tournament<\/a>. In the national semifinals against Indiana,\u00a0he led all scorers with 26 points and shot\u00a06-for-9 from the 3-point line. Hurley\u00a0also added\u00a0four assists and two steals in the Duke victory.<\/p>\n<p>1991: Christian Laettner \u2014 Duke<\/p>\n<p>Christian Laettner averaged 20.8 points and 5.7 rebounds per game in the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncaa.com\/news\/basketball-men\/article\/2020-05-18\/1991-ncaa-tournament-bracket-scores-stats-records?utm_campaign=inline-article\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">1991 NCAA tournament<\/a>. He led all Duke players with 28 points\u00a0as the Blue Devils upset defending champion UNLV 79-77 in the national semifinals. Duke would then defeat Kansas 72-65 in the title game.<\/p>\n<p>1990: Anderson Hunt \u2014 UNLV<\/p>\n<p>                    NCAA archives<br \/>\n                <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/anderson-hunt-unlv.jpg\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"UNLV's Anderson Hunt\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Anderson Hunt averaged 17.2 points and 5.0 assists per game during the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncaa.com\/news\/basketball-men\/article\/2020-05-18\/1990-ncaa-tournament-bracket-scores-stats-records?utm_campaign=inline-article\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">1990 NCAA tournament<\/a>. Hunt led all scorers with 29 points in the title game when UNLV steamrolled Duke 103-73. The 30-point drubbing\u00a0set a\u00a0record for the largest margin of victory in the championship game.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>1989: Glen\u00a0Rice \u2014 Michigan<\/p>\n<p>                    NCAA archives<br \/>\n                <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/glen-rice-michigan-basketball-edit.jpg\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"Michigan's Glen Rice\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Glen Rice was the leading scorer of the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncaa.com\/news\/basketball-men\/article\/2020-05-12\/1989-ncaa-tournament-bracket-scores-stats-records?utm_campaign=inline-article\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">1989 NCAA tournament<\/a>, averaging 30.7 points per game. He also guided Michigan to an 80-79 overtime victory against\u00a0Seton Hall in the national championship.\u00a0Rice finished with 31 points (12-of-25 shooting)\u00a0and 11 rebounds as the Wolverines won their first title.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>1988: Danny Manning \u2014 Kansas<\/p>\n<p>            <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncaa.com\/video\/basketball-men\/2018-10-03\/mbk-march-madness-classic-danny-manning\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\"><\/p>\n<p>                        <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/manningthumbnail.jpg\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"\"\/><\/p>\n<p>            <\/a><\/p>\n<p>Relive Danny Manning&#8217;s performance in the 1988 title game<\/p>\n<p>Danny Manning was the leading scorer of the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncaa.com\/news\/basketball-men\/article\/2020-05-13\/1988-ncaa-tournament-bracket-scores-stats-records?utm_campaign=inline-article\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">1988 NCAA tournament<\/a> with an average of 27.2 points per game. His 31-point, 18-rebound double-double in the national championship against Oklahoma carried the Jayhawks to their first title in 36 years.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>1987: Keith Smart \u2014 Indiana<\/p>\n<p>                    NCAA archives<br \/>\n                <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/keith-smart-indiana-edit.jpg\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"Indiana's Keith Smart\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Keith Smart averaged 15.0\u00a0points, 4.7\u00a0assists and 4.5\u00a0rebounds per game during the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncaa.com\/news\/basketball-men\/article\/2020-05-13\/1987-ncaa-tournament-bracket-scores-stats-records?utm_campaign=inline-article\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">1987 NCAA tournament<\/a>. But it was his 21 points and game-winning shot in the national championship against Syracuse that solidified Smart&#8217;s\u00a0Most Outstanding Player recognition.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>1986: Pervis Ellison \u2014 Louisville<\/p>\n<p>                    Louisville Athletics<br \/>\n                <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/pervis-ellison-louisville.jpeg\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"Louisville's Pervis Ellison\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Pervis Ellison became the second freshman to be named Most Outstanding Player, and the first since Arnie Ferrin 42 years earlier. He averaged 15.5 points, 9.5 rebounds and 1.8 blocks per game in the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncaa.com\/news\/basketball-men\/article\/2020-05-07\/1986-ncaa-tournament-bracket-scores-stats-rounds?utm_campaign=inline-article\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">1986 NCAA tournament<\/a>. Ellison&#8217;s 25-point, 11-rebound double-double against Duke in the title game led the Cardinals to a 72-69 victory.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>1985: Ed Pinckney \u2014 Villanova<\/p>\n<p>                    Villanova Athletics<br \/>\n                <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/ed-pinckney-villanova.jpeg\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"Villanova's Ed Pinckney\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Ed Pinckney averaged 14.5 points, 8.0 rebounds and 1.7 blocker per game during the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncaa.com\/news\/basketball-men\/article\/2020-05-08\/1985-ncaa-tournament-bracket-scores-stats-records?utm_campaign=inline-article\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">1985 NCAA tournament<\/a>. His top performance\u00a0came when it mattered most: Villanova&#8217;s\u00a066-64 win over Georgetown in the national championship. Pinckney finished with 16 points, six rebounds, five assists and two steals.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>1984: Patrick Ewing \u2014 Georgetown<\/p>\n<p>                    NCAA archives<br \/>\n                <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/patrick-ewing-georgetown-edit.jpg\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"Georgetown's Patrick Ewing\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Patrick Ewing averaged 11.8 points and 9.4 rebounds per game throughout\u00a0the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncaa.com\/news\/basketball-men\/article\/2020-05-18\/1984-ncaa-tournament-bracket-scores-stats-records?utm_campaign=inline-article\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">1984 NCAA tournament<\/a>. In the regional finals against Dayton,\u00a0he posted\u00a015 points, seven rebounds, three assists, three blocks and two steals.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>1983: Akeem Olajuwon\u00a0\u2014 Houston<\/p>\n<p>                    NCAA archives<br \/>\n                <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/akeem-olajuwon-houston-edit.jpg\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"Houston's Akeem Olajuwon\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Akeem Olajuwon averaged 18.8 points, 13.0 rebounds and 5.6 blocks per game in the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncaa.com\/news\/basketball-men\/article\/2020-05-18\/1983-ncaa-tournament-bracket-scores-stats-records?utm_campaign=inline-article\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">1983 NCAA tournament<\/a>. In the Final Four alone, Olajuwon averaged 20.5 points, 20.0 rebounds and 7.5 blocks. But his Houston Cougars were upset\u00a0in the title game against NC State 54-52.\u00a0As of 2020, Olajuwon remains the last person to be named\u00a0Most Outstanding Player without winning the national championship.<\/p>\n<p>1982: James Worthy \u2014 North Carolina<\/p>\n<p>                    NCAA archives<br \/>\n                <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/james-worthy-north-carolina-edit.jpg\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"North Carolina's James Worthy\"\/><\/p>\n<p>James Worthy led all scorers with 28 points (13-of-17 shooting)\u00a0in the title game while adding four rebounds and three steals. North Carolina held off Georgetown 63-62 to win the national championship. Worthy averaged 17.4 points and 5.0 rebounds per game during the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncaa.com\/news\/basketball-men\/article\/2020-05-19\/1982-ncaa-tournament-bracket-scores-stats-records?utm_campaign=inline-article\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">1982 NCAA tournament<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>1981: Isiah Thomas \u2014 Indiana<\/p>\n<p>                    NCAA archives<br \/>\n                <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/isiah-thomas-indiana-basketball-edit.jpg\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"Indiana's Isiah Thomas\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Isiah Thomas averaged 18.2 points, 8.6 assists and 2.0 steals per game in the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncaa.com\/news\/basketball-men\/article\/2020-05-19\/1981-ncaa-tournament-bracket-scores-stats-records?utm_campaign=inline-article\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">1981 NCAA tournament<\/a>. He\u00a0finished with 23 points, five assists, four steals and two rebounds in the national championship\u00a0against North Carolina. The Hoosiers won 63-50.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>1980: Darrell Griffith \u2014 Louisville<\/p>\n<p>                    NCAA archives<br \/>\n                <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/darrell-griffith-louisville_0.jpg\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"Louisville's Darrell Griffith\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Darrell Griffith averaged 23.2 points, 5.4 rebounds and 5.2 assists per game in the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncaa.com\/news\/basketball-men\/article\/2020-05-20\/1980-ncaa-tournament-bracket-scores-stats-records?utm_campaign=inline-article\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">1980 NCAA tournament<\/a>. In the national semifinals against Iowa, he posted\u00a034 points (14-of-21 shooting), six assists, five rebounds, three steals and two blocks.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>1979: Magic Johnson \u2014 Michigan State<\/p>\n<p>Magic Johnson averaged 21.8 points, 10.0 assists and 8.8 rebounds and recorded two triple-doubles during the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncaa.com\/news\/basketball-men\/article\/2020-05-14\/1979-ncaa-tournament-bracket-scores-stats-records?utm_campaign=inline-article\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">1979 NCAA tournament<\/a>. Johnson finished with 24 points, seven rebounds, five assists and one steal as the Spartans defeated Larry Bird and Indiana State in the national championship game.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>1978: Jack Givens \u2014 Kentucky<\/p>\n<p>                    NCAA archives<br \/>\n                <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/jack-givens-kentucky-edit.jpg\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"Kentucky's Jack Givens\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Jack Givens exploded for 41 points on 18-of-27 shooting, eight rebounds and three assists in the national championship game against Duke. Givens\u00a0led all scorers as the Wildcats held on for a 94-88 victory. He averaged 20.2 points and 7.4 rebounds per game in the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncaa.com\/news\/basketball-men\/article\/2020-05-14\/1978-ncaa-tournament-bracket-scores-stats-records?utm_campaign=inline-article\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">1978 NCAA tournament<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>1977: Butch Lee \u2014 Marquette<\/p>\n<p>                    NCAA archives<br \/>\n                <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/butch-lee-marquette-basketball-edit.jpg\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"Marquette's Butch Lee\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Butch Lee averaged 17.6 points, 3.4 rebounds and 2.4 assists per game during the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncaa.com\/news\/basketball-men\/article\/2020-05-15\/1977-ncaa-tournament-bracket-scores-stats-records?utm_campaign=inline-article\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">1977 NCAA tournament<\/a>. He finished with 19 points, three rebounds, three steals and two assists in Marquette&#8217;s 67-59 victory over North Carolina in the national championship.<\/p>\n<p>1976: Kent Benson \u2014 Indiana<\/p>\n<p>                    NCAA archives<br \/>\n                <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/kent-benson-indiana-basketball-edit.jpg\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"Indiana's Kent Benson\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Kent Benson averaged 18.8 points and 9.0 rebounds per game throughout\u00a0the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncaa.com\/news\/basketball-men\/article\/2020-05-15\/1976-ncaa-tournament-bracket-scores-stats-records?utm_campaign=inline-article\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">1976 NCAA tournament<\/a>. In the\u00a0national championship against Michigan, Benson\u00a0finished with 25 points (11-of-20 shooting), nine rebounds, two assists, one block and one steal.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>1975: Richard Washington \u2014 UCLA<\/p>\n<p>                    UCLA Athletics<br \/>\n                <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/richard-washington-ucla.jpeg\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"UCLA's Richard Washington\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Richard Washington averaged 21.6 points, 12.0 rebounds and 2.6 assists per game during the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncaa.com\/news\/basketball-men\/article\/2020-05-18\/1975-ncaa-tournament-bracket-scores-stats-records?utm_campaign=inline-article\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">1975 NCAA tournament<\/a>. Washington finished with 28 points, 12 rebounds and three assists\u00a0in the national championship against Kentucky. He played\u00a0the entire game.<\/p>\n<p>1974: David Thompson \u2014 NC State<\/p>\n<p>                    NCAA archives<br \/>\n                <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/david-thompson-nc-state-edit.jpg\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"NC State's David Thompson\"\/><\/p>\n<p>David Thompson averaged 24.3 points and 7.3 rebounds per game during the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncaa.com\/news\/basketball-men\/article\/2020-05-18\/1974-ncaa-tournament-bracket-scores-stats-records?utm_campaign=inline-article\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">1974 NCAA tournament<\/a>. His 28-point, 10-rebound performance in the national semifinals helped NC State end UCLA&#8217;s streak of seven consecutive national championships. The Wolfpack would then defeat Marquette in the title game, led by\u00a0Thompson&#8217;s\u00a021 points, seven rebounds, three steals, two assists\u00a0and one block.<\/p>\n<p>1973: Bill Walton\u00a0\u2014 UCLA<\/p>\n<p>                    NCAA archives<br \/>\n                <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/bill-walton-ucla-basketball-1973-edit.jpg\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"UCLA's Bill Walton\"\/><\/p>\n<p>UCLA won the last of its seven straight national championships, and was\u00a0once again led\u00a0by Bill Walton in the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncaa.com\/news\/basketball-men\/article\/2020-05-18\/1973-ncaa-tournament-bracket-scores-stats-records?utm_campaign=inline-article\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">1973 NCAA tournament<\/a>. His 44 points (21-of-22 shooting) in the title game set a record for the most points scored by a player in the national final. The Bruins easily dispatched Memphis 87-66.<\/p>\n<p>1972: Bill Walton \u2014 UCLA<\/p>\n<p>                    NCAA archives<br \/>\n                <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/bill-walton-ucla-1972-edit.jpg\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"UCLA's Bill Walton\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Bill Walton averaged 20.0 points and 16.0 rebounds per game during the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncaa.com\/news\/basketball-men\/article\/2020-05-18\/1972-ncaa-tournament-bracket-scores-stats-records?utm_campaign=inline-article\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">1972\u00a0NCAA tournament<\/a>. But he truly flipped the switch in the Final Four, averaging 28.5 points and 20.5 rebounds in those two games. With UCLA winning its sixth straight title and Walton leading the way, he was named\u00a0Most Outstanding Player.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>1971:\u00a0Vacated\u00a0\u2014\u00a0N\/A<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>1970: Sidney Wicks \u2014 UCLA<\/p>\n<p>            <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncaa.com\/video\/basketball-men\/2013-01-11\/all-time-players-sidney-wicks\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\"><\/p>\n<p>                        <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/wicksthumbnailjpg-2289010_frame_01_640x360.jpg\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"\"\/><\/p>\n<p>            <\/a><\/p>\n<p>Sidney Wicks &#8211; F &#8211; UCLA<\/p>\n<p>Sidney Wicks averaged 21.3 points and 13.3 rebounds per game for the UCLA Bruins in the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncaa.com\/news\/basketball-men\/article\/2020-05-19\/1970-ncaa-tournament-bracket-scores-stats-records?utm_campaign=inline-article\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">1970 NCAA tournament<\/a>. In the national championship against Artis Gilmore\u00a0and Jacksonville, Wicks finished with 18 rebounds, 17 points and three assists to help UCLA win its fourth straight title.<\/p>\n<p>1969: Lew Alcindor\u00a0\u2014 UCLA<\/p>\n<p>                    NCAA archives<br \/>\n                <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/lew-alcindor-ucla-basketball-1969-edit.jpg\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"UCLA's Lew Alcindor\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Lew Alcindor (now known as Kareem Abdul-Jabbar) made history as the only person to be named Most Outstanding Player three different times. He led the Bruins to their third consecutive national championship. Alcindor averaged 23.8 points and 16.0 rebounds per game during the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncaa.com\/news\/basketball-men\/article\/2020-05-14\/1969-ncaa-tournament-bracket-scores-stats-records?utm_campaign=inline-article\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">1969 NCAA tournament<\/a>. He scored 37 points and grabbed 20 boards in the title game against Purdue. As of 2020, Alcindor remains the only player to be named MOP more than twice.<\/p>\n<p>1968: Lew Alcindor\u00a0\u2014 UCLA<\/p>\n<p>                    NCAA Photos<br \/>\n                <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/lew-alcindor-ucla-basketball1968-edit.jpg\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"UCLA's Lew Alcindor\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Lew Alcindor averaged 25.8 points and 18.8 rebounds per game in the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncaa.com\/news\/basketball-men\/article\/2020-05-13\/1968-ncaa-tournament-bracket-scores-stats-records?utm_campaign=inline-article\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">1968\u00a0NCAA tournament.<\/a> But it was his 34-point, 16-rebound outing against North Carolina in the title game that not only solidified Alcindor&#8217;s second-straight Most Outstanding Player award, but back-to-back national championships for UCLA as well.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>1967: Lew Alcindor \u2014 UCLA<\/p>\n<p>                    NCAA archives<br \/>\n                <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/lew-alcindor-ucla-basketball-1967-edit.jpg\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"UCLA's Lew Alcindor\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Lew Alcindor\u00a0had the highest scoring average of the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncaa.com\/news\/basketball-men\/article\/2020-05-14\/1967-ncaa-tournament-bracket-scores-stats-records?utm_campaign=inline-article\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">1967 NCAA tournament<\/a>\u00a0at 26.5 points per game. His best performance was a 38-point, 14-rebound double-double against Pacific in the regional finals. Alcindor made 13 of his 20 field-goal attempts and shot\u00a012-for-14 from the free-throw line.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>1966: Jerry Chambers\u00a0\u2014 Utah<\/p>\n<p>                    NCAA archives<br \/>\n                <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/jerry-chambers-utah-edit.jpg\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"Utah's Jerry Chambers\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Despite losing in the national semifinals and the national third place game, Utah&#8217;s Jerry Chambers was named Most Outstanding Player of the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncaa.com\/news\/basketball-men\/article\/2020-05-13\/1966-ncaa-tournament-bracket-scores-stats-records?utm_campaign=inline-article\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">1966 NCAA tournament<\/a>. Chambers was the tournament&#8217;s leading scorer with 143 points. His scoring average of 35.8 was also a tournament-high.<\/p>\n<p>1965: Bill Bradley\u00a0\u2014 Princeton<\/p>\n<p>                    NCAA archives<br \/>\n                <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/bill-bradley-princeton-edit.jpg\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"Princeton's Bill Bradley\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Bill Bradley\u00a0guided Princeton from the first round to the national semifinals, and scored a tournament-high 177 points in the process. His scoring average of 35.4\u00a0was also the highest\u00a0for any\u00a0player in the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncaa.com\/news\/basketball-men\/article\/2020-05-14\/1965-ncaa-tournament-bracket-scores-stats-records?utm_campaign=inline-article\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">1965 NCAA tournament<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>1964: Walt Hazzard \u2014 UCLA<\/p>\n<p>                    NCAA archives<br \/>\n                <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/walt-hazzard-ucla-edit.jpg\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"UCLA's Walt Hazzard\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Walt Hazzard averaged 19.8 points and 5.0 rebounds per game in the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncaa.com\/news\/basketball-men\/article\/2020-05-14\/1964-ncaa-tournament-bracket-scores-stats-records?utm_campaign=inline-article\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">1964 NCAA tournament<\/a>. His\u00a0most dominant showing\u00a0came\u00a0in UCLA&#8217;s 90-84 win over Kansas State in the national semifinals. Hazzard finished with 19 points, nine assists and seven rebounds.<\/p>\n<p>1963: Art Heyman \u2014 Duke<\/p>\n<p>                    NCAA archives<br \/>\n                <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/art-heyman-duke-edit.jpg\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"Duke's Art Heyman\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Art Heyman averaged 22.3 points and 10.5\u00a0rebounds per game during the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncaa.com\/news\/basketball-men\/article\/2020-05-14\/1963-ncaa-tournament-bracket-scores-stats-records?utm_campaign=inline-article\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">1963 NCAA tournament<\/a>. While\u00a0Duke finished\u00a0third, Heyman was\u00a0named the Most Outstanding Player.<\/p>\n<p>1962: Paul Hogue\u00a0\u2014 Cincinnati<\/p>\n<p>                    NCAA archives<br \/>\n                <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/paul-hogue-cincinnati-edit.jpg\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"Cincinnati's Paul Hogue\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Paul Hogue led the Bearcats to their second-straight national championship, averaging\u00a026.0 points and 17.3 rebounds per game in the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncaa.com\/news\/basketball-men\/article\/2020-05-14\/1962-ncaa-tournament-bracket-scores-stats-records?utm_campaign=inline-article\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">1962 NCAA tournament<\/a>. Hogue erupted for 36 points (12-of-18-shooting) and 19 rebounds in the national semifinals against UCLA.<\/p>\n<p>1961: Jerry Lucas\u00a0\u2014 Ohio State<\/p>\n<p>                    NCAA archives<br \/>\n                <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/jerry-lucas-1961-ohio-state_0.jpg\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"Ohio State's Jerry Lucas\"\/><\/p>\n<p>While Ohio State fell short of repeating as champions, Jerry Lucas became the third person to be named Most Outstanding Player in back-to-back seasons. His signature game came in the regionals finals against Kentucky, when Lucas scored 33 points (14-of-18 shooting) and snagged 30 rebounds en route to an 87-74 victory. His 18.3 rebounds per game led all players during the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncaa.com\/news\/basketball-men\/article\/2020-05-13\/1961-ncaa-tournament-bracket-scores-stats-records?utm_campaign=inline-article\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">1961 NCAA tournament<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>1960: Jerry Lucas \u2014 Ohio State<\/p>\n<p>                    NCAA archives<br \/>\n                <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/jerry-lucas-ohio-state-basketball.jpg\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"Ohio State's Jerry Lucas\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Jerry Lucas led the Buckeyes to their first national championship while averaging 24.0 points and 16.0 rebounds per game in the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncaa.com\/news\/basketball-men\/article\/2020-05-13\/1960-ncaa-tournament-bracket-scores-stats-records?utm_campaign=inline-article\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">1960 NCAA tournament<\/a>. In the title game against California, all five Buckeyes finished in double figures with Lucas scoring\u00a0a team-high 16 points.<\/p>\n<p>1959: Jerry West\u00a0\u2014 West Virginia<\/p>\n<p>                    West Virginia Athletics<br \/>\n                <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/jerry-west-west-virginia-edit.jpg\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"West Virginia's Jerry West\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Jerry West led all scorers\u00a0with 32.0 points per game\u00a0in the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncaa.com\/news\/basketball-men\/article\/2020-05-20\/1959-ncaa-tournament-bracket-scores-stats-records?utm_campaign=inline-article\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">1959 NCAA tournament<\/a>. West&#8217;s Mountaineers made it to the title game but narrowly lost to California 71-70. West was brilliant in defeat, scoring a game-high\u00a028 points while grabbing\u00a011 rebounds.<\/p>\n<p>1958: Elgin Baylor \u2014 Seattle<\/p>\n<p>            <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncaa.com\/video\/basketball-men\/2013-01-11\/all-time-players-elgin-baylor\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\"><\/p>\n<p>                        <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/baylorjpg-2287385_frame_01_640x360.jpg\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"\"\/><\/p>\n<p>            <\/a><\/p>\n<p>Elgin Baylor &#8211; F &#8211; Seattle<\/p>\n<p>Elgin Baylor averaged 27.0 points and a tournament-high 18.2 rebounds per game during the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncaa.com\/news\/basketball-men\/article\/2020-05-20\/1958-ncaa-tournament-bracket-scores-stats-records?utm_campaign=inline-article\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">1958 NCAA tournament<\/a>. Baylor recorded a double-double in all five games, and took the Redhawks to the national championship. Seattle lost to Kentucky 84-72, but Baylor was\u00a0named Most Outstanding Player.<\/p>\n<p>1957: Wilt Chamberlain\u00a0\u2014 Kansas<\/p>\n<p>                    NCAA archives<br \/>\n                <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/wilt-chamberlain-kansas.JPG\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"Kansas' Wilt Chamberlain\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Wilt Chamberlain finished with\u00a0the highest scoring average (30.3 points per game)\u00a0of the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncaa.com\/news\/basketball-men\/article\/2020-05-20\/1957-ncaa-tournament-bracket-scores-stats-records?utm_campaign=inline-article\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">1957 NCAA tournament<\/a>. He also averaged 15.5 rebounds\u00a0and recorded a double-double in all four games. His most\u00a0dominant performance\u00a0was a 36-point, 22-rebound double-double in the regional semifinals against SMU. Chamberlain\u00a0made 14 of his 26 field-goal attempts. But his Jayhawks\u00a0lost\u00a0to North Carolina 54-53 in triple-overtime of the national championship game.<\/p>\n<p>1956: Hal Lear\u00a0\u2014 Temple<\/p>\n<p>                    Temple Athletics<br \/>\n                <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/hal-lear-temple.jpg\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"Temple's Hal Lear\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Hal Lear averaged 32.0 points per game during the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncaa.com\/news\/basketball-men\/article\/2020-05-21\/1956-ncaa-tournament-bracket-scores-stats-records?utm_campaign=inline-article\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">1956 NCAA tournament<\/a>. His 48\u00a0points against SMU in the national third place game set a then-record for most points in an NCAA tournament game. The Owls fell to Iowa in the national semifinals, but Lear was still named Most Outstanding Player.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>1955: Bill Russell \u2014 San Francisco<\/p>\n<p>            <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncaa.com\/video\/basketball-men\/2013-01-11\/all-time-players-bill-russell\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\"><\/p>\n<p>                        <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/billjpg-2278722_frame_01_640x360.jpg\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"\"\/><\/p>\n<p>            <\/a><\/p>\n<p>Bill Russell &#8211; C &#8211; San Francisco<\/p>\n<p>Bill Russell averaged 23.6 points per game during the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncaa.com\/news\/basketball-men\/article\/2020-05-21\/1955-ncaa-tournament-bracket-scores-stats-records?utm_campaign=inline-article\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">1955 NCAA tournament<\/a>, and led all scorers with 118 total points. Russell also dominated on the glass, averaging 14.0 rebounds per game. His 25 boards in the national championship against La Salle helped the Dons win\u00a0their first title.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>1954: Tom Gola \u2014 La Salle<\/p>\n<p>                    La Salle Athletics<br \/>\n                <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/tom-gola-la-salle.jpg\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"La Salle's Tom Gola\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Tom Gola was the leading scorer of the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncaa.com\/news\/basketball-men\/article\/2020-05-26\/1954-ncaa-tournament-bracket-scores-stats-records?utm_campaign=inline-article\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">1954 NCAA tournament<\/a>, finishing with 114 points over five games. He capped off an impressive run with a 19-point, 19-rebound outing in the national championship game as his\u00a0Explorers defeated Bradley.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>1953: B.H. Born\u00a0\u2014 Kansas<\/p>\n<p>                    NCAA archives<br \/>\n                <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/bh-born-kansas.jpg\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"Kansas' B.H. Born\"\/><\/p>\n<p>B.H. Born and the Kansas Jayhawks were one point away from repeating as national champions. But they fell to Indiana 69-68 in the title game. Still, Born averaged 20.0 points per game in the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncaa.com\/news\/basketball-men\/article\/2020-05-26\/1953-ncaa-tournament-bracket-scores-stats-records?utm_campaign=inline-article\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">1953 NCAA tournament<\/a> and recorded a triple-double (26 points, 15 rebounds, 13 blocks)\u00a0against the Hoosiers.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>1952: Clyde Lovellette \u2014 Kansas<\/p>\n<p>                    NCAA archives<br \/>\n                <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/clyde-lovellette-kansas-edit.jpg\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"Kansas' Clyde Lovellette\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Clyde Lovellette was leading scorer of the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncaa.com\/news\/basketball-men\/article\/2020-05-27\/1952-ncaa-tournament-bracket-scores-stats-records?utm_campaign=inline-article\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">1952 NCAA tournament<\/a>\u00a0with 141 total points over four games. He dominated in the national championship against St. John&#8217;s (N.Y.), scoring 33 points (12-of-25 shooting)\u00a0and grabbing 17 rebounds to clinch the Jayhawks&#8217; first title.<\/p>\n<p>1951: Bill Spivey \u2014 Kentucky<\/p>\n<p>                    Kentucky Athletics<br \/>\n                <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/bill-spivey-kentucky.jpeg\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"Kentucky's Bill Spivey\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Bill Spivey averaged 18.0 points and 16.3 rebounds over four games and was named the Most Outstanding Player\u00a0of\u00a0the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncaa.com\/news\/basketball-men\/article\/2020-05-27\/1951-ncaa-tournament-bracket-scores-stats-records?utm_campaign=inline-article\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">1951 NCAA tournament<\/a>. Spivey&#8217;s\u00a022-point, 21-rebound performance in the national championship game helped the Wildcats defeat Kansas State 68-58.<\/p>\n<p>1950: Irwin Dambrot \u2014 CCNY<\/p>\n<p>                    CCNY Athletics<br \/>\n                <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/ccny-mens-basketball-1950.jpeg\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"CCNY's Irwin Dambrot\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Irwin Dambrot (No. 5 in the picture above) was named Most Outstanding Player of the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncaa.com\/news\/basketball-men\/article\/2020-05-28\/1950-ncaa-tournament-bracket-scores-stats-records?utm_campaign=inline-article\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">1950 NCAA tournament<\/a>, as CCNY won both the NCAA and NIT tournaments that year \u2014 the only team to ever accomplish that feat. Dambrot only scored\u00a036 points in the NCAA tournament. But he finished with a team-high 15 in the championship game against Bradley.<\/p>\n<p>1949: Alex Groza\u00a0\u2014 Kentucky<\/p>\n<p>                    NCAA archives<br \/>\n                <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/alex-groza-kentucky-basketball.JPG\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"Kentucky's Alex Groza\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Groza became the second person to repeat as Most Outstanding Player in 1949. Once again, he finished with more points in the\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncaa.com\/news\/basketball-men\/article\/2020-05-14\/1949-ncaa-tournament-bracket-scores-stats-records?utm_campaign=inline-article\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">NCAA tournament<\/a>\u00a0(82) than any other player. His Wildcats also became the second men&#8217;s basketball program to win back-to-back titles.<\/p>\n<p>1948: Alex Groza \u2014 Kentucky<\/p>\n<p>                    NCAA Photos<br \/>\n                <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/alex-groza-kentucky.jpg\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"Kentucky's Alex Groza\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Alex Groza was the leading scorer of the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncaa.com\/news\/basketball-men\/article\/2020-05-14\/1948-ncaa-tournament-bracket-scores-stats-records?utm_campaign=inline-article\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">1948 NCAA tournament<\/a>, finishing with 54 points over three games. He also posted a game-high 14 points in the championship game against Baylor.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>1947: George Kaftan \u2014 Holy Cross<\/p>\n<p>                    NCAA Photos<br \/>\n                <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/george-kaftan-holy-cross-edit.jpg\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"Holy Cross' George Kaftan\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Thanks to a tournament-high 63 points and a national championship, George Kaftan of Holy Cross was named the Most Outstanding Player of the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncaa.com\/news\/basketball-men\/article\/2020-05-14\/1947-ncaa-tournament-bracket-scores-stats-records?utm_campaign=inline-article\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">1947 NCAA tournament<\/a>. Kaftan scored a team-high 18 points in the championship game against Oklahoma.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>1946: Bob Kurland\u00a0\u2014 Oklahoma A&amp;M<\/p>\n<p>            <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncaa.com\/video\/basketball-men\/2013-01-11\/all-time-players-bob-kurland\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\"><\/p>\n<p>                        <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/kurlandjpg-2278707_frame_01_640x360.jpg\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"\"\/><\/p>\n<p>            <\/a><\/p>\n<p>Bob Kurland &#8211; C &#8211; Oklahoma A&amp;M<\/p>\n<p>Kuralnd and the Aggies made history in the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncaa.com\/news\/basketball-men\/article\/2020-05-14\/1946-ncaa-tournament-bracket-scores-stats-records?utm_campaign=inline-article\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">1946 NCAA tournament<\/a>. Not only was Oklahoma A&amp;M the first school to win back-to-back men&#8217;s basketball championships, Kurland was the first person to be named Most Outstanding Player in consecutive seasons. He was also the tournament&#8217;s leading scorer yet again, this time finishing with 72 points.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>1945: Bob Kurland \u2014 Oklahoma A&amp;M<\/p>\n<p>                    Oklahoma State Athletics<br \/>\n                <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/bob-kurland-oklahoma-state.jpeg\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"Oklahoma State's Bob Kurland\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Bob Kurland (No. 90 in the picture above)\u00a0led Oklahoma A&amp;M, now known as Oklahoma State, to its first national championship in 1945. He\u00a0was the\u00a0leading scorer of the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncaa.com\/news\/basketball-men\/article\/2020-05-15\/1945-ncaa-tournament-bracket-scores-stats-records?utm_campaign=inline-article\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">NCAA tournament<\/a> with\u00a065 points, 22 of which came in the title game against NYU. He&#8217;s also responsible for the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncaa.com\/news\/basketball-men\/article\/2018-07-26\/story-behind-first-known-dunk-college-basketball-history?utm_campaign=inline-article\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">first known dunk in college basketball history<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>1944: Arnie Ferrin \u2014 Utah<\/p>\n<p>                    Utah Athletics<br \/>\n                <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/arnie-ferrin-utah-basketball.jpg\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"Utah's Arnie Ferrin\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Utah&#8217;s Arnie Ferrin (seen with the ball in the image above) became the first freshman to be named Most Outstanding Player after the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncaa.com\/news\/basketball-men\/article\/2020-05-15\/1944-ncaa-tournament-bracket-scores-stats-records?utm_campaign=inline-article\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">1944 NCAA tournament<\/a>. Ferrin\u00a0scored 22\u00a0of Utah&#8217;s 41 points in the title game against Dartmouth. The Utes needed every last bucket too, winning 42-40.<\/p>\n<p>1943: Ken Sailors \u2014 Wyoming<\/p>\n<p>                    NCAA Photos<br \/>\n                <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Kenny-Sailors-Wyoming.JPG\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"Wyoming's Ken Sailors\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Ken Sailors, who helped popularize the\u00a0jump shot, was named the Most Outstanding Player of the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncaa.com\/news\/basketball-men\/article\/2020-05-27\/1943-ncaa-tournament-bracket-scores-stats-records?utm_campaign=inline-article\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">1943 NCAA tournament<\/a>. Sailors&#8217; 16 points in the championship game against Georgetown easily led all\u00a0scorers. No other player\u00a0finished in double figures.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>1942: Howie Dallmar \u2014 Stanford<\/p>\n<p>                    Stanford Athletics<br \/>\n                <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/DALLMAR_HOWIE.jpg\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"Stanford's Howie Dallmar\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Howie Dallmar (pictured during his tenure as Stanford&#8217;s head coach) led all scorers with 15 points in the championship game, as Stanford took care of Dartmouth 53-38. Dallmar was named the Most Outstanding Player of the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncaa.com\/news\/basketball-men\/article\/2020-05-27\/1942-ncaa-tournament-bracket-scores-stats-records?utm_campaign=inline-article\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">1942 NCAA tournament<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>1941: John Kotz \u2014 Wisconsin<\/p>\n<p>                    Wisconsin Athletics<br \/>\n                <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/John-Kotz-Wisconsin.jpg\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"Wisconsin's John Kotz\"\/><\/p>\n<p>John Kotz (No. 40 in the picture above)\u00a0averaged\u00a012.3 points per game during\u00a0the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncaa.com\/news\/basketball-men\/article\/2020-05-27\/1941-ncaa-tournament-bracket-scores-stats-records?utm_campaign=inline-article\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">1941 NCAA tournament<\/a>\u00a0and posted\u00a0double figures in all\u00a0three contests. He scored 12 points in the championship game as the Badgers narrowly beat Washington State 39-34.<\/p>\n<p>1940: Marvin Huffman \u2014 Indiana<\/p>\n<p>                    Indiana Athletics<br \/>\n                <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/marvin-huffman-indiana.jpeg\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"Indiana's Marvin Huffman\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Indiana&#8217;s Marvin Huffman scored just 24 points in three games during the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncaa.com\/news\/basketball-men\/article\/2020-05-27\/1940-ncaa-tournament-bracket-scores-stats-records?utm_campaign=inline-article\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">1940 NCAA tournament<\/a>. But his team-high 12 points (Jay McCreary also scored 12) against Kansas in the title game helped\u00a0the Hoosiers win\u00a0their first national championship. Huffman was\u00a0the first\u00a0Most Outstanding Player from the team that won the title. This trend would continue for the next 12 years.<\/p>\n<p>1939: Jimmy Hull\u00a0\u2014\u00a0Ohio State<\/p>\n<p>                    Ohio State Athletics<br \/>\n                <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Jimmy-Hull-Ohio-State.jpg\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"Ohio State's Jimmy Hull\"\/><\/p>\n<p>While his Buckeyes lost to Oregon 46-33 in the championship game, Jimmy Hull was named the Most Outstanding Player of the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncaa.com\/news\/basketball-men\/article\/2020-05-27\/1939-ncaa-tournament-bracket-scores-stats-records?utm_campaign=inline-article\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">inaugural NCAA tournament<\/a>.\u00a0 He\u00a0was the tournament&#8217;s leading scorer, finishing with 58 points over three games and a scoring average of 19.3.<\/p>\n<p>Final Four Most Outstanding Player: Facts, figures and trends<\/p>\n<p>Bob Kurland became the first player to win the award twice when he guided what&#8217;s now known as\u00a0Oklahoma State to back-to-back titles in 1945 and 1946. Kurland is one of five players to win\u00a0the accolade multiple times. The others are Alex Groza (Kentucky, 1948-49), Jerry Lucas (Ohio State, 1960-61), Lew Alcindor\u00a0(UCLA, 1967-69) and Bill Walton (UCLA, 1972-73).<\/p>\n<p>            <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncaa.com\/video\/basketball-men\/2017-11-23\/mbk-mens-basketball-throwback-thursday-bill-walton\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\"><\/p>\n<p>                        <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/1504719157208-TBT_BILL_WALTON_1920.jpg-1611128.1280x720.jpg\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"\"\/><\/p>\n<p>            <\/a><\/p>\n<p>Throwback Thursday: Bill Walton<\/p>\n<p>Walton&#8217;s second time winning the award\u00a0in 1973 bares significance both in his performance and in the year itself. The Bruins&#8217; big man put together one of the best performances in college basketball\u00a0tournament history, hitting 21-of-22 shots and finishing with 44 points to lead UCLA to the title. Additionally, that season was the the last of of the Bruins&#8217;\u00a0seven consecutive championships and was also the first year in which\u00a0freshmen were granted\u00a0varsity status in college basketball.<\/p>\n<p>HISTORY: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncaa.com\/history\/basketball-men\/d1\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Every NCAA DI men&#8217;s basketball champion since 1939<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Following the NCAA rule change on the athletic status of freshmen, it&#8217;d be another 13 years before one\u00a0would be named Most Outstanding Player of a Men&#8217;s Final Four. Louisville&#8217;s Pervis Ellison took home the honor in 1986, just the second freshman to do so at that point \u2014 Arnie Ferrin (Utah, 1944).<\/p>\n<p>Since then, a number of star freshman have captivated college basketball audiences with show-stopping highlights and deep NCAA tournament runs. However, only three other first-year players have been named Most Outstanding Player:<\/p>\n<p>\tCarmelo Anthony, Syracuse (2003)<br \/>\n\tAnthony Davis, Kentucky (2012)<br \/>\n\tTyus Jones, Duke (2015)<\/p>\n<p>To this day, freshmen remain the least-represented demographic overall. But in the last 20 years, sophomores have produced the fewest winners. Joakim Noah is the sole sophomore on the list this century. He was\u00a0named the 2006 recipient after the first of Florida&#8217;s back-to-back titles.<\/p>\n<p>It&#8217;s been 13 seasons since a sophomore was the Final Four&#8217;s Most Outstanding Player. The two streaks longer than that are players winning multiple times (see above) and the award going to a non-champion. Hull was the first of a\u00a0dozen players to be named Most Outstanding Player despite not winning a national championship. Hakeem Olajuwon is the last to do it, claiming the honor for Houston after the Cougars finished as national runner-up in 1983.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Final Four&#8217;s Most Outstanding Player has been awarded every year going back to 1939. From Jimmy Hull&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":42721,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3723],"tags":[7,217,11927,11929,11928,7456,354,231,772,11926,1400,1544],"class_list":{"0":"post-704560","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-ncaa-basketball","8":"tag-basketball","9":"tag-college-basketball","10":"tag-college-basketball-final-four","11":"tag-final-four-mop","12":"tag-final-four-most-outstanding-player","13":"tag-march-madness","14":"tag-mens-college-basketball","15":"tag-ncaa","16":"tag-ncaa-basketball","17":"tag-ncaa-final-four","18":"tag-ncaa-tournament","19":"tag-ncaab"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nba\/116367231393330019","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/704560","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=704560"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/704560\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/42721"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=704560"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=704560"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=704560"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}