His legendary showdown against Larry Bird in the 1979 championship game is one of the most-watched college basketball games ever. Magic led Michigan State to a 75-64 win over Indiana State. And if that wasn’t enough, he put up 24 points, 7 rebounds, and 5 assists.
Even though the results weren’t up to the mark, he averaged 27 points and 13 rebounds in the tournament.
Laettner led the Duke to back-to-back national championships, one in 1991 and another in 1992. Laettner’s buzzer-beater against Kentucky in the Elite Eight is the most famous moment of his career.
Walton’s 1973 title game performance is not only unmatched but also the most talked about one. The UCLA big man went 21-of-22 from the field, scoring 44 points against Memphis in the championship game. His near-perfect night is still considered one of the best individual performances in NCAA history.
UCLA went 88-2 during his time there, and his Final Four performances were pure domination. His skyhook was virtually unstoppable, and he helped UCLA secure three national titles in a row.
No one owned March Madness quite like Kemba Walker in 2011. Walker led UConn on an 11-game winning streak through the Big East and NCAA Tournament. And on top of that, he carried the team to a national title.
Manning was so dominant that Kansas’ 1988 title team is literally called “Danny and the Miracles.” As a No. 6 seed, the Jayhawks weren’t expected to make a deep run. However, Manning wasn’t having it. Nah, he put up 31 points and 18 rebounds in the championship game against Oklahoma.
Melo played just one year in college, but he made it count. As a freshman, he led Syracuse to its first-ever national title. The star athlete torched Texas for 33 points in the Final Four and followed it up with 20 points, 10 rebounds, and 7 assists in the championship game.
Olajuwon led Houston’s famous “Phi Slama Jama” teams to back-to-back Final Fours, but unfortunately, they never won it all. Still, his 20-point, 18-rebound effort in the 1984 semifinal against Virginia showed just how dominant he was.
Davis’ numbers in the 2012 championship game weren’t as flashy as the others. He managed to make just 6 points, but the way he dominated on the court made fans believe in his skills. He had 16 rebounds and six blocks and completely shut down Kansas’ offense.
