Legends are made in the NCAA tournament. Not every player who stands out during the Big Dance ends up performing well at the next level, but it’s certainly not a bad indicator by any means. Years from now, we might look back at some of the top performers in the 2023 men’s and women’s tournaments and say that this was the moment they truly became stars.
Some of the players active in the NBA and WNBA had some incredible performances in the tournament. Here are a few of the best:
Morant led the 12-seed Murray State Racers to a first-round upset of the 5-seed Marquette Golden Eagles in the 2019 NCAA tournament. To top it off, he recorded a triple-double (17 points, 11 rebounds, 16 assists). Murray State fell to Florida State in the second round, but Morant didn’t go quietly, dropping 28 points in the loss.
In her junior season in 2017, Wilson led the South Carolina Gamecocks to their first tournament championship while winning Most Outstanding Player. She dropped a double-double in the title game against Mississippi State, scoring 23 points and grabbing 10 rebounds.
The third-seeded Stanford Cardinal had a tough second-round matchup against six-seeded Marquette in the 2008…
