Land of Plenty: 7 of Last 9 NCAA Titlists Boast at Least 4 Different Top Scorers
April 8th, 2024 - 23:22
Spreading the wealth has become a trait of recent NCAA kingpins. Kentucky's well-balanced attack, featuring six players averaging from 9.9 to 14.2 points per game in 2011-12, enabled the Wildcats to become the first NCAA Tournament champion to have five different players lead the team in scoring during the playoffs en route to capturing the crown. A quintessential quintet also emerged for titlists Duke (2015) and Villanova (2016).
The following chronological list includes this year's Connecticut contingent among seven of last nine NCAA Tournament champions featuring at least four different players leading the team in scoring during the playoffs en route to earning title:
| Titlist With > 3 Team-High Scorers | 4 or 5 Different Players Leading Club in Scoring During NCAA Playoffs |
|---|---|
| UCLA '70 | Henry Bibby, Curtis Rowe, John Vallely, Sidney Wicks |
| UCLA '75 | Dave Meyers, Marques Johnson, Pete Trgovich, Richard Washington |
| Kentucky '78 | Truman Claytor, Jack Givens, Kyle Macy, Mike Phillips |
| North Carolina '82 | Matt Doherty, Michael Jordan, Sam Perkins, James Worthy |
| Louisville '86 | Herbert Crook, Pervis Ellison, Billy Thompson, Milt Wagner |
| Indiana '87 | Steve Alford, Ricky Calloway, Dean Garrett, Keith Smart |
| UCLA '95 | Toby Bailey, Tyus Edney, J.R. Henderson, Ed O'Bannon |
| Florida '07 | Corey Brewer, Taurean Green, Al Horford, Lee Humphrey |
| Kansas '08 | Darrell Arthur, Mario Chalmers, Sasha Kaun, Brandon Rush |
| Kentucky '12 | Anthony Davis, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, Terrence Jones, Doron Lamb, Marquis Teague |
| Duke '15 | Quinn Cook, Matt Jones, Tyus Jones, Jahlil Okafor, Justise Winslow |
| Villanova '16 | Ryan Arcidiacono, Phil Booth Jr., Josh Hart, Kris Jenkins, Daniel Ochefu |
| Villanova '18 | Mikal Bridges, Jalen Brunson, Donte DiVincenzo, Eric Paschall |
| Virginia '19 | Mamadi Diakite, Kyle Guy, De'Andre Hunter, Ty Jerome |
| Baylor '21 | Jared Butler, Adam Flagler, Matthew Mayer, MaCio Teague |
| Kansas '22 | Ochai Agbaji, Remy Martin, David McCormack, Jalen Wilson |
| Connecticut '24 | Stephon Castle, Donovan Clingan, Tristen Newton, Cam Spencer |