Several Eventual Final Four MOPs Went Scoreless in NCAA Tournament Debuts

If the stars were aligned and rejection of one-and-done was in offing, they could have returned and become conquering heroes. But freshman phenoms Reed Sheppard and D.J. Wagner, after absorbing significant criticism from Kentucky zealots as frosh flops combining for only one field goal in the Wildcats' upset loss against Oakland in South Regional opener, appear poised to move on to next chapter of their hoop lives via NBA draft as undergraduate and transfer portal. If it's any consolation to Sheppard and Wagner specifically plus Big Blue Nation generally, they should be aware 1978 Final Four Most Outstanding Player Jack Givens of UK also laid a goose egg by going scoreless in his NCAA Tournament debut. In fact, Sheppard's father, Jeff, scored fewer than five points in half of his first 12 playoff games with UK before becoming 1998 Final Four Most Outstanding Player.

For what it's worth in comparing Big Blue standouts, Reed Sheppard matched consensus All-American Ralph Beard's three-point outputs in two NCAA tourney outings for UK's 1949 national champion and outscored NBA prolific point producer Devin Booker, who had only two points in his debut against Hampton in 2015 before averaging more than 22 ppg each of the past eight seasons with the Phoenix Suns. Additional fizz-free UK luminaries included celebrated center Sam Bowie scoring only two points and fouling out in UK's setback against Duke as a freshman in 1980; Michael Bradley was scoreless in two playoff games as a freshman with 1998 kingpin prior to transferring and becoming an All-American with Villanova in 2000-01; Willie Cauley-Stein going scoreless in Midwest Regional defeat against arch-rival Louisville in 2014 before contributing only two points as All-American the next year in 33 minutes of loss against Wisconsin at Final Four; freshman All-American DeMarcus Cousins contributed only five points in 2010 opener against East Tennessee State; national POY Anthony Davis was named Final Four MOP in 2012 despite his 1-of-10 FG shooting in NCAA Tournament final; Tony Delk going scoreless in 1992 playoff game against Utah and had two other tourney tilts with fewer than five points as freshman for Final Four squad; all-time great Cliff Hagan managed only four points in playoff win against St. John's in 1951; eventual All-American Vern Hatton contributed just four points in tourney setback against Iowa in 1956; Thad Jaracz, an A-A as a sophomore, was limited to two points in playoff game as senior in 1968; three-time All-American Wallace "Wah Wah" Jones scored fewer than five points in two of three tourney games as senior for 1949 NCAA kingpin; freshman All-American Michael Kidd-Gilchrist contributed only two points in second-round victory against Iowa State for 2012 champion; eventual All-American Jim Line was scoreless in 1948 Final Four outing against Holy Cross; All-American Kyle Macy was restricted to two points in 1978 playoff tilt against Miami (Ohio); eventual All-American Ron Mercer was scoreless in 1996 regional final against Wake Forest; eventual All-American Tayshaun Prince scored a total of nine points in 62 minutes in his first three playoff assignments as a freshman in 1999; All-American Frank Ramsey made only 2-of-19 FGAs in 1951 Final Four contest against Illinois; eventual two-time All-American Rick Robey was restricted to two points while fouling out of 1975 NCAA final against UCLA; eventual A-A Jack Tingle was scoreless in 1945 regional third-place outing; freshman A-A Karl-Anthony Towns scored one point in a Sweet 16 outing against West Virginia in 2015; eventual A-A Melvin Turpin tallied only two points as a freshman in 1981 opening-round defeat against UAB; freshman Tyler Ulis scored a total of five points in back-to-back 2015 Midwest Regional contests before becoming consensus first-team A-A the next year; eventual three-time NBA All-Star Antoine Walker scored only two points as a freshman in 1995 regional final loss against North Carolina; eventual All-American Kenny Walker supplied only two points in 1983 regional final loss against Louisville plus four points in 1984 Final Four setback against Georgetown, and eventual A-A Kyle Wiltjer (after transferring to Gonzaga) was scoreless in a pair of UK playoff games as a freshman in 2012.

Additional eventual MOPs joining Givens in a zilch/zero/nada category were Kansas' B.H. Born (1953), Marquette's Butch Lee (1977), UCLA's Ed O'Bannon (1995), UCLA's Richard Washington (1975) and UCLA's Sidney Wicks (1970). Born scored a total of only seven points in four playoff games the year before becoming MOP. Incredibly, Givens and Lee were blanked in the same game in their freshman season when UK mauled Marquette (76-54) in 1975 Mideast Regional opening round. O'Bannon was scoreless as a medical redshirt freshman in 1992 playoff contest against Louisville. Washington was scoreless as a freshman in 1974 West Regional semifinals when the Bruins outlasted Dayton (111-100 in triple overtime). Wicks, after one season in junior college, was blanked as a sophomore in the 1969 West Regional semifinals when UCLA defeated New Mexico State (53-38) and also went scoreless at the national semifinals when the Bruins defeated Drake (85-82).

If it was easy to excel, then everyone would do it every game. Even all-time leading playoff scorer Christian Laettner (Duke) had three tourney games with fewer than nine points. You can also ask ACC Player of the Year RJ Davis of North Carolina after he went 4-for-20 from the floor (missing all nine attempts beyond the three-point arc) in elimination loss against Alabama about the same time a former Tar Heel teammate - Arizona All-American Caleb Love - also went 0-for-9 from three-point territory. Sizzling scorers learn anew it's not always a walk in the park in postseason play. For instance, two-time national Player of the Year Zach Edey went scoreless as a freshman in 2020-21 when Purdue was eliminated by North Texas. Elsewhere, Hall of Famer Bob Cousy scored more than six points only once in his first six playoff games with Holy Cross in 1947 and 1948. UCLA All-American Keith Erickson, after erupting for 57 points in two 1965 West Regional outings, scored a total of five points in two Final Four contests. Shane Battier (Duke) became 2001 POY and MOP after scoring five or six points in four consecutive playoff contests as a sophomore and four points in a tourney tilt as freshman. Gary Bradds, a sophomore backup to national POY Jerry Lucas in 1962 before earning same award himself two years later, was scoreless for Ohio State in Mideast Regional final victory against Kentucky. Consensus national POY Trey Burke scored only six points on 2-of-12 field-goal shooting in Michigan's opening-round win against South Dakota State in 2013. Virginia's Kyle Guy was scoreless as a freshman in 2017 playoff defeat against Florida before becoming an All-American and F4 MOP two years later. Luke Hancock scored a total of 17 points in Louisville's first three playoff games in 2013 before becoming Final Four MOP that year. Kansas' Danny Manning managed only four points in 1986 Final Four setback against Duke before becoming F4 MOP and national POY two years later. Cincinnati's Kenyon Martin was scoreless as a freshman in 1997 playoff loss against Iowa State three years before becoming national POY. Indiana's Scott May, hampered by a broken left arm, scored a total of two points in 11 minutes in three 1975 NCAA playoff games before earning national POY acclaim the next season. Connecticut guard Shabazz Napier scored fewer than five points in four of his last five games as a freshman for 2011 NCAA champion before becoming a consensus first-team All-American and F4 MOP three years later. Connecticut unanimous first-team All-American Emeka Okafor was restricted to two points in 2004 regional final against Alabama before becoming F4 MOP. Houston's Akeem Olajuwon was limited to two points in a pair of 1982 playoff contests before becoming an All-American and F4 MOP two years later. Michigan State's Shawn Respert scored three points in 30 minutes against Missouri State in his first NCAA playoff game as a medical redshirt freshman in 1992 before becoming NABC national POY three years later. Michigan State's Denzel Valentine went scoreless in his playoff debut as a freshman in 2013 prior to becoming national POY in 2016. National POY Bill Walton scored only four points against Weber State in his inaugural playoff game for UCLA as a sophomore in 1972.

Former NBA sensation Clyde Drexler averaged more than 17 points per game each of his last 13 NBA seasons, but he glided to more than 17 points in just one of 11 NCAA Tournament contests for the University of Houston from 1981 through 1983 (including only four in national title game). Elsewhere, eventual All-American Luther Head scored fewer than six points in three of his first five playoff assignments with Illinois in 2002 and 2003; two-time All-American Bobby Hurley (Duke) scored fewer than six points in six of his first eight playoff games; UCLA's Marques Johnson, national POY as a senior, went scoreless as a freshman in Final Four game against North Carolina State; eventual consensus All-American Bobby Jones (North Carolina) scored a total of nine points in his first two playoff games as a sophomore; eventual NCAA unanimous All-American Stacey King contributed only two points in a pair of playoff games as an Oklahoma sophomore in 1987; two-time Kansas State All-American Dick Knostman scored fewer than four points in three of four playoff assignments as a sophomore in 1951; eventual All-American Kyle Korver made only 4-of-23 three-point field-goal attempts in his first two tourney contests (both opening-round losses) with Creighton in 2000 and 2001; eventual All-American Ty Lawson scored a total of nine points on 4-of-19 FG shooting in back-to-back playoff games for North Carolina in 2007; Quincy Lewis contributed only two points on 1-of-9 FG shooting in Minnesota's 1997 Final Four loss against Kentucky before All-American made only 3-of-19 shots from floor in 1999 playoff opener defeat against Gonzaga; eventual UCLA All-American Dave Meyers scored a total of eight points in his last three playoff games for 1973 champion; eventual North Carolina All-American Eric Montross scored one point as freshman in 1991 regional final; premier playmaker Steve Nash struggled while making only one field goal in three of five playoff contests for Santa Clara in the mid-1990s, shooting a paltry 29.2% from the floor in his postseason games; eventual Duke All-American DeMarcus Nelson scored fewer than five points in five playoff games from 2005 through 2008; Connecticut All-American A.J. Price went scoreless in 2008 opening-round loss against San Diego (injured midway through first half), and eventual Marquette A-A Jerome Whitehead supplied only two points in back-to-back games in 1977.

Two-time NBA slam-dunk champion Jason Richardson (5th pick overall in 2001) was grounded by the NCAA playoffs, going scoreless in three consecutive contests as a Michigan State freshman in 2000 before earning All-American acclaim the next year. Ditto eventual All-American Clifford Rozier with North Carolina in 1991 before transferring to Louisville. Eventual All-Americans Clyde Bradshaw (DePaul), Rakeem Christmas (Syracuse), Rui Hachimura (Gonzaga), Brian Evans (Indiana), Yogi Ferrell (Indiana), Collin Gillespie (Villanova), Brendan Haywood (North Carolina), Al Horford (Florida), Mark Randall (Kansas), Thomas Robinson (Kansas), Jamal Shead (Houston), Charles E. Smith IV (Georgetown), Ken Spain (Houston), Jeff Withey (Kansas) and Tyler Zeller (North Carolina) each went scoreless in two NCAA playoff games. Cole Aldrich (Kansas) had three scoreless outings as freshman for 2008 NCAA champion, eventual All-American Alan Henderson (Indiana) did likewise in consecutive playoff contests as a sophomore in 1993, Wisconsin's Frank Kaminsky went scoreless in all three playoff games as a freshman in 2012 before becoming unanimous national POY three years later for tourney runner-up, North Carolina's Luke Maye went scoreless in four playoff outings in 2016 and 2017 before becoming an A-A, eventual A-A Jason Terry (Arizona) went scoreless in a total of three tourney tilts in 1996 and 1998 and eventual A-A Scottie Wilbekin (Florida) went scoreless in three consecutive playoff outings as a freshman in 2011.

Also going scoreless in a tourney game were eventual All-Americans Grayson Allen (Duke), Justin Anderson (Virginia), Udoka Azubuike (Kansas), James Bailey (Rutgers), Keita Bates-Diop (Ohio State), Charlie Bell (Michigan State), A.L. Bennett (Oklahoma A&M), Jim Bredar (Illinois), Mikal Bridges (Villanova), Don Burness (Stanford), Sherron Collins (Kansas), Darren Collison (UCLA), Bonzie Colson (Notre Dame), Brian Cook (Illinois), Marcus Denmon (Missouri), Dan Dickau (Washington before transferring to Gonzaga), Michael Dickerson (Arizona), Chris Duhon (Duke), Mike Dunleavy Jr. (Duke), Mike Farmer (San Francisco), Danny Ferry (Duke), Kendall Gill (Illinois), Ben Gordon (Connecticut), Devonte' Graham (Kansas), Gary Grant (Michigan), Aaron Gray (Pittsburgh), Roy Hamilton (UCLA), Derek Harper (Illinois), Josh Hart (Villanova), Udonis Haslem (Florida), Joe Hassett (Providence), Mark Jackson (St. John's), Corey Kispert (Gonzaga), Ted Kitchel (Indiana), Trajan Langdon (Duke), Rudy Macklin (Louisiana State), Gale McArthur (Oklahoma A&M), Billy McCaffrey (Duke before transferring to Vanderbilt), Derrick McKey (Alabama), Brandon Miller (Alabama), Todd Mitchell (Purdue), Marcus Morris (Kansas), Kris Murray (Iowa), Dikembe Mutombo (Georgetown), Joakim Noah (Florida), Kelly Olynyk (Gonzaga), Mason Plumlee (Duke), Juan "Pepe" Sanchez (Temple), Nik Stauskas (Michigan), Earl Tatum (Marquette), Jordan Taylor (Wisconsin), Deshaun Thomas (Ohio State), Denzel Valentine (Michigan State), Mark West (Old Dominion), Terrence Williams (Louisville) and Andy Zimmer (Indiana) before Alabama freshman phenom Brandon Miller duplicated their inability to dent the scoreboard in 2023 opener against a #16 seed. Miller's goose egg was the most disappointing playoff performance by a Bama standout since eventual four-time NBA All-Star Latrell Sprewell went 2-for-15 from the floor in a reversal against North Carolina in 1992.

Ferry scored fewer than 10 points in six straight tourney tilts before averaging 20 ppg in his last 11 playoff outings; three-time All-American Grant Hill (Duke) failed to tally more than 14 points in all of his first 11 postseason outings in 1991 and 1992; Kirk Hinrich (Kansas) scored fewer than four points in playoff games as an All-American in 2002 and 2003, and Syracuse All-American Kris Joseph never scored more than 12 points in 11 NCAA playoff contests from 2009 through 2012. Sometimes it only matters when you score points. All-American Lorenzo Charles had a woeful four-point game against heavily-favored Houston in 1983 NCAA Tournament final but his second basket (dunk at buzzer) lifted North Carolina State to an upset win. Memo to UK Fans: If Sheppard had returned to UK, you shouldn't have expected him to duplicate Austin Carr's prolific playoff scoring with Notre Dame after a slow start. Carr collected only six points in a loss against Miami (Ohio) in 1969 before averaging 47.2 ppg in his next six tourney contests in 1970 and 1971.