Sizzling Scorers: Sanogo Top Point Producer Among 2023 Final Four Entrants

March 26th, 2023 - 21:36

Connecticut's Adama Sanogo (17.1 ppg) ended a streak of seven consecutive top scorers among Final Four participants failing to become highest point producer at F4. Odds are in Sanogo's favor to become leading point producer insofar as Florida Atlantic (Johnell Davis/13.9) and San Diego State (Matt Bradley/12.5) are the first two national semifinalists in any given year with leading scorers averaging fewer than 14 ppg since 1952 featured Illinois (John "Red" Kerr/13.7) and Santa Clara (Jim Young/11.8).

In 2016, Oklahoma's Buddy Hield, the nation's runner-up in scoring with 25.4 points per game, came close to duplicating one of the most overlooked achievements in NCAA Tournament history. In 1951-52, Clyde Lovellette of champion Kansas became the only player to lead the nation in scoring average (28.4 ppg) while competing for a squad reaching the NCAA tourney title game. Final Four luminaries averaging more than 30 ppg include Elvin Hayes (36.8/Houston '68), Oscar Robertson (33.7/Cincinnati '60 and 32.6/Cincinnati '59), Rick Mount (33.3/Purdue '69), Elgin Baylor (32.5/Seattle '58), Bill Bradley (30.5/Princeton '65) and Len Chappell (30.1/Wake Forest '62).

Lovellette, an 11-year NBA center who passed away three years ago, served as sheriff of Vigo County in his native Indiana (noted for raid on Terre Haute brothels). Ochai Agbaji has been scoring under his season average during the tourney, but aspires to "raid" the Final Four by joining Lovellette as the only other player cracking the 30-point plateau in the national semifinals and championship contest in the same season (33 against both Santa Clara and St. John's).

Hield was the first Final Four player since Georgia Tech's Dennis Scott to average in excess of 25 ppg. Only two other Final Four players notched higher scoring averages than Hield since the playoff field expanded to at least 32 teams in 1975 - Larry Bird (28.6 ppg for Indiana State '79 and Glen Rice (25.6 for Michigan '89). Rice scored 59 points in two Final Four games. The highest F4 total since him was accrued by Arizona guard Miles Simon with 54 in 1997. Sanogo joins the following list of individuals in the last 32 tourneys amassing the highest scoring average from a Final Four club since Scott's mark of 27.7 ppg in 1989-90:

Season Top Scorer Among Final Four Participants School Average Final Four's Two-Game Top Scorer
1989-90 Dennis Scott Georgia Tech 27.7 ppg Duke's Phil Henderson/UNLV's Anderson Hunt (49 points)
1990-91 Larry Johnson UNLV 22.7 ppg Duke's Christian Laettner (46 points)
1991-92 Christian Laettner Duke 21.5 ppg Duke's Bobby Hurley (35 points)
1992-93 Jamal Mashburn Kentucky 21.0 ppg Michigan's Chris Webber/ UNC's Donald Williams (50 points)
1993-94 Khalid Reeves Arizona 24.2 ppg Arkansas' Corliss Williamson (52 points)
1994-95 Bryant Reeves Oklahoma State 21.5 ppg UCLA's Ed O'Bannon (45 points)
1995-96 John Wallace Syracuse 22.2 ppg Wallace (50 points)
1996-97 Antawn Jamison North Carolina 19.1 ppg Arizona's Miles Simon (54 points)
1997-98 Antawn Jamison North Carolina 22.2 ppg Kentucky's Jeff Sheppard (43 points)
1998-99 Richard Hamilton Connecticut 21.5 ppg Hamilton (51 points)
1999-00 Morris Peterson Michigan State 16.8 ppg Peterson (41 points)
2000-01 Jay Williams Duke 21.6 ppg Duke's Shane Battier (43 points)
2001-02 Juan Dixon Maryland 20.4 ppg Dixon (51 points)
2002-03 Carmelo Anthony Syracuse 22.2 ppg Anthony (53 points)
2003-04 Ben Gordon Connecticut 18.5 ppg UConn's Emeka Okafor (42 points)
2004-05 Sean May North Carolina 17.5 ppg May (48 points)
2005-06 Glen Davis Louisiana State 18.6 ppg Florida's Lee Humphrey (34 points)
2006-07 Arron Affalo UCLA 16.9 ppg Ohio State's Greg Oden (38 points)
2007-08 Tyler Hansbrough North Carolina 22.6 ppg Memphis' Chris Douglas-Roberts (50 points)
2008-09 Tyler Hansbrough North Carolina 20.7 ppg UNC's Ty Lawson (43 points)
2009-10 Jon Scheyer Duke 18.2 ppg Duke's Kyle Singler (40 points)
2010-11 Kemba Walker Connecticut 23.5 ppg Butler's Shelvin Mack (37 points)
2011-12 Thomas Robinson Kansas 17.7 ppg Robinson (37 points)
2012-13 Russ Smith Louisville 18.7 ppg Louisville's Luke Hancock (42 points)
2013-14 Shabazz Napier Connecticut 18.0 ppg Kentucky's James Young (37 points)
2014-15 Frank Kaminsky Wisconsin 18.8 ppg Kaminsky (41 points)
2015-16 Buddy Hield Oklahoma 25.4 ppg Villanova's Josh Hart (35 points)
2016-17 Sindarius Thornwell South Carolina 21.6 ppg UNC's Justin Jackson/Gonzaga's Nigel Williams-Goss (38 points)
2017-18 Jalen Brunson Villanova 19.2 ppg Villanova's Donte DiVincenzo (46 points)
2018-19 Jarrett Culver Texas Tech 18.9 ppg Virginia's De'Andre Hunter (41 points)
2018-19 Cassius Winston Michigan State 18.9 ppg Virginia's De'Andre Hunter (41 points)
2020-21 Drew Timme Gonzaga 19 ppg Baylor's Jared Butler (39 points)
2021-22 Ochai Agbaji Kansas 18.9 ppg Kansas' David McCormack (40 points)
2022-23 Adama Sanogo Connecticut 17.1 ppg Sanogo (38 points)