Five years ago, Virginia became the first ACC member since Duke in 1999-00 to win the regular-season league title by as many as four games in final standings. The most dominant clubs in conference competition this season were Colgate (won Patriot League by six games) and Oral Roberts (won Summit League by five games).

The SEC is the only power league in the previous decade to have a team finish atop conference standings by at least five games (Kentucky in 2011-12 and Florida in 2013-14). Colgate joined UK and UF among the following teams to win a DI conference regular-season crown by at least six games since Stephen Curry-led Davidson achieved the feat in 2007-08 (listed in reverse order):

Season	League Champion (Coach)	Conference	Mark	GA
2022-23	Colgate (Matt Langel)	Patriot League	17-1	+6
2021-22	Longwood (Griff Aldrich)	Big South/North	15-1	+7
2021-22	Vermont (John Becker)	America East	17-1	+6
2020-21	Navy (Ed DeChellis)	Patriot League/South	12-1	+6
2019-20	New Mexico State (Chris Jans)	Western Athletic	16-0	+6
2017-18	Buffalo (Nate Oats)	Mid-American/East	15-3	+6
2014-15	Murray State (Steve Prohm)	Ohio Valley/West	16-0	+6
2013-14	Wichita State (Gregg Marshall)	Missouri Valley	18-0	+6
2013-14	Florida (Billy Donovan)	SEC	18-0	+6
2011-12	Kentucky (John Calipari)	SEC	16-0	+6
2011-12	Middle Tennessee State (Kermit Davis)	Sun Belt/East	14-2	+6
2009-10	Butler (Brad Stevens)	Horizon League	18-0	+6
2007-08	Davidson (Bob McKillop)	Southern/South	20-0	+7

Existing single-game rebounding records for San Francisco (Bill Russell) and Santa Clara (Ken Sears) were set on the same day (March 4) in West Coast Conference competition in 1955. Two Philly Big 5 institutions - Penn (37 points by Keven McDonald) and La Salle (35 by Michael Brooks) - had players establish school NCAA Tournament single-game scoring marks in the same regional (East) on same day (12th in 1978). Bradley's Hersey Hawkins (44 points) and Auburn's Chris Morris (36) set school NCAA playoff single-game scoring standards in the same contest in 1988 (March 17). Two years apart in the late 1980s, Reggie Williams and Charles Smith set and tied Georgetown's single-game scoring mark in NCAA tourney competition on the same day (March 19). Sixty-five years apart, Bill Logan and Luka Garza set and tied Iowa's standard on the same day (March 22). In another oddity, Yale's single-game scoring and rebounding marks against a major-college opponent were established in the same game against Harvard in 1956. Following is a day-by-day calendar citing memorable moments in March major-college basketball history:

MARCH

1 - Kentucky's Cliff Hagan (42 points vs. Georgia in 1952 semifinals) set SEC Tournament single-game scoring record. . . . New Hampshire's Matt Alosa (39 vs. Hartford in opening round of 1996 North Atlantic Conference Tournament at Newark, DE/tied school mark), Saint Louis' Anthony Bonner (45 at Loyola of Chicago in overtime in 1990), Southern Illinois' Dick Garrett (46 vs. Centenary in 1968) and Southern Utah's Davor Marcelic (43 at Cal State Northridge in 1991/subsequently tied) set school Division I single-game scoring records. . . . Larry Jeffries (40 vs. Abilene Christian in 1969) had highest-scoring game for Trinity TX in season when school made its lone NCAA DI Tournament appearance. . . . In 1952, Penn State and Pittsburgh combined for only nine field-goal attempts (fewest in a game since 1938). . . . North Carolina State ended South Carolina's school-record 32-game winning streak (43-24 in 1934) and Southern Methodist's school-record 44-game homecourt winning streak was snapped by Texas A&M (43-42 in 1958). . . . East Tennessee State's Tommy Woods (38 vs. Middle Tennessee State in 1965) and Holy Cross' Tom Heinsohn (42 vs. Boston College in 1956) set school single-game rebounding records. Heinsohn also scored 51 points against BC to become the only player in NCAA history to collect more than 50 points and 40 rebounds in single contest against major-college opponent. . . . Chris Collier (23 vs. Centenary in 1990) set Georgia State's single-game rebounding record against a DI opponent.
2 - Junior forward Ralph Jukkola became the only Louisiana State teammate to outscore NCAA all-time leading scorer Pete Maravich in a regular-season game (22-17 in 74-71 loss at Tennessee in 1968) when Pistol was limited to fewer than 20 points for the lone time in college. Jukkola averaged 9.1 ppg in his three-year varsity career compared to Maravich's lofty mark of 44.2 ppg. . . . Campbell's Chris Clemons (51 points vs. UNC Asheville in 2017 Big South quarterfinals) and San Francisco's Tim Owens (45 vs. Loyola Marymount in 1991 WCC quarterfinals) set conference tournament single-game scoring records. . . . Colgate's Jonathan Stone (52 vs. Brooklyn in 1992), McNeese State's Michael Cutright (51 at Stephen F. Austin in double overtime in 1989), New Mexico's Marvin Johnson (50 vs. Colorado State in 1978) and Southern Methodist's Gene Phillips (51 at Texas in 1971) set school Division I single-game scoring records. Johnson's output is also a Western Athletic Conference record in league competition. . . . Oklahoma tied an NCAA single-game record by converting all 34 of its free-throw attempts (against Iowa State in 2013). . . . Penn State's school-record 45-game homecourt winning streak was snapped by Penn (85-79 in 1955). . . . Jameel Warney (23 vs. UMBC in 2016 America East Conference Tournament quarterfinals) set Stony Brook's single-game rebounding record against a DI opponent.
3 - Jacksonville's Dee Brown (41 points vs. Old Dominion in 1990 quarterfinals) set Sun Belt Conference Tournament single-game scoring record and Monmouth's Rahsaan Johnson (40 vs. St. Francis NY in 2000 quarterfinals) set Northeast Conference Tournament single-game scoring record. . . . Drake's Philip "Red" Murrell (51 vs. Houston in overtime in 1958), Lafayette's Bobby Mantz (47 vs. Wilkes College PA in 1958), Maine's Jim Stephenson (54 vs. Colby in 1969), St. John's Bob Zawoluk (65 vs. St. Peter's in 1950), Santa Clara's Carlos "Bud" Ogden (55 at Pepperdine in 1967), Temple's Bill Mlkvy (73 at Wilkes College PA in 1951), Tulsa's Willie Biles (48 vs. Wichita State in 1973/subsequently tied his own mark), UNLV's Trevor Diggs (49 vs. Wyoming in 2001) and Weber State's Jerrick Harding (46 vs. Montana State in overtime in 2018) set school single-game scoring records. Mlkvy scored an incredible 54 unanswered points for the Owls. Diggs' output is also a Mountain West Conference record in league competition. . . . Florida State's Al Thornton (45 vs. Miami in 2007) and Tennessee-Martin's Lester Hudson (42 vs. Tennessee Tech in 2009) set school single-game scoring records against a Division I opponent. . . . Kentucky's Adolph Rupp became the coach to compile 800 victories the fastest with a 90-86 win at Auburn in 1969 (974 games in 37th season). . . . Army's Todd Mattson (24 vs. Holy Cross in 1990), Iowa's Chuck Darling (30 vs. Wisconsin in 1952) and Minnesota's Larry Mikan (28 vs. Michigan in 1970) set school single-game rebounding records.
4 - Marshall's Skip Henderson (55 points vs. The Citadel in 1988 Southern Conference Tournament quarterfinals at Asheville, NC) and Montana State's Tom Storm (44 vs. Portland State in 1967) set school single-game scoring records against an NCAA Division I opponent. Henderson's output is also highest-scoring contest in NCAA history for a DI league postseason tourney. . . . Lehigh's Joe Knight (45 vs. Colgate in 2005 quarterfinals) set Patriot League Tournament single-game scoring record. . . . Villanova's school-record 72-game homecourt winning streak was snapped by St. Francis PA (70-64 in 1958). . . . San Francisco's Bill Russell (35 vs. Loyola Marymount) and Santa Clara's Ken Sears (30 vs. Pacific) set school single-game rebounding records in WCAC contests in 1955. . . . Chattanooga's Mindaugas Katelynas (21 at Appalachian State in 2005 Southern Conference Tournament semifinals) and Notre Dame's Collis Jones (25 vs. Western Michigan in 1971) set school single-game rebounding records against a Division I opponent. . . . One of the most tragic moments in college basketball history occurred in semifinals of 1990 West Coast Conference Tournament at Loyola Marymount when Hank Gathers, the league's all-time scoring leader and a two-time tourney MVP, collapsed and died on his homecourt during the Lions' game with Portland.
5 - Bradley's Hersey Hawkins (41 points vs. Indiana State in 1988 Missouri Valley quarterfinals) and Texas Tech's Rick Bullock (44 vs. Arkansas in 1976 SWC semifinals) set conference tournament single-game scoring records. . . . Cal State Northridge's Mike O'Quinn (39 vs. Eastern Washington in overtime in 1998 Big Sky Tournament quarterfinals at Northern Arizona/subsequently tied), Cornell's George Farley (47 at Princeton in 1960), Houston Baptist's Darius Lee (52 vs. McNeese State in quadruple overtime in 2022), Michigan's Cazzie Russell (48 vs. Northwestern in 1966/subsequently tied by Rudy Tomjanovich), Minnesota's Eric Magdanz (42 at Michigan in 1962/subsequently tied), Southeastern Louisiana's Cedric Jenkins (39 at New Orleans in 2015/tied) and Wichita State's Antoine Carr (47 vs. Southern Illinois in 1983) set school Division I single-game scoring records. Lee's output tied HBU's all-time scoring mark. . . . Carnegie Tech's Melvin Cratsley set Eastern Intercollegiate Conference single-game scoring record with 34 points vs. West Virginia in 1938. . . . Boston University's Kevin Thomas (34 vs. Boston College in 1958), Delaware State's Kendall Gray (30 vs. Coppin State in 2015), Pacific's Keith Swagerty (39 vs. UC Santa Barbara in 1965) and Saint Louis' Jerry Koch (38 vs. Bradley in 1954) set school single-game rebounding records. . . . Baylor's Jerome Lambert (26 vs. Southern Methodist in 1994) and Wyoming's Leon Clark (24 vs. Arizona in 1966) set school single-game rebounding records against a DI opponent.
6 - Texas Christian's Mike Jones (44 points vs. Fresno State in 1997 quarterfinals) set WAC Tournament single-game scoring record. . . . Duquesne's Ron Guziak (50 vs. St. Francis PA at Altoona in 1968), Minnesota's Ollie Shannon (42 vs. Wisconsin in 1971/tied), Missouri's Joe Scott (46 vs. Nebraska in 1961) and Sam Houston State's Senecca Wall (45 vs. Texas-Arlington in double overtime in 2001 Southland Conference Tournament quarterfinals) set school Division I single-game scoring records. . . . Ohio State set an NCAA single-game record by making 14 consecutive three-point field-goal attempts (against Wisconsin in 2011).
7 - Houston Baptist's Reggie Gibbs (43 points vs. Georgia Southern in 1989 TAAC quarterfinals), North Carolina's Lennie Rosenbluth (45 vs. Clemson in 1957 ACC quarterfinals) and Southern Utah's Randy Onwuasor (43 vs. Montana State in triple overtime in 2017 Big Sky first round) set conference tournament single-game scoring records. . . . Lehigh's Daren Queenan (49 vs. Bucknell in double overtime in 1987 ECC Tournament semifinals at Towson State), Notre Dame's Austin Carr (61 vs. Ohio University in first round of 1970 NCAA Tournament Mideast Regional), Rhode Island's Tom Garrick (50 vs. Rutgers in 1988 Atlantic 10 Conference Tournament quarterfinals at West Virginia/tied mark) and Saint Mary's Jordan Ford (42 vs. Pepperdine in double overtime in 2020 WCC Tournament quarterfinals) set school Division I single-game scoring records. Carr's output is also an NCAA playoff single-game record and output by Garrick is are single-game mark in league tourney. . . . Oklahoma State center Arlen Clark established an NCAA standard for most successful free throws in single game without a miss by converting all 24 of his foul shots against Colorado in 1959. . . . In 1928, Butler beat Notre Dame, 21-13, in inaugural game at legendary Hinkle Fieldhouse, which was the largest basketball arena in the U.S. at the time and retained that distinction until 1950. . . . Jacksonville's Artis Gilmore (30 vs. Western Kentucky in 1970 first round) and Southern California's John Rudometkin (31 vs. Utah in 1960 first round) set school NCAA playoff single-game scoring records.
8 - Wright State's Bill Edwards (38 vs. Illinois-Chicago in 1993 Summit League final) set conference tournament single-game scoring record and Kentucky's Melvin Turpin (42 vs. Georgia in 1984 quarterfinals) tied Cliff Hagan's SEC Tournament single-game scoring standard. . . . Harvard's Brady Merchant (45 vs. Brown in 2003), Miami of Ohio's Ron Harper (45 vs. Ball State in 1985 Mid-American Conference Tournament semifinals) and Vanderbilt's Tom Hagan (44 at Mississippi State in 1969) set school single-game scoring records. Harper's output is also a MAC tourney single-game scoring mark. . . . Brown's Gerry Alaimo (26 vs. Rhode Island in 1958) and Georgia's Bob Lienhard (29 vs. Louisiana State in 1969) set school single-game rebounding records against a Division I opponent.
9 - Greg Ballard (43 points at Oral Roberts in 1977 NIT first round) set Oregon's single-game scoring record. . . . Marcus Mann (28 vs. Jackson State in 1996) set Mississippi Valley State's single-game rebounding record against a Division I opponent. . . . Houston's Elvin Hayes (49 vs. Loyola of Chicago in 1968 Midwest Regional first round), Marquette's Terry Rand (37 vs. Miami of Ohio in 1955 East Regional first round) and Texas-El Paso's Jim "Bad News" Barnes (42 vs. Texas A&M in 1964 Midwest Regional first round) set school NCAA playoff single-game scoring records. Bill Butler (34 vs. Boston College in 1968 East Regional first round) tied St. Bonaventure's NCAA playoff single-game scoring standard.
10 - North Texas State's Kenneth Lyons (47 points vs. Louisiana Tech in 1983 Southland quarterfinals), Northwestern's Michael Thompson (35 vs. Minnesota in 2011 Big Ten opening round) and Washington State's Klay Thompson (43 vs. Washington in 2011 Pac-12 quarterfinals) set single-game scoring records in their respective conference tournaments. Lyons' output is also a school single-game scoring record. . . . Paul Williams (45 at Southern California in 1983) set Arizona State's single-game scoring record. . . . John Lee (41 vs. Harvard in 1956) set Yale's single-game scoring record against a Division I opponent. . . . Lamar's school-record 80-game homecourt winning streak was snapped by Louisiana Tech (68-65 in 1984 Southland Conference Tournament championship contest). . . . Ed Robinson (32 vs. Harvard in 1956) set Yale's single-game rebounding record. . . . Johnny O'Brien (42 points vs. Idaho State in 1953 West Regional first round) set Seattle's NCAA playoff single-game scoring record.
11 - Connecticut's Donyell Marshall (42 points vs. St. John's in 1994 Big East quarterfinals), Texas Tech's Mike Singletary (43 vs. Texas A&M in 2009 Big 12 opening round), Hofstra's Justin Wright-Foreman (42 vs. Delaware in 2019 CAA semifinals), Old Dominion's Trey Freeman (42 vs. Western Kentucky in 2016 C-USA semifinals), Cal State Fullerton's Josh Akognon (37 vs. UC Riverside in 2009 Big West opening round) and Bethune-Cookman's Richard Toussaint (49 vs. Morgan State in 2003 MEAC first round) set single-game scoring records in their respective conference tournaments. . . . Brigham Young's Jimmer Fredette (52 vs. New Mexico in 2011 Mountain West Tournament semifinals at Las Vegas), Montana's Anthony Johnson (42 at Weber State in 2010 Big Sky Tournament final) and Nebraska's Eric Piatkowski (42 vs. Oklahoma in 1994 Big Eight Tournament quarterfinals at Kansas City) set school single-game scoring records. Outputs for Fredette and Piatkowski are also single-game scoring records in their respective conference tourneys. . . . Indiana (95) and Michigan (57) combined for an NCAA single-game record of 152 rebounds in 1961. Walt Bellamy (33) set IU's individual rebounding record in the contest. . . . Ohio State's Jerry Lucas (36 vs. Western Kentucky in 1960 Mideast Regional semifinal) and Utah's Jerry Chambers (40 vs. Pacific in 1966 West Regional semifinal) set school NCAA playoff single-game scoring records.
12 - Bradley's Bob Carney set NCAA Tournament single-game record by converting 23 free-throw attempts (against Colorado in 1954 West Regional semifinals). . . . Stony Brook's Jameel Warney (43 points vs. Vermont in 2016 America East final) tied conference tournament single-game scoring mark. Warney's output is also a school standard since moving up to NCAA Division I level. . . . DePaul's George Mikan (53 vs. Rhode Island State in 1945 NIT semifinals), Fairleigh Dickinson's Elijah Allen (43 vs. Connecticut in 1998 NCAA Tournament East Regional first round) and Navy's David Robinson (50 vs. Michigan in 1987 NCAA Tournament East Regional first round) set school Division I single-game scoring records. Allen's output also set a Northeast Conference NCAA playoff scoring standard and Robinson's output established a Colonial Athletic Association NCAA playoff scoring mark. . . . Syracuse outlasted Connecticut, 127-117, in six overtimes in 2009 Big East Conference Tournament quarterfinals in longest postseason game in NCAA history. . . . Georgia's Willie Anderson (35 vs. Kansas State in overtime in 1987 West Regional first round), Kentucky's Dan Issel (44 vs. Notre Dame in 1970 Mideast Regional semifinal), La Salle's Michael Brooks (35 vs. Villanova in 1978 East Regional first round) and Penn's Keven McDonald (37 vs. St. Bonaventure in 1978 East Regional first round) set school NCAA playoff single-game scoring records. Jacksonville's Artis Gilmore (30 vs. Iowa in 1970 Mideast Regional semifinal) and Penn State's Jesse Arnelle (25 vs. Kentucky in 1955 East Regional third-place game) tied their own school NCAA playoff single-game scoring marks. . . . Morehead State's Dan Swartz (39 vs. Marshall in 1956 Midwest Regional first round) set Ohio Valley Conference NCAA playoff single-game scoring record. . . . Miami of Ohio's Wally Szczerbiak (43 vs. Washington in 1999 Midwest Regional first round) set Mid-American Conference NCAA playoff single-game scoring standard in a 59-58 win. Never before has a player exhibited such dominant solo act in NCAA tourney history as Szczerbiak accounted for an incredible 72.9% of Miami's offensive output.
13 - Vermont's Taylor Coppenrath (43 points vs. Maine in 2004 final) set America East Conference Tournament single-game scoring record. . . . Charlotte's Cedric "Cornbread" Maxwell (32 vs. Central Michigan in 1977 Mideast Regional first round), Colorado's Cliff Meely (32 vs. Colorado State in 1969 Midwest Regional semifinal), Duke's Jeff Mullins (43 vs. Villanova in 1964 East Regional semifinal), Holy Cross' Togo Palazzi (32 vs. Wake Forest in 1953 East Regional semifinal), Oklahoma State's Bob Mattick (35 vs. Texas Christian in 1953 West Regional semifinal), San Francisco's Ollie Johnson (37 vs. UCLA in 1965 West Regional final), Tennessee's Ernie Grunfeld (36 vs. Virginia Military in 1976 East Regional first round), Texas Christian's Lee Nailon (32 vs. Florida State in 1998 Midwest Regional first round) and Washington's Bob Houbregs (45 vs. Seattle in 1953 West Regional semifinal) set school NCAA playoff single-game scoring records. . . . Brigham Young made the largest comeback in NCAA playoff history, erasing a 25-point deficit to beat Iona (78-72 in 2012 First Four). Iona scored 55 points in first 16 minutes before collecting only three field goals and seven points over the next 16 1/2 minutes.
14 - Louisville's Russ Smith (42 points vs. Houston in 2014 semifinals) set American Athletic Conference Tournament single-game scoring record. Smith's output also set a school mark for most points against a major-college opponent. . . . Indiana's Don Schlundt (41 vs. Notre Dame in 1953 East Regional final), North Carolina State's David Thompson (40 vs. Providence in 1974 East Regional semifinal/subsequently tied), Providence's Austin Croshere (39 vs. Marquette in 1997 South Regional first round), St. Bonaventure's Fred Crawford (34 vs. Rhode Island in 1961 East Regional first round/subsequently tied), Santa Clara's Dennis Awtrey (37 vs. Long Beach State in 1970 West Regional third-place contest) and Wichita State's Dave Stallworth (37 vs. Kansas State in 1964 Midwest Regional final) set school NCAA playoff single-game scoring records. Billy Knight (34 vs. Furman in 1974 East Regional semifinal) tied Pittsburgh's NCAA playoff single-game scoring standard. . . . Wyoming's Fennis Dembo (41 vs. UCLA in 1987 West Regional second round) set Western Athletic Conference's NCAA playoff single-game scoring mark.
15 - Arizona State's Byron Scott (32 vs. Kansas in 1981 Midwest Regional second round), Boston College's John Bagley (35 vs. Wake Forest in 1981 Mideast Regional second round), Cincinnati's Oscar Robertson (56 vs. Arkansas in 1958 Midwest Regional third-place contest), George Mason's George Evans (27 vs. Maryland in 2001 West Regional first round), Louisville's Junior Bridgeman (36 vs. Rutgers in 1975 Midwest Regional first round), North Carolina's Lennie Rosenbluth (39 vs. Canisius in 1957 East Regional semifinal/subsequently tied), Rutgers' Phil Sellers (29 vs. Louisville in 1975 Midwest Regional first round), Virginia Commonwealth's Rolando Lamb (30 vs. Marshall in 1985 West Regional first round/subsequently tied) and West Virginia's Rod Thorn (44 vs. St. Joseph's in 1963 East Regional semifinal) set school NCAA playoff single-game scoring records. . . . Houston's Rob Gray (39 vs. San Diego State in 2018 West Regional first round) set American Athletic Conference's NCAA playoff single-game scoring standard.
16 - Kentucky's Kenny Walker (11-of-11 vs. Western Kentucky in 1986 Southeast Regional second round) became only player in NCAA Tournament history to make all of more than 10 field-goal attempts in a single playoff game. . . . Temple's Fred Cohen (34 vs. Connecticut in 1956 NCAA Tournament East Regional semifinals) set school and NCAA Tournament single-game rebounding records. . . . Nate Thurmond (31 vs. Mississippi State in 1963 Mideast Regional third-place game) set Bowling Green's single-game rebounding record against a Division I opponent. . . . Alabama's Antonio McDyess (39 points vs. Penn in 1995 East Regional first round), Arkansas' Mario Credit (34 vs. Loyola Marymount in 1989 Midwest Regional first round), Loyola of Chicago's Jerry Harkness (33 vs. Illinois in 1963 Mideast Regional final), Northwestern's Bryant McIntosh (25 vs. Vanderbilt in 2017 West Regional first round), Pittsburgh's John Riser (34 vs. Notre Dame in 1957 Mideast Regional third-place contest), Southern Methodist's Jim Krebs (33 vs. St. Louis in 1957 Midwest Regional third-place contest), Virginia's Richard Morgan (33 vs. Providence in 1989 Southeast Regional first round/tied by him two days later) and Wake Forest's Len Chappell (34 vs. St. Joseph's in overtime in 1962 East Regional semifinal) set school NCAA playoff single-game scoring records. McIntosh's output occurred in Northwestern's first-ever tourney contest. JeQuan Lewis (30 vs. Saint Mary's in 2017 West Regional first round) tied Virginia Commonwealth's NCAA playoff single-game scoring mark. . . . Loyola Marymount's Bo Kimble (45 vs. New Mexico State in 1990 West Regional first round) set West Coast Conference's NCAA playoff single-game scoring standard.
17 - Texas' Travis Mays (23-of-27 vs. Georgia in 1990 Midwest Regional first round) tied NCAA Tournament single-game record for most free-throws made. Mays (44 points), Auburn's Chris Morris (36 vs. Bradley in 1988 Southeast Regional first round), Baylor's Taurean Prince (28 vs. Yale in 2016 West Regional first round), Bradley's Hersey Hawkins (44 vs. Auburn in 1988 Southeast Regional first round), Dayton's Roosevelt Chapman (41 vs. Oklahoma in 1984 West Regional second round), DePaul's Dave Corzine (46 vs. Louisville in double overtime in 1978 Midwest Regional semifinal), Mississippi's Stefan Moody (26 vs. Brigham Young in 2015 First Four), New Mexico State's Teddy Allen (37 vs. Connecticut in 2022 West Regional first round), Oregon State's Gary Payton Sr. (31 vs. Evansville in 1989 West Regional first round), Texas A&M's Acie Law IV (26 vs. Louisville in 2007 South Regional second round/subsequently tied) and Virginia Tech's Glen Combs (29 vs. Indiana in 1967 Mideast Regional semifinal) set school NCAA playoff single-game scoring standards. Mays' point production is the highest in tourney history for an individual never named an All-American. Hawkins' output is also Missouri Valley Conference's NCAA playoff record. . . . Harvard's Bryce Aiken (38 vs. Yale in 2019 final) set Ivy League Tournament single-game scoring mark. . . . Maurice Stokes (43 vs. Dayton in 1955 NIT semifinals) set Saint Francis (PA) single-game scoring record against a Division I opponent. . . . In 1939, Villanova defeated Brown, 42-30, in the first NCAA Tournament game ever played. . . . Al Inniss (37 vs. Lafayette in 1956 NIT first round) set St. Francis NY single-game rebounding record.
18 - Loyola Marymount's Jeff Fryer (11 three-pointers vs. Michigan in 1990 West Regional second round) became the only player in NCAA playoff history to make more than 10 three-point field-goals in a single playoff game. . . . Arizona's Khalid Reeves (32 points vs. Loyola MD in 1994 West Regional first round/subsequently tied), Iowa State's Lafester Rhodes (34 vs. Georgia Tech in 1988 East Regional first round), Louisiana State's Bob Pettit (36 vs. Washington in 1953 national third-place contest/subsequently tied), Minnesota's Willie Burton (36 vs. Northern Iowa in 1990 Southeast Regional second round/subsequently tied) and Syracuse's Gerry McNamara (43 vs. Brigham Young in 2004 Phoenix Regional first round) set school NCAA playoff single-game scoring records. Richard Morgan (33 vs. Middle Tennessee in 1989 Southeast Regional second round) tied his own Virginia NCAA playoff single-game scoring standard.
19 - Louisiana State's Shaquille O'Neal (11 rejections vs. Brigham Young in 1992 West Regional first round) set NCAA Tournament single-game record for most blocked shots. . . . Texas Southern's Aaric Murray (38 points vs. Cal Poly in 2014 First Four) became only HBCU player to score more than 30 in a single NCAA Division I Tournament game. . . . Butler's Shelvin Mack (30 vs. Pittsburgh in 2011 Southeast Regional second round), Georgetown's Reggie Williams (34 vs. Kansas in 1987 Southeast Regional semifinal/subsequently tied), Kansas State's Jacob Pullen (38 vs. Wisconsin in 2011 Southeast Regional second round), Massachusetts' Marcus Camby (32 vs. Maryland in 1994 Midwest Regional second round), Memphis' Roburt Sallie (35 vs. Cal State Northridge in 2009 West Regional first round), Michigan's Glen Rice (39 vs. Florida in 1988 West Regional second round), Nebraska's Eric Piatkowski (29 vs. New Mexico State in 1993 East Regional first round), Oklahoma's Stacey King (37 vs. Auburn in 1988 Southeast Regional second round/subsequently tied) and Wisconsin's Michael Finley (36 vs. Missouri in 1994 West Regional second round) set school NCAA playoff single-game scoring standards. Georgetown's Charles Smith (34 vs. Notre Dame in 1989 East Regional second round) and North Carolina State's Rodney Monroe (40 vs. Iowa in 1989 East Regional second round) tied school NCAA playoff single-game scoring marks.
20 - Duke's Mike Krzyzewski passed North Carolina's Dean Smith (65 victories) for the most coaching wins in NCAA Tournament history with a 63-55 second-round triumph against Mississippi State in 2005 Austin Regional. . . . Michigan State's Adrien Payne (17-for-17 from free-throw line vs. Delaware in 2014 East Regional opener) set NCAA Tournament single-game record for most successful foul shots without a miss. Payne (41 points), California's Lamond Murray (28 vs. Duke in 1993 Midwest Regional second round), Florida State's Sam Cassell (31 vs. Tulane in 1993 Southeast Regional second round), Missouri's Willie Smith (43 vs. Michigan in 1976 Midwest Regional final), Penn State's Jesse Arnelle (25 vs. Southern California in 1954 national third-place contest/tied his mark next season), South Carolina's Tom Riker (39 vs. Fordham in 1971 East Regional third-place contest) and Villanova's Howard Porter (35 vs. Penn in 1971 East Regional final) set school NCAA playoff single-game scoring standards. Iowa State's Dedric Willoughby (34 vs. UCLA in 1997 Midwest Regional semifinal), Minnesota's Bobby Jackson (36 vs. Clemson in 1997 Midwest Regional semifinal) and Texas A&M's Josh Carter (26 vs. Brigham Young in 2008 first round) tied school NCAA playoff single-game scoring marks. . . . Princeton's Bill Bradley (58 vs. Wichita in 1965 national third-place contest) and UNLV's Armon Gilliam (38 vs. Wyoming in 1987 West Regional semifinal/tied eight days later by teammate Freddie Banks) set NCAA playoff single-game scoring standards for the Ivy League and Big West Conference, respectively. Bradley's output is the highest in any Final Four contest. . . . UCLA's Gail Goodrich (18 vs. Michigan in 1965 championship contest) established Final Four single-game record for most free throws made.
21 - UNC Wilmington's John Goldsberry became only player in NCAA Tournament history to make as many as eight three-pointers without a miss in single playoff game (against Maryland in 2003 South Regional first round). . . . Creighton's Doug McDermott (30 vs. Louisiana-Lafayette in 2014 West Regional first round), Drake's Jonathan Cox (29 vs. Western Kentucky in overtime in 2008 West Regional first round), Illinois' Deron Williams (31 vs. Cincinnati in 2004 Atlanta Regional second round), Miami's Jack McClinton (38 vs. Saint Mary's in 2008 South Regional first round), Mississippi State's Charles Rhodes (34 vs. Oregon in 2008 South Regional first round), Vanderbilt's Matt Freije (31 vs. North Carolina State in 2004 Phoenix Regional second round) and Washington State's Paul Lindemann (26 vs. Creighton in 1941 Western Regional semifinal) set school NCAA playoff single-game scoring records. Shaquille O'Neal (36 vs. Indiana in 1992 West Regional second round) tied Louisiana State's NCAA playoff single-game scoring standard. . . . Davidson's Stephen Curry (40 vs. Gonzaga in 2008 Midwest Regional first round) and North Carolina Central's Jeremy Ingram (28 vs. Iowa State in 2014 East Regional first round) established NCAA playoff single-game scoring marks for the Southern Conference and Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference, respectively.
22 - The only time in major-college history two undefeated teams met in a national postseason tournament was 1939 NIT final between Loyola of Chicago and Long Island University (LIU won, 44-32). . . . University of Chicago ended Penn's school-record 31-game winning streak (28-24 in 1920) and LIU ended Seton Hall's school-record 41-game winning streak (49-26 in 1941 NIT semifinals). . . . Duquesne's Jim Tucker (29 points vs. Illinois in 1952 East Regional final), Iowa's Bill Logan (36 vs. Temple in 1956 national semifinal/subsequently tied), Kansas' Clyde Lovellette (44 vs. St. Louis in 1952 West Regional final), St. John's Bob Zawoluk (32 vs. Kentucky in 1952 East Regional final), Stanford's Brook Lopez (30 vs. Marquette in 2008 South Regional second round) and Texas Tech's Jarrett Culver (29 vs. Northern Kentucky in 2019 West Regional first round) set school NCAA playoff single-game scoring records. In 2021, Luka Garza (36 vs. Oregon in West Regional second round) tied Iowa's standard.
23 - Hal Lear (48 points vs. Southern Methodist in 1956 NCAA Tournament national third-place contest) set Temple's single-game scoring record against a Division I opponent. In addition to Lear, Clemson's Gabe DeVoe (31 vs. Kansas in 2018 Midwest Regional semifinal), Gonzaga's Brandon Clarke (36 vs. Baylor in 2019 West Regional second round) and Oregon's Tajuan Porter (33 vs. UNLV in 2007 Midwest Regional semifinal) set school NCAA playoff single-game scoring standards. . . . San Francisco's Bill Russell (27 vs. Iowa in 1956 championship contest) established Final Four single-game mark for most rebounds. . . . Kansas State's Markquis Nowell (19 vs. Michigan State in overtime in 2023 East Regional semifinal) set NCAA Tournament single-game record for most assists.
24 - Askia Jones (62 points vs. Fresno State in 1994 NIT quarterfinals) set Kansas State's single-game scoring record. . . . Kentucky's De'Aaron Fox (39 vs. UCLA in 2017 South Regional semifinal) set NCAA Tournament single-game scoring standard by a freshman. . . . Florida's KeVaughn Allen (35 vs. Wisconsin in overtime in 2017 East Regional semifinal), Indiana State's Larry Bird (35 vs. DePaul in 1979 national semifinal) and Purdue's Glenn Robinson Jr. (44 vs. Kansas in 1994 Southeast Regional semifinal) set school NCAA playoff single-game scoring records. Arizona's Derrick Williams (32 vs. Duke in 2011 West Regional semifinal) and Connecticut's Kemba Walker (36 vs. San Diego State in 2011 West Regional semifinal) tied school NCAA playoff single-game scoring marks.
25 - Eventual 10-year N.L. OF Frankie Baumholtz scored a team-high 19 points for Ohio University in 1941 NIT final defeat against LIU. . . . Connecticut's Ray Allen (36 points vs. UCLA in 1995 West Regional final/subsequently tied), Dartmouth's Audley Brindley (28 vs. Ohio State in 1944 Eastern Regional final), Georgia Tech's Dennis Scott (40 vs. Minnesota in 1990 Southeast Regional final), St. Joseph's Jack Egan (42 vs. Utah in 1961 national third-place contest) and Xavier's Jordan Crawford (32 vs. Kansas State in 2010 West Regional semifinal) set school NCAA playoff single-game scoring records.
26 - UCLA's Bill Walton (44 points vs. Memphis State in 1973) set NCAA Tournament championship game scoring record by sinking a Final Four standard 21-of-22 field-goal attempts (95.5%). Walton's output remains a school NCAA playoff single-game scoring standard. . . . DePaul's Mark Aguirre (34 vs. Penn in 1979 national third-place game) set Final Four single-game scoring mark by a freshman. . . . Buddy Hield (37 vs. Oregon in 2016 West Regional final) tied Oklahoma's NCAA playoff single-game scoring record.
27 - Jim McDaniels (36 points vs. Kansas in 1971 national third-place contest) set Western Kentucky's NCAA playoff single-game scoring record and Ben Gordon (36 vs. Alabama in 2004 Phoenix Regional final) tied Connecticut's NCAA playoff single-game scoring standard. . . . Garrison Mathews (44 at North Carolina State in 2019 NIT) established Lipscomb's single-game scoring mark at Division I level.
28 - UNLV's Mark Wade (18 vs. Indiana in 1987 national semifinal) set Final Four single-game record for most assists. Teammate Freddie Banks established Final Four mark for most three-point field goals with 10. Banks established the Big West Conference mark and tied the Rebels' NCAA playoff single-game scoring standard with 38 points against IU. Also tying school NCAA playoff single-game scoring marks were Iowa State's Dustin Hogue (34 vs. Connecticut in 2014 East Regional semifinal) and North Carolina's Al Wood (39 vs. Virginia in 1981 national semifinal). Wood's output set scoring record for NCAA Tournament national semifinal game.
30 - Doremus Bennerman (51 points vs. Kansas State in 1994 NIT third-place game at Madison Square Garden) set Siena's single-game scoring record. . . . Juan Dixon (34 vs. Kansas in 2002 national semifinal) established Maryland's NCAA playoff single-game scoring standard.
31 - Villanova made Final Four-record 18 three-pointers (2018 national semifinal vs. Kansas). . . . Kansas' Jeff Withey (7 rejections vs. Ohio State in 2012 national semifinal) set record for most blocked shots in a Final Four game since they became an official statistic. . . . Duke made the largest comeback in Final Four history, erasing a 22-point deficit to defeat Maryland (95-84 in 2001 national semifinal).

APRIL

3 - John Morton (35 points vs. Michigan in 1989 national final) set Seton Hall's existing NCAA playoff single-game scoring record.

Memorable Moments in February College Basketball History
Memorable Moments in January College Basketball History
Memorable Moments in December College Basketball History
Memorable Moments in November College Basketball History

For quality teams in upper-echelon leagues, conference tournament action is only the beginning of what they hope will be a long postseason experience culminating with memorable success in the NCAA playoffs. Because of their season-long excellence, quality power-league members are virtually immune to exclusion from the NCAA Tournament. So along with trying to win the league tournament title, the squads are tuning up for the main event by jockeying for position in the NCAA bracket.

Purdue's Matt Painter has struggled the most in league tournament play among a total of 19 active coaches appearing in at least a dozen NCAA tourneys by 2023. Following is a look at how these prominent mentors have fared in conference tournament competition through 2022 before attending the Big Dance a majority of the time:

Celebrated Coach	Current School	League Tourney Mark Overall	Conference Tournament Summary Through 2022
Mark Few	Gonzaga	49-5 (.907)	all appearances in West Coast Conference Tournament
John Calipari	Kentucky	55-14 (.797)	14-3 (.824) in Atlantic 10 Tournament, 17-5 (.773) in CUSA Tournament and 24-6 (.800) in SEC Tournament
Bill Self	Kansas	45-13 (.776)	4-3 (.571) in Western Athletic Tournament, 5-2 (.714) in Big Ten Tournament and 36-8 (.818) in Big 12 Tournament
Thad Matta	Butler	34-10 (.773)	3-0 (1.000) in Midwestern Collegiate Tournament, 8-1 (.889) in Atlantic 10 Tournament, 23-9 (.719) in Big Ten Tournament and making first appearance in Big East Tournament
Rick Pitino	Iona	49-15 (.766)	4-1 (.800) in ECAC North/ECAC North Atlantic Tournament, 14-7 (.667) in Big East Tournament, 17-1 (.944) in SEC Tournament, 8-2 (.800) in CUSA Tournament, 2-1 (.667) in American Athletic Tournament, 0-2 (.000) in ACC Tournament and 4-1 (.800) in MAAC Tournament
Sean Miller	Xavier	25-10 (.714)	7-3 (.700) in Atlantic 10 Tournament, 18-7 in Pac-12 Tournament and making first appearance in Big East Tournament
Bob Huggins	West Virginia	47-22 (.681)	3-1 (.750) in Ohio Valley Tournament, 1-2 (.333) in Metro Tournament, 10-0 (1.000) in Great Midwest Tournament, 16-6 (.727) in CUSA Tournament, 10-10 (.500) in Big 12 Tournament and 7-3 (.700) in Big East Tournament
Dana Altman	Oregon	44-22 (.667)	0-1 (.000) in Southern Conference Tournament, 2-4 (.333) in Big Eight Tournament, 21-9 (.700) in Missouri Valley Tournament and 21-8 (.724) in Pac-12 Tournament
Tom Izzo	Michigan State	34-18 (.654)	all appearances in Big Ten Tournament
Mick Cronin	UCLA	23-13 (.639)	6-1 (.857) in Ohio Valley Tournament, 6-6 (.500) in Big East Tournament, 9-4 (.692) in American Athletic Tournament and 2-2 (.500) in Pac-12 Tournament
Kelvin Sampson	Houston	31-18 (.633)	2-3 (.400) in Pacific-10 Tournament, 1-2 (.333) in Big Eight Tournament, 17-7 (.708) in Big 12 Tournament, 0-1 (.000) in Big Ten Tournament and 11-5 (.688) in American Athletic Tournament
Steve Alford	Nevada	36-21 (.632)	6-4 (.600) in Missouri Valley Tournament, 13-6 (.684) in Big Ten Tournament, 10-7 (.588) in Mountain West Tournament and 7-4 (.636) in Pac-12 Tournament
Fran McCaffery	Iowa	31-19 (.620)	4-2 (.667) in ECC Tournament, 7-5 (.583) in Southern Conference Tournament, 11-2 (.846) in MAAC Tournament and 9-10 (.474) in Big Ten Tournament
Jim Boeheim	Syracuse	55-36 (.604)	50-29 (.633) in Big East Tournament and 5-7 (.417) in ACC Tournament
Bruce Pearl	Auburn	18-12 (.600)	5-2 (.714) in Horizon League Tournament and 13-10 (.565) in SEC Tournament
Rick Barnes	Tennessee	41-32 (.562)	2-1 (.667) in CAA Tournament, 5-5 (.500) in Big East Tournament, 2-4 (.333) in ACC Tournament, 22-17 (.564) in Big 12 Tournament and 10-5 (.667) in SEC Tournament
Mike Brey	Notre Dame	31-28 (.525)	9-3 (.750) in North Atlantic/America East Tournament, 11-18 (.379) in Big East Tournament and 11-7 (.611) in ACC Tournament
Jamie Dixon	Texas Christian	19-18 (.514)	12-9 (.571) in Big East Tournament, 3-3 (.500) in ACC Tournament and 4-6 (.400) in Big 12 Tournament
Matt Painter	Purdue	12-15 (.444)	1-1 (.500) in Missouri Valley Tournament and 11-14 (.440) in Big Ten Tournament

Did you know the individual boasting highest-scoring game in history in an NCAA Division I conference postseason tournament is a genuine gamebreaker-turned-lawbreaker? You can find him in prison serving a life sentence without parole after facing felony charges stemming from automobile hijacking, kidnapping the driver by holding a gun to his head and robbing a convenience store following a 3 1/2-year stint in prison for a probation violation. Well, it's Marshall guard Skip Henderson, who erupted for 55 points in the 1988 Southern Conference quarterfinals against The Citadel. Marshall (also C-USA) and Texas Tech (Big 12 and SWC) are the only schools to have two players hold existing league tourney scoring marks in two different NCAA Division I alliances.

Three mid-major leagues - America East (twice after three-time MVP Jameel Warney's 18-of-22 field-goal shooting six years ago for Stony Brook), Ivy League (Harvard's Bryce Aiken four years ago) and Horizon League (Detroit's Antoine Davis two years ago) - provide the only players setting existing NCAA DI conference tournament scoring marks in a tourney final. All-Americans Lennie Rosenbluth (North Carolina) and Cliff Hagan (Kentucky) accounted for the two of following DI league tourney scoring standards (ACC and SEC) standing since the 1950s:

Conference	Round	Record Holder	School	HG	Opponent	Date
America East	Final	Taylor Coppenrath	Vermont	43	Maine	3-13-04
America East	Final	Jameel Warney	Stony Brook	43	Vermont	3-12-16
American Athletic	Semifinal	Russ Smith	Louisville	42	Houston	3-14-14
Atlantic Coast	Quarterfinal	Lennie Rosenbluth	North Carolina	45	Clemson	3-7-57
Atlantic Sun	Quarterfinal	Reggie Gibbs	Houston Baptist	43	Georgia Southern	3-7-89
Atlantic 10	Quarterfinal	Tom Garrick	Rhode Island	50	Rutgers	3-7-88
Big East	Quarterfinal	Donyell Marshall	Connecticut	42	St. John's	3-11-94
Big Eight	Quarterfinal	Eric Piatkowski	Nebraska	42	Oklahoma	3-11-94
Big Sky	First	Randy Onwuasor	Southern Utah	43	Montana State	3-7-17
Big South	Quarterfinal	Chris Clemons	Campbell	51	UNC Asheville	3-2-17
Big Ten	First	Michael Thompson	Northwestern	35	Minnesota	3-10-11
Big 12	First	Mike Singletary	Texas Tech	43	Texas A&M	3-11-09
Big West	First	Josh Akognon	Cal State Fullerton	37	UC Riverside	3-11-09
Colonial	Semifinal	Justin Wright-Foreman	Hofstra	42	Delaware	3-11-19
C-USA	Semifinal	Trey Freeman	Old Dominion	42	Western Kentucky	3-11-16
Horizon League	First	Antoine Davis	Detroit	46	Robert Morris	2-25-21
Ivy League	Final	Bryce Aiken	Harvard	38	Yale	3-17-19
Metro Atlantic	Quarterfinal	Kevin Houston	Army	53	Fordham	2-28-87
Mid-American	Semifinal	Ron Harper	Miami (Ohio)	45	Ball State	3-8-85
Mid-Eastern Athletic	First	Richard Toussaint	Bethune-Cookman	49	Morgan State	3-11-03
Missouri Valley	Quarterfinal	Hersey Hawkins	Bradley	41	Indiana State	3-5-88
Mountain West	Semifinal	Jimmer Fredette	Brigham Young	52	New Mexico	3-11-11
Northeast	Quarterfinal	Rahsaan Johnson	Monmouth	40	St. Francis (N.Y.)	3-3-00
Ohio Valley	Quarterfinal	Charles "Bubba" Wells	Austin Peay	43	Morehead State	2-25-97
Pac-12	Quarterfinal	Klay Thompson	Washington State	43	Washington	3-10-11
Patriot League	Quarterfinal	Joe Knight	Lehigh	45	Colgate	3-4-05
Southeastern	Semifinal	Cliff Hagan	Kentucky	42	Tennessee	3-1-52
Southeastern	Quarterfinal	Melvin Turpin	Kentucky	42	Georgia	3-8-84
Southern	Quarterfinal	James "Skip" Henderson	Marshall	55	The Citadel	3-4-88
Southland	Quarterfinal	Kenneth Lyons	North Texas	47	Louisiana Tech	3-10-83
Southwest	Semifinal	Rick Bullock	Texas Tech	44	Arkansas	3-5-76
Southwestern Athletic	unavailable	unavailable	unavailable	TBD	unavailable	TBD
Summit League	Final	Bill Edwards	Wright State	38	Illinois-Chicago	3-8-93
Sun Belt	Quarterfinal	Dee Brown	Jacksonville	41	Old Dominion	3-3-90
West Coast	Quarterfinal	Tim Owens	San Francisco	45	Loyola Marymount	3-2-91
Western Athletic	Quarterfinal	Mike Jones	Texas Christian	44	Fresno State	3-6-97

NOTE: Scoring outbursts by Fredette (Mountain West), Garrick (Atlantic 10), Gibbs (Atlantic Sun), Harper (Mid-American), Henderson (Southern), Houston (Metro Atlantic Athletic), Lyons (Southland) and Piatkowski (Big Eight) are also existing school single-game standards. Warney's output is highest for Stony Brook at DI level.

Naturally, coast-to-coast parental pride displayed during Senior Night or Day the end of February and early March doesn't necessarily need to stem from athletics. Amid proper priorities (including not always being offended by characters in Dr. Seuss books), your child didn't have to be the best but he had to try his level best even amid a disruptive coronavirus.

A parent knows life goes on after the anticipation of a senior salute. But how can a mom and dad express appreciation for all of the memories shared together?

Adding sports as a factor for authentic student-athletes makes the lessons-learned equation more complex. Culminating at bittersweet senior celebration, it takes a significant amount of resilience to endure withdrawal from all of the devotion and emotion, last-second decisive shots, motivational talks coping with occasional slump, chance to dance in postseason competition, title dream dashed in close contest, team awards banquet, etc., etc., etc.

Who would have thought the first time he picked up a ball that he would make such a difference and stand so tall? Reflecting on all they've experienced, the parent is fortunate to still have a pulse whether their offspring is a walk-on or walks to center court as team standout.

It's easy enough to substitute girl for boy in the following poem portraying a parent trying to come to terms with an impending spread-their-wings departure; whether it be from high school to college or from college to the "real world." These reflections might be therapeutic if you went through a similar range of emotions amid whatever success your own flesh and blood enjoyed along the way.

Lord, there's a little thing I need to know
Where in the world did my little boy go?
Perplexed from time to time but one thing I know today
I'm a proud parent beyond words; what more can I say
Kids go through stages but not with this sort of speed
It was only yesterday he was unable to read
Wasn't it just months ago he went from crawl to walk
Hard-headed as a mule; certainly knew how to balk
Took one day at a time raising him the very best we could
Now inspires those around him just like we believed he would
High achiever turning a corner in his life
He has got what it takes to cope with any strife
Can't carry a tune but set school shooting star records
Now, the game-of-life clock dwindles from minutes to seconds
So angels above please watch over him daily
Although some of his antics may drive you crazy
He represents everything that I value the most
For that very reason, I'm offering a toast
But if he feels sorry for himself and about to give up
Do not hesitate to give him a gentle kick in the rump
Remembering what I did wrong but at least a couple things right
Always said you could do it; just try with all your might
I just yearn to see all of his grandest plans come true
God, it's my turn to have a great commission for You
Be with him, bless him and give him nothing but success
Aid his climb up that mountain; settle for nothing less
Guide his steps in the dark and rain
Pick up the pieces and ease any pain
Time to share our best with the remainder of the world
It is much like having a family flag unfurled
How can a once infant son make grown man cry
Groping for right words trying to say goodbye
To me, he'll always be a pure and spotless lamb
Cradled in our arms or holding his little hand
If I was Elton John, I'd tell everyone this is "Your Poem"
Simply sing how wonderful life was with you in our home
My soul swells with pride at any mention of you
How long gone are you going to be; wish I knew
Sure don't believe it is at all out of line
To seek to rebound for you just one more time
Although you're going to be many miles away
I will see you in my heart each and every day
So go down that windy path; don't you dare look back
You've found faith; it will keep you on the right track
He's headed for real world and all it offers
But first, here are your final marching orders
Always do the very best you possibly can
Refuse to lose even when you don't understand
There's no telling the goals you will be able to reach
By giving proper respect to instructors who teach
Aspire each and every day you wake
Not to waste a single breath you take
Might as well let all of your ability show
Because those gifts turn to dust whenever you "go"
Don't bury your talents in the ground
Lend helping hand to those you're around
I'll never forget the times when you were all you could be
Rose to the occasion and sent playoff game to OT
Cherish all the moments - the hugs and tears
For all your passion play through these years
My little guy is bound far beyond a Final Four
Poised for more success; prosperity at his door
All things are possible; he has found out
How much I love him is what I'm thinking about
Wherever you go, you'll be best from beginning to end
To that most truthful statement, I say Amen and Amen
After Senior Night, I'll stroll into your off-limits room
Try to keep my composure when it seems like doom and gloom
You will always be on my mind
But nothing like gut-wrenching time
When I ask the Lord a big thing I need to know
Where in His big world will His maturing man go?

Who among the mentally-challenged #MessMedia echo chamber thought bluebloods North Carolina and Villanova both were Top 16 teams? In mid-February, Florida Atlantic was ranked in the Top 25 but not UNC and Nova. Defending NCAA playoff runner-up Carolina is the 15th Associated Press preseason No. 1 selection overall and fifth in the last six years to suffer at least eight defeats. The Tar Heels (16-11), after losing five of their first six ACC contests in February, were on the precipice of posting the most setbacks and lowest winning percentage in history for a preseason #1 choice.

The previous lowest winning percentage for a preseason top-ranked squad was registered by John Wooden-coached UCLA, which was 18-8 (.692) in 1965-66 when the Bruins finished second in the AAWU behind Oregon State. Following is what happened to the first 14 preseason #1 choices compiling a minimum of eight setbacks since 1961-62 (none of whom captured an NCAA crown although three reached Final Four):

PS #1 Team	Season	Coach	Record	Pct.	NCAA Tournament Summary
Kentucky	2013-14	John Calipari	29-11	.725	Lost in NCAA Championship Game against Connecticut, 60-54.
Connecticut	1999-00	Jim Calhoun	25-10	.714	Lost in Second Round against Tennessee, 65-61.
Kansas	2018-19	Bill Self	26-10	.722	Lost in Second Round against Auburn, 89-75.
Michigan State	2019-20	Tom Izzo	22-9	.710	No tourney because of COVID pandemic.
Syracuse	1987-88	Jim Boeheim	26-9	.743	Lost in Second Round against Rhode Island, 97-94.
Duke	2016-17	Mike Krzyzewski	28-9	.757	Lost in Second Round against South Carolina, 88-81.
UCLA	1965-66	John Wooden	18-8	.692	DNP after failing to win league title for only time in 18-year span.
Indiana	1979-80	Bob Knight	21-8	.724	Lost in Regional Semifinals against Purdue, 76-69.
Duke	1978-79	Bill E. Foster	22-8	.733	Lost in Second Round (playoff opener) against St. John's, 80-78.
North Carolina	1977-78	Dean Smith	23-8	.742	Lost in First Round against San Francisco, 68-64.
Cincinnati	1996-97	Bob Huggins	26-8	.765	Lost in Second Round against Iowa State, 67-66.
Arizona	2000-01	Lute Olson	28-8	.778	Lost in NCAA Championship Game against Duke, 82-72.
Duke	1988-89	Mike Krzyzewski	28-8	.778	Lost at Final Four against Seton Hall, 95-78.
Duke	2017-18	Mike Krzyzewski	29-8	.784	Lost in Regional Final against Kansas, 85-81 in OT.

College basketball fans shouldn't be assessed an unsportsmanlike-conduct penalty if the NFL isn't their favorite sport, but they should rush to hold on because following is more super stuff to digest while blitzed by enough notes, quotes and anecdotes to have one seeking a sedative when assessing Super Bowl LVII between the Philadelphia Eagles and Kansas City Chiefs.

For what it's worth hoop-wise, did you know former NFL commissioner Paul Tagliabue was a 6-5 forward who averaged 11.4 points and nine rebounds per game for Georgetown in three varsity seasons from 1959-60 through 1961-62? He led the Hoyas in rebounding as a sophomore (8.9 rpg) and junior (8.2 rpg) and was their second-leading rebounder as a senior captain. Well-rounded trivia buffs should also know that Tagliabue's predecessor, Pete Rozelle, was the basketball publicist for 1949 NIT champion San Francisco before orchestrating events leading to the Super Bowl becoming a national phenomenon.

The Super Bowl's link to college basketball is much more extensive than these commissioners and had more impact than unveiling of new commercials plus halftime entertainers. Actually, there are a striking number of ex-college hoopers who participated in the Super Bowl as players. In fact, the inaugural Super Bowl in 1967 featured seven former four-year college varsity basketball players for schools currently classified at the NCAA Division I level: Bobby Bell, Buck Buchanan, Reg Carolan, Len Dawson, Dave Robinson, Otis Taylor and Fuzzy Thurston. Former college hoopers have appeared in previous Super Bowls for the Bengals (quarterback Ken Anderson/XVI) and Rams (linebackers London Fletcher/XXXIV and XXXVI plus Tommy Polley/XXXVI).

Kneeling in deference to the 57th anniversary of the Super Bowl, following are 57 questions tackling versatile players such as Anderson, Bell, Buchanan, Carolan, Dawson, Fletcher, Polley, Robinson, Taylor and Thurston in this distinctive two-way athlete category that should surprise you with some of the marquee names. If you get them all correct before peeking at answers at the end of this gridiron quiz, then you boast inflated brainpower sufficiently omnipotent to know in advance what will transpire at halftime and which new expensive commercials offer the most entertainment.

1. Name the three-time Pro Bowl quarterback with the Cincinnati Bengals who appeared in Super Bowl XVI following the 1981 season after finishing his career as the fifth-leading scorer in his college's history. The high school teammate of Kentucky All-American and All-Pro Dan Issel led Augustana (Ill.) in field-goal accuracy and free-throw shooting as a freshman and sophomore.

2. Name the linebacker who was one of only two first-year players on the Miami Dolphins' undefeated team in 1972 and was still with the franchise the next season when the Dolphins repeated as Super Bowl champions for a 32-2 two-year mark, the best ever in the NFL. He played briefly for Louisville's varsity basketball squad before Cardinals football coach Lee Corso persuaded him to concentrate on the gridiron.

3. Name the nine-time All-Pro linebacker who was with the Kansas City Chiefs for their Super Bowl IV winner after becoming the first African American to play basketball for Minnesota when he appeared in three games in the 1960-61 season.

4. Name the tight end who caught five passes for 62 yards from Tom Brady in the New England Patriots' come-from-behind 34-28 win against the Atlanta Falcons in Super Bowl LI after former Pro Bowl selection competed in 2006 NCAA basketball playoffs with Texas A&M.

5. Name the two-time Pro Bowl defensive end who appeared in Super Bowl III with the Baltimore Colts vs. the New York Jets after becoming a first-team selection as a basketball center for South Dakota in the All-North Central Conference when he averaged 7.8 points per game in 1952-53 and 11 points in 1953-54.

6. Name the first black starting quarterback in the NFL who was later converted to wide receiver and caught two passes to help the undefeated Miami Dolphins beat Minnesota in Super Bowl VIII after averaging 9.5 ppg and 3.6 rpg in 14 basketball games for Nebraska-Omaha in 1964-65.

7. Name the DT who had a streak of eight consecutive campaigns named to either the AFL All-Star Team or NFL Pro Bowl while appearing in a couple of Super Bowls. He concentrated solely on football under legendary Grambling coach Eddie Robinson after earning basketball letter as freshman in 1958-59.

8. Name the four-time Pro Bowl wide receiver who caught five passes for 83 yards in Super Bowl XV for the Philadelphia Eagles after he was the top rebounder for two seasons with Southern (La.). He established an NFL record for most consecutive games with a pass reception (127).

9. Name the 1963 Pro Bowl selection who participated in Super Bowl I as a defensive end with the Kansas City Chiefs after the 6-6, 235-pounder played three varsity seasons with Idaho's basketball team, averaging four points and 4.7 rebounds per game.

10. Name the 1994 first-round draft choice who was a defensive end on the Dallas Cowboys' last Super Bowl team after playing nine games during the 1992-93 season for Arizona State's hoop squad decimated with injuries.

11. Name the Pro Bowl selection who appeared in Super Bowl XXXI with the New England Patriots after the 6-5, 245-pounder played basketball one season for Livingstone (N.C.). He held the NFL single-season record for most receptions by a tight end with 96 in 1994.

12. Name the four-year starter who set school career records for total offense, passing yards and rushing yards by a quarterback plus rushing touchdowns by a QB. Most Outstanding Player in the 2002 Peach Bowl as a quarterback was activated for Super Bowl XXXVII as a rookie with the Oakland Raiders before succeeding all-time great Tim Brown as a starting wide receiver. He was North Carolina's leader in assists during 2000-01 when he directed the Tar Heels to a basketball No. 1 ranking and an 18-game winning streak.

13. Name the Pro Football Hall of Fame quarterback for the Kansas City Chiefs who was MVP in Super Bowl IV after playing in two basketball games as a 6-0, 180-pound guard for Purdue in the 1956-57 campaign.

14. Name the defensive left end on Miami's undefeated team in 1972 who played in four Super Bowls with the Dolphins after the 6-6, 220-pound basketball center finished his four-season career at Central College as the Pella, Iowa-based school's all-time leading scorer (15.5 ppg) and rebounder (12.4 rpg). He grabbed a school-record 29 rebounds in a game his senior season (1970-71).

15. Name the Hall of Fame tight end who played in two Super Bowls with the Dallas Cowboys, catching a TD pass to cap the scoring in Super Bowl VI, before coaching the Super Bowl-winning Chicago Bears following the 1985 season after the 6-2, 205-pound forward averaged 2.8 points and 2.6 rebounds per game in two seasons with the Pittsburgh Panthers.

16. Name the defensive back for the Baltimore Colts' Super Bowl V champion who led the NFL in kickoff return average (35.4) in 1970 after playing basketball for Maryland-Eastern Shore.

17. Name the prominent ex-NFL coach who was a defensive back for the Pittsburgh Steelers' Super Bowl XIII champion after averaging 2.6 ppg in 16 basketball contests with the Minnesota Gophers in 1973-74 under coach Bill Musselman.

18. Name the starting middle linebacker for a team in two of three Super Bowls in one stretch who started two games at point guard for St. Francis (Pa.) as a freshman in 1993-94 when he averaged three points per game. After transferring back home to Cleveland, the 5-10 dynamo collected 109 points and 52 rebounds in 27 games for John Carroll before quitting basketball midway through the 1995-96 campaign to concentrate on football.

19. Name the Super Bowl X tight end for the Dallas Cowboys after leading Amherst (Mass.) in scoring and rebounding in 1970-71.

20. Name the five-time Pro Bowl defensive back with the Dallas Cowboys who played in two Super Bowls after finishing his three-year varsity career as Utah State's all-time leading scorer and rebounder. The 6-4 forward scored 46 points in a game against New Mexico en route to leading the Aggies in scoring with 21.2 points per game in 1959-60 (34th in the nation), 20.3 in 1960-61 (57th) and 25.6 in 1961-62 (13th).

21. Name the Hall of Fame quarterback who played in three Super Bowls with the Miami Dolphins after he was a 6-1, 185-pound sophomore guard in 1964-65 when scoring 22 points in 16 games in his only varsity basketball season for Purdue.

22. Name the 12-year veteran safety who played in Super Bowl IV with the Minnesota Vikings after averaging four points and 3.5 rebounds per game in 10 contests for Wisconsin's basketball team in 1958-59.

23. Name the wide receiver who caught a 34-yard touchdown pass from Roger Staubach for the Dallas Cowboys' final touchdown in a 21-17 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers in Super Bowl X after he averaged 12.4 points and 7.3 rebounds per game in three varsity seasons (1972-73 through 1974-75) for Austin Peay. It was the only pass reception in his NFL career. The 6-4, 215-pound forward averaged seven points and seven rebounds per game in four NCAA Tournament contests in 1973 and 1974 as a teammate of folk hero James "Fly" Williams.

24. Name the third-round draft choice of the Miami Dolphins in 1998 who backed up MVP Ray Lewis as a linebacker for the Baltimore Ravens in Super Bowl XXXV after being a member of Cincinnati's basketball team for the first month of 1997-98 campaign.

25. Name the three-time Pro Bowl defensive lineman who appeared in three Super Bowls with the Dallas Cowboys after the 6-8, 230-pound backup post player averaged 1.7 points and 2.6 rebounds for Tennessee State in his freshman and sophomore seasons (1969-70 and 1970-71).

26. Name the Baltimore Ravens wide receiver who caught a 56-yard touchdown pass from Joe Flacco and opened the second half with a 108-yard kickoff return for a TD in a 34-31 win against the San Francisco 49ers in Super Bowl XLVII after the Southeastern Louisiana track transfer was a part-time hoop starter for Lane (Tenn.), averaging 3.4 ppg and 3.7 rpg in 2004-05 and 2005-06.

27. Name the 16-year quarterback who started Super Bowl VII for the Washington Redskins after scoring eight points in six games for coach John Wooden's 1959-60 UCLA basketball team.

28. Name the two-time Pro Bowl cornerback who participated in Super Bowl XVII with the Washington Redskins after the 6-4, 190-pound forward averaged 13.4 points and 6.6 rebounds per game for San Diego State in 1969-70 and 1970-71. He was the Aztecs' second-leading scorer (15.2 ppg) and rebounder (7.6 rpg) as a junior.

29. Name the 10-time Pro Bowl defensive back who competed in four Super Bowls after collecting nine assists, four points and three rebounds in six games for Southern California's basketball squad as a junior in 1979-80.

30. Name the 11-year defensive lineman who played in Super Bowl XIII for the Minnesota Vikings after averaging 12.3 ppg with Michigan Tech in 1962-63.

31. Name the Minnesota Vikings defensive back who let former Prairie View basketball player Otis Taylor (Kansas City Chiefs) elude him for a long touchdown in Super Bowl IV after being a basketball teammate of Utah State legend Wayne Estes in 1964-65.

32. Name the NFL Hall of Fame tight end who caught a 75-yard touchdown pass from Hall of Famer Johnny Unitas in Super Bowl V after collecting 28 points and 28 rebounds in six basketball games with Syracuse in 1960-61.

33. Name the defensive end who scored six touchdowns in his 14-year NFL career and tackled John Elway of the Denver Broncos for a safety in the New York Giants' Super Bowl XXI victory following the 1986 season after the 6-5, 225-pound forward-center averaged just over 10 points and 10 rebounds per game for Oregon's freshman squad in 1971-72. He played briefly for the Ducks' varsity basketball team the next season.

34. Name the tight end who played in four Super Bowls with the Buffalo Bills after he was the starting center for Jacksonville State's 1985 NCAA Division II championship team. He led the Gulf South Conference in rebounding each of his first three seasons and finished runner-up in that category as a senior.

35. Name the defensive lineman in Super Bowl XI for the Oakland Raiders who played basketball in the 1975 NAIA Tournament for Morningside (Iowa).

36. Name the quarterback who set an NFL record with 24 consecutive completions over a two-game span in 2004 before guiding the Philadelphia Eagles to Super Bowl XXXIX the next year. He collected a career-high 10 points and six rebounds and made two clinching free throws with 2.7 seconds remaining in a 77-74 victory over Georgetown in 1997 before Syracuse appeared in the NIT. He scored two points in two 1996 NCAA Tournament games for the Orangemen's national runner-up.

37. Name the tight end who played in four Super Bowls with the Buffalo Bills, catching a TD pass in Super Bowl XXVI, after the 6-8, 235-pound center for the basketball squad at Wabash (Ind.) averaged 19.2 ppg and 11.4 rpg in four varsity seasons. He set NCAA Division III field-goal shooting records for a single season (75.3% in 1981-82 as a senior) and career (72.4). He collected 45 points and 13 rebounds in the 1982 championship game, scoring a Division III Tournament record 129 points in five games and earning tourney outstanding player honors.

38. Name the tight end-wide receiver who caught a 15-yard pass with the Baltimore Colts in Super Bowl III after averaging 6.1 ppg and 9.4 rpg in 10 basketball contests for Bucknell in 1963-64.

39. Name the Pro Bowl offensive tackle who appeared in three consecutive Super Bowls with the Miami Dolphins after leading Lamar in rebounding as a senior with 12.6 per game in 1968-69.

40. Name the valuable addition to Super Bowl XXXIX-bound Philadelphia Eagles in 2004 who had nine pass receptions for 122 yards against the New England Patriots after setting an NFL single-game record with 20 receptions for the San Francisco 49ers against the Chicago Bears in 2000. He collected 57 points and 49 rebounds in 38 games (four starts) for UT-Chattanooga's basketball squad in three seasons from 1993-94 through 1995-96.

41. Name the 14-year running back who played in five Super Bowls with three different franchises, catching more passes (five) than anyone in Super Bowls X and XII, after the guard-forward averaged 8.7 ppg and 6 rpg as a senior in 1966-67 to finish his three-year Illinois varsity career with 5.2 ppg and 3.6 rpg.

42. Name the 2002 NFL defensive rookie of the year for the Carolina Panthers who appeared in Super Bowl XXXVIII the next season after being a member of North Carolina's 2000 Final Four squad. He started both NCAA Tournament games for the Tar Heels in 2001, including his first double-double (10 rebounds and career-high 21 points against Penn State).

43. Name the St. Louis Rams rookie linebacker who had a game-high 11 tackles (solo and assisted) in Super Bowl XXXVI after playing in one basketball contest for Florida State in 1996-97.

44. Name the wide receiver who made a two-point conversion on a run for the Pittsburgh Steelers in Super Bowl XIV and threw a flea flicker touchdown pass in Super Bowl XX after collecting 16 points and 11 assists in 11 games for Indiana's 1999 NCAA Tournament team, including two points in each of the Hoosiers' playoff contests (against George Washington and St. John's).

45. Name the four-time Pro Bowl wide receiver who scored the first touchdown at Super Bowl XXXI for the Green Bay Packers after he was a 6-1, 185-pound backup guard in basketball for Michigan State in two seasons (1985-86 and 1987-88).

46. Name the Hall of Fame offensive tackle who participated in two Super Bowls (XI and XV) with the Oakland Raiders after he was a two-year basketball letterman as a 6-5, 265-pound center for Maryland State College (now called Maryland-Eastern Shore).

47. Name the Denver Broncos wide receiver who had a game-high 152 receiving yards (including 80-yard touchdown pass from John Elway) in Super Bowl XXXIII after earning Missouri Southern State hoops letter as sophomore in 1990-91.

48. Name an offensive tackle for the Super Bowl XVII champion Washington Redskins after the strike-shortened 1982 campaign who averaged 2.9 ppg and 3.7 rpg while shooting 50.5% from the floor with Columbia in 1968-69 and 1969-70.

49. Name the Hall of Fame quarterback who guided the Dallas Cowboys to four Super Bowls after averaging 9.3 points per game for the 1961-62 Navy plebe (freshman) basketball team. The 6-2, 190-pound forward scored five points in four games for the Midshipmen varsity squad the next season. He was MVP in Super Bowl VI.

50. Name the defensive back for the Baltimore Colts who appeared in two Super Bowls (III and V) after playing basketball for Maryland-Eastern Shore.

51. Name the wide receiver who played in two Super Bowls with the Kansas City Chiefs, catching 10 passes for 128 yards and a touchdown, after he was a backup small forward in the Prairie View A&M era following the school's glory years with pro basketball standout Zelmo Beaty.

52. Name the linebacker who registered two sacks and five solo tackles in Super Bowl XLII when the New England Patriots lost against New York Giants for first defeat of season after he averaged 2.9 ppg and 1.9 rpg as reserve forward for Southern Mississippi in 1996-97 and 1997-98.

53. Name the Denver Broncos tight end who caught four passes from Peyton Manning in Super Bowl XLVIII after being Portland State's second-leading rebounder in 2008-09 and 2009-10.

54. Name the offensive guard with the Green Bay Packers who participated in the first two Super Bowls after originally enrolling at Valparaiso on a basketball scholarship. He averaged 1.5 points per game in eight contests as a freshman with Valpo in 1951-52 before concentrating on football.

55. Name the Pro Bowl punter who appeared in two Super Bowls with the Dallas Cowboys after averaging 14.5 points and 8.3 rebounds as a sophomore, 17.3 points and eight rebounds as a junior and 22.1 points and 8.7 rebounds as a senior for Tennessee. The 6-4, 210-pound forward scored 50 points against LSU as a senior on his way to becoming SEC player of the year in 1967.

56. Name the defensive end for the Denver Broncos' back-to-back Super Bowl champions (XXXII and XXXIII) who registered one steal while playing in one minute of one Big Eight Conference basketball game for Colorado in 1989-90.

57. Name the offensive tackle who was an NFL All-Pro six straight seasons in the 1970s and played in the Super Bowl five times that decade with the Dallas Cowboys after earning All-SIAC basketball recognition for Fort Valley State (Ga.).

ANSWERS TO 57 COLLEGE BASKETBALL-IMPACTING SUPER BOWL TRIVIA QUESTIONS
1. Ken Anderson; 2. Larry Ball; 3. Bobby Bell; 4. Martellus Bennett; 5. Ordell Braase; 6. Marlin Briscoe; 7. Junious "Buck" Buchanan; 8. Harold Carmichael; 9. Reg Carolan; 10. Shante Carver; 11. Ben Coates; 12. Ronald Curry; 13. Len Dawson; 14. Vern Den Herder; 15. Mike Ditka; 16. Jim Duncan; 17. Tony Dungy; 18. London Fletcher; 19. Jean Fugett; 20. Cornell Green; 21. Bob Griese; 22. Dale Hackbart; 23. Percy Howard; 24. Brad Jackson; 25. Ed "Too Tall" Jones; 26. Jacoby Jones; 27. Billy Kilmer; 28. Joe Lavender; 29. Ronnie Lott; 30. Bob Lurtsema; 31. Earsell Mackbee; 32. John Mackey; 33. George Martin; 34. Keith McKeller; 35. Herb McMath; 36. Donovan McNabb; 37. Pete Metzelaars; 38. Tom Mitchell; 39. Wayne Moore; 40. Terrell Owens; 41. Preston Pearson; 42. Julius Peppers; 43. Tommy Polley; 44. Antwaan Randle El; 45. Andre Rison; 46. Art Shell; 47. Rod Smith; 48. George Starke; 49. Roger Staubach; 50. Charlie Stukes; 51. Otis Taylor; 52. Adalius Thomas; 53. Julius Thomas; 54. Fuzzy Thurston; 55. Ron Widby; 56. Alfred Williams; 57. Rayfield Wright.

Long before kneeling knuckleheads such as ingrate #ColonKrapernick, the NCAA Tournament commenced in 1939, which was one year after the NIT triggered national postseason competition. An overlooked "versatile athlete" feat occurring in 1938 likely never to be duplicated took place at Arkansas, where the quarterback for the football squad (Jack Robbins) repeated as an All-SWC first-team basketball selection, leading the Razorbacks (19-3) to the league title. After the season, Robbins became an NFL first-round draft choice by the Chicago Cardinals (5th pick overall) and senior football/basketball teammates Jim Benton (11th pick by Cleveland Rams) and Ray Hamilton (41st pick by Rams) went on to become wide receivers for at least six years in the NFL. Yes, they created a kneeling-in-honor shatterproof achievement - three members of a league championship basketball squad who promptly were among the top 41 selections in the same NFL draft.

Two years later, All-SWC first-team hoop selection Howard "Red" Hickey was instrumental in Arkansas reaching the 1941 Final Four before becoming an end for the Cleveland Rams' 1945 NFL titlist. Two-sport college teammate and fellow end O'Neal Adams scored five touchdowns for the New York Giants the first half of the 1940s. Another two-sport Hog who played for the Giants in the mid-1940s was Harry Wynne. An earlier versatile Razorback was Jim Lee Howell, who was an All-SWC first five hoop selection in 1935-36 before becoming a starting end for the Giants' 1938 NFL titlist and Pro Bowl participant the next year. Adams, Benton, Hamilton, Hickey and Howell combined for 77 touchdowns in an 11-year span from 1938 through 1948 when at least one of the ex-Razorback hoopers scored a TD in each of those seasons.

Hickey and ex-Hog All-SWC second-team hooper in 1929-30/NFL end Milan Creighton each coached NFL franchises. Many other ex-college hoopers also displayed their wares on the gridiron. Following is exhaustive research you can tackle regarding former college basketball players making a name for themselves on February 6 in football at the professional level (especially Philadelphia Eagles tandem of Donovan McNabb and Terrell Owens in Super Bowl XXXIX following 2004 season):

FEBRUARY 6

• Philadelphia Eagles QB Donovan McNabb (averaged 2.3 points in 18 games for Syracuse in 1995-96 and 1996-97) threw three touchdown passes in a 24-21 setback against the New England Patriots in Super Bowl XXXIX following 2004 season. Eagles WR Terrell Owens (UTC-Chattanooga hooper from 1993-94 through 1995-96 started five games) caught nine of McNabb's passes for 122 yards (both team highs). Patriots SS Rodney Harrison (averaged 7.4 ppg, 4.1 rpg, 3 apg and 1.6 spg for Western Illinois in 1992-93) had two interceptions and game-high 10 solo tackles.

• Pittsburgh Steelers WR Antwaan Randle El (member of Indiana's 1999 NCAA Tournament team coached by Bob Knight) caught a team-long 37-yard pass from Ben Roethlisberger late in opening quarter and ran for two-point conversion midway through fourth period in a 31-25 setback against the Green Bay Packers in Super Bowl XLV following 2010 season.

• Atlanta Falcons WR Andre Rison (backup hoops guard for Michigan State in 1987-88) named NFL Pro Bowl MVP following the 1993 season.

This year marked only the third time an NFL Pro Bowl (joining all-star game following 1985 season and last year) when there wasn't at least one gridiron participant who previously played college basketball. An average of eight ex-college cagers annually participated the first decade of the event in the 1950s with a high of 10 following the 1959 campaign. Midwest universities Purdue (five), Michigan State (four) and Notre Dame (four) have had the most former hoopers become NFL Pro Bowl choices.

Pencil-necked puke politician didn't incur his brain damage from helmet collisions competing in masculine football activity but, unless you're "dazzled" by effeminate Adam Sack-of-Schiff's Russian collusion and impeachment idiocy resembling anal CNN connivers and MSNBC misfits, following is an alphabetical list of more than 100 Pro Bowlers who previously played hoops at varsity level for a four-year college:

NFL Pro Bowl Selection	Pos.	NFL Team(s)	4-Year Hoop College(s)	Pro Bowl Season(s)
Ken Anderson	QB	Cincinnati Bengals	Augustana (Ill.)	1975-76-81-82
Doug Atkins	RDE	Chicago Bears	Tennessee	1957-58-59-60-61-62-63-65
Al Baker	RDE	Detroit Lions	Colorado State	1978-79-80
Erich Barnes	RDH	Chicago Bears/New York Giants/Cleveland Browns	Purdue	1959-61-62-63-64-68
Connor Barwin	OLB	Philadelphia Eagles	Cincinnati	2014
Sammy Baugh	QB	Washington Redskins	Texas Christian	1951
Bobby Bell	LLB	Kansas City Chiefs	Minnesota	1970-71-72
Martellus Bennett	TE	Chicago Bears	Texas A&M	2014
Cloyce Box	E	Detroit Lions	West Texas A&M	1950 and 1952
Ordell Braase	RDE	Baltimore Colts	South Dakota	1966 and 1967
Pete Brewster	LE	Cleveland Browns	Purdue	1955 and 1956
Marlin Briscoe	WR	Buffalo Bills	Nebraska-Omaha	1970
Jim Brown	FB	Cleveland Browns	Syracuse	1957-58-59-60-61-62-63-64-65
Junious "Buck" Buchanan	RDT	Kansas City Chiefs	Grambling	1970 and 1971
Jordan Cameron	TE	Cleveland Browns	Brigham Young/Southern California	2013
Harold Carmichael	WR	Philadelphia Eagles	Southern (La.)	1973-78-79-80
Fred Carr	RLB	Green Bay Packers	Texas Western	1970-72-75
John Carson	LE	Washington Redskins	Georgia	1957
Rick Casares	FB	Chicago Bears	Florida	1955-56-57-58-59
Chris Chambers	WR	Miami Dolphins	Wisconsin	2005
Lynn Chandnois	RH	Pittsburgh Steelers	Michigan State	1952 and 1953
Ben Coates	TE	New England Patriots	Livingstone (N.C.)	1994-95-98
George Connor	LT	Chicago Bears	Holy Cross/Notre Dame	1950-51-52-53
Charley Cowan	RT	Los Angeles Rams	New Mexico Highlands	1968-69-70
Billy Cundiff	PK	Baltimore Ravens	Drake	2010
Glenn Davis	LH	Los Angeles Rams	Army	1950
Len Dawson	QB	Kansas City Chiefs	Purdue	1971
Mike Ditka	TE	Chicago Bears	Pittsburgh	1961-62-63-64-65
Billy Joe Dupree	TE	Dallas Cowboys	Michigan State	1976-77-78
Bobby Etter	PK	Atlanta Falcons	Georgia	1969
Jim Finks	QB	Pittsburgh Steelers	Tulsa	1952
London Fletcher	LB	Washington Redskins	St. Francis (Pa.)/John Carroll (Ohio)	2009-10-11-12
Len Ford	DE	Cleveland Browns	Morgan State	1951-52-53-54
Jean Fugett	TE	Washington Redskins	Amherst (Mass.)	1977
Antonio Gates	TE	San Diego Chargers	Eastern Michigan/Kent State	2004-05-06-07-08-09-10-11
Tony Gonzalez	TE	Kansas City Chiefs/Atlanta Falcons	California	1999 and 2000-01-02-03-04-05-06-07-08-10-11-12-13
Jimmy Graham	TE	New Orleans Saints/Seattle Seahawks	Miami (Fla.)	2011-13-14-16-17
Otto Graham	QB	Cleveland Browns	Northwestern	1950-51-52-53-54
Cornell Green	DB	Dallas Cowboys	Utah State	1965-66-67-71-72
Bob Griese	QB	Miami Dolphins	Purdue	1970-71-73-74-77-78
Rodney Harrison	SS	San Diego Chargers	Western Illinois	1998 and 2001
Todd Heap	TE	Baltimore Ravens	Arizona State	2002 and 2003
Harlon Hill	LE	Chicago Bears	Florence State (Ala.)	1954-55-56
Elroy "Crazy Legs" Hirsch	RE	Los Angeles Rams	Michigan	1951-52-53
DeAndre Hopkins	WR	Houston Texans/Arizona Cardinals	Clemson	2015-17-18-19-20
Paul Hornung	LH	Green Bay Packers	Notre Dame	1959 and 1960
Vincent Jackson	WR	San Diego Chargers/Tampa Bay Buccaneers	Northern Colorado	2009-11-12
Dave Jennings	P	New York Giants	St. Lawrence (N.Y.)	1978-79-80-82
Brad Johnson	QB	Washington Redskins	Florida State	1999, 2000 and 2002
John Henry Johnson	RB	San Francisco 49ers/Pittsburgh Steelers	Saint Mary's	1954-62-63-64
Johnny Johnson	RB	Phoenix Cardinals	San Jose State	1990
Aaron Jones	RB	Green Bay Packers	Texas-El Paso	2020
Ed "Too Tall" Jones	LDE	Dallas Cowboys	Tennessee State	1981-82-83
Jacoby Jones	KR	Baltimore Ravens	Lane (Tenn.)	2012
Joe Kapp	QB	Minnesota Vikings	California	1969
Billy Kilmer	QB	Washington Redskins	UCLA	1972
Ron Kramer	TE	Green Bay Packers	Michigan	1962
Gary Larsen	DT	Minnesota Vikings	Concordia (Minn.)	1969 and 1970
Johnny Lattner	RH	Pittsburgh Steelers	Notre Dame	1954
Joe Lavender	RCB	Washington Redskins	San Diego State	1979 and 1980
Rolland Lawrence	CB	Atlanta Falcons	Tabor (Kan.)	1977
Bobby Layne	QB	Detroit Lions/Pittsburgh Steelers	Texas	1951-52-53-56-58-59
Marcedes Lewis	TE	Jacksonville Jaguars	UCLA	2010
Ronnie Lott	DB	San Francisco 49ers	Southern California	1981-82-83-84-86-87-88-89-90-91
Johnny Lujack	QB	Chicago Bears	Notre Dame	1950 and 1951
Lamar Lundy	LDE	Los Angeles Rams	Purdue	1959
John Mackey	TE	Baltimore Colts	Syracuse	1963-65-66-67-68
Jack "Cy" McClairen	E	Pittsburgh Steelers	Bethune-Cookman	1957
Donovan McNabb	QB	Philadelphia Eagles	Syracuse	2000-01-02-03-04-09
Zeke Moore	CB	Houston Oilers	Lincoln (Mo.)	1969 and 1970
Elbie Nickel	RE	Pittsburgh Steelers	Cincinnati	1952-53-56
Karl Noonan	SE	Miami Dolphins	Iowa	1968
Terrell Owens	WR	San Francisco 49ers/Dallas Cowboys	UT-Chattanooga	2000-01-02-03-04-07
Julius Peppers	DE-LB	Carolina Panthers/Chicago Bears/Green Bay Packers	North Carolina	2004-05-06-08-09-10-11-12-15
Sonny Randle	WR	St. Louis Cardinals	Virginia	1960-61-62-65
Garet "Jerry" Reichow	WR	Minnesota Vikings	Iowa	1961
Andre Rison	WR	Atlanta Falcons/Kansas City Chiefs	Michigan State	1990-91-92-93-97
Dave Robinson	LB	Green Bay Packers	Penn State	1966-67-69
Otto Schnellbacher	RS	New York Giants	Kansas	1950 and 1951
Tom Scott	LDE	Philadelphia Eagles	Virginia	1957 and 1958
Joe Senser	TE	Minnesota Vikings	West Chester (Pa.) State	1981
Bob Shaw	E	Chicago Cardinals	Ohio State	1950
Art Shell	LT	Oakland Raiders	Maryland-Eastern Shore	1973-74-75-76-77
Del Shofner	RH-SE	Los Angeles Rams/New York Giants	Baylor	1958-59-61-62-63
John "Jack" Simmons	OL	Chicago Cardinals	Detroit	1956
Rod Smith	WR	Denver Broncos	Missouri Southern State	2000-01-05
Norm Snead	QB	Washington Redskins/Philadelphia Eagles/New York Giants	Wake Forest	1962-63-65-72
Ed Sprinkle	DE	Chicago Bears	Hardin-Simmons (Tex.)	1950-51-52-54
Roger Staubach	QB	Dallas Cowboys	Navy	1971-75-76-77-78-79
Greg Stemrick	CB	Houston Oilers	Colorado State	1980
Courtland Sutton	WR	Denver Broncos	Southern Methodist	2019
Hugh "Bones" Taylor	LE	Washington Redskins	Tulane/Oklahoma City	1952 and 1954
Jason Taylor	RDE	Miami Dolphins	Akron	2000-02-04-05-06-07
Otis Taylor	WR	Kansas City Chiefs	Prairie View A&M	1971 and 1972
Adalius Thomas	LB	Baltimore Ravens	Southern Mississippi	2003 and 2006
John Thomas	LG	San Francisco 49ers	Pacific	1966
Julius Thomas	TE	Denver Broncos	Portland State	2013 and 2014
Emlen Tunnell	DB	New York Giants	Toledo	1950-51-52-53-54-55-56-57-59
Brad Van Pelt	LLB	New York Giants	Michigan State	1976-77-78-79-80
Doak Walker	LH	Detroit Lions	Southern Methodist	1950-51-53-54-55
Ron Widby	P	Dallas Cowboys	Tennessee	1971
Norm Willey	RDE	Philadelphia Eagles	Marshall	1954 and 1955
Alfred Williams	RDE	Denver Broncos	Colorado	1996
Billy Wilson	RE	San Francisco 49ers	San Jose State	1954-55-56-57-58-59
Rayfield Wright	RT	Dallas Cowboys	Fort Valley State (Ga.)	1971-72-73-74-75-76

After integration finally swung open the doors of higher education to everyone with any modicum of intellectual motivation, enrollment at HBCUs (Historically-Black Colleges and Universities) steadily declined and athletic programs nosedived nearly into oblivion. Understandably, the vast majority of the premier African-American athletes follow the alluring money trail to superior facilities and greater exposure rather than enroll any longer at HBCUs. Actually, most HBCU institutions currently are imprisoned at the NCAA DI level, where collectively the Washington Generals of college entertainment are little more than indentured servants doing the bidding of their major-university masters; almost always getting whipped on the road as sacrificial lambs during non-conference competition. HBCUs also suffer from substandard scholastic standards typified by nine of their institutions having athletic programs failing to reach Academic Progress Rate threshold required to compete in the 2021 postseason.

It's not a Trumped-up "go back to where you came from" but, if anything, the MEAC and SWAC should simply return to DII significance. Seven different historically-black colleges and universities advancing to the NCAA DI level captured a total of nine NAIA and NCAA College Division Tournament championships in a 21-year span from 1957 through 1977 (Tennessee State from 1957 through 1959, Grambling '61, Prairie View '62, Winston-Salem State '67, Morgan State '74, Coppin State '76 and Texas Southern '77). Coppin State is the lone school in this group to go on and post a triumph in the NCAA Division I playoffs. Thus, anyone making mistaken assumption premier players such as Makur Maker (Howard University) picking a HBCU to attend, rather than a power-conference member, will become trendy is simple perpetually-perplexed victim of poor public-school education emphasizing ebonics. Patronizing Plagiarist Bi-dumb pretends he attended Delaware State, but HBCUs don't have access to $400,000 to consistently reel in regal recruits. There is more of a chance MEAC/SWAC members will depart similar to Hampton and North Carolina A&T for league resembling Big South Conference than HBCU schools reviving their glory years as delusional pipedream depicted on ESPN's Rhoden Road Trip.

With that historical background yielding a mite more perspective than diversity demonstrated by "open-minded" bloc voting for one party more than 90% of the time, let's also proclaim the political acumen part of journalistic jackal Jemelle Hill's brain couldn't fill an identity-politics thimble worthy of toppling any riot-worthy statue. The savvy shortfall is akin to another Michigan misfit, Odd Squad Congresswoman Tlaib, and fellow ultra-liberal Dimorats #MadMaxine, Sheila #Jackass-Lee and Ayanna "Don't Need Black Faces That Don't Want to Be Black Voice" Pressley. Exhibit A for jaded viewpoint of Hill, the sports world's progressive press puke playpen equivalent of NPR freedom-of-the-press hypocrite April Ryan, is her genius admonition imploring African-American "supremacist" athletes to abandon attending PWIs (Predominantly White Institutions) for HBCUs. Does Hill really believe hoopdom can go back to her "good old days" when a total of 23 products from HBCU schools presently at the NCAA Division I level were among top 22 NBA draft choices in 20-year span from 1957 through 1976. Such a ploy doesn't quite seem to be a sweet "art of the deal" insofar as Norfolk State's Kyle O'Quinn (2012) is the only HBCU product chosen in last 15 NBA drafts and no HBCU school over four decades has reached a Sweet 16 in the NCAA DI Tournament while winning an anemic 10% of their postseason games.

What do you have to lose accepting Hill's repulsive racial profiling resembling throwing buckets of water on policemen? Can you say dignity? Her HBCU thesis is an affront to the many courageous hoopers who broke the color barrier 50 and 60 years ago. By wandering off progressive plantation, they are looked upon by her ilk similar to life in womb in NYC, where thousands more black babies are aborted than born alive each year (a/k/a black genocide advocated by Planned Murderhood founder Margaret Sanger). In a nutshell, Hill is a do-as-I-provocatively-say; not-as-I-do-before-lecturing-you huckster. Why didn't ivory-tower social engineer attend TSU or a MEAC/SWAC member rather than a power-conference affiliate (Michigan State) to achieve her personal goals? While perhaps having a valid point if restricted to Trump University (no athletic program), the doltish former ESPN shrew shouldn't get critical welfare after showing how unfit and unqualified she was by failing to unearth the Larry Nassar predator scandal at her alma mater while managing editor at the State News or as a writer for the Detroit Free Press. Perhaps she should have been as aggressive with story as when we witnessed content of her character via fake NASCAR noose for driver Bubba Wallace-Smollett. Assessing the mental gymnastics exhibited by Hill and her equally-inept colleagues, the derelicts in duty need to don some enabler shame stemming from incompetence virtually allowing Nassar's sexual-abuse atrocities before, after and during six years she covered MSU. Prior to abusing our sensibilities about what an athlete is worth to a university, failed-at-my-job Hill should pay reparations by purchasing and reading abuse survivor gymnast Rachael Denhollander's memoir What is a Girl Worth? Unless, of course, her life didn't matter; let alone numerous other female gymnasts due to color of their skin. Blame game can go both ways.

Value wasn't much when all but two of the 25 HBCUs had at least one season with 20 defeats in a six-year span from 2003-04 through 2008-09 while Hill toiled for the Free Press and Orlando Sentinel prior to securing spot for her political pap at the Extra Sensitive Pious Network (ESPN). The pair of HBCU institutions emerging unscathed during that stretch were Hampton (worst record was 13-17 in 2003-04) and Norfolk State (11-19 in 2006-07). But in an attempt by someone who actually met the real G-Man "White Tiger" firsthand (not actor Bruce Jenner who played QB role in movie) to avoid being levied a $4.5 million fine by the U.S. Department of Education for withholding handout to lame-stream #MessMedia maven "needing a history lesson," following are additional relevant HBCU basketball historical nuggets for Hubris Hill to utilize in any way the genuine racist and bigot sees fit. Perhaps she and chest-pounding #Dimorat operative #DonnaBrazilla will pass this inside Basketball Jones intel on to certain "Dem(wit)" presidential candidates for an edge in any debate. At a bare minimum, maybe know-it-all Hill can help #Brazilla secure direct access for the FBI to investigate hacked DNC computer server while incessantly spewing how racist you and sports are at her dud gig (massive failure CNNminus). At least plus-sized Brazille, Hill and fellow purveyor of ill will Symone Sanders can fit in picture of wide-screen TV these days.

A computer database isn't necessary to know there has been only two HBCU regulars on NBA rosters the last half of past decade (O'Quinn and Tennessee State undrafted free agent Robert Covington). O'Quinn is one of only three HBCU products (all second-rounders) picked in an NBA draft over the past 23 years (a/k/a length of time since Not Worth a Hill of Beans graduated from college). That's a stark contrast to average of three HBCU draftees annually selected in first two rounds in five-year span from 1974 through 1978 after a total of 10 different HBCU schools produced players among the top 69 picks in 1969. The next season (1969-70), Southern schools Alabama, Clemson, Georgia, Kentucky and South Carolina crossed the color barrier by featuring an African-American on their freshman basketball squad for the first time. As a further means of comparison, 17 straight NBA drafts from 1969 through 1985 had an HBCU product selected in first two rounds (total of 37 such players) despite the league not having more than 18 franchises until absorbing four ABA teams in 1976.

We presume Hill is referring to a HBCU school such as Grambling, which never has appeared in the NCAA DI playoffs. Success wasn't so difficult to find for the Tigers at the small-college level where they belong in order to thrive again. Beginning with third-rounder Charles Hardnett in 1962, they supplied one of the top 21 NBA draft choices four consecutive years through 1965. The majority of them didn't perform at the NCAA DI level, but following at the top of the hill is a ranking of the all-time top 25 HBCU players (a dozen from Grambling if include alphabetical list of honorable mention selections acknowledged below):

Rank	HBCU Player	Pos.	HBCU School
1.	Earl "The Pearl" Monroe	G	Winston-Salem State (N.C.) 64-67
2.	Willis Reed	C	Grambling (La.) 61-64
3.	Elmore Smith	C	Kentucky State 69-71
4.	Dick Barnett	G	Tennessee A&I 56-59
5.	Travis "Machine Gun" Grant	F	Kentucky State 69-72
6.	Zelmo Beaty	C	Prairie View A&M (Tex.) 59-62
7.	Marvin "The Human Eraser" Webster	C	Morgan State (Md.) 72-75
8.	Sam Jones	G	North Carolina Central 52-57 (missed two seasons serving in military)
9.	Lindsey Hunter	G	Alcorn State (Miss.)/Jackson State (Miss.) 89-93
10.	Purvis Short	F	Jackson State (Miss.) 75-78
11.	Cleo Hill	G	Winston-Salem State (N.C.) 58-61
12.	Bob "Butterbean" Love	F	Southern (La.) 62-65
13.	Bob Dandridge	F	Norfolk State (Va.) 66-69
14.	Leonard "Truck" Robinson	F	Tennessee State 71-74
15.	Anthony Mason	F	Tennessee State 85-88
16.	Larry Smith	F	Alcorn State (Miss.) 77-80
17.	Ben Wallace	F	Virginia Union 95-96
18.	Marques Haynes	G	Langston (Okla.) 43-46
19.	Charles Oakley	F	Virginia Union 82-85
20.	Larry Wright	G	Grambling (La.) 74-76
21.	Rick Mahorn	F-C	Hampton Institute (Va.) 77-80
22.	Woodrow "Woody" Sauldsberry	F	Texas Southern 54-55
23.	Ted "Hound" McClain	G	Tennessee State 68-71
24.	James Jones	G	Grambling (La.) 64-67
25.	Bob Hopkins	F	Grambling (La.) 53-56

Honorable Mention
Johnnie Allen, Bethune-Cookman (Fla.)
Al Attles, North Carolina A&T
Ken Bannister, St. Augustine's (N.C.)
John Barnhill, Tennessee A&I
Billy Ray Bates, Kentucky State
Joe Binion, North Carolina A&T
Hal Blevins, Arkansas AM&N
Tom Boswell, South Carolina State*
Alonzo Bradley, Texas Southern
Frank Card, South Carolina State
John Chaney, Bethune-Cookman (Fla.)
Bob Christian, Grambling (La.)
Nathaniel "Sweetwater" Clifton, Xavier (La.)
Emanual Davis, Delaware State
Mike Davis, Virginia Union
Monti Davis, Tennessee State
Terry Davis, Virginia Union
Warren Davis, North Carolina A&T
Charles Edge, LeMoyne-Owen (Tenn.)
A.J. English, Virginia Union 87-90
Alphonso Ford, Mississippi Valley State
Jake Ford, Maryland State
Wilbert Frazier, Grambling (La.)
Mike Gale, Elizabeth City State (N.C.)
Earl Glass, Mississippi Industrial College
Charles Hardnett, Grambling (La.)
Fred Hilton, Grambling (La.)
Harold Hunter, North Carolina College
Lewis Jackson, Alabama State
Aaron James, Grambling (La.)
Jerome James, Florida A&M
Ben Jobe, Fisk (Tenn.)
Avery Johnson, Southern (La.)
Clemon Johnson, Florida A&M
Ed Johnson, Tennessee A&I
George T. Johnson, Dillard (La.)
Rich Johnson, Grambling (La.)
Caldwell Jones, Albany State (Ga.)
Charles Jones, Albany State (Ga.)
Earl Jones, District of Columbia
Major Jones, Albany State (Ga.)
Wil Jones, Albany State (Ga.)
Arvesta Kelly, Lincoln (Mo.)
Harry "Machine Gun" Kelly, Texas Southern
Julius Keye, South Carolina State/Alcorn A&M (Miss.)
Richard "Pee Wee" Kirkland, Norfolk State (Va.)
Bobby Lewis, South Carolina State
Earl Lloyd, West Virginia State
Johnny Lloyd, Southern (La.)
Kevin Loder, Kentucky State/Alabama State
Ed Manning, Jackson State (Miss.)
Bob McCoy, Grambling (La.)
Maurice McHartley, North Carolina A&T
Porter Merriweather, Tennessee A&I
Tony Murphy, Southern (La.)
Ronald "Flip" Murray, Shaw (N.C.)
Lloyd Neal, Tennessee State
Audie Norris, Jackson State (Miss.)
Sylvester Norris, Jackson State (Miss.)
Willie Norwood, Alcorn A&M
Kyle O'Quinn, Norfolk State
Joe Pace, Maryland-Eastern Shore/Coppin State (Md.)
Bobby Phills, Southern (La.)
Timothy Pollard, Mississippi Valley State
Willie Porter, Tennessee A&I
Marlbert "Spider" Pradd, Dillard (La.)
Carlos Rogers, Tennessee State
Steve Rogers, Alabama State
Frankie Sanders, Southern (La.)
Bruce Seals, Xavier (La.)
Willie Shaw, Lane (Tenn.)
Eugene Short, Jackson State (Miss.)
Tal Skinner, Maryland-Eastern Shore
Larry Spriggs, Howard University (D.C.)
Larry Stewart, Coppin State (Md.)
Bennie Swain, Texas Southern
Carlos Terry, Winston-Salem State (N.C.)
Willis Thomas, Tennessee A&I
Henry Ward, Jackson State (Miss.)
Ben Warley, Tennessee A&I
Cornell Warner, Jackson State (Miss.)
Thomas "Trooper" Washington, Cheyney State (Pa.)
Donald "Slick" Watts, Xavier (La.)
Hershell West, Grambling (La.)
Earl Williams, Winston-Salem State (N.C.)
Kenny Williams, Elizabeth City State (N.C.)
Milt Williams, Lincoln (Mo.)
*Transferred with coach Ben Jobe to South Carolina and played for the Gamecocks in 1974-75 before becoming a first-round NBA draft choice as an undergraduate.

Perhaps Hill's bruised ego can (first) take time away from petty feud with former ESPN colleague Stephen A. Smith, who played sparingly for Winston-Salem State in the late 1980s under legendary coach Clarence "Bighouse" Gaines because of a knee ailment. For what it's black-privilege worth to someone as conceited as Hill, following is an assortment of additional trivia tidbits if grievance-industry huckster is interested in becoming an authentic HBCU expert rather than mob-rule associate:

• Football coaching legend Eddie Robinson won more than 70% of his games as Grambling's basketball bench boss from 1942-56.

• North Carolina College's Rocky Roberson scored 58 points in a game against Shaw (N.C.) during the 1942-43 season for what was believed to be a college record at the time.

• CIAA champion West Virginia State was the nation's only undefeated college team in 1947-48, finishing with a 23-0 record. The squad, coached by Mark Cardwell, included future NBA players Bob Wilson and Earl Lloyd.

• Tennessee A&I, coached by Henry A. Kean, was the nation's only undefeated team in 1948-49 with a 24-0 record. The Tigers' leading scorers, Clarence Wilson and Joshua Grider, were both eventually longtime standouts with the Harlem Globetrotters.

• Florida A&M won the 1952 SIAC Tournament final against host Alabama State, 71-67, despite having just four players on the court the final 13-plus minutes (including two overtimes) because of players fouling out.

• The first predominantly black college to take the floor in an integrated national collegiate tournament was Tennessee State (then Tennessee A&I) in 1953. Hall of Famer John McLendon coached Tennessee State to three consecutive national titles (1957-59). Oddly, the '53 Tennessee State team defeated McLendon-coached North Carolina College for the opportunity to go to Kansas City. Seven years earlier, McLendon led North Carolina College (now North Carolina Central) to a 64-56 triple-overtime victory over Virginia Union in the final of the first Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association Tournament. The CIAA Tournament blossomed into one of the premier postseason events in the country, including major-college tourneys.

• The governor of Louisiana threatened McNeese State to pull out of 1956 NAIA Tournament if HBCU institutions were allowed to participate. The Cowboys ultimately defied the governor's wishes and defeated HBCU powerhouse Texas Southern in national final.

• Western Illinois missed an opportunity to become the nation's only undefeated college team in 1957-58 when it lost to Tennessee State, 85-73, in the NAIA Tournament championship game. Western had defeated Tennessee State, 79-76, earlier in the season. It was one of three consecutive NAIA titles won by Tennessee State, which boasted future pros Dick Barnett, John Barnhill and Ben Warley.

• In 1959, North Carolina A&T became the first predominantly black institution to participate in NCAA Division II national playoff competition. The Aggies finished third in the tourney.

• The 1961-62 All-SWAC first-team selections included three frontcourters who later played at least 10 seasons in the pros - Prairie View's Zelmo Beaty, Southern's Bob Love and Grambling's Willis Reed. Grambling finished in the top 10 of the first 76 weeks of College Division/Division II polls from January 5, 1961 through the end of the 1966-67 campaign. The Tigers, coached by Fred Hobdy, placed in the top five 40 consecutive weeks from March 2, 1961, through January 28, 1965. Grambling supplied seven top 20 NBA draft choices in a 20-year span from 1957 through 1976 before moving up to the NCAA Division I level - Bob McCoy (10th in 1957), Hershell West (16th in 1963), Reed (10th in 1964), Wilbert Frazier (12th in 1965), Jimmy Jones (13th in 1967), Fred Hilton (19th in 1971) and Larry Wright (14th in 1976).

• North Carolina A&T's Hugh Evans, a 12th-round draft choice by the St. Louis Hawks in 1963, went on to become a long-time NBA referee. Evans, a high school teammate in New York with Connie Hawkins and a college teammate of Al Attles, hit .288 as an INF-C in the San Francisco Giants' farm system in 1963.

• Longtime Harlem Globetrotter Fred "Curly" Neal was an All-CIAA selection for Johnson C. Smith (N.C.) in 1962-63.

• The first family of small-college basketball, if not all of hoopdom, could be the six brothers Jones from McGehee, Ark., all 6-8 or taller, who became the top six rebounders in Albany (Ga.) State history during the 1960s and 1970s. Oliver and Melvin were borderline pro prospects before Wil (nine), Caldwell (17), Major (six) and Charles (15) each played a minimum of six ABA/NBA seasons. Major Jones, 6-9, led NCAA Division II rebounders in 1974-75 with an average of 22.5 per game. He is the last Division I or Division II player to average at least 20 per game.

• Elmore Smith, a 7-0 center for 1970 NAIA champion Kentucky State, was called for goal tending 12 times in a 116-98 defeat against Eastern Michigan.

• Louisiana College is the first predominantly white school to play a home-and-home season series against a HBCU (Grambling in 1971-72). Center Clarence Hall, who broke the color barrier for LC, was the first African-American hooper for a predominantly white institution to compete at Grambling.

• In 1970, with an enrollment under 650 students, three Maryland State College players from a 29-2 team were selected in the NBA draft - Jake Ford (2nd round), Levi Fontaine (5th) and James "Bones" Morgan (7th). Four years later, the school (now known as Maryland-Eastern Shore) featured three more players chosen from a 27-2 squad - Rubin Collins (2nd), Talvin Skinner (3rd) and William "Billy" Gordon (4th).

• Tennessee State edged Oglethorpe (Ga.), 7-4, on February 16, 1971, in what is believed to be the lowest-scoring college game since the center jump was eliminated prior to the 1937-38 season. Tennessee State had overwhelmed Oglethorpe, 82-43, earlier in the season.

• Less than seven hours after returning to campus following a quarterfinal defeat against eventual 1971 NAIA champion Kentucky State, Grambling's Charlie Anderson died as a result of injuries suffered in a hit-and-run auto accident. Anderson, who averaged 18.3 ppg and 17.8 rpg, provided the game-winning basket in the Tigers' overtime win against Glassboro State (N.J.) in second round.

• Kentucky State's Travis "Machine Gun" Grant set the single-game NAIA Tournament scoring record with 60 points against Minot State in 1972. Grant finished his four-year college career with 4,045 points and a 33.4-point average.

• Dave Robbins, who is white, became coach at Virginia Union in 1978-79 in the predominantly black CIAA. Robbins went on to win more CIAA Tournaments than any coach in league history. VUU finished in the Top 10 of final national rankings nine consecutive seasons from 1987-88 through 1995-96 and 12 of 13 beginning in 1983-84.

• Alcorn State, competing in the Braves' second season at NCAA Division I level in 1978-79, went unbeaten during the regular season. They won at Mississippi State, 80-78, in first round of NIT before bowing at Indiana, 73-69, in second round. Bob Knight-coached IU went on to capture the championship.

• North Carolina A&T guard James "J.J." Miller is the only HBCU player to score the most points in a single game against the eventual NCAA DI kingpin that season (34 at Duke in 2000-01).

• Texas Southern's Aaric Murray is the only HBCU player to crack the 30-point plateau in an NCAA Division I playoff game (38 against Cal Poly in 2014 First Four). Murray is one of 10 different HBCU players to score more than 25 points in a single NCAA DI Tournament contest after Prairie View's Gary Blackston tallied 26 in 2019 First Four. Texas Southern transfer Zach Lofton set New Mexico State's existing NCAA playoff single-game scoring record with 29 against Clemson in 2018 first round.

• Numerous HBCU hoopers were so versatile they eventually excelled professionally in other major sports. Earning acclaim as MLB All-Stars were: George Altman (Tennessee State), Al Bumbry (Virginia State), Larry Doby (Virginia Union), Chuck Hinton (Shaw NC) and Monte Irvin (Lincoln PA). Ex-hoopers among NFL/AFL Pro Bowl selections included: Buck Buchanan (Grambling), Harold Carmichael (Southern LA), Ben Coates (Livingstone NC), Len Ford (Morgan State), Ed "Too Tall" Jones (Tennessee State), Jacoby Jones (Lane TN), Cy McClairen (Bethune-Cookman FL), Zeke Moore (Lincoln MO), Art Shell (Maryland-Eastern Shore), Otis Taylor (Prairie View A&M) and Rayfield Wright (Fort Valley State GA). Ex-hoopers joining many of these Pro Bowlers in participating in the Super Bowl were Gerald Perry (Southern LA) and Charles Philyaw (Texas Southern).

• Former ABA/NBA players who went on to coach HBCUs at the NCAA Division I level include Butch Beard (Howard University/Morgan State), Juan Dixon (Coppin State), Jerry Eaves (North Carolina A&T), Tommy Green (Southern LA), Bob Hopkins (Southern LA/Grambling/Maryland-Eastern Shore), Lindsey Hunter (Mississippi Valley State), Aaron James (Grambling), Clemon Johnson (Florida A&M), Gene Littles (North Carolina A&T), Larry Smith (Alcorn State), Mo Williams (Alabama State) and Larry Wright (Grambling).

Hill's hackneyed handiwork isn't exactly a novel concept. Doubt she realizes "trend," but the following alphabetical list of HBCU players didn't need her "tunnel-vision" encouragement to shift from a power-conference member:

Transfer	Pos.	Power-League Member	HBCU Destination
Galen Alexander	F	Louisiana State 18/Georgetown 20	Texas Southern 21
Andre Allen	F	Arizona State 20	Southern 21
Richard Anderson	G	Oklahoma 17	Florida A&M 19
Ebuka Anyaorah	G	Georgia 10	North Carolina Central 12-14
Wayne Arnold	G	Georgia 03	Tennessee State 05-06
A.J. Astroth	F-G	Vanderbilt 13	Hampton 17-18
Kent Auslander	G	Maryland 16	Coppin State 18-19
Carl Blair	G	Oklahoma 11-12	Prairie View 13
Brandon Bolden	C-F	Georgetown 13/Kansas State 15	Southern 17
Christian Brown	F	Georgia 20-21	Tennessee State 22
Jimmy Brown	G	Southern California 81	North Carolina A&T 83-85
Jon Brown	F	Georgia Tech 18	Tennessee State 20
Derrick Bruce	G	Oregon State 16	Texas Southern 18-19
Stanley Caldwell	F-C	Tennessee 93-95	Tennessee State 96
Arthur Carlisle	F	South Carolina 96-97	South Carolina State 99-00
Grayson Carter	F	Georgetown 19	Texas Southern 23
Jason Carter	F	Alabama 11	Texas Southern 15
Kevin Chamberlain	F	Maryland 90-91	North Carolina A&T 93
Darryl Cheeley	G	Wake Forest 89	North Carolina A&T 92-93
Quinton Chievous	G	Tennessee 13-14	Hampton 15-16
Austin Colbert	F	Illinois 14-15	Hampton 18-19
Adrien Coleman	G	Nebraska 10	Bethune-Cookman 12-13
Jeremy Combs	F	Louisiana State 18	Texas Southern 19
Gregory Davis	F	Syracuse 01	North Carolina A&T 04-05
Keith Davis	F-C	Texas A&M 11-13	Southern 15
Dajour Dickens	C	Providence 18	Hampton 21-22
Hayes Dickens	G	Florida 81	Tennessee State 83
Aric Dickerson	G	West Virginia 13	Delaware State 15-16
Cassin Diggs	C	Pittsburgh 08	Bowie State MD
Marcus Dockery	G	Maryland 21-22	Howard University 23
Kris Douse	F	Nebraska 07	Delaware State 08-10
Emmanuel Dowuona	C	Purdue 20	Tennessee State 22-23
Nojel Eastern	G-F	Purdue 18-20	Howard University 21
Moses Edun	F	Auburn 04-06	Alabama State 07
Eden Ewing	F	Purdue 18	Texas Southern 19-20
Ed Farmer	F	Maryland 83	University of District of Columbia 85
Cedric Fears	F	Houston 03	Texas Southern 05
Jamal Ferguson	G	Marquette 13	North Carolina Central 15-16
Donte Fitzpatrick-Dorsey	G	Mississippi 16-17	Tennessee State 19
Rod Flowers	C	Cincinnati 01-03	Tennessee State 05
Kevin Galloway	F	Southern California 07/Kentucky 09	Texas Southern 11
Vincent Garlick	G	Penn State 83-84	Delaware State 86-87
Chucky Gilmore	F	Clemson 99-00	South Carolina State 03
John Gilmore	C	Oklahoma State 99	Tennessee State 01
Derrick "Big Daddy" Glanton	F	Kansas 73	Bishop College TX
Calvin Godfrey	F	Iowa State 11	Southern 14
Carte'are Gordon	C	DePaul 20	Grambling 21
Ty Graves	G	Boston College 17	North Carolina Central 20
Jimmy Gray	G	Vanderbilt 80-81	Tennessee State 83
Blake Harris	G	Missouri 18/North Carolina State 19	North Carolina A&T 21
Wesley Harris	F	West Virginia 18-19	Tennessee State 20
Marvin Haynes	G-F	Florida State 80	South Carolina State 82-84
Harrison Henderson	C	Southern California 17-18	Southern 21
Darius Hicks	F	North Carolina State 17-18	Jackson State 21
Willie High	G	Louisiana State 76	Alabama State 77
Elijah Holifield	G	St. John's 16-17	Prairie View 19
Joell Hopkins	F	Florida State 14	Southern 15
Demetrius Houston	F	Mississippi State 15-16	Alabama State 17-18
Jerrell Houston	F	Mississippi State 06	Tennessee State 07-09
LaSean Howard	F-G	Syracuse 97-98	Hampton 00-01
Jimmy Hudson	F	Clemson 04-05	Bethune-Cookman 07-08
Ron Jackson	F	Wisconsin 61-62	Clark GA 65-66
Wesley Jones	F	Mississippi 08	Alabama State 09
Marquise Kately	F	California 04-05	Morgan State 08-09
Eric King	F	St. John's 02-03	Tennessee State 05
Ben Kone	F	Oregon State 17-18	Tennessee State 20
Justin Leemow	G	South Florida 10	North Carolina Central 11-12
Troy Lewis	G	Baylor 94-95	Coppin State 97-98
Wendell Lewis	C	Mississippi State 10-13	Alabama State 15
Gerald Liddell	F	Texas 19-21	Alabama State 22
Samarr Logan	F	Miami (Fla.) 90-92	Bethune-Cookman 94
Cam Mack	G	Nebraska 20	Prairie View A&M 21
Moses Malone Jr.	G	Texas Tech 00	South Carolina State 02-03
Leonel Marquetti	F	Southern California 79-80	Hampton 81
Jerron Martin	G	Mississippi 14	Texas Southern 16-17
Dundrecous Massey	G	Mississippi 11-12	Jackson State 13
Aaron Matthews	F	Villanova 00-01	Delaware State 03-04
Josh "Cookie" Miller	G	Nebraska 08-09	West Virginia State 10
Mike Milligan	G-F	Florida 79-81	Tennessee State 83
Kris Monroe	F	Providence 19-21	North Carolina Central 22
Bill Moody	G	Florida 73	Dillard LA
Brandon Moore	C	Arkansas 09	Southern 13
Christian Morris	C	Rutgers 09	Norfolk State 10
Victor Morris	F	Georgetown 83-86	Alcorn State 87
Bawa Muniru	C	Indiana 10	Tennessee State 12
Aaric Murray	C	West Virginia 13	Texas Southern 14
Leon Murray	F	Pittsburgh 97	Tennessee State 99
Zach Naylor	F	Mississippi 19	Texas Southern 21
Julysses Nobles	G	Arkansas 10-12	Jackson State 14
Shawn Olden	G	Texas Christian 18	Texas Southern 19
Jordan Omogbehin	C	South Florida 13	Morgan State 15
Derrick Patterson	F-G	Georgetown 92-93	South Carolina State 95-96
James Ratiff	F	Tennessee 78	Howard University 80-82
Trayvon Reed	C	Auburn 15	Texas Southern 18-19
Quincy Roberts	G-F	St. John's 09-11	Grambling 12
Eric Sanders	F	Virginia Tech 87-89	South Carolina State 91
Maurice Searight	G	Michigan 01	Grambling 04-05
Sam Sibert	F	Texas Tech 71	Kentucky State 72
Al Smith	G-F	Florida State 73	Jackson State 75-77
Harrison Smith	G	Texas 07-09	Texas Southern 11
Shaun Smith	G	Mississippi State 11-12	Alcorn State 14
Chris Sodom	C	Georgetown 18	Delaware State 20
Howard Spencer	F	Auburn 84-85	Howard University 87-88
Elijah Staley	F-G	Mississippi State 16	Morgan State 18
Dimingus Stevens	G	Seton Hall 21	Florida A&M 22
Dominique Sutton	F	Kansas State 08-10	North Carolina Central 12
A.J. Taylor	F	North Carolina State 20	Grambling State 22
Vandale Thomas	F	Mississippi State 93-95	Southern 96-97
Malachi Thurston	G	Southern California 00	Prairie View 03
Seth Towns	F	Ohio State 21	Howard University 24
Malique Trent	G	Texas Christian 16-17	Hampton 18
Jethro Tshisumpa	F-C	Arizona State 17	Texas Southern 20
Larry Turner	C	Oklahoma 03-05	Tennessee State 06-07
Keith Valentine	G	North Carolina 76	Virginia Union 78-80
John Walker III	F	Texas A&M 19	Texas Southern 20-23
Steve Walston	C	Arizona State 96	Tennessee State 97
Michael Weathers	G	Oklahoma State 19	Texas Southern 21
Vincent Whitt	G	Clemson 97-99	South Carolina State 01
Brian Williams	G	Oregon 95-96	Tennessee State 98-99
Ray Willis	G	Oklahoma 09-10	North Carolina Central 12-13
Mohamed Woni	F-C	Clemson 97-99	Hampton 00
Seventh Woods	G	North Carolina 17-19/South Carolina 21	Morgan State 22
Terrence Woods	G	Tennessee 00-01	Florida A&M 03-04

A high percentage of bottom feeders among the lowest-ranked NCAA Division I squads are members of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference and Southwestern Athletic Conference. We're a long way from "the good ole days" when Historically Black College and University hoopers included extensive list of standouts.

Perhaps the premier player ever to transfer from a HBCU to a major university was Tom Boswell. The 6-9 forward averaged 18 ppg and 13 rpg for South Carolina State in 1971-72 and 1972-73 before switching to South Carolina, an independent school at the time where he averaged 16.5 ppg and 8.7 rpg in 1974-75. It is rare for a HBCU transfer to post a higher scoring averaqe for a power-conference member (Ole Miss boasts a couple of players in this category). In deference to Black History Month, following is an alphabetical list of rare players transferring from a HBCU to NCAA DI power-league member in the past quarter century:

Player	Pos.	HBCU	HBCU Statistics	Power-League Member	Power-League Member Statistics
Andre Adams	G	Prairie View 14	1.5 ppg, 1.1 apg	Arizona State 17	1.4 ppg, 1.3 rpg
Cameron Bacote	G	Maryland-Eastern Shore 18	7.2 ppg, 1.8 rpg, 1.9 apg	Georgetown 24	TBD
Malcolm Bernard	G-F	Florida A&M 16	14.4 ppg, 7 rpg, 4.3 apg, 2.3 spg	Xavier 17	6.6 ppg, 4.1 rpg, 1.5 apg, 1 spg
Wayne Bristol Jr.	G	Howard University 20	12.5 ppg, 4.3 rpg, 1.8 apg, 2.3 spg	Georgetown 23-24	3.6 ppg, 2.2 rpg
Dejuan Clayton	G	Coppin State 17-21	13.1 ppg, 3 rpg, 3.6 apg, 1.2 spg	California 23	9.2 ppg, 1.9 rpg, 2.9 apg
R.J. Cole	G	Howard University 18-19	22.5 ppg, 4 rpg, 6.2 apg, 1.8 spg, 37 3FG%	Connecticut 21-22	14.3 ppg, 3.3 rpg, 4.2 apg, 1.1 spg, 37 3FG%
James Daniel III	G	Howard University 14-17	21.5 ppg, 2.3 rpg, 2.4 apg, 1.7 spg	Tennessee 18	5.6 ppg, 2.8 apg, 37.2 3FG%
Edric Dennis	G	Jackson State 17	14 ppg, 4.1 rpg	Texas Christian 20	6.2 ppg, 2.3 apg
Bassirou Dieng	C	Norfolk State 05	2 ppg, 1.2 rpg	Georgia Tech 09	1.2 ppg, 1.3 rpg
RaShid Gaston	F	Norfolk State 13-15	11.1 ppg, 7.6 rpg, 57.8 FG%	Xavier 17	7.4 ppg, 5.9 rpg, 59 FG%
Elijah Hawkins	G	Howard University 22-23	12.9 ppg, 3.7 rpg, 5.8 apg, 2 spg	Minnesota 24	8.5 ppg, 3.8 rpg, 7.7 apg, 2 spg
Barry Honore'	F	Southern LA 08-09	8.8 ppg, 4.8 rpg	Oklahoma 11-12	1 ppg, 0.9 rpg
Dale Hughes	G	Florida A&M 09-10	8.8 ppg, 35.6 3FG%	Mississippi 12	0.7 ppg
Sam Hunt	G	North Carolina A&T 16-17	14 ppg	North Carolina State 18	5.5 ppg
Deion James	F	North Carolina A&T 16	1.3 ppg	Washington State 20	2.6 ppg
Branden Johnson	F-C	Alabama State 16-19	5.5 ppg, 4.8 rpg, 62.8 FG%	Virginia Tech 20	0.4 ppg
Gerald Jordan	F-C	Morgan State 94	13.5 ppg, 10.2 rpg, 1.7 bpg	Pittsburgh 96-97	8.3 ppg, 4.7 rpg
Darryl Labarrie	G	Florida A&M 97	12.1 ppg, 3.4 rpg, 2.3 apg	Georgia Tech 99-01	4 ppg, 1.3 rpg
Jayveous McKinnis	F	Jackson State 19-22	10.4 ppg, 9.8 rpg, 2.2 bpg, 61 FG%	Mississippi 23	5.5 ppg, 4.3 rpg, 1.2 bpg, 65.4 FG%
Christian Mekowulu	F	Tennessee State 15-18	8.5 ppg, 5.7 rpg, 1 bpg	Texas A&M 19	8.3 ppg, 6.4 rpg, 1 bpg
Femi Olujobi	F	North Carolina A&T 18	16.3 ppg, 7.7 rpg, 53.6 FG%	DePaul 19	12.8 ppg, 5.4 rpg, 60.1 FG%
Richaud Pack	G	North Carolina A&T 14	17 ppg, 4.6 rpg	Maryland 15	5.8 ppg, 3.3 rpg
Matt Pilgrim	F	Hampton 07-08	9.2 ppg, 5.2 rpg, 1.3 spg, 1 bpg	Oklahoma State 10-11	6.7 ppg, 6.2 rpg, 1.1 spg
Cecil Rellford	F	Kentucky State 74	21.7 ppg, 10 rpg	St. John's 76-77	11.2 ppg, 6 rpg
M.J. Rhett	F	Tennessee State 12-14	6.5 ppg, 6.4 rpg	Mississippi 15	7.4 ppg, 4.6 rpg
Gerald Robinson	G	Tennessee State 08-09	16.5 ppg, 3.3 rpg, 2.5 apg, 1.8 spg	Georgia 11-12	13.2 ppg, 3.3 rpg, 3.8 apg
Johnnie Rogers	F	Jackson State 95	2.4 ppg, 2.9 rpg	Mississippi 97-99	3.6 ppg, 3.1 rpg
Frank Russell	C	Hampton 03-04	2.3 ppg, 1.5 rpg	Rutgers 06-07	2 ppg, 1.8 rpg
Xavier Singletary	F	Howard University 97-98	18.7 ppg, 6 rpg	Boston College 00-01	11.8 ppg, 4.5 rpg
LaRon Smith	F	Bethune-Cookman 16	7.1 ppg, 6.9 rpg	Auburn 17	2.6 ppg, 2.4 rpg
Sterling Smith	G	Coppin State 13-15	10 ppg, 4.4 rpg, 1.2 spg	Pittsburgh 16	4.5 ppg, 3 rpg
Ben Stanley	F	Hampton 19-20	13.3 ppg, 5.1 rpg, 57.7 FG%	Xavier 21-22	3.2 ppg, 1.5 rpg
Davion Warren	G	Hampton 20-21	14.9 ppg, 6.2 rpg, 1.3 spg	Texas Tech 22	9.4 ppg, 3.1 rpg, 1.4 spg
Kam Woods	G	North Carolina A&T 23	17.3 ppg, 4.2 rpg, 3.3 apg, 1.6 spg	North Carolina State 24	TBD

NOTE: Dennis attended UTA between Jackson State and TCU. Stanley enrolled at ODU for 2022-23.

Particularly during Black History Month, every sports fan accepts the cultural significance of Jackie Robinson. But in the aftermath of a series of anniversary celebrations regarding Robinson beginning his major league baseball career, it is easy to forget there was a time when the now 80%-plus black National Basketball Association was 100% white. It's also easy to forget that Robinson was instrumental in college basketball's "civil rights" movement.

Before Robinson arrived on the scene in the National League, however, there was Columbia's George Gregory, who became the first African-American to gain college All-American honors in 1930-31. In an era of low scoring, he was the team's second-leading scorer with a 9.2-point average. But he was proudest of his defense, and a statistic that is no longer kept: "goals against." In 10 games, Gregory held rival centers to only eight baskets. "That's less than one goal a game," he told the New York Times. "I think they should have kept that statistical category. Nowadays, one guy scores 40 points but his man scores 45. So what good is it?

"It's funny, but even though I was the only black playing for Columbia, and there was only one other black playing in the Ivy League - Baskerville of Harvard - I really didn't encounter too much trouble from opponents. Oh, I got into a couple of fights. And one time a guy called me 'Nigger,' and a white teammate said, 'Next time, you hit him high and I'll hit him low.' And we did, and my teammate, a Polish guy named Remy Tys, said to that other player, 'That's how we take care of nigger callers.'"

But Gregory said the worst racial incident he encountered was at his own school. "After our last game in my junior year, the team voted me captain for the next season. Well, there was a hell of a battle when this came out. Columbia didn't want a black captain, or a Jewish captain, either, I learned. The dean was against it, and the athletic director was against it, and even the coach was against it.

"The coach told me, 'Get yourself together, Gregory, or I'll take your scholarship away.' They were worried that if we played a school in the South and met the other captain before the game, the guy would refuse to come out and it would embarrass the school. But the campus was split 50-50 on whether to have a black captain for its basketball team.

"The fight went on for three or four weeks. The school insisted that the team vote again. We did, and I won again. One of my teammates said, `You forced the school to enter the 20th Century.'"

Harrison "Honey" Fitch, Connecticut's first black player, was center stage during a racial incident delaying a game at the U.S. Coast Guard Academy for several hours in late January 1934. Coast Guard officials entered a protest against Fitch, arguing that because half of the Academy's student body was from southern states, they had a tradition "that no Negro players be permitted to engage in contests at the Academy." Eventually, UConn's coach kept Fitch on the bench the entire contest and never explained why.

The first black to appear in the NBA didn't occur until a couple of decades after Gregory graduated and Fitch transferred to American International. UCLA's first basketball All-American Don Barksdale, one of first seven African-Americans to play in NBA, was the first black U.S. Olympic basketball player (1948) as well as the first black to play in an NBA All-Star Game (as a rookie in 1952).

Inspired by the black labor movement in the 1930s, Barksdale said, "I made up my mind that if I wanted to do something, I was going to try to do it all the way, no matter the obstacles."

As a 28-year-old rookie with the Baltimore Bullets, he was paid $20,850 (one of the NBA's top salaries) to play and host a postgame radio show, but that notoriety also put extra pressure on him. Forced to play excessive minutes during the preseason, he sustained ankle injuries that plagued him the remainder of his four-year NBA career (11 ppg and 8 rpg).

Why play so many minutes? "It's Baltimore, which is considered the South," said Barksdale, who wound up back in the Bay Area as a well-known jazz disc jockey. "So the South finally signed a black man, and he's going to play whether he could walk or crawl."

Chuck Cooper, who attended Duquesne on the GI Bill after originally enrolling at West Virginia State College, was the first black player drafted by an NBA franchise. "I don't give a damn if he's striped or plaid or polka-dot," were the history-making words of Boston Celtics Owner Walter Brown when he selected Cooper, who averaged 6.7 points and 5.9 rebounds per game in six pro seasons. In Cooper's freshman campaign, Duquesne was awarded a forfeit after refusing to yield to Tennessee's refusal to compete against the Dukes if Cooper participated in a game just before Christmas.

In the 1955-56 season, the Hazleton (Pa.) Hawks of the Eastern League became the first professional league franchise to boast an all-black starting lineup - Jesse Arnelle, Tom Hemans, Fletcher Johnson, Floyd Lane and Sherman White. Arnelle (Penn State) and White (Long Island) were former major-college All-Americans.

As for the multi-talented Robinson, UCLA's initial all-conference basketball player in the 1940s was a forward who compiled the highest scoring average in the Pacific Coast Conference both of his seasons with the Bruins (12.3 points per league game in 1939-40 and 11.1 ppg in 1940-41) after transferring from Pasadena (Calif.) City College. Continuing his scoring exploits, the six-time National League All-Star was the leading scorer for the Los Angeles Red Devils' barnstorming team in 1946-47.

Seven-time All-Star outfielder Larry Doby, the first black in the American League, was also a college basketball player who helped pave the way for minorities. He competed on the hardwood for Virginia Union during World War II after originally committing to LIU. The four-month lead Robinson had in integrating the majors cast a huge shadow over Doby, who was the first black to lead his league in homers (32 in 1952), first to hit a World Series homer and first to win a World Series title.

There are ramifications when assessing the issue of race and it would be nice if we were all color blind. Nonetheless, it's impossible to properly evaluate the history of college basketball without broaching the sensitive topic.

Julian Abele, a 1902 Penn graduate considered the first major African-American architect in the U.S., designed Duke's famous Cameron Indoor Stadium, which hosted all-white teams and games for decades after opening in 1939. Nonetheless, Cameron's doors were closed to minority players for an extended period as Duke's roster didn't include a black athlete at the varsity level until C.B. Claiborne in 1966-67. The previous year, Maryland's Billy Jones became the first black player in the ACC. The all-white snack bar at the downtown train depot in Durham, N.C., refused to serve the Terrapins' black players following a game at Duke, and the entire squad went hungry.

"You just learn to deal with that stuff," Jones told Barry Jacobs, the author of Across the Line. "It taught me an awful lot in terms of just plain perseverance, just hang tough, do what you have to do to stay focused."

It was difficult for Claiborne to concentrate amid the problems he encountered at school. Some older players harassed him during practice; he wasn't notified of an end-of-the-year athletic awards banquet at the notoriously segregated Hope Valley Country Club; an engineering professor told him it was impossible for him to earn an A in his class. And, perhaps most telling of all: Claiborne spent so much time at nearby North Carolina Central University, a historically black college, that he had his own meal card there.

Two decades before Robinson was UCLA's meal ticket, the first black to play for the Bruins was Ralph Bunche, who earned letters as a guard for three Southern California Conference champions. Legendary Bruins coach John Wooden acknowledges that Bunche, named UCLA's Alumnus of the Year in 1949, was instrumental in helping recruit New York City native Lew Alcindor to his alma mater.

Bunche became the first black person to win the Nobel Peace Prize (in 1950 for his deft handling of the armistice negotiations as a U.N. envoy leading to the Arab-Israeli truce). In 1945, Bunche said he was "obsessed with a burning desire to excel in everything I undertake," and moved by "a calculated and deliberate interest to prove to (whites) that I am, despite their race, their equal if not their superior in intellect, ability, knowledge, and general savoir-faire."

In the early 1950s, Wayne State (Mich.) became the first non-historically black college to play five African-Americans together at the same time. They defeated major universities such as DePaul, Detroit, Duquesne, Georgetown, Marquette, Memphis State, Niagara, Penn State, St. Francis (Pa.) and St. Mary's (Calif.).

In the mid-1950s, only about 10% of basketball programs for predominantly white institutions recruited black players. "You could count the number of black players on West Coast teams on the fingers of one hand," said coach Pete Newell, who guided San Francisco (NIT in 1950) and California (NCAA in 1959) to national tournament titles.

In 1954, the year of U.S. Supreme Court's Brown vs. Board of Education desegregation decisions, the pressure escalated for coaches and players alike. No school excelled more than San Francisco, which won 55 consecutive games and back-to-back NCAA titles.

In 1957-58, blacks accounted for five of the six NCAA consensus first-team All-Americans - Seattle's Elgin Baylor, Kansas State's Bob Boozer, Kansas' Wilt Chamberlain, Cincinnati's Oscar Robertson and Temple's Guy Rodgers. All five played at least 11 seasons in the NBA.

USF '55 and fellow kingpin Cincinnati '62 were the first teams to start three and four black players, respectively, in the NCAA Tournament championship game. But Texas Western, now called Texas-El Paso, is credited most for putting the finishing touches on dismantling the prejudiced myth that black athletes couldn't play disciplined basketball by using seven players, all blacks, in winning the 1966 NCAA playoff final against all-white Kentucky.

"Young black players told me that it (the championship) gave them confidence and courage," said Harry Flournoy, a starter for Texas Western. "Some of them, before that game, had been afraid to go to white schools."

In 1956, Texas Western became the first school in the Southern half of the U.S. to integrate its athletic teams. Despite its relative openness, Texas Western did not yet permit blacks to live in campus dorms so the first two African-American basketball players - Air Force veteran Charlie Brown and his nephew, Cecil Brown - lived in a downtown apartment at first after transferring from junior college. George McCarty, the Miners' coach at the time, set aside an empty room in the athletic dormitory for the Browns to dress on game days.

"I wasn't allowed in the movies downtown and things like that, and there were a few minor (racial) incidents with professors," recalled Brown in the book And the Walls Came Tumbling Down. "But there were absolutely no problems with anyone in athletics there. I always said Texas Western was going through integration, I wasn't."

Although UTEP generated much of the integration buzz, Pan American was another school in the state employing numerous black starters while coach Lou Henson broke the color barrier at Hardin-Simmons in his inaugural season as a major-college coach in 1962-63. The next team to win an NCAA major-college title with five black starters was Louisville in 1980. In the first 20 years after the Miners captured their national title, the average number of blacks on college rosters doubled from three to six. About two-thirds of Division I basketball rosters currently are comprised of black players.

In 1966-67, Western Kentucky's Clem Haskins, Houston's Elvin Hayes and Louisville's Wes Unseld became the first African-Americans from Southern schools to be named NCAA consensus first-team All-Americans. Haskins, a three-time OVC Player of the Year, and Dwight Smith were WKU's first two black players, sparking the Hilltoppers to a 66-15 record in their three varsity campaigns. "He (Dwight) needed me and I needed him," said Haskins, who is generally considered the first black to earn a league MVP honor while attending a Southern school. "We leaned on each other's shoulders. We had a lot of wars to fight then with the barrier just broken. The people will never know what we went through then. There were many nights where we cried ourselves to sleep."

In early 1966, Hayes and fellow Louisiana product Don Chaney led UH to a victory at Centenary, where the coach (Orvis Sigler) undertook extraordinary measures meeting the mayor and city council to schedule the game. Laws still on the books at the time in Shreveport, La., forbidding whites and blacks from competing against each other had to be rescinded.

A total of 13 of Hall of Fame coach Dean Smith's 22 All-Americans with North Carolina are African-Americans. Wrote Smith in his autobiography A Coach's Life: "To me, the presence of (All-American) Charles Scott on the court for us (from 1967-68 through 1969-70) was nothing to commemorate or remark on. It was simply past due." However, Scott was more fond of Lefty Driesell ("I was a kid who never had anything. He would give me anything I wanted.") and committed to attend Davidson before a racial slur while dining in Charlotte when the eatery owner said to Lefty: "Coach, I'm sorry but my wife and I don't serve n------ on this side of the restaurant."

Bigotry seemed to still persist in 1968-69 when Scott, the first African-American on Carolina's varsity roster, didn't receive his just due by failing to become a consensus All-ACC first-team selection (22.3 ppg, 7.1 rpg and 3.4 apg for regular-season champion). He also lost the conference player of the year vote to South Carolina's white sophomore guard John Roche (23.6 ppg and 2.6 rpg for league runner-up) by a significant margin. Scott, a first-team All-American by the NABC and USBWA, was left off a handful of first-team All-ACC ballots while Roche wasn't named an All-American by the coaches, writers and either of the national wire services. "I thought it was a slap in the face," Scott told Jim Sumner of theACC.com. "It definitely was a motivator for me. It's the only time in the ACC I felt slighted."

In the midst of perhaps Scott's greatest triumph, a 40-point performance (hitting 13 of 14 second-half field-goal attempts) in a come-from-behind victory over Duke in the 1969 ACC Tournament final, he could not escape the loneliness of his pioneer status. "You want to know what I did after I scored the 40 points?" Scott told Jacobs. "I was by myself. Who am I going to go out with? I was by myself after I did that. We had great fun in the locker room. After that, we walked out of the locker room; everybody went one way, and I went another way. I had to celebrate it myself."

Scott's final season with UNC was the last time a simple majority of the NCAA consensus All-American first-team selections were white (LSU's Pete Maravich, Purdue's Rick Mount and Kentucky's Dan Issel). Since Scott graduated, whites have accounted for only 20 percent of the NCAA consensus All-American first- and second-team selections.

In 1970-71, the first season that Alabama, Clemson, Georgia, Kentucky and South Carolina featured an African-American on their varsity rosters, every member of the NCAA consensus All-American first team was black. In the next 10 years, Alabama (Leon Douglas), Clemson (Tree Rollins), Georgia (Dominique Wilkins) and Kentucky (Jack Givens) had blacks pass the test and become among their all-time best All-Americans. As for South Carolina, no black is among its eight All-American selections in school history.

Douglas' Bama club, coached by C.M. Newton, fielded the first all-back starting lineup in SEC history (also included Charles Cleveland, T.R. Dunn, Ray Odums and Charles Russell) on December 28, 1973, in a 65-55 win at Louisville. The groundbreaking game occurred just over nine years after the Boston Celtics fielded the NBA's first all-black lineup at St. Louis on December 26, 1964, when Willie Naulls replaced injured Tommy Heinsohn, joining regular starters K.C. Jones, Sam Jones, Bill Russell and Tom "Satch" Sanders. The Celtics won 12 games in a row with Naulls starting in place of Heinsohn and featuring an all-white bench.

A majority of ACC recruits were African-American by 1975 but it took until 1983 for an all-black starting five (North Carolina State) to win an ACC title.

Amid burning crosses and waving Confederate flags, prejudice probably prevented the ACC and SEC from becoming the nation's premier conferences in the 1960s and first half of the 1970s. Blacklisting almost certainly kept the SWC as a "football-only" league. All-Americans, future NBA standouts, Harlem Globetrotter greats, small-college sensations and prize postseason performers who attended high school in Southern states and might have enrolled at universities in the ACC, SEC or SWC if not for being deemed second-class citizens included:

Alabama - Harold Blevins (attended Arkansas AM&N), Tom Boswell (South Carolina State/South Carolina), Dave Bustion (Denver), Carver Clinton (Penn State), Danny Crenshaw (Alabama State), Jimmy Dew (Alabama State), Claude English (Rhode Island), Artis Gilmore (Jacksonville FL), Travis Grant (Kentucky State), Bill Green (Colorado State), Lamar Green (Morehead State), Elvin Ivory (Southwestern Louisiana), Willie "Hobo" Jackson (Morehead State), Bruce King (Morehead State), Sam McCamey (Oral Roberts), Thales McReynolds (Miles), Cal Ramsey (NYU), Willie Scott (Alabama State), Bud Stallworth (Kansas), Bennie Swain (Texas Southern) and Bob Veale (Benedictine KS).

Arkansas - Herbert "Geese" Ausbie (Philander Smith), Jim Barnes (Texas-El Paso), Frank Burgess (Gonzaga), Larry Ducksworth (Henderson State/Arkansas AM&N), brothers Oliver/Melvin/Wilbert Jones (Albany State GA), Eddie Miles (Seattle), Tom Patterson (Ouachita Baptist), Jackie Ridgle (California), Reece "Goose" Tatum (Harlem Globetrotters) and Jasper Wilson (Southern LA).

Florida - Luke Adams (Lamar), James Mack "Red" Allen (Arkansas AM&N), Johnnie Allen (Bethune-Cookman), Cyril Baptiste (Creighton), Waite Bellamy (Florida A&M), Joe Brunson Jr. (Furman), Pembrook Burrows (Jacksonville), Joe Bynes (Arkansas AM&N), Carl Fuller (Bethune-Cookman), Johnny Jones (Villanova), Greg Lowery (Texas Tech), Sam McCants (Oral Roberts), Stan McKenzie (NYU), Otto Moore (Pan American), Howard Porter (Villanova), Leonard "Truck" Robinson (Tennessee State), Harry Singletary (Florida Presbyterian), Joe Strawder (Bradley), Levern Tart (Bradley), Johnny Thornton (South Carolina State), Walt Wesley (Kansas) and Bob Williams (Florida A&M).

Georgia - Don Adams (Northwestern), Al Beard (Norfolk State), Curtis Bell (Morris Brown), Chuck Benson (Southern Illinois), Mack Daughtry (Albany State), Leonidas Epps III (Clark), Walt Frazier (Southern Illinois), Walt Gilmore (Fort Valley State), James Green (Paine), Charles Hardnett (Grambling LA), Garfield Heard (Oklahoma), Merv Jackson (Utah), Ed Johnson (Tennessee A&I), Julius Keye (South Carolina State/Alcorn A&M), George Knighton (New Mexico State), Lewis "Bubba" Linder (Kentucky State), Lloyd Neal (Tennessee State), Johnny Mathis (Savannah State), Larry "Gator" Rivers (Missouri Western), Elmore Smith (Kentucky State), Pete Smith (Valdosta State), Larry Strozier (Morehouse), Roman "Doc" Turman (Clark), LeRoy Walker (Benedict), Butch Webster (New Orleans), Joby Wright (Indiana) and Rayfield Wright (Fort Valley State).

Kentucky - Henry Bacon (Louisville), Butch Beard (Louisville), Ralph Davis (Cincinnati), Clarence Glover (Western Kentucky), Joe Hamilton (North Texas State), Clem Haskins (Western Kentucky), Carl Helem (Tennessee A&I), Lou Herndon (Jackson State), Charlie Hunter (Oklahoma City), Max Jameson (Kentucky State), Lou Johnson (Kentucky State), Bobby "Toothpick" Jones (Dayton), Ron King (Florida State), Jim McDaniels (Western Kentucky), Jerome Perry (Western Kentucky), Bob Redd (Marshall), Mike Redd (Kentucky Wesleyan), Jim Rose (Western Kentucky), Dwight Smith (Western Kentucky), Garfield Smith (Eastern Kentucky), Greg Smith (Western Kentucky), George Stone (Marshall), Tom Thacker (Cincinnati), Ron Thomas (Louisville), Dallas Thornton (Kentucky Wesleyan), Felix Thruston (Trinity TX), George Tinsley (Kentucky Wesleyan), Rich Travis (Oklahoma City), Jim Tucker (Duquesne), Ruell Tucker (Rockhurst MO), George Unseld (Kansas), Wes Unseld (Louisville), Jerry Lee Wells (Oklahoma City), Clarence "Cave" Wilson (Tennessee State) and Willie Woods (Eastern Kentucky).

Louisiana - Charlie Anderson (Grambling), Thurman "Zeke" Baptiste (Grambling/Northwestern State), Jerry Barr (Grambling), Charles Bloodworth (Southern/Northwestern State), Don Chaney (Houston), John Comeaux (Grambling), Jim Duplantier (Grambling), Wilbert Frazier (Grambling), Willie Hart (Grambling), Elvin Hayes (Houston), Fred Hilton (Grambling), James Hooper (Grambling), Bob Hopkins (Grambling), Luke Jackson (Texas Southern/Pan American), Aaron James (Grambling), Rich Johnson (Grambling), James Jones (Grambling), Edmond Lawrence (McNeese State), Theodis Lee (Houston), Bob Love (Southern), Tyronne Marioneaux (Loyola of New Orleans), Jesse Marshall (Centenary), Bob McCoy (Grambling), Surry Oliver (Stephen F. Austin State), Cincy Powell (Portland), Willis Reed (Grambling), Bill Russell (San Francisco after moving to California), Leslie Scott (Loyola of Chicago/Southwestern Louisiana), James Silas (Stephen F. Austin State), Curtis St. Mary (McNeese State), Henry Steele (Northeast Louisiana), Rex Tippitt (Grambling), Dale Valdery (Xavier LA), Abram Valore (Grambling), Hershell West (Grambling) and Howard Willis (Grambling).

Mississippi - Tommie Bowens (Grambling LA), Eddie Brown (Houston Baptist), Cleveland Buckner (Jackson State), Harvey Catchings (Hardin-Simmons TX), E.C. Coleman (Houston Baptist), Rowland Garrett (Florida State), Earl Glass (Mississippi Industrial), Mike Green (Louisiana Tech), Spencer Haywood (Detroit), Cleveland Hill (Nicholls State LA), Joel "McCoy" Ingram (Jackson State), George T. Johnson (Dillard LA), Arvesta Kelly (Lincoln MO), Earnest Killum Sr. (Stetson FL), Sam Lacey (New Mexico State), LyVonne "Hoss" LeFlore (Jackson State), Jesse Leonard (St. Louis), Plummer Lott (Seattle), Nate Madkins (Hardin-Simmons TX), Ed Manning (Jackson State), Jerry Nickens (Tougaloo), Willie Norwood (Alcorn A&M), John "Pete" Perry (Pan American), Aaron Sellers (Jackson State), James Ware (Oklahoma City), Cornell Warner (Jackson State), Donald "Slick" Watts (Xavier LA) and Levi Wyatt (Alcorn A&M).

North Carolina - Walt Bellamy (Indiana), Fred Bibby (Fayetteville State), Lee Davis (North Carolina Central), Larry Dunn (North Carolina Central), Reginald "Hawk" Ennis (North Carolina Central), Herm Gilliam (Purdue), Paul Grier (North Carolina A&T), Happy Hairston (NYU), Harvey Heartley (North Carolina Central), Lou Hudson (Minnesota), Harold Hunter (North Carolina Central), Sam Jones (North Carolina Central), George "Meadowlark" Lemon (Florida A&M), Henry Logan (Western Carolina), Allen McManus (Winston-Salem State), Fred "Curly" Neal (Johnson C. Smith), Willie Porter (Tennessee State), Oscar Smith (Elizabeth City State), Jimmy Walker (Providence), Bobby Warlick (Pepperdine), Willie Watson (Oklahoma City) and Harthorne Wingo (junior college).

South Carolina - Leon Benbow (Jacksonville), Theodore Chaplin Jr. (Voorhees), Larry Doby (LIU/Virginia Union), Gene Gathers (Bradley), Erwin "Chip" Johnson (Augusta), Lee Monroe (Shaw), Lindberg Moody (Morgan State/South Carolina State), Clifford Ray (Oklahoma), Art Shell (Maryland-Eastern Shore) and Kenny Washington (UCLA).

Tennessee - Willie Brown (Middle Tennessee State), James Douglas (Memphis State), L.M. Ellis (Drake/Austin Peay), Larry Finch (Memphis State), Richie Fuqua (Oral Roberts), Joe Gaines (Belmont), Carl Hardaway (Oral Roberts), Albert Henry (Wisconsin), Paul Hogue (Cincinnati), Les Hunter (Loyola of Chicago), James Johnson (Wisconsin), Rich Jones (Illinois/Memphis State), Ron Lawson Sr. (UCLA/Fisk), Ted McClain (Tennessee A&I), Charlie Paulk (Tulsa/Northeastern Oklahoma State), Ken Riley (Middle Tennessee State), Rick Roberson (Cincinnati), Vic Rouse (Loyola of Chicago), Willie Shaw (Lane), Bingo Smith (Tulsa), Dwight Waller (Tennessee State) and Henry Watkins (Tennessee State).

Texas - John Barber (Los Angeles State), Zelmo Beaty (Prairie View A&M), Nate Bowman (Wichita), Charlie Brown (Texas Western), Leroy Chalk (Nebraska), Willie Davis (North Texas State), Henry Dooley (Wiley College), Mitchell Edwards (Pan American), Charles "Tex" Harrison (North Carolina Central), Robert Hughes Sr. (Texas Southern), Eddie Jackson (Oklahoma/OCU), David Lattin (Texas Western), Charles Lindsey (New Mexico State), Wilbert Loftin Jr. (Southwestern Louisiana), Guy Manning (Prairie View A&M), Joe Billy McDade (Bradley), Elton McGriff (Creighton), McCoy McLemore (Drake), Howie Montgomery (Texas Southern/Pan American), Billy Joe Price (New Mexico State), Nolan Richardson II (Texas Western), Rubin Russell (North Texas State), John Savage (North Texas State), Dave Stallworth (Wichita), Nate Stephens (Creighton/Long Beach State), Fred Taylor (Pan American), Ernie Turner (New Mexico State), Gene Wiley (Wichita), Leroy Wright (Pacific) and John Henry Young (Midwestern State).

Virginia - Charles Bonaparte (Norfolk State), Al Bumbry (Virginia State), Bob Dandridge (Norfolk State), Jesse Dark (Virginia Commonwealth), Roy Ebron (Southwestern Louisiana), Bill English (Winston-Salem State NC), William Franklin (Purdue), Bernard Harris (Virginia Commonwealth), Junius Kellogg (West Virginia State/Manhattan), Earl Lloyd (West Virginia State), James "Bones" Morgan (Maryland State), Rudolph Peele (Norfolk State), Curtis Pritchett (St. Augustine's NC), Reggie Roach Sr. (Virginia State), Bruce Spraggins (Virginia Union), Harley "Skeeter" Swift (East Tennessee State), Walter "Fuzzy" Ward (Hampton Institute) and Charles "Jabo" Wilkins (Fayetteville State NC/Virginia Commonwealth).

Reed (21.7 ppg) and Walt Frazier (20.9), the top two scorers for the New York Knicks' 1969-70 NBA champion, could have helped rewrite SEC basketball history if they had been allowed to compete in the league. LSU wouldn't have been mired in mediocrity with a 24-25 record in 1962-63 and 1963-64 if the Tigers had successfully recruited Reed and fellow in-state products L. Jackson and Love to comprise one of the all-time premier frontcourts. Elsewhere, Georgia most assuredly wouldn't have gone 19-32 in 1965-66 and 1966-67 with Frazier and M. Jackson in the Bulldogs' lineup. Similarly, Alabama wouldn't have struggled with an 18-34 mark in 1969-70 and 1970-71 if the Tide hadn't turn its back on Gilmore, Grant and B. Stallworth.

In the late 1960s, Memphis State could have boasted one of the foremost frontlines in history if it had successfully recruited hometown heroes Albert Henry (Wisconsin), Charlie Paulk (Northeastern Oklahoma State), Rick Roberson (Cincinnati) and Bobby Smith (Tulsa). But the Tigers missed out on the four eventual NBA first-round draft choices who left Memphis for other colleges with Roberson and Smith attending fellow Missouri Valley Conference members. Adding insult to injury, local product David Vaughn Jr. reneged on an oral commitment to the Tigers in the early 1970s and became a standout with Oral Roberts.

In 1969-70, Florida State's starting lineup under coach Hugh Durham featured one white player (All-American Dave Cowens) and four black players (Ron Harris/Ken Macklin/Willie Williams/Skip Young). Memphis and FSU were joined by Virginia Commonwealth and Western Kentucky in 1970-71 to comprise group of majority-white Southern universities fielding all-black starting lineups. Contrary to the depictions by some naysayers, the influx of black talent showed it could handle pressure by helping Memphis coach Gene Bartow win more than 70% of the Tigers' games decided by fewer than eight points during his four-season tenure. At his debut, the city was only 2 1/2 years removed from perhaps its lowest point, the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. on the balcony of a local hotel. "Memphis State and the rest of the city was racially divided," said Maxine Smith, former executive director of the NAACP. "Sport played such an overwhelming part in our community breaking down barriers."

As for coaches, it took the ACC, SEC and SWC an extended period to embrace their first African-American bench bosses. In 1974-75, Arizona's Fred Snowden became the first African-American coach to have a major-college team finish in a final wire-service Top 20 poll (17th in UPI with a 22-7 record). Two years earlier, Snowden became the first African-American head coach in the Western Athletic Conference and at a major university. Snowden was 26 games above .500 in WAC competition after his first five seasons, but was 18 games below .500 in his last five years. He won a stunning 70% of his games decided by fewer than four points in his first seven campaigns with the Wildcats (33-14 mark in those close contests during that span).

Will Robinson had become the nation's first black major-college head coach in 1971-72 when Illinois State moved up to the NCAA Division I level. It was 10 years before ISU joined the Missouri Valley Conference, where Drake's Gus Guydon is generally considered to be the first African-American assistant at a major university. Guydon was a two-time All-MVC first-team swingman for Drake under coach Maury John in the early 1960s as almost 80 percent of the first-team choices in "The Valley" during that decade were black. The MVC was dubbed a "black" league when a minimum of four first-team selections annually were African-Americans from 1961-62 through the season (1972-73) Mississippi State became the last SEC school to integrate at the varsity level. Guydon was an assistant at his alma mater before leaving with John for Iowa State following the 1970-71 campaign.

The 1970s and 1980s witnessed the following head coaches break the color barrier in major conferences: Harvard's Tom Sanders (Ivy League in 1973-74), Wisconsin's Bill Cofield (Big Ten in 1976-77), Arkansas' Nolan Richardson (SWC in 1985-86), Oklahoma State's Leonard Hamilton (Big Eight in 1986-87), Maryland's Bob Wade (ACC in 1986-87) and Tennessee's Wade Houston (SEC in 1989-90). It was largely overlooked in 1996-97 when three black coaches won or shared divisional titles in Conference USA (Tulane's Perry Clark, Memphis State's Larry Finch and UNC Charlotte's Melvin Watkins).

By 2008-09, eight of the 12 head coaches in the Mid-American Conference were black. However, just barely over 20% of the head coaches nationwide at the time were minorities.

In 1982, Georgetown's John Thompson Jr. took umbrage to depictions of him as the initial African-American coach to direct a team to the Final Four. But the injustices in the past against his race were sufficient reason for placing emphasis on Thompson's achievements with predominantly black rosters.

Dr. John Edgar Wideman, a novelist who was the first black player for Penn in the early 1960s, said: "(Thompson's) a talented man and a great coach, but the reason he's the first (Final Four) black coach is not because of his unique and individual talent; it's because he was allowed to be. We always have to keep that in mind when we look at firsts, and bests, among black people in any endeavor."

The integration of college basketball, waiting primarily on the South to emerge from the "Jim Crow" dark ages, wasn't complete until the mid-1970s. For instance, Coolidge Ball didn't become the first black athlete to sign a basketball scholarship with Ole Miss until eight years after James Meredith became the initial black student at the university in 1962. Although overt racism probably wasn't quite as pervasive as in professional sports, many of the African-American players who broke the color barriers at colleges post-World War II faced more than their share of hardships and hostility.

"They (opposing fans) were all just rabid," recalls Perry Wallace, Vanderbilt's standout forward who became the first black varsity player in the all-white Southeastern Conference in 1967-68. "I'm talking racial stuff, people threatening your life ... calling you nigger, coon, shoe polish. The first time I played Ole Miss I got spat on at halftime by four generations of one family."

Wallace, a local product from Nashville who went on to become a law professor at the University of Baltimore and American University, encountered raucous road trips throughout the Deep South, where belligerent spectators drenched him with their drinks and cheerleaders led crowds in racist chants. In Mississippi, he was punched in the eye by an opposing player whom he knew he couldn't fight back.

Wallace, overshadowed in the SEC by Maravich's scoring exploits, told the Nashville Business & Lifestyles that "I'm not one of these historical revisionists who tries to claim he was all-smart and all-seeing back in those days. Everybody knew that what was happening was important. You've got to understand that this was post-legal segregation, but it was de facto segregation."

In an interview with The Tennessean, Wallace spoke of also feeling alienated from classmates at Vandy when being informed by older members of the campus church that elders there would withhold contributions and write the congregation out of their will if he continued to attend.

"I can't say it any other way," confided Wallace, an All-SEC second-team selection as a senior in 1969-70. "I have been there by myself. It's been a very lonesome thing. People knew my name but weren't interested in knowing me. They respected my basketball ability but still considered me as a person who sweeps floors."

In The Walls Came Tumbling Down, Wallace said: "There were times when I felt close to a nervous breakdown. They weren't the worst four years any black man ever had experienced, but it took me a while to learn to deal with the pain. The fact that I did is a credit to my parents. They had eighth-grade educations and they worked as servants and what not. But they emphasized education, decency, and morality. I grew up poor but with strong values. My parents wouldn't let me hate back. They used to say, 'No matter what is done to you, you don't get the chance to hate back.'"

Wallace told the St. Petersburg Times that during his first varsity game at Ole Miss, the crowd cheered when he was punched in the eye and injured going for a rebound.

"Both of the Mississippi schools and both of the (SEC's) Alabama schools - those were the worst," Wallace said. "In other places, you still had prejudice, at Louisiana (State) and the University of Tennessee, those could be bad. But the Mississippi and Alabama schools were the worst. Those people were mobsters, like Klansmen, and were people right from that world. They knew how to destroy a black person. And that's what they tried to do to me. They did what they could to try to induce fear in me and basically make me fail. I had to make sure that I did not succumb to that."

Vandy failed to produce a black All-American until swingman Shan Foster was honored in 2008. Elsewhere in the SEC, hate mail didn't arrive just from whites for Alabama's Wendell Hudson, who earned All-American accolades as a senior. "Some of the mail I got was from black people, that was, 'I can't believe you're going to Alabama. You sold out. You should go to a black school,'" said Hudson, a two-time All-SEC first-team selection. "In my mind, this is what the marching was all about. This is what equality was all about. So now you're mad at me?"

Henry Harris, an All-SEC third-team selection in 1971-72 and Auburn's first black athlete, was for a while the only black Wallace played against in the SEC. Harris took his own life by jumping off a building in New York soon after he left college. And Tom Payne, who broke the color barrier at Kentucky a year after Wallace graduated, was imprisoned an extended period for assaulting females.

"Tom Payne had a tragic life and it wasn't all owing to playing in the SEC, but it didn't help," Wallace asserts. "You have to take the time that it requires to recover from an experience like that. You have to heal right. And fortunately, I think I have. I'm not destroyed. I've wrestled with the emotional effect that experience has had on my life. That was a process that was not easy those first few years, but I did it."

Payne, the son of an Army sergeant, went from pioneer to pariah in the wake of incurring rape convictions in three states (Georgia, Kentucky and California). Some might contend that his view is a convenient crutch. But after growing up in the integrated atmosphere of Army bases, he says that the racism he experienced during his one tumultuous season with UK led him to detest white people and abuse women. Threatening phone calls, broken car windows and eggs smashed on his front door became routine.

"That's the kind of abuse I went through," Payne said. "And people think that's not supposed to affect you? Before I went to college, nothing in my life said I was going to be a criminal. My whole life took a turn going to UK and getting damaged so much. My anger and hatred toward white society came up, and I lashed out."

Elsewhere in the SEC, ugly sentiments expressed in various ways were handled infinitely better. Collis Temple Jr., the son of two educators, never wavered in his determination to rid the stain of Jim Crow from LSU's campus. He insists that, despite being recruited by a "very racist" Press Maravich, his college career was a generally positive experience and, in the process, allowed him to help pave a smoother route for those who came after him - including two sons (Collis III and Garrett) who starred for the Tigers.

"It's the best decision I could have made," Collis Jr. said. "If I had to make that choice again, my choice would be the same."

Choices made by Brigham Young's administration probably would be different if it could make them all again. As late as 1969, BYU administrators discouraged blacks from attending the university, fostering numerous problems with Western Athletic Conference opponents. When BYU played at Arizona in 1970, a group of demonstrators tried to force their way onto the court, resulting in a 10-minute brawl with security police. The Cougars' game at New Mexico was delayed nearly one hour after protestors threw eggs and kerosene-filled balloons onto the court. At Colorado State, Brigham Young's team was met by students carrying "Bigot Young University" signs before protestors hurled eggs, a flaming molotov cocktail and a piece of angle-iron onto the court.

Sports Illustrated observed that BYU was no longer certain whether an opponent would "throw a man-to-man defense, a zone, or a grenade." Cougars coach Stan Watts complained that the team was unable to concentrate because they had to keep "one eye on the crowd and one eye on the game."

Race problems weren't restricted to major universities. Two-time NAIA Tournament MVP Al Tucker, who went on to become an NBA first-round draft choice after averaging 28.7 points and 12.9 rebounds per game in three seasons for Oklahoma Baptist, played one year with the College of Knoxville before going home to Ohio because of racial issues. Said Tucker about the last straw that sent him home: "We had what they called the Tennessee Theatre and we would give the lady a dollar or whatever it cost to get in and she said 'Sorry, we don't allow Negroes in.' Next thing they're going to call the paddy wagon and take us to jail."

The old bigotry of the South fades virtually every day, but former Mississippi/Arizona State coach Rob Evans thinks the lessons in perseverance shouldn't be forgotten. Every year when Evans coached Ole Miss, he took his players to the Civil Rights Museum in Memphis.

"I just think it's important to expand kids' knowledge, but I also wanted my kids exposed to what happened in the '60s, and why things are like they are now," Evans said. "I've had a tremendous amount of my white kids say, 'Coach, did this really happen?' They say, 'How did you take this?' I think it bonds the kids together."

In the early 1990s, Michigan's all-black "Fab Five" generated extensive national headlines with back-to-back NCAA Tournament championship game appearances. But their chest-pounding "me generation" era introducing baggy shorts, sullen stares and hip-hop attitudes might have been more style than substance because they never won a Big Ten Conference championship. At that time, the Center for the Study of Sport in Society supplied the following statistics: More than 55 percent of the varsity Division I players were black; seven percent of the students on campus were black, and 1 1/2 percent of the faculty was black. The dropout rate after four years of eligibility for blacks was three times higher than the 10 percent for whites. Whether or not soft bigotry still exists, a 2007 report found that only 43 percent of black male college players graduate.

To be sure, things in society have changed immeasurably for minority groups since slavery and cotton were king. Gregory, Robinson and Wallace among others could only do so much in venturing into unchartered territory. Prejudice dies hard. Among everyone, actually, as lunatic leftists Don Lemon (CNN) and Rev. Al "Not So" Sharpton (MSNBC) appear as if they hope the first five Memphis police officers fired in recent repulsive beating death turn out to be white cops in black face similar to former VA governor Ralph Northam, Joyless Behar, ex-comedian Jimmy "Mailman" Kimmel and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.