Hype Hangover: NBA MVPs Haunted By Dismal NCAA Tourney Performances

March 18th, 2024 - 14:56

Russell Westbrook has discerned anew the past several seasons that success isn't guaranteed at every pitstop in a hoops career. In monumental miscarriage of justice not long ago, Michael Jordan (North Carolina) and Larry Bird (Indiana State) reached finale stemming from online voting for ESPN's college basketball's greatest of all-time (GOAT) bracket. MJ deserved to be national POY over Virginia senior Ralph Sampson in 1982-83, but the ESPN debacle was an obvious benchmark exhibiting historical level of ignorance and how much ill-informed younger generations are self-absorbed mental midgets completely influenced by TV commercials. Actually, ESPN's politically-correct bracket was flawed from the outset when a race-to-erase masculinity had females comprising 1/4 of the entrants. Where were bathroom-barging transgender candidates impacting site selection?

A more accurate barometer for determining college impact and individual excellence is Collegehoopedia's authoritative "All-Time Top 100 Players." Truth be told when it comes to NCAA Tournament history, MJ and Larry Legend probably rank 1-2 only in assessing a "goat" for most disappointing college playoff performances by individuals eventually earning at least three NBA Most Valuable Player awards. Despite both of them reaching an NCAA championship contest, there is a striking number of other individuals who should be on college basketball's Mount Rushmore after excelling the most as NCAA playoff performers. For instance, UCLA's Lew Alcindor earned three consecutive Final Four Most Outstanding Player awards from 1967 through 1969; Ohio State's Jerry Lucas was a three-time Big Ten Conference MVP who led the nation in FG% all three seasons from 1960 through 1962; Cincinnati's Oscar Robertson amassed 33 consecutive double-doubles en route to pacing country in scoring three times from 1958 through 1960; San Francisco's Bill Russell registered an incredible four-game total of 84 rebounds in back-to-back Final Fours in 1955 and 1956, and UCLA's Bill Walton was the main cog for first school in history to compile back-to-back perfect seasons (1972 and 1973).

It's a simplistic cop-out to accept the one-name icon visibility of Michael, Bird and Magic Johnson (Michigan State) and designate them among the premier players in NCAA tourney history. Compared to their unquestionable NBA exploits (where MJ should rank #1 if wearing uniform No. 23 rather than 45), they were more duds than studs in NCAA playoffs warranting inclusion among the following not-so-super seven NBA MVPs faltering at times in college postseason competition:

  1. Michael Jordan (North Carolina) - His NBA playoff scoring average with the Chicago Bulls more than doubled the NCAA Tournament scoring average he compiled for Carolina. Jordan averaged 16.5 points per NCAA playoff game with the Tar Heels, scoring 20 or more in just two of 10 postseason games from 1982 through 1984. His Airness scored fewer than 18 points in two of the four playoff contests he led Carolina in scoring. Most people don't remember his inauspicious playoff debut when he collected six points, one rebound, no assists and no steals in 37 minutes of a 52-50 opening-round victory against James Madison in the East Regional. And Jordan's final NCAA Tournament appearance before he left school early for the NBA was nothing to write home about, either. The college player of the year was restricted to six points in the first 35 minutes of his collegiate swan song in the East Regional semifinals against Indiana, finishing with 13 points, one rebound, one assist and one steal in 26 foul-plagued minutes when the top-ranked Tar Heels were eliminated (72-68). A total of 25 different Carolina players - including Ranzino Smith with modest career average of 6.5 ppg - posted NCAA playoff scoring high matching or greater than Jordan's best of 27.

  2. Larry Bird (Indiana State) - Boosted the Sycamores to the 1979 final in his lone NCAA tourney, but put the 'oops' in hoops by committing a Final Four-record 17 turnovers. He hit just 7-of-21 field-goal attempts and had three times as many turnovers (six) as assists (two) against Michigan State in the championship game, which was essentially the equivalent of a boring Super Bowl failing to live up to hype.

  3. James Harden (Arizona State) - Supplied a total of only three field goals while averaging 9.5 points in two NCAA Tournament games in 2009. He also averaged only 5.5 ppg in the 2012 Olympic Games in London before finishing among the NBA's top five scorers each of the next eight seasons.

  4. Dave Cowens (Florida State) - Collected 11 points and 4 rebounds in one NCAA Tournament game against East Tennessee State in the playoff debuts for both schools in 1968.

  5. Charles Barkley (Auburn) - Lost only NCAA Tournament game as junior in 1984 against mid-major Richmond (#12 seed).

  6. Russell Westbrook (UCLA) - Averaged 8.2 points and 2.2 assists in 10 NCAA Tournament games for Final Four teams in 2007 and 2008.

  7. Magic Johnson (Michigan State) - Shot an anemic 27.8% from the floor (10-of-36) in three 1978 tourney games as a freshman (scoring six points when eliminated in regional final by Kentucky) before leading Spartans to NCAA title the next year. He had more turnovers (six) than assists (five) in the over-hyped 1979 final, a mediocre contest paling in comparison to the last eight finals of the 1980s when seven of them were decided by an average of two points. Johnson outscored and outrebounded teammate Greg Kelser in just one of eight playoff games they played together. Kelser simply contributed more than Magic to MSU's cause in NCAA competition when they were teammates.

They didn't blossom into NBA MVPs, but following is an alphabetical list of All-Americans - two from West Virginia in the 1950s - who finished their college careers at least three games below .500 in NCAA playoff competition:
Austin Carr - 2-5 record with Notre Dame from 1969 through 1971 (averaged 41.3 ppg and 7.6 rpg)
Derrick Chievous - 0-3 with Missouri from 1986 through 1988 (24 ppg/7.7 rpg)
Terry Cummings - 0-3 with DePaul from 1980 through 1982 (16.3 ppg/9.7 rpg)
Mike Daum - 0-3 with South Dakota State from 2016 through 2018 (20 ppg/6.3 rpg)
Ron Haigler - 1-4 with Penn from 1973 through 1975 (18.4 ppg/8.2 rpg)
Ron Harper - 0-3 with Miami of Ohio from 1984 through 1986 (21 ppg/10.3 rpg)
Steve Harris - 0-3 with Tulsa in 1982, 1984 and 1985 (22.3 ppg/2.3 spg)
"Hot" Rod Hundley - 0-3 with West Virginia from 1955 through 1957 (17.3 ppg/9 rpg)
Keith "Mister" Jennings - 0-3 with East Tennessee State from 1989 through 1991 (12 ppg/4.3 rpg/8.3 apg)
Kyle Korver - 1-4 with Creighton from 2000 through 2003 (14.8 ppg/5.4 rpg/3.4 apg)
Clyde Mayes - 1-4 with Furman from 1973 through 1975 (18.4 ppg/13.4 rpg)
Eddie Miles - 0-3 with Seattle from 1961 through 1963 (26 ppg/4.7 rpg)
Kris Murray - 0-3 with Iowa from 2021 through 2023 (6 ppg/5 rpg; DNP in 2021 opener)
Gary Payton Sr. - 0-3 with Oregon State from 1988 through 1990 (18 ppg/4 rpg/7apg/1.3 spg)
John Pilch - 0-6 with Wyoming from 1947 through 1949 (10 ppg)
Lloyd Sharrar - 0-3 with West Virginia from 1956 through 1958 (8.3 ppg)
Arnold Short - 1-4 with Oklahoma City from 1952 through 1954 (18.2 ppg)