What Were The Best Individual Title Game Performances From The Last 10 Seasons?
So it’s August and this is somewhat the dead time in hoops. We’re a little bit away from the start of preseason in the NBA, we’re past the July recruiting period, so really all we have are some international trips and any surprise trades. So with that in mind I decided August will be the time to reflect on the past and get yelled at by putting out different blogs involving the best/worst/rankings/whatever. So if you have something in mind, let me know. I started this with the 10 best programs in college hoops from the last 10 seasons.
We wrap up the August yelling session by looking at individual title game performances. We looked at everything this month from best teams, players, players that didn’t make it to the NBA and more, so it feel fitting to end with NCAA title games. More importantly we’ll focus on the individual aspect of it all, especially with the way that the 2018 game went. We’ll get right into it as this is the last flashback blog we’ll do until next year. These will focus on just the last 10 title games, which starts with UNC winning in 2009. This is also just specific to the title game, not the run or anything like that. Just one game, one result.
10. Thomas Robinson (Kansas, 2012)
18 points, 17 rebounds
Thomas Robinson showed that you can still have a hell of a game even if you come up on the losing side. He was an absolute monster on the boards as he had 5 offensive rebounds, going up against the Kentucky frontline of Anthony Davis and Terrence Jones.
9. Luke Hancock (Louisville, 2013)
22 points, 5-for-5 from three
Luke Hancock was absolutely on fire and became a Final Four MOP off the bench. Most of this was his ability to match Spike Albrecht (who had one of the more memorable halves in title game history) from the 3-point line. Hancock was able to get into a rhythm and with a relatively short bench and Dieng having 4 fouls, found his spot. Going 5-for-5 from three in a title game is pretty, pretty important too.
8. Kyle Singler (Duke, 2010)
19 points, 9 rebounds
We remember this game with how close it was – no team leading more than six. We remember this game for just how close Gordon Hayward was to having the most memorable shot in basketball history. But, while we talk about Hayward and Stevens, we forget how good Singler was in this game. He finished 7-for-13 from the field and battled Gordon Hayward in what ended up being a battle between pros.
7. Marcus Paige (UNC, 2016)
21 points, 6 assists, 5 rebounds, one crazy three
We almost forget what Marcus Paige did in the title game because of the buzzer-beater. But, Paige was absolutely huge in what ended up being his final college game. He finished with 21 points to lead Carolina and went 4-for-7 from three. One of those threes led to the buzzer beater and was one of the more unbelievable shots as he double clutched to hit the tying three. He also took care of the ball, which against this Nova team is worth something as he had just 1 turnover.
6. Ty Lawson (UNC, 2009)
21 points, 6 assists, 8 steals, 15-18 from FT line
Year one here and we get Ty Lawson with his 8 steals. He wasn’t necessarily great offensively as he was just 3-for-10 from the field, but it says something about going 15-18 from the line in the title game. That’s exactly what Lawson did to seal one of the more dominant NCAA Tournament runs by UNC in 2009. While he didn’t shoot the ball well, he defended his ass off and only had 1 turnover.
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5. Anthony Davis (Kentucky, 2012)
6 points, 16 rebounds, 6 blocks, 5 assists
This was one of those games that just showed you it’s not necessarily all about offense. We’re here to appreciate defense too and Anthony Davis had one of the best defensive games in a title game that we’ve seen. He finished with just 6 points and shot just 1-for-10 from the field but was a force on the boards and protecting the rim.
4. Shabazz Napier (UConn, 2014)
22 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists
It’s fitting that Shabazz had a big time game in the title game as he was dominant during the entire NCAA Tournament. He deserved to have a huge game in the victory over Kentucky. Napier was good at pretty much every aspect during this game. He shot 8-for-16 from the field and 4-for-9 from three. He hit a massive three to push UConn’s lead up to four after Kentucky went on an 8-0 run. He also held Aaron Harrison to a 3-for-7 night after he had his own absurd run to the title game.
3. Phil Booth (Villanova, 2016)
20 points, 6-for-7 from the field
I know Kris Jenkins hit the game-winning shot, but Phil Booth is the reason that Nova was able to come back and win this game against Carolina. Booth came off the bench to go nearly perfect from the field and finish with 20 points. Before Paige and Jenkins, Booth may have hit the biggest shot of the game as he hit a turnaround jumper as the shot clock was going off to give Nova a 5-point lead with 3 minutes to go. That lead stayed for a minute before Hart hit a free throw to go up six. It can’t be understated how damn good Booth was in this game. He also hit this shot right before half:
2. Grayson Allen (Duke, 2015)
16 points, 5-for-8 from the field
It was tough not to put Tyus Jones on this list as he was damn good in this game, but Grayson was the one who ignited Duke to the win. With Jahlil Okafor in foul trouble and that actually meant something as Okafor was arguably the best player in the country that year, Grayson scored 12 points more than his season average. He played just 21 minutes, but those 16 points were every bit valuable in giving Duke the win over Wisconsin.
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1. Donte DiVincenzo (Villanova, 2018)
31 points, 5 rebounds, 5-for-7 from three
Come on, it has to be Donte, right? I mean 31 points off the bench with Brunson in foul trouble? Absolutely ridiculous what DiVincenzo was able to do this past April. He almost single-handily pushed Villanova’s lead to 62-44 when he hit a couple threes, a 2-handed block and a finish at the rim. He joined only Kareem and Walton to score 30 points on 66% shooting in the title game.