The best of all-time! The careers of former March Madness Most Outstanding Players
The UCONN Huskies are National Champions, defeating San Diego State 76-59 to win their fifth National Championship in the program's history.
The March Madness Most Outstanding Player was UCONN forward Adama Sanogo, who scored 17 points and ten rebounds in the final championship game.
Sanogo set the tone for the Huskies in the tournament, averaging 19.7 points, 9.8 rebounds, and 1.3 blocks per game.
The two-time All-Big East player joins historic company with Hakeem Olajuwon, Christian Laettner, and Corliss Williamson as the only players in the last 40 years to enter the championship game, averaging over 20 points while shooting better than 65% from the field.
Let's look through some of the previous March Madness MOPs who've gone on to have legendary NBA careers.
Carmelo Anthony guided Syracuse University to their first-ever NCAA Championship as a freshman in 2003. Anthony had a 33-point outburst in the Final Four game and produced 20 points and ten rebounds in the final, winning the MOP award.
Anthony is one of the greatest scorers in NBA history, sitting ninth on the all-time list with 28,289. He is also a ten-time All-Star, a six-time All-NBA player, and in the NBA 75th Anniversary team.
Wilt Chamberlain was awarded the MOP award after his Kansas University side lost in the finals to North Carolina. He scored 32 and 23 in the final two games to win the award.
Chamberlain created a historic NBA career, holding 72 NBA records. He is the only player to score 100 points in an NBA game, gather 55 rebounds, and average 50 points in a season.
The only player to be named the NCAA Most Outstanding Player three times is Lew Alcindor (now Kareem Abdul Jabbar), winning the award consecutively with the UCLA Bruins from 1967-69.
Abdul-Jabbar is a six-time NBA MVP, a six-time NBA champion, a 19-time All-Star, and a two-time Finals MVP. The former center is second on the all-time scoring list with 38,387 points scored.
One of the most popular NCAA Championship matches was in 1979 when Magic Johnson's Michigan State brought down Larry Birds Indiana team. Johnson was awarded the MOP player award in what was the most-watched college basketball game ever.
Johnson spent his entire NBA career with the Los Angeles Lakers, winning five NBA championships, three Finals MVPs and MVPs, and led the league in assists in four separate seasons.
Despite losing in the championship game in 1983 and 1984, Hakeem 'The Dream' Olajuwon was awarded the NCAA MOP award in 1983 with the University of Houston.
Known for his elite footwork and physical dominance around the basket, Olajuwon became one of the best centers to play the game, winning two championships, an NBA MVP, and a nine-time All-Defensive player.
Lakers forward Anthony Davis posted 18 points, 14 rebounds, and five blocks in the March Madness Final Four and followed up with six points, 16 rebounds, and six blocks in the championship game, securing the 2012 NCAA MOP award.
Aged 30, Davis is already regarded as one of the greatest power forwards of all time, securing an NBA championship, eight All-Star appearances, and was named in the NBA 75th Anniversary team. He currently averages 27 points and 12 rebounds this season.