Biggest One-Hit Wonders in NCAA Tournament History

March Madness is know for a variety of different things. Buzzer-beaters, Cinderella-stories and even some of the greatest moments in sports history. But one thing that is ever so prominent in the Big Dance is the one-hit wonder.

With so many different schools having an equal shot at one goal—a title—the opportunities for anyone to become a hero or college basketball sensation is wide open.

Perhaps one big game does it, or sometimes it is just one ridiculous postseason run.

Whatever it is, here are 15 of the biggest one-hit wonders in March Madness history.

15. Michael Beasley, Kansas State

Former Kansas State Wildcat, now Minnesota Timberwolves forward Michael Beasley is not an easy pick for this list, but considering he hasn't amounted to much since being drafted will make him worthy of starting things out.

In just one season with the Wildcats, Beasley averaged 26.2 points and 12.4 rebounds per game, as he grew to be regarded as one of the best players in the country, despite only being a freshman.

In the team's postseason, they were placed into the Midwest Region as a No. 11 seed. They beat No. 6 USC in the first round as Beasley put up 23 points and 11 rebounds.

The next round though, they had to take on No. 3 Wisconsin, and while the team fell 72-55, Beasley still put up 23 points and 13 boards.

Since entering the NBA, Beasley hasn't been able to fulfill the hype as the No. 2 overall pick in the draft, despite all of his success in the college basketball postseason. 

14. Ken "Mouse" McFadden, Cleveland State

Ken "Mouse" McFadden had a lot of success at Cleveland State in taking them to the NIT tourney twice, but only once did he carry the Vikings to the Big Dance.

In 1986, the Vikings made their way into the field. Seeded No. 14 in their region, the team took down No. 3 Indiana 83-79.

Their next challenge wasn't any easier, as Mouse and the Vikings had to take on No. 6 seed Saint Joseph's. While many were still in disbelief from their first round shock, the team took down the Hawks 75-69, making their way into the Sweet Sixteen.

Despite all the glory they had reached in the previous two rounds, McFadden couldn't carry the Vikings to the elite eight, losing to David Robinson and Navy 71-70.

The Vikings never made the tourney again with McFadden, but he stills holds the mark for most points in Cleveland State history.

13. Tyrus Thomas, LSU

During the 2006 NCAA tournament, the LSU Tigers' power forward took highlight reel to another level.

The electrifying forward was able to get above anyone who came his way, and was taking the tournament by storm.

While Thomas wasn't a scoring machine, it was his ability to stop the opposition from scoring. In the game against the Duke Blue Devils in the Sweet Sixteen, Thomas shut down the team as he went on to have five blocks.

The Tigers went onto the Final Four, where they eventually were overpowered by the UCLA Bruins.

Thomas went onto the NBA following his freshman season, and never lived up to the hype as the Chicago Bulls traded their pick in LaMarcus Aldridge for upside in Thomas.

Now he plays for the Charlotte Bobcats, where he is still struggling to show what he did at the college level.

12. Jai Lewis, George Mason

Apart of the George Mason Patriots 2006 Cinderella-run, forward Jai Lewis quickly went from stud to dud.

In their route to the Final Four, Lewis and the Patriots took down the No. 11 Michigan State Spartans, No. 3 University of North Carolina Tar Heels, No. 7 Wichita State and No. 1 UConn Huskies. The team defied the odds again and again, but good things can only last so long.

In the Final Four, they were pitted against the Florida Gators—the team that would eventually win it all.

The Gators put the Patriots back in their place, winning the game 73-58.

Lewis went from hero to zero, as he was never taken in the NBA Draft. He made a quick run in the NFL, but after that dream faded just as quickly, Lewis went back to basketball. This time, overseas.

11. Jeff Fryer, Loyola Marymount

When Hank Gathers suddenly went down and passed away following a collapse in a game against Portland, the highly touted Loyola Marymount needed to carry the team elsewhere.

Shooting guard Jeff Fryer was one of those guys, as he would become an integral part of the team's NCAA tourney run.

Marymount entered the tourney as a No. 11 seed in the West Region, and they got off to a quick start defeating the No. 6 seed New Mexico State 111-92.

The next round would be when Fryer would make his name, as he set an NCAA tournament record, making 11 three-pointers during the team's second round 149-115 win over the Michigan Wolverines.

The team would go on to defeat the Alabama Crimson Tide in the next round, but they eventually fell to the No. 1 seed UNLV.

10. Fennis Dembo, Wyoming

At Wyoming, Fennis Dembo was constantly a force to be reckon with. It was until the 1987 season that he would go noticed on the national stage.

With the team qualifying for a seed in the Big Dance, Dembo took the field by storm.

In pursuit of reaching the Sweet 16, Dembo led the tourney in scoring with 27.8 points per game. Despite having a success in 1987, Demob didn't do much in the NBA.

After being take early in the second round of the 1988 draft, Dembo played just a single season for the Detroit Pistons.

9. Scott May, Indiana

While Indiana Hoosier power forward Scott May appeared in two different NCAA tournaments, one would discredit his 1975 tourney appearance since it was just one game after missing time with a broken arm.

In 1976 though, May led the Hoosiers to an undefeated season, as well as capturing the NCAA title. May was convincingly the leader of coach Bobby Knight's team, and proved so as he went No. 2 overall in the NBA Draft to the Chicago Bulls.

While May did stick around in the NBA, he only managed to score 3,690 points and having 1,450 rebounds over seven seasons.

8. Bo Kimble, Loyola Marymount

Another player from Loyola Marymount who had to help the team make up for the loss of Hank Gathers was guard Bo Kimble.

Kimble and Gathers were teammates before on the USC Trojans—as well as coming from Philadelphia together—so both were always compared despite being completely different players.

In the team's run to the Elite Eight, Kimble was an integral part of the team's success. He was looked upon to carry the weight of the loss of Gathers, and he did so in more of way than anyone could have asked for.

Following his success at Loyola, Kimble was taken eighth overall in the NBA Draft by the Los Angeles Clippers.

Following a mediocre rookie season, Kimble's career was plagued by injuries that kept him off the floor for what many thought would be a promising career.

7. Juan Dixon, Maryland

In 2001-02, the Maryland Terrapins were the team in college basketball.

The team was led most by shooting guard Juan Dixon, who took the Terps past the difficulties of the ACC, putting them on the forefront of college basketball.

In the 2002 NCAA Tournament, Dixon led the Terrapins to the 2002 title game, where the team would claim their first title in school history.

Dixon didn't do it unnoticed, as he became the team's all-time leading scorer, as well as being named the ACC Men's Basketball Player of the Year and the ACC Athlete of the Year.

Dixon went on to be selected No. 17 overall by the Washington Wizards, and while he had minor strings of success here and there, Dixon never turned out to be a force like he was at Maryland.

6. Harold Arceneaux, Weber State

Harold Arceneaux will always go down as having some of the biggest performances on the big stage, despite being from a small school.

Representing Weber State, Arceneaux took his No. 14 ranked team into battle with the No. 3 seed North Carolina Tar Heels, a matchup which no one saw them coming out of.

In that game, Arceneaux scored 36 points which led the team to one of the biggest upsets in NCAA tourney history.

While he could only carry the team for so long, Arceneaux scored another 32 against the Florida Gators. This time around, the team lost, but Arceneaux' first two rounds were impressive nonetheless.

The team didn't make the tourney the following season, and Arceneaux was not drafted into the NBA following his senior season.

5. Adam Morrison, Gonzaga

While Adam Morrison has always had a love/hate relationship with those who watched him play, one thing for sure is that he lit things up in 2006.

In the 2006 tourney, Morrison led the Bulldogs to the Sweet Sixteen riding on his National Player of the Year award efforts.

The team lost to UCLA in the Sweet Sixteen, despite Morrison's huge 24 point game that included a 17-point deficit.

Morrison will always be remembered for his emotional ending to the tournament, which had him crying in the middle of the floor.

Unfortunately, things did go as well in the NBA, as he went third overall in the NBA Draft that year.

The Charlotte Bobcats took Morrison, and despite a rarity of good games, he was never able to perform at the level he did during his college days.

There were injuries that set him back, but perhaps he just wasn't fit for pro-level.

4. Howard Porter, Villanova

During the 1971 NCAA basketball tournament, Villanova big man Howard Porter took the tourney by storm.

Porter was regarded as one of the best players in the country, and he proved to be just that by taking the Wildcats all the way to the title game.

Despite their loss to the UCLA Bruins in the championship, Porter was still named MVP of the tournament.

He was later revoked of that title, as it was discovered that he signed a professional contract with the Pittsburgh Condors.

Following his season at Villanova, he elected to go to the NBA Draft where he was selected by the Chicago Bulls.

Porter never turned out to be what many had thought, as he just averaged 9.2 points and 4.1 rebounds per game over his career.

3. Steve Alford, Indiana

For the Indiana Hooisers, Steve Alford was one of their greatest scorers of all-time. He finished his career with 2,438 total points.

While he was always successful in the college game, it wasn't until the 1987 season—his last—in which Alford carried the team to NCAA title game.

In that game, Alford scored 23 points and was a key component in helping the team claim the national title.

Following his year's at Indiana, Alford didn't translate well to the NBA game.

He only started three games, and was unable to point up the points like he did during his college years.

Now he is the head coach of the New Mexico Lobos, where he has been looking to turn the program into a success.

2. Bryce Drew, Valparaiso

During the 1998 NCAA tournament, Valparaiso guard Bryce Drew became more famous than he had ever been with all the success he had already garnered.

As the No. 13 seed, Drew had the weight on his back to make his team make a serious run in tourney. The team was down to Ole Miss in the first round by just two points as there was less then five seconds left on the clock.

With time ticking down, Drew nailed a three-pointer that sent the team into the second round, where they defeated the No. 12 Florida State.

It wasn't until the next round, where the team would fall to No. 8 Rhode Island, as Drew wasn't able to score in bunches as the team fell 74-68.

After that season, Drew was taken by the Houston Rockets in the first round. He never panned out to be the clutch player that he was in college, and eventually he fell out of the league.

Now he has returned to his alma mater as the head coach, as he looks to help them take NCAA tourney by storm.

1. Greg Oden, Ohio State

While Greg Oden never won a national title, he definitely made some serious noise as he led the Ohio State Buckeyes to the title game during the 2006-07 season as just a freshman.

Oden was always considered a beast of a man, and he stood out compared to the rest of his competitors. At 7'0" tall, Oden was ridiculous athletic, and he proved to be just that throughout the 2007 tourney.

In the title game, Oden had 25 points with 12 rebounds and four blocked shots. Although the team lost to the Florida Gators, it was clear that Oden was going to go down in as having one of the best performances in tournament history.

After he opted to enter the draft, Oden was taken with the first overall pick in the NBA draft. He has never found himself on the floor enough, as he has dealt with injuries to his legs that have continually sidelined him year after year.

It will remain to be seen if Oden will ever be the player everyone thought he would be, or if we will all mostly just be stuck with that lasting memory of his performance during the NCAA tourney.