Duke's Cooper Flagg and the Top 20 Freshmen in Men's NCAA Tournament History
The 2025 NCAA men's basketball tournament is about to descend on San Antonio, and the bright lights of the game's biggest stage are about to focus on the historic group of four No. 1 seeds set to meet there—Auburn, Duke, Houston and Florida.
It's anyone's guess which of those teams will emerge victorious, but there's no denying that Duke freshman Cooper Flagg is the brightest star. The odds-on favorite for the Wooden Award—not to mention the No. 1 pick in this summer's NBA draft—Flagg has put together a regular season and postseason run for the ages, particularly among freshmen.
But how does Flagg stack up against the best freshmen in March Madness history? Here, we'll take a look at the NCAA tournament's greatest freshman performances since 1972—the first year freshmen were eligible—and rank the top 20 among players who at least advanced to the Final Four.
The choices are subjective but will take into account a player's stats over their full tournament run, massive single-game performances, memorable and/or clutch shots and whether or not they won the tournament's Most Outstanding Player award. Winning the championship does not in itself boost a player's stock, but it certainly doesn't hurt.
We'll start with a collection of honorable mentions mostly consisting of players who don't meet the ranking criteria but had standout NCAA tournament performances as freshmen nonetheless.
Honorable Mentions
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De'Aaron Fox, Kentucky, 2017
The all-time freshman scoring record for a single NCAA tournament game belongs to Fox, who dropped 39 points on UCLA in an 86-75 win in the Sweet 16 of the 2017 tournament. Fox was unstoppable that night, going 13-of-20 from the floor with four assists and two steals. If not for a Luke Maye game-winner in the next round, Fox likely would have made our top 20.
Zion Williamson, Duke, 2019
It's a shame Williamson didn't advance to the Final Four, because his tournament run was among the most dominant we've ever seen...from a freshman or otherwise. The future No. 1 pick in the NBA draft averaged 26.0 points—the most by a freshman who at least made the Elite Eight—on 61.6 percent shooting along with 8.5 rebounds, 1.8 assists, 1.8 blocks and 1.5 steals over four games.
Tahaad Pettiford, Auburn, 2025
Cooper Flagg isn't the only freshman breaking out this year. Keep an eye on Pettiford at the Final Four, as he's averaging 17.3 points and 3.5 assists per game for the top overall seed in Auburn. With a couple more strong performances and maybe a championship—potentially against Flagg—Pettiford has the potential to etch his name among the top freshman performers in tournament history.
Some Scoring Records
You're only guaranteed one game in the NCAA tournament, and LSU's Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf (1989) and Alabama's Mo Williams (2002) made the most of their opportunities in the opening round by tying for a first-round freshman record of 33 points apiece.
Texas' Kevin Durant (2007) and LSU's Cameron Thomas (2021) own the highest points per game among freshmen who played multiple NCAA tournament games, each averaging 28.5 points over two games. Each player scored 27 points in a first-round win followed by 30 points in a second-round loss.
Temple's Johnny Miller owns the freshman record for the most three-pointers in a game with nine in an opening-round loss to Cincinnati in 1995.
A Freshman Pressed into Service
Freshmen weren't eligible until 1972, but that rule was relaxed during World War II, and Arnie Ferrin made the most of his chance. Utah advanced rather comfortably to the championship game of the eight-team tournament, where Ferrin broke out with 22 points to lead the Utes to a 42-40 overtime win over Dartmouth and become the first freshman to win Most Outstanding Player.
Buzzer-Beaters!
Nothing says March Madness like a true buzzer-beater, and there have been five freshmen who have recorded one since 1972. Here are four of them, excluding a player who earned a spot in our top 20.
Nos. 20-16
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20. Gene Banks, Duke, 1978
Before Duke became a basketball juggernaut, Banks carried the Blue Devils to their second national title game appearance in 1978. He averaged 19.2 points, 10.0 rebounds and 3.6 assists during the tournament and tied Ferrin's title game freshman scoring record with 22 points in a loss to Kentucky.
19. Gerry McNamara, Syracuse, 2003
A few years before Stephen Curry ushered in the three-point revolution, McNamara played the pivotal sharpshooter role on Syracuse's championship team. His 18 three-pointers—on 40.9 percent shooting, no less—are tied for the most by a freshman in tournament history, and his 6-of-10 shooting from long range helped the Orange outlast Kansas in the championship game.
18. Mike Conley Jr., Ohio State, 2007
Conley played second banana to Greg Oden (more on him later) during their time at Ohio State, but Conley had a heck of a run himself in 2007. He averaged 16.0 points, 5.0 rebounds, 4.8 assists and 2.0 steals in the tournament, including making the game-winning free throw in the Sweet 16 against Tennessee and putting up 20 points in a loss to Florida in the national title game.
17. Cooper Flagg, Duke, 2025
This ranking comes with the caveat that Flagg hasn't even appeared in the Final Four yet. If his first four games of this year's tournament are any indication, though, Flagg should be jumping way up in these rankings in a week's time.
For now, Flagg is averaging a ridiculous 19.5 points, 7.8 rebounds, 5.3 assists and 1.8 blocks per game, which when put together are basically unheard-of numbers among freshmen. His 30 points in the Sweet 16 made him one of just 27 freshmen to hit that milestone in NCAA tournament play, but pairing those points with seven assists, six rebounds and three blocks made him one of just two players since 1986 with at least 30-5-5-3 in a game.
16. Kevin Love, UCLA, 2008
This is a case of a player with unassailable individual numbers getting dragged down a bit by his team's inability to make the championship game. Love averaged 19.8 points, 10.6 rebounds and 4.0 blocks while making a name for himself with his awe-inspiring outlet passes. However, the Bruins were no match for Memphis in the Final Four, where Love ended his collegiate career with 12 points, nine rebounds and three blocks—a great day for most, but clearly his worst totals of the tournament.
Nos. 15-11
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15. Jalen Suggs, Gonzaga, 2021
The Bulldogs didn't need Suggs to shoulder a heavy load on their run to the Final Four, as they won their first four tournament games by an average of 24 points (though he did come two assists shy of a triple-double in the Elite Eight). But in the Final Four itself, Suggs elevated himself to legendary status in the school's history. First, he hit an incredible buzzer-beater from a few steps inside mid-court to give Gonzaga a 93-90 overtime win over UCLA, and then he scored 22 points in an otherwise bleak loss to Baylor in the championship game.
14. Chris Webber, Michigan, 1992
Our first entry from Michigan's famed Fab Five, Webber played a central role in helping Michigan advance all the way to the national title game. Despite a four-point dud in the Sweet 16 in which he fouled out after just 18 minutes, Webber averaged 16.3 points, 9.7 rebounds and 2.8 blocks, including a 30-point effort in the second round.
13. Jalen Rose, Michigan, 1992
The first of seven freshmen on this list who have scored 100-plus points in a single NCAA tournament, Rose gets the slight edge over his Fab Five teammate. Rose averaged 17.8 points, 5.6 rebounds and 5.0 assists during the Wolverines' run, which ended with a 71-51 loss to Duke in the championship game.
12. Jeremy Lamb, Connecticut, 2011
Lamb wasn't the best player on his own team—that honor undeniably goes to Kemba Walker—but he had a strong tournament of his own and gets the championship bump ahead of the likes of Conley, Love, Suggs, Webber and Rose. Lamb averaged 16.1 points and 4.8 rebounds per game, but his most notable contributions came from beyond the arc, where he went 12-of-21 for a blistering 63.2 percent clip during UConn's six-game run to its third national title.
11. Greg Oden, Ohio State, 2007
Oden was an absolute force during the Buckeyes' tournament run in 2007, averaging 16.1 points, 9.1 rebounds and 2.2 blocks, including a game-saving rejection at the buzzer in the Sweet 16 against Tennessee in which he essentially jumped over Conley to block Ramar Smith's shot and secure the win. He saved his best for last, scoring 25 points with 12 rebounds and four blocks in a championship game loss to the experience-laden, back-to-back champion Florida Gators.
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Nos. 10-6
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10. Toby Bailey, UCLA, 1995
There are multiple players ranked lower than Bailey on this list who were inarguably better players than he was and compiled stronger overall stats. That said, everyone on this list has one thing in common—as freshmen, none of them scored more points in a championship game than Bailey's 26. As upperclassman Ed O'Bannon's wingman, Bailey helped lead the Bruins to an 89-78 win over Arkansas in the title game, cementing his status as one of the top freshman performers in tournament history. Bailey's championship game freshman scoring record still stands...for now.
9. Michael Jordan, North Carolina, 1982
Jordan's championship-winner with 14 seconds left against Georgetown marked one of the first chapters in the annals of M.J. lore. While his tournament averages weren't eye-popping—11.0 points, 3.2 rebounds—Jordan's championship-game performance of 16 points and nine rebounds and game-winner are unquestionably iconic aspects of March Madness. (Note: Jordan's game-winner almost directly knocked Georgetown star freshman Patrick Ewing off this list despite Ewing's 23 points in the championship game. Just the first of many times Jordan's heroics would eclipse Ewing's, though Ewing did later win a championship for the Hoyas in 1984.)
8. Mark Aguirre, DePaul, 1979
Is it fair that Aguirre built up a solid chunk of his 1979 tournament stats (34 points, 14 rebounds) in the third-place game, a game that no longer takes place? Maybe not. But it's also not exactly fair that he played before the tournament expanded to 64 teams or that his DePaul squad ran into—and almost beat—Larry Bird's Indiana State Sycamores in the Final Four. Thanks in large part to his scoring outburst in that third-place game (a freshman tournament scoring record that held until 2017), Aguirre ranks fourth all-time in points scored in an NCAA tournament among freshmen (117).
7. Kenny Anderson, Georgia Tech, 1990
Anderson's Yellow Jackets didn't even reach the national title game, but his 124 points over five games stood as the tournament's freshman scoring record for nearly two decades. The point guard of Tech's "Lethal Weapon 3" alongside Dennis Scott and Brian Oliver, Anderson remains the only freshman to score 30-plus points twice in the same NCAA tournament. He had 31 points in an overtime win over Michigan State in the Sweet 16, including the game-tying jumper at the end of regulation. He followed that showing with 30 points and eight rebounds in an Elite Eight win over Minnesota to guide Tech to its first Final Four, where the Yellow Jackets bowed out to eventual champion UNLV.
6. Tyus Jones, Duke, 2015
There have only been four freshmen since 1972 to earn the Final Four's Most Outstanding Player award, and Jones is one of them. The fact that he's not in our top five speaks more to the dominance of the players ahead of him than anything lacking in Jones' game. Jones had some solid, albeit relatively quiet, performances (11.0 points, 5.2 assists over five games) during Duke's march to the national championship game, but in that title bout the 6'1" point guard broke out. He poured in 23 points, including a pair of three-pointers with under five minutes left, to seal Duke's win over Wisconsin.
5. Mike Bibby, Arizona, 1997
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In a lot of years, Bibby's overall tournament production would have been enough to earn Most Outstanding Player honors. It just so happens, though, that junior teammate Miles Simon was on an absolute heater toward the end of the 1997 tournament, scoring 84 points in the Wildcats' final three games—including 30 in the championship—to deservingly take the award for himself.
But that's no shade to Bibby, who put together a dominant stretch of his own. The point guard ranks sixth on the tournament's freshman scoring list (108), averaging 18.0 points, 4.8 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 1.8 blocks over Arizona's six-game run. He was also way ahead of his time, making a freshman record 18 three-pointers during March Madness at a 48.6 percent clip.
In the championship game itself, Bibby recorded 19 points, nine rebounds, four assists and three steals while splashing three of five three-point attempts.
4. Derrick Rose, Memphis, 2008
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The difference between Rose landing here or jumping all the way to the top of this list might just be a single point. More specifically, a single free throw.
With his Memphis Tigers leading Kansas 62-60 with 10.8 seconds left in the championship game, Rose stepped to the free-throw line. He missed the first and then made the second. But that one miss was all the opportunity Kansas needed, as Mario Chalmers made a memorable three-pointer over Rose to force overtime, where the Jayhawks ran away with the win.
In fairness to Rose, he was fabulous all tournament. The future No. 1 draft pick put Memphis on his back throughout March Madness, averaging 20.8 points, 6.5 rebounds and 6.0 assists. His 125 points over those six games still stand as the most by a freshman in a single NCAA tournament.
Against Kansas, Rose finished with 18 points, eight assists, six rebounds and two steals. Unfortunately for him and the Wildcats, though, his only missed free throw out of four tries on the night will be forever haunting.
3. Pervis Ellison, Louisville, 1986
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With apologies to Arnie Ferrin 1944, Pervis Ellison earned his spot as one of the top freshmen to ever play in the NCAA tournament by leading Louisville to the national championship in 1986 and becoming the first freshman in the modern era to take home Most Outstanding Player honors.
The youngest of players came through in the clutchest of moments, particularly in that title game. Leading Duke 66-65 with 48 seconds remaining, Louisville called timeout. The play didn't go according to plan, as the Cardinals' shot was an airball, but Ellison rose up to grab it and put it back to extend Louisville's lead.
At the other end, Ellison ripped down a rebound in a sea of bodies—his 11th of the game—and was fouled in the process. "Never Nervous Pervis," who was only a 57 percent free-throw shooter, stepped to the line and sank both free throws to put the Cardinals up by five and essentially clinch the championship. Those free throws tied Ellison's career high of 25 points, which at the time also set the freshman championship game scoring record.
Over the course of Louisville's six tournament games, Ellison averaged 15.5 points, 9.5 rebounds and 1.8 blocks while shooting 58.8 percent from the field.
2. Anthony Davis, Kentucky, 2012
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Can we interest you in some defense?
While most of the players on this list starred as offensive hubs and put up huge scoring numbers during their tournament runs, Davis starred at the other end, where he ensured other teams couldn't score at a high clip.
Davis, an all-everything player and Wooden Award winner during his one collegiate season before going No. 1 in the NBA draft, still owns the freshman NCAA tournament record with 29 blocks during the Wildcats' championship run. He averaged 13.7 points, 12.3 rebounds and 4.8 blocks per game, anchoring a Kentucky team that won all of its tournament games by eight points or more.
After going 7-of-8 from the field as part of an 18-point, 14-rebound, five-block performance in the national semifinal, Davis struggled offensively in the championship game against Kansas, going just 1-of-10 for six points. He impacted the game in other ways, though, racking up 16 rebounds, six blocks, five assists and three steals to still take home Most Outstanding Player honors.
1. Carmelo Anthony, Syracuse, 2003
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What, were you expecting someone else?
When it comes to discussing the most successful one-and-done college basketball players of all time, Anthony's name is surely on the short list. For most, he's No. 1. It only bolsters his case that he did it before it was cool—the NBA's official "one-and-done" rule didn't actually become official until 2006.
Melo was dominant in the 2003 NCAA tournament overall (20.2 points, 9.8 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 1.8 steals per game), and his 121 points rank third all-time among freshmen. That said, his play during the Final Four in particular is really what elevates him to legendary status.
Anthony exploded in the national semifinal against No. 1 seed Texas, announcing himself on the biggest stage with 33 points on 12-of-19 shooting, including 3-of-4 from three-point range. He added 14 rebounds and three steals, punctuating the victory with a breakaway layup in the final minute.
While Anthony had 20 points and 10 rebounds in the championship game, that win over Kansas showcased his passing game more than any other contest in the tournament. Facing a veteran Jayhawks team bent on limiting his opportunities, Anthony dished out seven assists as Syracuse claimed the national championship and Anthony etched his name in the record books as the Most Outstanding Player—and arguably the best freshman in the history of the tournament.
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