Who won the men's NCAA Tournament Most Outstanding Player the year you were born?
The Men's NCAA Basketball Tournament started in 1939, and a Most Outstanding Player (MOP) has been named each year. Who will join this list in 2021? Who will put his name among the legends here?
2020: None
There was no 2020 men's NCAA Tournament due to COVID-19, marking the first time that the tournament had ever been canceled.
2019: Kyle Guy, Virginia
After suffering arguably the biggest upset in Men's NCAA Tournament history the year before, Virginia rebounded to win it all in 2019 with the help of the sharp-shooting Guy. He scored 24 points in the championship game vs. Texas Tech, capping off a great tournament.
2018: Donte DiVincenzo, Villanova
DiVincenzo came up big on the biggest stage for the Wildcats. He scored a season-high 31 points, shooting 5-of-7 from the three-point line, in a finals win over Michigan.
2017: Joel Berry II, North Carolina
Berry capped off an excellent junior season with a national championship in a finals win over Gonzaga. During the game, the point guard scored 22 points and added six assists. It was his second 20-plus point performance in the tournament.
2016: Ryan Arcidiacono, Villanova
Villanova's national title was quite a team effort, but the senior guard won MOP. Arcidiacono averaged 13.7 points per game during the tournament.
2015: Tyus Jones, Duke
Jones' heroics in the NCAA Tournament final helped him win MOP, scoring 23 points vs. Wisconsin. He left for the NBA following his freshman season.
2014: Shabazz Napier, UConn
Similar to Kemba Walker before him, Napier led an inconsistent UConn team to the national championship. He averaged 21.2 points during the tournament.
2013: Luke Hancock, Louisville
While Hancock averaged only 8.1 points during the regular season, he broke out with the Cardinals in the NCAA Tournament. The George Mason transfer had 20 points in the national semifinal and 22 points in the final to help Louisville win the national championship.
2012: Anthony Davis, Kentucky
The intimidating Davis was a dominant defensive player for the Wildcats as a one-and-done. He averaged 13.7 points, 12.3 rebounds and 4.8 blocks per game.
2011: Kemba Walker, UConn
Walker seemed to single-handedly drive the Huskies through the Big East and the NCAA Tournament, winning an incredible national championship. He averaged 23.5 points per game during the tournament.
2010: Kyle Singler, Duke
Singler was MOP in his junior season, averaging 18 points and 7.3 rebounds per game. He came up huge against Butler in the final with 19 points and nine rebounds.
2009: Wayne Ellington, North Carolina
Ellington capped off his Tar Heels career with a great tournament run, averaging 19.2 points per game in the NCAA Tournament to win the title.
2008: Mario Chalmers, Kansas
Chalmers was named MOP after the Jayhawks' miraculous win over Memphis in the final. He averaged 14.8 points per game during the tournament.
2007: Corey Brewer, Florida
Florida won back-to-back NCAA Tournaments with Brewer's help. He averaged 15.8 points per game during the tournament.
2006: Joakim Noah, Florida
A defensive wizard for the Gators, Noah averaged 9.5 rebounds and nearly five blocks per game in the 2006 NCAA Tournament. He also had 16.2 points per game to win MOP.
2005: Sean May, North Carolina
North Carolina's powerful center absolutely dominated in the 2005 tournament. He averaged 22.3 points and nearly 11 rebounds per game, shooting better than 66 percent from the field.
2004: Emeka Okafor, UConn
A dominant center for the Huskies, Okafor averaged 13.5 points and 11.3 rebounds per game during the NCAA Tournament before going second overall in the 2004 NBA Draft.
2003: Carmelo Anthony, Syracuse
Anthony finished off an incredible freshman season with a national title and MOP Award, averaging more than 20 points and nearly 10 rebounds per game.
2002: Juan Dixon, Maryland
Averaging 25.8 points per game during the NCAA Tournament, Dixon won MOP by leading the Terrapins to a national championship.
2001: Shane Battier, Duke
Battier won almost every award a college basketball player can win, in 2001, capping it off with MOP and a national title for the Blue Devils. He averaged 22.5 points and 10.2 rebounds per game.
2000: Mateen Cleaves, Michigan State
The Spartans' facilitator helped the team win the national championship with 85 points and 27 assists over the six games of the tournament to win MOP.
1999: Richard Hamilton, UConn
Hamilton tore through the NCAA Tournament, averaging 24 points per game and helping the Huskies upset Duke in the national championship game. He shot 55 percent during the tournament.
1998: Jeff Sheppard, Kentucky
Sheppard came up big in his senior season, being named MOP in his second national championship with Kentucky. The guard averaged 16.5 points per game during the tournament.
1997: Miles Simon, Arizona
Simon had an incredible tournament, averaging 28 points over Arizona's final three games. Arizona was able to power through college basketball powerhouses Kansas, UNC and Kentucky to win the national championship.
1996: Tony Delk, Kentucky
Delk finished his senior season with a national championship, scoring at least 20 points in four of six NCAA Tournament games to win MOP.
1995: Ed O'Bannon, UCLA
O'Bannon won MOP and the Wooden Award in 1995. He helped the Bruins to a national title with a 30-point, 17-rebound performance vs. Arkansas in the final.
1994: Corliss Williamson, Arkansas
Williamson led a dominant Arkansas squad in his sophomore season, scoring nearly 22 points per game to win MOP in 1994.
1993: Donald Williams, North Carolina
Williams led the Tar Heels to a national championship in just his sophomore season, shooting better than 50 percent for the tournament and averaging nearly 20 points per game.
1992: Bobby Hurley, Duke
Duke's point guard helped the team to a second straight NCAA Tournament title with two 22-plus point games and at least seven assists in five out of six games. He finished his college career as the NCAA's all-time assists leader.
1991: Christian Laettner, Duke
Laettner won his first of two straight national championships at Duke and scored at least 18 points in each game over the Blue Devils' six-game tournament run.
1990: Anderson Hunt, UNLV
Hunt scored 29 points in the NCAA Tournament final in the first of two straight Final Four appearances for the Runnin' Rebels.
1989: Glen Rice, Michigan
The sharpshooting Rice scored a tournament record 184 points in 1989 and led the Wolverines to the national championship.
1988: Danny Manning, Kansas
The 11-loss Jayhawks went on an incredible NCAA Tournament run, led by Manning. The team's final win included 31 points, 18 rebounds and five steals from Manning to help him win MOP.
1987: Keith Smart, Indiana
Smart made the game-winning shot in the NCAA Tournament final, helping him win MOP for the Hoosiers.
1986: Pervis Ellison, Louisville
Ellison was named MOP in just his freshman year in 1986 and was later named a First-Team All-American in 1989.
1985: Ed Pinckney, Villanova
Villanova upset Georgetown in the 1985 tournament final with the help of Pinckney's 16 points as he went head-to-head with defending MOP Patrick Ewing.
1984: Patrick Ewing, Georgetown
Ewing led the Hoyas to win over Houston in the final and also won MOP in 1984. He won National Player of the Year the following season.
1983: Akeem Olajuwon, Houston
The last player to win the MOP Award without winning the NCAA Tournament, Olajuwon dominated throughout the tournament but lost to N.C. State in arguably the biggest upset in tournament history.
1982: James Worthy, North Carolina
Worthy scored 28 points in the tournament final vs. Georgetown, helping the Tar Heels win the game, and he also won MOP. The forward was the first overall pick in the 1982 NBA Draft by the Lakers.
1981: Isiah Thomas, Indiana
Thomas led Indiana to a national championship in his sophomore season before declaring for the NBA Draft following the 1981 season.
1980: Darrell Griffith, Louisville
Griffith won both the MOP of the NCAA Tournament and the Wooden Award in 1980, ending his senior season as Louisville's all-time leading scorer.
1979: Magic Johnson, Michigan State
Magic's epic final vs. Larry Bird and Indiana State vaulted a historic basketball rivalry. The Spartans won the NCAA Tournament, with Johnson being named MOP before going on to a spectacular NBA career with the Lakers.
1978: Jack Givens, Kentucky
Givens had a dominant game in the final vs. Duke, scoring 41 points to help the Wildcats win the national championship in 1978. He was also named the Helms Foundation Player of the Year that season.
1977: Butch Lee, Marquette
Lee helped Marquette win the national championship in head coach Al McGuire's final season, scoring 18 points in the final. He followed up that campaign by winning the Naismith Award in 1978.
1976: Kent Benson, Indiana
Benson was the MOP and Helms Player of the Year in 1976, leading the Hoosiers to a national championship and undefeated season as the team's 6-10 center.
1975: Richard Washington, UCLA
UCLA was back atop college basketball in 1975, and Washington led the team in coach John Wooden's final season. He became a First-Team All-American the following season.
1974: David Thompson, N.C. State
Thompson led N.C. State to a national championship, winning MOP after averaging 26 points per game during the regular season.
1973: Bill Walton, UCLA
The Bruins had another undefeated season in 1973, with Walton winning back-to-back MOP and Naismith Awards. He also won the James E. Sullivan Award, which honors the top amateur athlete in the country.
1972: Bill Walton, UCLA
UCLA went undefeated in 1972, as Walton won MOP and won his first of three straight National College Player of the Year Awards.
1971: Howard Porter, Villanova (vacated)
Porter won the MOP despite losing to UCLA in the final. However, Porter was later ruled ineligible due to signing a contract in the ABA.
1970: Sidney Wicks, UCLA
A Bruin claimed MOP for the fourth straight year, as Wicks won the award and the Helms National Co-Player of the Year as UCLA won yet another national championship.
1969: Lew Alcindor, UCLA
Alcindor became the first and only player to win three MOPs for the NCAA Tournament, and he also won the first Naismith College Player of the Year Award for his performance during the 1969 season.
1968: Lew Alcindor, UCLA
Leading the Bruins to yet another NCAA championship, Alcindor also won his second consecutive MOP for the tournament.
1967: Lew Alcindor, UCLA
Now known as Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Alcindor won his first of three consecutive MOPs and was also College Player of the Year.
1966: Jerry Chambers, Utah
Utah finished in only fourth place in the NCAA Tournament, but Chambers still won MOP, scoring a record 143 points in four games.
1965: Bill Bradley, Princeton
Princeton won the consolation game of the NCAA Tournament, with Bradley scoring 58 points. That performance helped him win MOP.
1964: Walt Hazzard, UCLA
Hazzard led the Bruins to their first NCAA championship, being named MOP for the tournament and Player of the Year.
1963: Art Heyman, Duke
Duke lost to Loyola of Chicago in the Final Four, but Heyman was honored with MOP of the tournament in his senior season.
1962: Paul Hogue, Cincinnati
After winning the NCAA Tournament in 1961, the Bearcats repeated in 1962. Hogue was named MOP for the tournament and also Helms College Player of the Year.
1961: Jerry Lucas, Ohio State
Despite the Buckeyes failing to win a second straight NCAA Tournament, Lucas won another MOP but lost in the final vs. Cincinnati.
1960: Jerry Lucas, Ohio State
Ohio State easily won the 1960 NCAA Tournament, led by Lucas' 26 points and 16 rebounds per game.
1959: Jerry West, West Virginia
West averaged 32 points in five games during the NCAA Tournament, though the Mountaineers still fell to California in the final.
1958: Elgin Baylor, Seattle
Baylor averaged more than 31 points for his college career and was named MOP of the 1958 NCAA Tournament despite losing to Kentucky.
1957: Wilt Chamberlain, Kansas
Chamberlain's Jayhawks lost to North Carolina in the 1957 NCAA Tournament, but the dominant center was named MOP.
1956: Hal Lear, Temple
Temple only made it to the Final Four in 1956 before losing to Iowa, but Lear was named MOP for the tournament.
1955: Bill Russell, San Francisco
Perhaps the biggest winner in the history of basketball, Russell led USF to its first of two consecutive national championships, in 1955.
1954: Tom Gola, La Salle
Gola had an incredible college career, leading La Salle to the NIT title in 1952 and an NCAA championship in 1954 as the MOP. He was also the National Player of the Year in that year, his junior season.
1953: B.H. Born, Kansas
Emerging after Clyde Lovellette, Born was the MOP of the NCAA Tournament in 1953 despite losing in the title game. He had 26 points, 15 rebounds and 13 blocks in the final.
1952: Clyde Lovellette, Kansas
Lovelette averaged more than 28 points per game in his senior season in 1952 and was MOP as the Jayhawks won the NCAA Tournament.
1951: Bill Spivey, Kentucky
A 7-foot center, Spivey led the Wildcats to a 28-2 regular-season record and won the NCAA Tournament. Spivey had 22 points and 21 rebounds in the final.
1950: Irwin Dambrot, CCNY
Dambrot was a senior All-American in 1950, leading CCNY to titles in both the NCAA Tournament and NIT in the same season.
1949: Alex Groza, Kentucky
Groza was a First-Team All-American for the second time in three years, helping Kentucky to back-to-back NCAA Tournament championships.
1948: Alex Groza, Kentucky
A Second-Team All-American in 1948, Groza helped lead the Wildcats to the first of two consecutive national championships.
1947: George Kaftan, Holy Cross
Kaftan averaged 21 points per game during the NCAA Tournament, winning MOP for Holy Cross. He later had a brief pro basketball career.
1946: Bob Kurland, Oklahoma A&M
Kurland won his second consecutive MOP Award in 1946 and scored a record 643 points for the season.
1945: Bob Kurland, Oklahoma A&M
A 7-0 center, Kurland won the first of two straight MOPs in 1945.
1944: Arnie Ferrin, Utah
A four-time All-American for the Utes, Ferrin won MOP in 1944 and also helped the school to an NIT title in 1947.
1943: Ken Sailors, Wyoming
Sailors was both the MOP and College Basketball Player of the Year in 1943 for Wyoming. He also won College Basketball Player of the Year in 1946.
1942: Howie Dallmar, Stanford
Dallmar helped Stanford to a national championship in 1942 before transferring to Penn. He had a head coaching career from 1948-75 at both Standford and Penn.
1941: John Kotz, Wisconsin
Kotz won the MOP in his sophomore season for the Badgers. He was the school's all-time leading scorer at the end of his college career.
1940: Marvin Huffman, Indiana
Huffman scored 12 points in the NCAA Tournament final, as Indiana defeated Kansas. He was a four-year starter for the Hoosiers.
1939: Jimmy Hull, Ohio State
An All-American senior in 1939 for the Buckeyes, Hull was voted the MOP despite losing to Oregon in the final.
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