Top 25 March Madness heroes of all-time

How could Lew Alcindor, also known as Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, be left off the list? Imagine being so good at the game of basketball, that the entire sport makes a rule to limit one of your best moves. That was the case with Abdul-Jabbar, known as Alcindor in his college days, as college basketball outlawed the dunk for 10 years because he was so good at scoring that way.

After spending a year on the freshman team, per NCAA rules, in 1966, Alcindor made his way to the varsity club in 1967 and excelled, leading the UCLA Bruins to three straight national titles during one of the most dominating eras of college basketball by one single team.

Alcindor didn’t just lead the varsity team to three straight titles, he was also the first-ever Naismith Player of the Year in 1979 and he was a three-time first-team All-American. How does this make him a March Madness hero? He won three straight Most Outstanding Player awards in the 1967-69 NCAA tournaments.

In 1967, he averaged 26.5 points and 15.5 rebounds in the tourney while shooting over 65 percent to lead the Bruins to the national title. In 1968, he averaged 25.6 points and 18.8 rebounds in March while shooting 66 percent from the floor to win his second straight title. And in 1969, he ended his NCAA Tournament career by putting up 23.8 points and 16 rebounds, shooting 62 percent from the floor.