All Musur March Madness Team
The college basketball season officially came to an end Monday night as Duke University took down the Wisconsin Badgers, 68-63.
When it was all said and done, this year’s NCAA Tournament gave us more great games than we could have asked for. Round by round new players stepped up and teams put it together to survive and advance.
There were so many great players in this tournament, but I could only pick five for my first ever All Musur Madness Team.
Point Guard: Travis Trice, Senior, Michigan State, 5 Games
Tournament Averages: FG%: 43 Percent, 3 Rebounds, 4.2 Assists, .4 Steals, 19.0 Points
Travis Trice was one of the biggest names in this year’s tournament. Trice came up huge game after game for the Spartans. The senior scored double digits in all five of his tournament games.
Trice willed Michigan State to their Round of 32 and Sweet 16 wins. Without the Huber Heights, Ohio native, the Spartans would have had a much tougher time hanging on against Virginia and Oklahoma.
The senior did end his career on a sour note with a 20 point loss to Duke, but Trice couldn’t have capped off his career any better. The 6-foot guard was the catalyst to an upset-minded Michigan State team.
Shooting Guard/Small Forward: Justise Winslow, Freshman, Duke, 6 Games
Tournament Averages: FG%: 51 Percent, 9.3 Rebounds, 2.7 Assists, 1.5 Steals, 1.7 Blocks, 14.3 Points
There was little the Houston freshman couldn’t do during this tournament. Justice Winslow was all over the court for the Blue Devils, providing them with tough rebounding, great teammate finds and most importantly baskets.
Winslow was impressive through Duke’s three game stretch that included games with Utah, Gonzaga and Michigan State. The only game Winslow didn’t score in double digits was Duke’s first round matchup with Robert Morris.
Winslow was also a monster on the glass, having three games with 10 rebounds or more and two with nine. The 6-foot-6 forward got the attention of many draft scouts with his tournament performance.
Small Forward: Sam Dekker, Junior, Wisconsin, 6 Games
Tournament Averages: FG%: 57 Percent, 5.5 Rebounds, 1.2 Assists, .2 Steals, .2 Blocks, 19.2 Points
Before the tournament, numerous knew who Sam Dekker was. He was a Wisconsin native who could really stroke it. Dekker never averaged under 47 percent from the field during his three years at Wisconsin.
But once March happened, millions of people knew who Sam Dekker was. Dekker was a scorer, who had the ability to create his own shots and knock them down during crunch time. Dekker became America’s hero when he put the team on his back and took care of a determined North Carolina team in the Sweet 16.
He also hit clutch shot after clutch shot in the Badgers Elite Eight rematch with Arizona. Unfortunately, the 6-foot-9 forward didn’t save his best for last, as he only scored 12 points in the championship game against Duke.
Dekker also was 0 for 6 in that game. Though the Badgers couldn’t come up with the title, Dekker proved he can play ball with some of the best in the country. He only averaged less than 50 percent from the field in one tournament game.
Power Forward: Karl-Anthony Towns, Freshman, Kentucky, 5 Games
Tournament Averages: FG%: 63 Percent, 6.8 Rebounds, 1.0 Assists, .6 Steals, 1.6 Blocks, 14.2 Points
There may be some debate on whether or not Karl-Anthony Towns truly deserves to be on this list, but I don’t think there should be. Towns single handedly saved the Kentucky Wildcats in their Elite Eight matchup with Notre Dame.
The Wildcats had no answers for the Irish’s efficient and smooth moving offense, except for Towns. The big man hit 77 percent of his shots and put up 25 points in their Elite Eight matchup.
Towns was also a defensive monster in Kentucky’s five tournament games. The New Jersey native recorded 7 more rebounds in all but two games and had a block in four out of five games.
Towns may not have been the most impressive player in Kentucky’s round of 32 and Sweet 16 matchups, but he was a key piece for Kentucky’s Final Four run. He was also one of the best players in this year’s tournament.
Center: Frank Kaminsky, Senior, Wisconsin, 6 Games
Tournament Averages: FG%: 52 Percent, 9.3 Rebounds, 2.2 Assists, .5 Steals, .8 Blocks, 22 Points
You may think I am a little crazy for having two Wisconsin players and three players from the Big Ten Conference on my all tournament team, but all of these guys earned their right to be on this list.
For starters, Frank Kaminsky put up 16 or more points in all six of the Badger’s games. The Benet Academy product also had four 20 point performances and three double-doubles. There is no denying that Frank the Tank gave everything he had to make a final run to the National Title.
Though the Badgers fell short, Kaminsky played one hell of a tournament. The senior knocked down his shots, and proved matchup problems for heavier and slower defenders.
What impressed me the most about the 7-foot center was his ability to play extended minutes. In all six games Frank played 35 minutes or more, including 39 in the Duke and North Carolina games and 38 in the Oregon and Arizona game.
For a big man, Kaminsky can definitely keep up. The National Player of The Year had a storied career, but fell short of ever winning a National Title. Kaminsky was a one of a kind player, going from only playing two games during his first two years at Wisconsin to becoming the National Player of the Year.