Putting together this All-Tournament team, we had to take into consideration that each player’s regular season stats shouldn’t be taken into consideration. Aside from that, the only other criteria that was required was that each player’s team reached the Elite 8, with the idea that 4 was a sufficient number of games to judge performance. So, without further ado, we give you the All-Tournament Team.

Center:

Mitch McGary – Michigan

Although McGary put up rather par numbers in the regular season, he brought his A-game for the tournament, almost doubling his points and rebounds average, stepping up to aid his team in reaching the national championship game.

Forward:

C.J. Fair – Syracuse

Fair was a solid contributor during the season, so he lived up to expectations by meeting and exceeding his regular season averages and being a pivotal piece in getting his team to the Final Four.

Forward:

Deshaun Thomas – Ohio State

As the scoring leader of the Buckeyes, putting together a string of good efforts in the tournament was a requirement for Thomas. Posting an average of 22 points in four contests showed that his ability to make baskets was well-needed as the Buckeyes advanced all the way to the Elite 8 this year.

GUARD:

Russ Smith – Michigan

With his eyes set on making the jump to the NBA in the near future, Smith came out of the gates this season with career-high averages. On this big stage that is the national tournament, he shined even brighter scoring 20 or more points in 5 out of the 6 games he played.

GUARD:

Trey Burke – Michigan

Despite playing alongside the high-scoring Russ Smith and inside force Mitch McGary, Burke was still able to find a way to get big numbers and help his team reach their first national championship game in 20 years.

5. John Wooden Goes Out With 10th NCAA Championship

Before Duke, North Carolina and Kentucky, there was UCLA; the original college basketball dynasty and the man behind it all was Head Coach John Wooden. Between 1964 and 1973, he guided his team to 9 National Titles with his 10th and final one in 1975, after which he walked away from the game. Not a bad way to go out.

4. Magic vs Bird

It was 1979 and two of the future Hall of Famers were battling it out like they would in the NBA for years to come. Magic came out on top this time around, but as you know from history, Bird would get him back in the professional ranks.

3. Michael Jordan, North Carolina

1982 National Championship

Before Michael Jordan would go on to win multiple titles in the NBA, he was coming alive in college basketball, with his career being punctuated by sinking the game-winning shot in the 1982 National Championship.

2. Christian Laettner, Duke

1992 NCAA East Regional Final

There was only 2.1 seconds on the clock, but for Laettner, that was all that was needed as Grant Hill launched the ball three-quarters of the distance of the court to Laettner who proceeded to turn around and hit a jumper as the time expired.

1. NC State Upsets Houston

With Akeem Olajuwon and Clyde Drexler on the same team, there didn’t seem to be any way that the Houston Cougars would lose. NC State felt otherwise as there were able to knock off the Cougars in the 1983 National Championship Game with a game-winning dunk as the final buzzer sounded.

Pac-12

Judging by their respective records, it would seem as though there’s a fair amount of parity in the Pac-12, but with Arizona having had most of their losses dealt to them by the tougher opponents in the conference, the Wildcats are going to have some trouble winning the tournament. After their meeting earlier this season, Oregon looks to have the edge over UCLA should they meet again. When Cal and Oregon clashed this season, the Golden Bears came away from both contests with the win. What makes this scenario interesting is that UCLA is also responsible handing Cal a loss back in early January. This three-way should make for an interesting series of events in the Pac-12 Conference Championship Tournament.

Big 12

Among the top teams in the Big 12, Oklahoma and Iowa State are the bottom-feeders that we don’t expect to do too much damage in the conference tournament. Oklahoma State has proven to be a solid team down the stretch, stringing together a streak of wins, with only one loss in the past 10 games. The teams to really watch for reside in the state of Kansas, as both the Wildcats and Jayhawks are among the best in college basketball. In the 16 years the Big 12 has existed, the University of Kansas has won 8, so it goes without saying that they’re always a favorite to win it all.

SEC

Although the SEC is better known as probably the strongest football conference, they’re no slouch on the basketball end of the spectrum. The Florida Gators have won two championships in recent years, and the Kentucky Wildcats are the defending national champs. With the two teams being at the top of the conference without much competition, it’ll be a toss between those two for who will win it all. In their lone season matchup, Florida soundly beat the Wildcats, so much of the same should be expected.

Big East

The Big East is another strong conference in the NCAA with teams that always make noise during the season and in the national championship tournament, so a great deal of parity exists within their ranks. Being that Georgetown, Louisville, Marquette, Syracuse and Notre Dame are all pretty much equally good, this may be the most interesting conference championship tournament, in that anyone can string together a few wins and take it.

ACC

Perennially, the ACC’s basketball claim to fame has resided in North Carolina. With UNC faltering this year, and the emergence of the Miami Hurricanes, things have shifted a little, but looking at the history of the conference, it happens. With Miami on top and responsible for easily dispatching of Duke and UNC, the conference championship is all but in the bag for the Hurricanes.

Big Ten (Michigan State/Ohio State)

It’s been the general consensus that the Big Ten has the best teams in the country, and we’re not arguing with that. With so much goodness all concentrated in one conference, the tournament in March is shaping up to be on where we can expect a lot of surprises and games that come down to the wire. Pretty much every team has lost to each other, so it’s virtually impossible to guess who will come out of the tournament victorious. Nevertheless, we’ll put our money on the Wolverines to show up when the time comes.

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Ryan Kelly, Duke:

While Mason Plumlee might be responsible for leading the charge, his twin tower, Ryan Kelly, has stepped up this season when called upon. Whether he’s coming in to relieve Plumlee or being an additional big man in the middle, Kelly does his thing and does it well. Providing solid interior defense, while being effective from the free throw line and an occasion 3-pointer, Kelly’s the perfect counterpart.

Jeff Withey, Kansas:

With Kansas sitting at the top of the Big 12, they’ve been able to do so due to the leadership and production of Ben McLemore. Patrolling the painted area on both offense and defense, Jeff Withey is the prototypic big man, dominating the boards as well as being an excellent shot blocker. In the four years Withey has been at Kansas, he has fit well in his role, providing the intangibles that Kansas has needed to be in contention.

Michael Carter-Williams, Syracuse:

If few players can come into college and make an immediate impact, Michael Carter-Williams is one of the few. While far from the leading scorer of the team, Carter-Williams pretty much does everything else, rebounding, assisting and playing lockdown defense, which will prove essential as the Orangemen look to make a run in March.

Victor Oladipo, Indiana:

The Indiana Hoosiers wouldn’t be anywhere near where they are now, if not for Cody Zeller, but even more importantly, his right hand man, Victor Oladipo. When Zeller is double-teamed, his first option to pass to is Oladipo, who’s a sharpshooter from long-range. Oladipo is also the consummate floor general and defensive stalwart, averaging over 2 steals, while keeping his turnovers to a minimum.

Nerlens Noel, Kentucky:

John Calipari and his recruiting staff over at Kentucky have been known to pick up the best high school recruits in the nation, so when they went after Noel, it was no surprise. With defense being his forte, Nerlens literally goes above and beyond the competition, snatching rebounds and blocking shots. While his offensive arsenal is a bit lacking, when called upon, Noel comes through in the clutch by staying within his range and making every shot count.