College Basketball

Markquis Nowell, Adama Sanogo headline top 10 performances of NCAA Tournament

Updated Apr. 5, 2023 5:01 p.m. ET

After one of the wildest, most unpredictable NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournaments in recent history, it’s time to take a look back at a truly unforgettable three weeks of college hoops and further appreciate what we just saw unfold.

From Markquis Nowell’s record-setting performance in the Sweet 16 to Tristen Newton’s memorable outing on the sport’s grandest of stages, college basketball's biggest stars shined brought throughout March, while others made a name for themselves with performances that will be remembered for years to come.

Here is a look at the top individual performances from the 2023 NCAA Tournament.

1. Markquis Nowell, Kansas State
Opponent: Michigan State
Round: Sweet 16
Stats: 20 points, 19 assists (NCAA Tournament record), five steals

If you didn’t know his name before, chances are you became familiar with Kansas State's point guard throughout this year’s tourney. Mr. New York City put on a show in the Big Dance, with his record-setting performance against Michigan State in the Sweet 16 being his signature moment. Nowell, who stands at 5-foot-9, 160 pounds, scored 20 points and dished out an NCAA Tournament record 19 assists in the Wildcats’ thrilling 98-93 overtime win. Nowell saying "watch this" to Isiah Thomas and then throwing a no-look lob to Keyontae Johnson for an alley-oop slam with under a minute remaining in overtime is a highlight that will be replayed for years to come.

2. Adama Sanogo, UConn
Opponent: Miami
Round: Final Four
Stats: 9-of-11 shooting, 21 points, 10 rebounds, two blocks

The Most Outstanding Player of the Final Four put on a clinic in the Huskies’ 72-59 win over Miami in a national semifinal matchup. Sanogo was dominant on both ends of the court, scoring a game-high 21 points and adding 10 rebounds, while also hitting a pair of early 3s that set the tone for the Huskies and allowed them to get out to a quick lead and never look back. The 6-foot-9 big man from Mali had plenty of outstanding moments throughout this year’s tournament, but this one was the best of them all.

3. Drew Timme, Gonzaga
Opponent: UCLA
Round: Sweet 16
Stats: 36 points, 13 rebounds, four assists, two blocks

Timme will be remembered as one of the greatest players in Gonzaga history, and his signature performance came in an impressive 79-76 win over No. 2 UCLA in the Sweet 16. In a matchup between two programs with plenty of history in previous NCAA Tournaments, the Zags’ senior big man took over, scoring 36 points and grabbing 13 rebounds en route to becoming the first player ever to record at least 20 points in 10 NCAA Tournament games.

Tristen Newton, UConn
Opponent: San Diego State
Round: National Championship
Stats: 19 points, 10 rebounds, four assists, two steals

"I don’t care if you call me a point guard or a not, call me a national champion." That was Newton’s message to everyone who questioned UConn’s point guard play throughout the season and heading into the NCAA Tournament. The East Carolina transfer shined his brightest on college basketball’s biggest stage, recording a double-double with a game-high 19 points and 10 rebounds while helping lift the Huskies to a win over San Diego State in the national title game. Newton also added four assists in the victory, including a picture-perfect pass to Jordan Hawkins for a game-sealing 3-pointer with just over five minutes remaining after the Aztecs cut the lead to five. It was a special moment for a player who proved all of his doubters wrong.

5. Jordan Miller, Miami
Opponent: Texas
Round: Elite Eight
Stats: 7-of-7 FG, 13-13 FT, 27 points

The thought of playing a "perfect" game in the NCAA Tournament seems like an unfathomable feat, especially with a trip to the Final Four on the line. However, that’s exactly what Miller did in the Hurricanes’ 88-81 upset win over No. 2 Texas in the Elite Eight. The do-it-all senior guard scored a game-high 27 points while shooting a flawless 7-of-7 from the field and 13-of-13 from the charity stripe. Miller became the first player to score 27 points while shooting 100% from the field and connecting on 100% of his free-throws in an NCAA Tournament game since Christian Laettner did it for Duke in the 1992 Elite Eight against the Kentucky Wildcats.

6. Jordan Hawkins, UConn
Opponent: Gonzaga
Round: Elite Eight
Stats: 20 points, six rebounds, 6-of-10 from 3-point range

UConn’s sharp-shooting junior guard put on a show in the Huskies’ dominant 82-54 victory over Gonzaga in the Elite Eight. Hawkins scored a game-high 20 points, grabbed six rebounds and knocked down six of his 10 shots from beyond the arc to lead UConn to a spot in the Final Four. There were times throughout the game where it felt like Hawkins simply couldn’t miss, regardless of what Mark Few’s Gonzaga team tried to do in order to contain him. The impressive shooting performance brought back memories of former UConn greats such as Ray Allen, Rip Hamilton and Kemba Walker.

7. Nijel Pack, Miami
Opponent: Houston
Round: Sweet 16
Stats: 26 points, four rebounds, 7-of-10 from 3-point range

Miami's Sweet 16 matchup against Houston was not only against a top seed but an opposing defense that was among the best in the country. Houston’s suffocating defense was no match for Pack and the Hurricanes in this one. The Kansas State transfer hit shots from near and far, finishing with a game-high 26 points while hitting 7-of-10 from beyond the arc. Pack and the Canes dropped 89 on the Cougars, which marked the highest total Kelvin Sampson’s team gave up all season.

8. Sean Moore, Fairleigh Dickinson
Opponent: Purdue
Round: Round of 32
Stats: 19 points, five rebounds

It wasn’t as much about the numbers Moore put up in this game as it was about the opponent he registered them against. Playing in his hometown of Columbus, Ohio, Moore, who averaged 7.3 points per game for Fairleigh Dickinson, poured in a career-high 19 points as 16-seed FDU stunned No. 1-ranked Purdue, 63-58, marking the second time in NCAA Tournament history a 16-seed has knocked off a 1-seed.

9. Ryan Nembhard, Creighton
Opponent: Baylor
Round: Sweet 16
Stats: 30 points, 4-of-6 from 3-point range

Creighton’s run to the Elite Eight tends to get overlooked simply because they ran into a San Diego State team that steamrolled its way to the national championship game. However, the Bluejays had an impressive NCAA Tournament journey, which included a memorable second-round upset over No. 3 Baylor. Nembhard put on a shooting clinic in that contest, scoring a career-high 30 points while knocking down four 3s and going perfect from the charity strip (10-of-10). Creighton's sophomore point guard had only topped the 20-point mark on two occasions this season before this memorable outing, which helped stamp the Bluejays ticket to the Sweet 16.

10. Darrion Trammell, SDSU
Opponent: Alabama
Round: Sweet 16
Stats: 21 points, five rebounds

Much like Moore’s outing in Fairleigh Dickinson’s upset win over Purdue, this performance wasn’t as much about the final stat line as it was the opponent he faced. Going up against a dominant Alabama squad that entered the NCAA Tournament as the No. 1 overall seed, Trammell poured in a game-high 21 points with five boards as the Aztecs put together an impressive second-half run to shock the Crimson Tide and move on to the Elite Eight. As good as Trammell was offensively, he was even better on the defensive side, helping the Aztecs hold the Crimson Tide to 32% shooting, including an 11.1% clip from downtown.

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