Tristen Newton joined an exclusive list Monday, earning Most Outstanding Player honors after bringing home another national championship with UConn.
The 6-5 guard was a rock for the Huskies all season, and he capped off UConn's dominant tournament run with a 20-point, seven-assist, five-rebound performance in Connecticut's 75-60 win over Purdue. Perhaps most impressive, Newton didn't turn it over once while playing 39 minutes.
In six games, Newton averaged 14.5 points, 4.0 rebounds, and 7.2 assists, spearheading the Huskies run to the title game.
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Newton joins elite company with his MOP award, including some of the greatest players in the game's history like Hakeem Olajuwon, Magic Johnson, and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. He also joins former teammate Adama Sanogo, who won the award for the Huskies last season.
Here's how Newton earned the prestigious honor.
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UConn stood out during its March Madness run for its well-rounded roster that seemed to produce a different hero each night, but Newton was just about always involved.
He scored double-digit points in all but one of the six UConn wins, and he was often a crucial facilitator of the offense, notching more than five assists in four games.
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Newton went 0-for-6 from the field against Illinois, but he otherwise went 28-of-59 (47.5 percent), including an impressive 11-of-27 (40.7 percent) from 3-point range.
When it came to the Final Four, Newton scored 12 points with nine assists and three rebounds against Alabama, then notched 20 points with five rebounds and seven assists against Purdue in the championship.
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Most Outstanding Player winners
YEAR | NAME | SCHOOL |
---|---|---|
2024 | Tristen Newton | UConn |
2023 | Adama Sanogo | UConn |
2022 | Ochai Agbaji | Kansas |
2021 | Jared Butler | Baylor |
2019 | Kyle Guy | Virginia |
2018 | Donte DiVincenzo | Villanova |
2017 | Joel Berry II | North Carolina |
2016 | Ryan Arcidiacono | Villanova |
2015 | Tyus Jones | Duke |
2014 | Shabazz Napier | UConn |
2013 | Luke Hancock | Louisville* |
2012 | Anthony Davis | Kentucky |
2011 | Kemba Walker | UConn |
2010 | Kyler Singler | Duke |
2009 | Wayne Ellington | North Carolina |
2008 | Mario Chalmers | Kansas |
2007 | Corey Brewer | Florida |
2006 | Joakim Noah | Florida |
2005 | Sean May | North Carolina |
2004 | Emeka Okafor | UConn |
2003 | Carmelo Anthony | Syracuse |
2002 | Juan Dixon | Maryland |
2001 | Shane Battier | Duke |
2000 | Mateen Cleaves | Michigan State |
1999 | Richard Hamilton | UConn |
1998 | Jeff Sheppard | Kentucky |
1997 | Miles Simon | Arizona |
1996 | Tony Delk | Kentucky |
1995 | Ed O'Bannon | UCLA |
1994 | Corliss Williamson | Arkansas |
1993 | Donald Williams | North Carolina |
1992 | Bobby Hurley | Duke |
1991 | Christian Laettner | Duke |
1990 | Anderson Hunt | UNLV |
1989 | Glen Rice | Michigan |
1988 | Danny Manning | Kansas |
1987 | Keith Smart | Indiana |
1986 | Pervis Ellison | Louisville |
1985 | Ed Pinckney | Villanova |
1984 | Patrick Ewing | Georgetown |
1983 | Hakeem Olajuwon | Houston |
1982 | James Worthy | North Carolina |
1981 | Isiah Thomas | Indiana |
1980 | Darrell Griffith | Louisville |
1979 | Magic Johnson | Michigan State |
1978 | Jack Givens | Kentucky |
1977 | Butch Lee | Marquette |
1976 | Kent Benson | Indiana |
1975 | Richard Washington | UCLA |
1974 | David Thompson | NC State |
1973 | Bill Walton | UCLA |
1972 | Bill Walton | UCLA |
1971 | Vacated | N/A |
1970 | Sidney Wicks | UCLA |
1969 | Lew Alcindor | UCLA |
1968 | Lew Alcindor | UCLA |
1967 | Lew Alcindor | UCLA |
1966 | Jerry Chambers | Utah |
1965 | Bill Bradley | Princeton |
1964 | Walt Hazzard | UCLA |
1963 | Art Heyman | Duke |
1962 | Paul Hogue | Cincinnati |
1961 | Jerry Lucas | Ohio State |
1960 | Jerry Lucas | Ohio State |
1959 | Jerry West | West Virginia |
1958 | Elgin Baylor | Seattle |
1957 | Wilt Chamberlain | Kansas |
1956 | Hal Lear | Temple |
1955 | Bill Russell | San Francisco |
1954 | Tom Gola | La Salle |
1953 | B.H. Born | Kansas |
1952 | Clyde Lovellette | Kansas |
1951 | Bill Spivey | Kentucky |
1950 | Irwin Dambrot | CCNY |
1949 | Alex Groza | Kentucky |
1948 | Alex Groza | Kentucky |
1947 | George Kaftan | Holy Cross |
1946 | Bob Kurland | Oklahoma State |
1945 | Bob Kurland | Oklahoma State |
1944 | Arnie Ferrin | Utah |
1943 | Ken Sailors | Wyoming |
1942 | Howie Dallmar | Stanford |
1941 | John Kotz | Wisconsin |
1940 | Marvin Huffman | Indiana |
1939 | Jimmy Hull | Ohio State |
*Title vacated