Best individual NCAA Tournament March Madness runs: 10. Juan Dixon, 2002
Stats:
- 25.8 points
- 3.8 rebounds
- 3.2 assists
- 2.0 steals
Re-watch this game: Final Four vs Kansas
How is it possible for a team to win the National Championship and still be slept on? Maryland may not have back-to-backs like Florida, surprising runs like UConn, or big stars like North Carolina and Duke, but their 2002 squad led by Juan Dixon was elite.
Dixon, like his alma mater, has become another player lost in the annals of NCAA Tournament history, and he shouldn’t be.
As Maryland’s secondary point guard and primary scoring option, Dixon led the Terrapins past a Wisconsin, Kentucky, UConn, Kansas, and Indiana on their way to a National Championship. He did all this without having a single poor shooting night and provided some of the “dirty work” as well.
What made Dixon so great in 2002 was his ability to score efficiently for all levels, making 57 percent of his 2-pointers, 51 percent of his threes, and 88 percent of his free-throws. All this helped Maryland win each game by double-digits, with the excepting of their nine-point win over Kansas, during which Dixon scored 33 points.
While history may choose to forget Dixon, mainly due to his lack of success in the NBA, his performance in the 2002 NCAA Tournament was one of the best ever. I challenge anyone to watch one of his games and not enjoy it.