Most memorable players from 2021 NCAA Tournament
Paul Hiepler – Abilene Christian
From Mercer’s iconic dance circle to Monmouth’s bench antics, everyone loves a good hype man. This year that came in the form of Abilene Christian’s Paul Hiepler. The senior saw zero minutes in ACU’s upset of 3-seed Texas but that doesn’t mean he wasn’t making an impact. Hiepler was hyping his ACU teammates up and cemented his legacy following the upset hitting Texas with the infamous ‘Horns down’ celebration.
After the game, images emerged of a young Hiepler with a then University of Davidson player Steph Curry. It seemed like he always knew he’d be at the Big Dance someday, and his bench antics will certainly live in fame especially in the hearts of the Abilene Christian faithful.
Johnny Juzang – UCLA
Juzang BALLED OUT during the tournament during UCLA’s unprecedented run to the Final Four, scoring 28 of UCLA’s 51 points in their win over Michigan before adding 29 in their Final Four game. The Bruins became just the second team in history to reach the Final Four after playing in the First Four and Juzang was at the center of the run the entire way.
The Bruins had memorable performances against Alabama, Michigan, and Gonzaga and it was Juzang’s effort that nearly sent the Bruins into double overtime against the best team in the nation. While it seemingly ended in heartbreak for Juzang and the Bruins after Jalen Suggs’ game-winner, Juzang and the Bruins have a chance to run it all back next season with seemingly every starter returning and a 5-star recruit on the way for reinforcement.
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If Juzang does go to the NBA, he leaves college having been at the center of an all-time March Madness run.