All-time UCLA Bruins March Madness starting lineup

The 11-time national champion UCLA Bruins have had some of the greatest college basketball players in history pass through Pauley Pavilion. But what is the best March Madness starting lineup we can make, taking into account only their performance in the NCAA Tournament.

UCLA Bruins center Lew Alcindor (33) / Malcolm Emmons-USA TODAY Sports

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Ed O'Bannon Jr.. Ed O'Bannon Jr.. SF. player. Ed O'Bannon. . . 518. . 1991-95

In Ed O’Bannon’s freshman year, UCLA made it to the Elite Eight, but he was an afterthought on that team. He only scored 3.6 points a game that season and didn’t become the focal point until his sophomore season.

As a sophomore, O’Bannon led UCLA to the tournament as a nine-seed, but the Bruins were bounced in the second round. O’Bannon scored 19 and 20 points in his team’s two games and shot it well from the field, but he didn’t have the talent around him to advance.

In 1994, O’Bannon’s junior season, UCLA was a No. 5 seed and did have more talent, but was upset in the first round. So, O’Bannon had something to prove in his senior year. UCLA was a No. 1 seed and O’Bannon had his brother Charles as a running-mate.

On the six-game run to the national title, UCLA’s 11th, Ed O’Bannon scored 19.2 points, but like most of the players included in this historic starting lineup, O’Bannon was at his best in the biggest moment. In the National Final against Arkansas, O’Bannon scored 30 points with 17 rebounds, three assists, and three steals in 40 minutes of play. He was named the Tournament’s Most Outstanding Player and capped off his All-American career by delivering a long-awaited 11th national championship to UCLA.

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