How current Portland Trail Blazers fared in the NCAA Tournament
Early Exits
While four Blazers missed out on the excitement of March Madness, the remaining 12 reached the tournament at least once. Quite a few of them had short experiences in the Dance. However, one player actually made it further than people expected.
Wade Baldwin IV
Wade Baldwin only scratched the surface of the tournament experience during his two seasons with the Vanderbilt Commodores. Vandy missed the tourney in 2014-15, Baldwin’s freshman year. However, the team was able to make it the following season.
Vanderbilt underwhelmed in 2015-16 and squeaked into the tournament as a No. 11 seed. The selection committee placed them in one of the First Four play-in games, meaning they would have to earn their way into the Round of 64.
It was not a pretty ending for Baldwin and the Commodores. Vanderbilt lost big to the Wichita State Shockers, 70-50. Baldwin paced Vandy’s starters with only nine points.
Al-Farouq Aminu
Starting power forward Al-Farouq Aminu also spent two seasons on campus, playing for the Wake Forest Demon Deacons. He made the NCAA Tournament both years, but never got far.
In 2008-09, Aminu’s freshman year, Wake went 24-6 during the season, earning a No. 4 seed in the tournament. However, the Deacs were upset by the No. 13 Cleveland State Vikings in the Round of 64.
Wake Forest returned to the tourney in 2009-10, but were only able to get a round further. They were throttled by the No. 1 Kentucky Wildcats, 90-60, in the Round of 32.
Meyers Leonard
Meyers Leonard only went to the tournament once as a member of the Illinois Fighting Illini. He didn’t factor in much during that single run. The Fighting Illini went 19-13 and earned a No. 9 seed during the 2010-11 season, Leonard’s freshman year. Illinois ultimately fell to the Kansas Jayhawks in the Round of 32, 73-59. Leonard played nine total minutes in both games.
C.J. Wilcox
Two-way player CJ Wilcox played four seasons for the Washington Huskies, but only went to the tournament in 2011, his freshman year. That season he served as a key rotation player, averaging 8.1 points and 15.8 minutes per game over 33 appearances.
Wilcox was a starter during their Pac-10 Tournament championship run, but returned to bench status during the national tourney. The Huskies were defeated by the North Carolina Tar Heels, 86-83, in the Round of 32.
C.J. McCollum
Starting 2-guard C.J. McCollum has the best tournament story of all the early exiters. McCollum and his Lehigh Mountain Hawks made the Big Dance twice out of the Patriot League. As a freshman, he led the program to the 2010 regular season and conference title.
Unfortunately, Lehigh drew a No. 16 seed and a date against Kansas in Oklahoma City. The Mountain Hawks gave their all, but ultimately fell 90-74 to the Jayhawks.
However, Lehigh shocked the world the second time around in 2012. This time, they earned a No. 15 seed and matched up in the Round of 64 with the Duke Blue Devils in Greensboro, N.C. The pseudo-home-court advantage did not deter McCollum, as his 30 points led Lehigh past the Blue Devils, 75-70.
They were eliminated by the Xavier Musketeers, 70-58, in the next round, but that upset will live on as one of the rare 2-15 upsets in the NCAA Tournament.