Any conversation about who would be named this season’s Final Four MOP became mere formality as Duke Tyus Jones kept torching the Wisconsin defense during the second half of Monday night’s national championship game.
Jones put in a solid night of work, to say the least, tallying 23 points on the night. But it wasn’t just his statistics that told his story. Rather, it was the combination of moments that each shot came during, like his final three-pointer to put Duke up eight late in the game.
For that, he is the GMS Final Four MOP.
To finish filling out our All-Tournament team, we selected five others from the Final Four field that deserved recognition.
Travis Trice, Michigan State: Trice was a big reason why the Spartans made the kind of March run that they did, reaching yet another Final Four under Tom Izzo. While he struggled against the perimeter defense of Duke in their Final Four game, Trice left a lasting impression in his final season at Michigan State.
Quinn Cook, Duke: Another senior guard who came up big in the big moments for his team, Cook was the spark that fired up Duke’s suffocating perimeter defense. No, he didn’t score the ball particularly well down the stretch of the tournament, but Cook’s commitment to the team was instrumental in the Blue Devils bringing home a title.
Sam Dekker, Wisconsin: Dekker had one of the most ridiculous runs of performances we’ve seen in recent years. He scored 20, 17, 23, 26 and 16 points in tournament games before struggling a bit in the title game, where he finished with 12 points. Nonetheless, he was sensational.
Justise Winslow, Duke: Few players lifted their NBA Draft stock quite as much as Winslow did during the NCAA Tournament. A true two-way player, his big shots down the stretch against early bracket opponents helped Duke advance.
Frank Kaminsky, Wisconsin: Kaminsky turned in back-t0-back double-doubles in the Final Four and championship, becoming the first player to accomplish that since 2003, when Carmelo Anthony did it for Syracuse.
