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From Magic Johnson to Christian Laettner to Joakim Noah, March Madness has been littered with a history of outstanding tournament performances that have turned college players into unforgettable basketball icons.

Today, Bodog Beat takes a look at the Top Five March Madness performances of all time. It’s quite the list:

No. 5 - Lew Alcindor, UCLA (1968)

The man later known as Kareem Abdul-Jabbar turned the 1968 National Championship into his own personal basketball clinic. Check these scores:

Tournament semifinals - UCLA 101, Houston 69.
Final: UCLA 78, North Carolina 55.

See above? Yeah, it looked easy, but that doesn’t mean it wasn’t great. Alcindor combined for 53 points and 34 rebounds in the two blowouts (including 34 points in the final), and picked up the second of his three tourney MVP trophies. Alcindor was also the defensive linchpin, helping to throttle Elvin Hayes in the semifinal and blocking seven shots in the final.

No. 4 - Bill Russell, San Francisco (1956)

The Dons dominated in 1956, sweeping through the tournament with ease even though playing without K.C. Jones, who was declared ineligible. The reason why: Bill Russell. He averaged 22-plus points in four tourney games, and dominated off the glass. His 50 rebounds in the final four (23 against SMU and 27 in San Fran’s 83-71 title win over Iowa) still stand as a Final Four record, nine more than any player before or since. In the final, Russell scored 26 points, grabbed 27 rebounds and held Iowa center Bill Logan, who had scored 36 in the semis, to only 12 points.

No. 3 - Austin Carr, Notre Dame (1970)

Carr set a slew of tournament scoring records, pumping home 61 points vs. Ohio in the first round, 52 vs. Kentucky in the second, and 45 in Notre Dame’s loss to Iowa in the third round. His 52.7 scoring average tops the all-time list.

No. 2 - Elvin Hayes, Houston (1968)

Houston vs. UCLA. Hayes vs. Alcindor. No question, 1968 was the Year of the Big Men, and the Big E shined in the tournament. In the first round of the Midwest Regional, he scored 49 points and grabbed 27 rebounds as Houston beat Loyola of Chicago 94-76. Though the Cougars made it to the Final Four, they lost both the semifinal and the consolation game,. However, Hayes’ performance is still one for the ages: 97 rebounds (a tourney record) and 167 points in five games. Despite dominating as an individual, Hayes didn’t make the all-tournament team. Go figure.

No. 1 - Bill Walton, UCLA (1973)

During the Bruins’ semifinal victory, Walton tossed a towel that accidentally hit John Wooden in the face. A prophecy? No way. Bill had terrific aim in the final, hitting a near-perfect 21-for-22 from the field (no, that’s not a typo) for 44 points as the Bruins topped Memphis 87-66 for the title in front of 19,301 fans in St. Louis. Walton also grabbed a total of 41 rebounds in the semis and title game.

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