How every current Charlotte Hornets player performed in March Madness
By Jason Huber
Hornets players who performed extremely well in their tournament appearances
Miles Bridges, Michigan State (Appeared in 2017 & 18)
In both of his two collegiate seasons, Miles Bridges was regarded as one of the best players in all of college basketball.
While Bridges is quickly becoming a star now in the NBA with the Hornets, he also had plenty of success when he helped lead Michigan State to the tournament as a freshman and sophomore.
In 2017, Bridges was named the Big Ten Freshman of the Year and the Spartans entered the tournament as a 9 seed in their region. In the first round against No. 8 Miami, Bridges put up 18 points on 8-of-13 shooting along with nine rebounds, and Michigan State upset the Hurricanes.
In the second round, Bridges and the Spartans lost to top-seeded Kansas but he finished the game with 22 points and eight rebounds.
As a sophomore, Bridges didn’t slow down, leading MSU to a 3-seed in its region and defeating No. 14 Bucknell in the first round behind 29 points and nine rebounds from Bridges.
Then Bridges struggled greatly in the second round against No. 11 Syracuse, shooting just 4-of-11 for 11 points and the Spartans were upset in a year that had Final Four expectations.
Cody Martin, NC State & Nevada (Appeared in 2015, 18 & 19)
As the only Charlotte player who appeared in the NCAA Tournament with two teams, Cody Martin helped boost his draft stock in March, particularly while with Nevada.
During his freshman year, Martin only played in 19 games with the Wolfpack but was a part of the No. 8 seeded NC State team that advanced all the way to the Sweet 16. He only played 21 minutes total in all three games but was still a key part of the rotation.
Following his sophomore season, Martin and his twin, Caleb, transferred to Nevada where they really broke out.
In 2018, Martin helped guide Nevada to a No. 7 seed in the tournament and led them to the Sweet 16 before falling to No. 11 Loyola Chicago.
The next season, Nevada received another 7 seed but this time fell in the first round to Florida despite Martin’s team-leading 23 points.
In those three tournament games, Martin averaged 18.7 points, six assists and 5.3 rebounds per game with the points and assists leading the team.
P.J. Washington, Kentucky (Appeared in 2018 & 19)
Unlike many star freshmen who play at Kentucky, P.J. Washington chose to return to school his sophomore season and ended up having great performances in both tournament appearances they had.
In 2018, the Wildcats entered the tournament as a 5-seed but advanced to the Sweet 16 with Washington scoring in double-digits in all three games. In the loss to Kansas State, Washington led the team with 18 points and 15 rebounds.
As a sophomore, Washington had a monster season and guided Kentucky to a 2-seed but would have to miss the first two tournament games with a sprained left foot.
Once he returned, he was dominant, helping lead the Wildcats to the Elite 8 before getting upset by No. 5 Auburn. In that game, Washington scored 28 points and hauled in 13 rebounds, which is arguably the best game of his collegiate career.
He averaged 22.0 points and 7.5 rebounds while shooting 61.5 percent in the two tournament games he played.
Mason Plumlee, Duke (Appeared in 2010, 11, 12 & 13)
Mason Plumlee has the fortune of being the only player on the Hornets roster that spent all four years in college and thanks to that, he made the tournament all four seasons and won a National Championship.
The title came when he was a freshman against Butler but Plumlee played very sparingly during that run.
As a sophomore, Plumlee became more of an impact player for the Blue Devils, helping lead them to a 1-seed in the tournament but despite solid numbers in three games, Duke was upset by No. 5 Arizona in the Sweet 16.
The next year, Plumlee was victim to the infamous upset of No. 15 Lehigh. As a 2-seed, Plumlee led the team in the first round with 19 points, 12 rebounds and three blocks, but the Blue Devils lost and will probably never get over it.
Fortunately, Plumlee’s senior season saw the Blue Devils received a 2-seed again and make it to the Elite 8. Plumlee scored in double-digits in all four games, before getting blown out by No. 1 Louisville.