Top 5 Notable Active NBA Players that never played in NCAA's March Madness

Ben Simmons - Louisiana State University [2015-16]

Ben Simmons with LSU

Unlike the Washington State Cougars, the Louisiana State University Tigers have more of a rich history when it comes to the NCAA Tournament. They've made the March tourney a total of 21 times, for a record of 24-24. Their best result was reaching the Final Four, which they did four times (1953, 1961, 1986, 2006).

Unfortunately, none of that counts as they never made the tournament when they had current Philadelphia 76ers' rookie Ben Simmons, finishing with a record of 19-14.He's also one of only two LSU alums to be drafted first overall in the NBA, the first being Hall of Famer - Shaquille O'Neal.

Right from the beginning of their season, Simmons was considered the number one pick in the country for the NBA, despite having almost nothing for a jump shot. However, his numbers for the season - 19.2 points, 11.8 rebounds, 4.8 assists and 2.0 steals - were difficult to overlook and eventually the 76ers took him first overall in 2016.

He missed the entire 2016-17 season after suffering a fracture of the fifth metatarsal bone of his right foot during the team's final training camp scrimmage. His defacto rookie season (2017-18) is going great though, with him being one of the leading candidates for the Rookie of the Year Award. He has 8 triple-doubles for the season so far, not to mention the contribution that has helped the team make it to the Playoffs for the first time since 2012 (most probably).