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

In the month of March, the NBA viewership takes a dip, despite the fact that the league is only a month away from the Playoffs. A large part of that dip is all the attention that goes to the collegiate basketball annual elimination tournament - NCAA's March Madness.

Another reason is also the fact that, in March, the league is over five months old and the regular season starts to get a little bit mundane. Everybody wants things to be fast-forwarded to the postseason but obviously, this season, more than ever, has games in March that are important for teams that are still fighting for Playoff spots in the West ( just Playoff standings in the East).

There are multiple outstanding performances by current NBA players during their college days in the NCAA Tournament but what about current special players in the league that never made it to the tournament.

We got you covered with the Top 5, in no specific order:

Klay Thompson - Washington State [2008-11]

Klay Thompson in College [Image courtesy: SI.com]

The 2-time NBA Champion Klay Thompson played three years for the Washington State Cougars but not one of the years did the team make it to the NCAA's March tourney.

As a program, the Cougars don't exactly have a rich history in terms of the March Madness. They've only made 6 appearances (1941, 1980, 1983, 1994, 2007 and 2008) in the tournament with an overall record of 6-6. Of those six appearances, the furthest they've reached in the competition was the National Championship game in 1941 but in recent times their Sweet Sixteen appearance in 2008 was the best.

They made it two years in a row before Thompson (2007, 08) joined them but they haven't been able to crack the code since. Each of his three years, Thompson's impact and numbers improved, earning him well-deserved honors like - Pac 10 All-Freshman Team (2009) and the All-Pac-10 First Team (2010).

Fortunately, for this sharpshooter, not taking part in March Madness didn't really affect his career trajectory, as he got drafted by the Golden State Warriors in 2011 Draft. He is easily in the debate to make the list of the 5 greatest shooters ever.

Ben Simmons - Louisiana State University [2015-16]

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).

#3 Joel Embiid - Kansas [2013-14]

Now, this one's a surprise. A great player from a great program missing out on the tourney.

Joel Embiid, who played for the three-time Champions - the Kansas Jayhawks, had a spectacular one-year with the program but an unfortunate injury in March of 2014 forced him to miss the Pac-12 tournament as well as the March tourney. In the 28 games for the 2013-14 season, he played 28 games, averaging 11.2 points, 8.1 rebounds, 2.6 blocks on 62.6% shooting in 23.1 minutes.

The Jayhawks have some illustrious history to boast off about. Their first head coach was the inventor of the game - James Naismith but their tournament record speaks volumes as well. The Jayhawks might have won if Embiid was healthy that year, but then again, the Cameroon national wouldn't be on this list then.

The injury didn't really affect Embiid's stock, as he was drafted third overall by the 76ers anyway. It took him a couple of years, to rehab from his leg injuries and play competitive basketball but from his play the last couple of seasons, clearly the wait was worth it.

Paul George - Fresno State [2008-10]

Paul George for the Fresno State Bulldogs

Barring Kansas, a lot of the programs mentioned here aren't going to have a great history to show off. Fresno State is no different. In fact, Paul George didn't have a huge stock when he declared for 2010 NBA Draft.

He was drafted by the Indiana Pacers, but it was maturation in the NBA, that really made him a star. His college numbers - 15.5 points, 6.7 rebounds, 2.4 assists on 44.7% shooting in 33.9 minutes - don't jump off the board. Fortunately, what he had going for him was a huge wingspan, the defensive skills and the ideal height for the modern playing style of the league.

Since their inception in 1992, the Bulldogs have only played six appearances in the NCAA tournament for a record of 2-5, with their most recent appearance being in 2016 - round of 64. PG-13's value and status in the league. Needn't be spoken about, he's one of the top 15 players in the league right now. More importantly, he is to become a free agent in the upcoming summer.

Damian Lillard - Weber State [2008-12]

Rookie of the Year and 3-time All-Star. It's no wonder Damian Lillard has his number retired by the Weber State Wildcats.

In terms of National Tournament appearances, Weber State has quite a few - 16 to precise but they've failed to capitalize on them. They've only won two games in those sixteen appearances, all of which have come after 1968.

Lillard, who played four years with the Wildcats (he was a re-shirt junior), sort of assured in this era of four-year players making an instant impact for their teams. (Another example Draymond Green). Lillard received multiple honors in college but not once during his playing years did Weber State make it to the tournament.

Edited by Yash Matange