The first weekend of the NCAA Tournament brought some incredible individual performances as star players shined on college basketball’s big stage while trying to keep their seasons alive. There were clutch buckets, gaudy stat lines and memorable highlights from players across the bracket deserving of some recognition.
In fact, whittling the list down to just 15 players for the All-First Weekend Team was a tough task. High-performing stars such as Mississippi State’s Josh Hubbard, Memphis’ Dain Dainja and Louisville’s Chucky Hepburn missed the list because their teams were eliminated in the first round.
Others who played two games also finished just off the cut line after their teams lost in the second round. Among them were Oregon star Jackson Shelstad and Iowa State’s Curtis Jones. The list of great individual showings from the first of the Big Dance was extensive, and those are just a few examples of the tough snubs.
Also among those not listed are the two frontrunners for National Player of the Year: Auburn center Johni Broome and Duke forward Cooper Flagg. Perhaps both players are saving their best efforts for when their teams need it further down the line in this NCAA Tournament.
So who did make the team? Without further ado, here are the 2025 NCAA Tournament All-First Weekend honorees.
First Team
LJ Cryer, Houston: Cryer has stepped up in big moments all season and did so again Saturday for the No. 1 seed Cougars as they survived a rally from No. 8 seed Gonzaga for an 81-76 victory. Cryer totaled 30 points on 6-of-11 shooting from 3-point range in the win after tallying 15 points in a first-round victory over No. 16 seed SIUE.
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