As we continue in our series of March Madness games played by current Boston Celtics in the college days as a salve for the canceled 2020 NCAA Tournament and suspended NBA season, we have six games that fell on March 19th to consider.
For some Celtics, today was a day to celebrate as they advanced ever-deeper into the Big Dance. For others, it was the end of their season-long effort to make some noise in the collegiate game’s biggest event.
So, without further ado, let’s take a look at the games from March 19th in years past to see how this day in history has treated the Celtics on the 2019-20 roster.
For Butler product Gordon Hayward, it was a disappointing day, with his Bulldogs falling to the LSU Tigers 75-71 in the round of 64 in 2009.
The Indiana native would log 12 points, 6 rebounds and 4 assists in the loss.
It was similarly depressing for former Blue Devil Jayson Tatum, whose Duke squad was upset by an upstart South Carolina in one of the biggest upsets in school history.
Tatum would score 15 points in the second-round defeat by the Gamecocks in the 2017 Tournament.
Reserve guard Brad Wanamaker would play two games on this date, winning one.
The loss to his Pitt Panthers came against teammate Hayward’s alma mater Butler the season after he left for the NBA, in 2011, the Bulldogs winning 71-70.
Wanamaker logged 8 points, 7 boards and as many assists in the losing effort, Pitt falling in the round of 32.
He also won in a blowout against Oakland the season prior, the Panthers romping 89-66 over the Golden Grizzlies.
The Philadelphia native had 13 points and 6 assists in the first-round meeting.
All-Star point guard Kemba Walker is the only current Celtic to have two wins to his name on this date, the first a victory over lowly Chattanooga in 2009, his Huskies crushing the Mocs 103-47.
The UConn product, a rookie reserve at the time, logged 10 points and 6 assists off the bench.
The other win was the Bronx native’s second in his run to the 2011 national title, a 69-58 win over then-Big East rival Cincinnati in the round of 32.
The future All-NBA guard would log an impressive 33-point, 6-rebound, 5-assist performance, further cementing his legacy by turning in one more win in one of the greatest runs in NCAA tournament history.
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