When the Cavaliers went dancing

CLEVELAND, Ohio — The madness of March tips off in earnest today, and for many current Cleveland Cavaliers players the NCAA men’s basketball tournament is a time to reflect on the outstanding performances that helped them reach their dream of playing in the NBA.

From Richard Jefferson and Channing Frye’s four consecutive tournament appearances each with Arizona to Final Four runs by Kevin Love (UCLA) and Deron Williams (Illinois), the current Cavaliers roster boasts a wealth of NCAA tournament experience and success.

Here is a look back at how the current Cavaliers fared when they took to the court in pursuit of NCAA immortality.

— Joe Noga, cleveland.com

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Photo: Donna McWilliam/Associated Press

Richard Jefferson, Arizona (1998-2001)

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Photo: Kevork Djansezian/Associated Press

Channing Frye, Arizona (2002-05)

Like Jefferson, Frye made four straight NCAA tournament trips with Arizona, reaching the Elite Eight in 2003 and 2005. Frye averaged 15.8 points, 7.6 rebounds and 2.3 blocks per game as a senior, and the Wildcats reached the Chicago regional finals before losing 90-89 to Deron Williams and Illinois.

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Photo: Nati Harnik/Associated Press

Kyle Korver, Creighton (2000, 2002-03)

Korver was a two-time Missouri Valley Conference Player of the Year and helped the Bluejays to a stunning upset of No. 5 seed Florida in the first round of the 2002 tournament. The next season, Creighton returned as a No. 6 seed and was bounced early by Central Michigan.

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Photo: Victoria Arocho/Associated Press

James Jones, Miami (2000, 2002)

Jones was a reserve on the 2000 Hurricanes team that upset Micahel Redd, Scoonie Penn and the No. 3 Ohio State Buckeyes to reach the Sweet Sixteen before falling to Tulsa, 80-71. Champ returned to the tournament in 2002, scoring 11 points as the No. 5 Hurricanes stumbled in the first round against Kareem Rush and Missouri, 93-80.

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Photo: Jeff Roberson/Associated Press

Deron Williams, Illinois (2003-05)

Williams led his team to a first round win as a freshman, the Sweet Sixteen as a sophomore and all the way to the NCAA title game as a junior, where he scored 17 points and dished out seven assists, but the Illini lost to North Carolina, 75-70.

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Photo: Mark J. Terrill/Associated Press

Kevin Love, UCLA (2008)

The Pac-10 player of the year averaged 17.5 points and 10.6 rebounds per game, leading the Bruins to a conference championship and a No. 1 seed in the NCAA’s West Region. Love’s Bruins reached the Final Four with wins against Mississippi Valley State, Texas A&M, Western Kentucky (29 points, 14 rebounds) and Xavier before falling to eventual runner-up Memphis.

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Photo: Scott K. Brown/Associated Press

Larry Sanders, Virginia Commonwealth (2009)

Sanders, who was the Colonial Athletic Association co-Defensive Player of the Year, had 10 points, 11 rebounds and four blocks as No. 11 VCU lost to No. 6 UCLA by one point in the first round of the East Regional.

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Photo: Morry Gash/Associated Press

Iman Shumpert, Georgia Tech (2010)

Shumpert helped the Yellow Jackets to a first round win against Oklahoma State with nine points, four assists and three rebounds, but Georgia Tech fell to Ohio State in the second round, 75-66.

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Photo: Bill Kostroun/Associated Press

DeAndre Liggins, Kentucky (2010-11)

In 2010, Liggins played in all four Kentucky tournament games, scoring seven points in an Elite Eight loss to West Virginia. He played in five NCAA tournament games in 2011, helping the Wildcats reach the Final Four, including 15 points, 6 rebounds and 3 assists in a Sweet Sixteen win against the Ohio State. Liggins ended his college career with a loss to UConn in the Final Four.

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Photo: Jae C. Hong/Associated Press

Derrick Williams, Arizona (2011)

The Pac-10 Player of the Year, Williams made a critical block with less than two seconds to secure a win against Memphis in the opening round. Williams added a 3-point play to help defeat Texas in the second round. He then totaled a career-high 32 points along with 13 rebounds to lead Arizona in an upset of No. 1 Duke, advancing to the Elite Eight. Williams and the Wildcats lost the West Region championship, 65–63, to eventual champion Connecticut.

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Photo: Charlie Riedel/Associated Press

Tristan Thompson, Texas (2011)

As a freshman, Thompson helped the No. 4 Longhorns to an 85-81 win against Oakland with 17 points, 10 rebounds and seven blocks in the opening round of the West Region before falling to Derrick Williams and Arizona in the second round, 70-69.

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Photo: Mark J. Terrill/Associated Press

Kyrie Irving, Duke (2011)

Sidelined for much of his only college season by a sprained toe, Irving played in just three NCAA tournament games, scoring a team-high 28 points as the No. 1-seeded Blue Devils reached the Sweet Sixteen before losing to Arizona.

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Photo: Orlin Wagner/Associated Press

Tyronn Lue, Nebraska (1998)

Cavs head coach Tyronn Lue led his "Big Red Express" team to a No. 11 seed in the 1998 tournament where he scored 18 points and dished out six assists in an opening-round loss to Arkansas, 74-65.

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Photo: Al Behrman/Associated Press

James Posey, Xavier (1997, 1998)

Cavs assistant coach James Posey appeared in two NCAA tournaments with Xavier, scoring a game-high 22 points with eight rebounds in the Musketeers' opening round win against Vanderbilt in 1997 before falling to UCLA in the second round. In 1998, Posey and Xavier entered the tournament as a No. 6 seed, but were upset by Washington, 69-68.

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Photos: Associated Press

Cavaliers that never played in the NCAA tournament

LeBron James, J.R. Smith and Kay Felder are the only players on the current Cleveland Cavaliers roster that never played in the NCAA tournament. James and Smith jumped straight from high school to the NBA prior to the league's one-year minimum waiting period. Both James and Smith did participate in the McDonald’s High School All-American Game after their senior years, and both players earned MVP honors in their games (James in 2003; Smith shared the honor with Dwight Howard in 2004). Felder’s Oakland Golden Grizzlies were upset in the 2016 Horizon League semifinals and never got the chance to play for an NCAA bid.