Officially, there have been eight NCAA Tournament games in which a player recorded a triple-double. These are all the players in NCAA Tournament history who have officially recorded triple-doubles in a tournament game.
The NCAA did not officially keep track of assists until 1984, and blocks and steals until 1986. There were a number of other players who unofficially did have triple-doubles in NCAA Tournament games prior to 1986, and I'm listing all those players that I am aware of.
If anybody knows more games in which a player had a triple-double in the NCAA Tournament please leave a comment and I will add the player.
Players with triple-doubles in the NCAA Tournament
- Gary Grant (Michigan)
Gary Grant from Michigan recorded the first official triple-double in NCAA Tournament history in a second round game vs North Carolina on March 14, 1987. Grant had 24 points, 10 rebounds, and 10 assists vs the Tar Heels, but despite the historic effort, North Carolina won the game, 109-97.
- Shaquille O'Neal (LSU)
Shaq, playing for LSU, had the second official triple-double in NCAA Tournament history in a first round game vs BYU on March 19, 1992. Shaq had 26 points, 13 rebounds, and 11 blocks, as he led LSU to a 94-83 win.
- David Cain (St. John's)
David Cain from St. John's had a triple double in a first round game vs Texas Tech on March 18, 1993, when he recorded 12 points, 11 rebounds and 11 assists, in a 85-67 St. John's win.
- Andre Miller (Utah)
Andre Miller from Utah had a triple-double in an Elite Eight game vs Arizona on March 21, 1998. Miller had 18 points, 14 rebounds and 13 assists, as he led Utah to a 76-51 win, and a Final Four berth.
- Dwyane Wade (Marquette)
In perhaps the most celebrated triple-double in NCAA Tournament history, Dwyane Wade from Marquette had 29 points, 11 rebounds and 11 assists in an Elite Eight game vs Kentucky on March 29, 2003. Kentucky was a #1 ranked team in the 2003 NCAA Tournament, and was a big favorite to beat Marquette, but Dwyane Wade's triple-double carried Marquette into the Final Four.
In addition to Dwyane Wade, the 2003 Marquette team had two other eventual NBA players on it in Steve Novak and Travis Diener.
- Cole Aldrich (Kansas)
Cole Aldrich from Kansas had 13 points, 20 rebounds and 13 blocked shots in a second round game vs Dayton on March 22, 2009. Kansas beat Dayton, 60-43.
- Draymond Green (Michigan State)
Draymond Green from Michigan State had a triple-double in a first round game vs UCLA on March 17, 2011, when he had 23 points, 11 rebounds, and 10 assists. Despite Green's great game, UCLA won, 78-76.
- Draymond Green (Michigan State)
Draymond Green became the first player to officially record two triple-double games in the NCAA Tournament on March 16, 2012, when he had 24 points, 12 rebounds, and 11 assists in a second round game vs Long Island. This time Michigan State won the game, 89-67.
Players with unofficial triple-doubles in the NCAA Tournament
- B.H. Born (Kansas)
In the 1953 NCAA championship game vs Indiana, center B.H. Born from Kansas had 26 points, 15 rebounds, and 13 blocked shots for a triple-double. Despite Born's great game, Indiana won the championship, 69-68.
- Oscar Robertson (Cincinnati)
Oscar Robertson, the all-time leader in triple-doubles in NBA history, had a triple-double in a Final Four game on March 21, 1959, vs Louisville. Playing for Cincinnati, Oscar Robertson had 39 points, 17 rebounds, and 10 assists. Despite the historic effort from the Big O, Louisville beat Cincinnati, 98-85.
I've also read where Oscar Robertson supposedly had three other triple-doubles in the NCAA Tournament, but I can find no verification of that.
- Artis Gilmore (Jacksonville)
In either the 1970 or 1971 NCAA Tournament, Artis Gilmore from Jacksonville had a triple-double. I don't have the game stats, but I can guarantee you from having watched Artis Gilmore play many times that the triple-double was for points, rebounds, and blocks.
- Magic Johnson (Michigan State)
On March 10, 1979, in a first round game, Magic Johnson from Michigan State had 13 points, 17 rebounds, and 10 assists vs Lamar. Michigan State crushed Lamar in the game, 95-64.
- Magic Johnson (Michigan State)
On March 24, 1979, in a Final Four game, Magic Johnson had another triple-double, recording 29 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists vs Penn. Michigan State won the game, 101-67, en route to winning the NCAA Tournament, beating Larry Bird and Indiana State in the championship game.
- Larry Bird (Indiana State)
While Magic Johnson had a triple-double vs Penn in the Final Four in 1979, Larry Bird from Indiana State sort of had a triple-double of his own facing DePaul in the same Final Four.
Bird had 35 points, 16 rebounds and nine assists against DePaul, but he also had 11 turnovers. So Larry Bird did record triple-digits in three statistical categories in the game, for a dubious triple-double.
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