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Photos of the most despised college basketball players of all time

12:25 PM, Mar 5, 2013   |    comments
  • 10. Greivis Vasquez, Maryland. Who hates him? Anyone in ACC country and Memphis fans. Why? The Venezuelan's brash personality often involved screaming at student sections, reporters and he even once grabbed a mop when the floor wasn't being cleaned to his satisfaction. Vasquez also ripped Memphis' weak conference before the Tigers destroyed Maryland in the 2009 tournament. Oh, and that darn shimmy dance.
  • 4. Eric Devendorf, Syracuse. Who hates him? Big East fans in general, anyone not living in upstate New York. He gave opposing fans plenty of ammunition with his on-court demeanor of trash talking mixed with his off-court issues, which included a near school dismissal for a physical altercation with a female. It also didn't help that he had plenty of tattoos.
  • 5. Fab Five (Jimmy King, Juwan Howard, Chris Webber, Jalen Rose and Ray Jackson), Michigan. Who hates them? Grumpy purists in the early 1990s. Also, Grant Hill. Why? The Wolverines forever changed college basketball, bringing NBA-style trash talk and swagger to the amateur game. During their freshmen and sophomore campaigns, the teams lost in the national championship game.
  • 3. Tyler Hansbrough, UNC. Who hates him? Even-tempered basketball fans. Why? "Psycho T" was beloved by the media for his "hustle." He's also the type of player who's not afraid to get in your face and won't back down. That's fuel to the fire. It could be argued that he's annoying because he's successful, but Maryland and Duke fans suggest it's because he's one of the game's biggest crybabies ever.
  • 2. J.J. Redick, Duke. It's really not a Duke thing, seriously. Who hates him? People who don't like the Blue Devils. Notably, Maryland fans. Why? He was the epitome of the Duke "pretty boy" stereotype, rolling into Durham as a cocky freshman. Redick was subject to ruthless taunts during his time at Duke and haters only had more ammo when he walked off the court crying after his final game.
  • 9. Allen Iverson, Georgetown. Who hates him? Those who didn't believe in second chances, or those who believed a criminal was playing basketball, which was the unfortunate persona Iverson earned after spending four months of his senior year of high school in prison for a famous bowling alley incident in Virginia. Iverson was disrespected as much as he was taunted, with "jailbird" chants and bowling pins floating in opposing Big East stands. Iverson did a little trash talking, too.
  • 8. Joakim Noah, Florida. Who hates him? Most of the world after the 2006 national title when Noah stood on media tables and performed the Gator chomp. It was all anyone who enjoyed sportsmanship needed to add "hate" to their vocabulary. Noah's emotion made him the star of back-to-back NCAA title-winning teams. Remember the chest pounding and yelling? It's tough to forget.
  • 6. Adam Morrison, Gonzaga. Who hates him? Whoever the Bulldogs faced when he was playing. Since Redick was in this guy's era, Morrison took the back seat in the hater club. But Morrison, the nation's top scorer at the time, was taunted by fans on the west coast just as heavily, getting made fun of for his mustache and crying passionately after losing.
  • 7. Steve Wojciechowski, Duke. Who hates him? Anybody who watched basketball in the mid-1990s. Why? "Wojo," his floor-slapping and notorious flop against Kentucky in the 1998 Elite Eight drew the ire of fans everywhere outside Durham. And now as an assistant coach, he's grumpy Coach K's angry sidekick on the bench.
  • 1. Christian Laettner, Duke. Don't act like you didn't see this one coming. Who hates him? Everybody. Why? In the same game he hit the famous game-winner against Kentucky in the 1992 Elite Eight, he stomped on Aminu Timberlake's chest. Laettner probably should have been ejected but only got a technical foul and ended up leading Duke to the national title.
    
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Some players you remember because of the disdain you feel whenever you see that player's highlights on your television screen. To celebrate March Madness, USA TODAY Sports breaks down those players who make you scoff when you hear their name.