Moment in Spotlight: Highest Single-Game Scorers Against NCAA Titlists
Iowa State junior forward Dustin Hogue secured the satisfaction of posting the highest single-game output this season against NCAA champion-to-be Connecticut when the junior college transfer scored 34 points in the East Regional at New York. Hogue, who averaged a modest 11.6 points per game for the Cyclones, is the first player to achieve the season-high feat against the eventual titlist in the NCAA playoffs since Connecticut's Ray Allen in 1995. The only player in this category to have a greater difference between his single-game high against the titlist and his season average is Notre Dame guard Kyle McAlarney, who tallied 39 points versus champion-to-be North Carolina at Maui in 2008-09 when he averaged 15 ppg.
Since UCLA's first NCAA championship in 1964, Louisville's Russ Smith has the lowest scoring average (11.5 ppg in 2011-12) for any player who posted the single-game high against an NCAA titlist. Some of the names probably will be surprising, but following is a look in reverse order at the last 51 individuals who posted the season-high scoring total against the NCAA kingpin:
| Year | Opposing High Scorer vs. NCAA Titlist | Avg. | Single-Game High |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | Dustin Hogue, F, Jr., Iowa State | 11.6 | 34 points vs. Connecticut in NCAA playoffs |
| 2013 | Tyler Brown, G, Sr., Illinois State | 18.1 | 25 at Louisville |
| 2012 | Russ Smith, G, Soph., Louisville | 11.5 | 30 at Kentucky |
| 2011 | Dwight Hardy, G, Sr., St. John's | 18.3 | 33 vs. Connecticut |
| 2010 | Trevon Hughes, G, Sr., Wisconsin | 15.3 | 26 vs. Duke |
| 2009 | Kyle McAlarney, G, Sr., Notre Dame | 15.0 | 39 vs. North Carolina at Maui |
| 2008 | Michael Beasley, F-C, Fr., Kansas State | 26.2 | 39 at Kansas |
| 2007 | Al Thornton, F, Sr., Florida State | 19.7 | 28 vs. Florida |
| 2006 | Chris Lofton, G, Soph., Tennessee | 17.2 | 29 vs. Florida |
| 2005 | Will Bynum, G, Sr., Georgia Tech | 12.5 | 35 vs. North Carolina in ACC Tournament |
| 2004 | Chris Thomas, G, Jr., Notre Dame | 19.7 | 31 vs. Connecticut |
| 2003 | Chris Hill, G, Soph., Michigan State | 13.7 | 34 vs. Syracuse |
| 2002 | Jason "Jay" Williams, G, Jr., Duke | 21.3 | 34 vs. Maryland |
| 2001 | James "J.J." Miller, G, Sr., North Carolina A&T | 16.0 | 34 at Duke |
| 2000 | A.J. Guyton, G, Sr., Indiana | 19.7 | 34 vs. Michigan State |
| 1999 | Trajan Langdon, G, Sr., Duke | 17.3 | 25 vs. Connecticut |
| 1998 | Brian Williams, G, Jr., Alabama | 16.1 | 28 vs. Kentucky in SEC Tournament |
| 1997 | Isaac Fontaine, G, Sr., Washington State | 21.9 | 32 vs. Arizona |
| 1996 | Marcus Camby, C, Jr., Massachusetts | 20.5 | 32 vs. Kentucky at Great Eight |
| 1995 | Ray Allen, G, Soph., Connecticut | 21.1 | 36 vs. UCLA in NCAA playoffs |
| 1994 | Gary Collier, F, Sr., Tulsa | 22.9 | 35 vs. Arkansas in NCAA playoffs |
| 1993 | Chris Webber, F, Soph., Michigan | 19.2 | 27 vs. North Carolina at Honolulu |
| 1993 | Randolph Childress, G, Soph., Wake Forest | 19.7 | 27 vs. North Carolina |
| 1993 | James Forrest, F, Soph., Georgia Tech | 19.5 | 27 vs. North Carolina in ACC Tournament |
| 1993 | Lester Lyons, G, Jr., East Carolina | 15.4 | 27 vs. North Carolina in NCAA playoffs |
| 1992 | Malik Sealy, F, Sr., St. John's | 22.6 | 37 vs. Duke at Greensboro |
| 1991 | Jeff Webster, F, Fr., Oklahoma | 18.3 | 32 vs. Duke |
| 1990 | Greg "Bo" Kimble, F-G, Sr., Loyola Marymount | 35.3 | 42 vs. UNLV in NCAA playoffs |
| 1989 | Roy Marble, F, Sr., Iowa | 20.5 | 32 vs. Michigan |
| 1988 | Mitch Richmond, G-F, Sr., Kansas State | 22.6 | 35 vs. Kansas |
| 1987 | Freddie Banks, G, Sr., UNLV | 19.5 | 38 vs. Indiana in NCAA playoffs |
| 1986 | Ron Harper, F, Sr., Miami (oh) | 24.4 | 36 vs. Louisville in Big Apple NIT at Cincinnati |
| 1985 | Len Bias, F, Jr., Maryland | 18.9 | 30 vs. Villanova |
| 1984 | Chris Mullin, G-F, Jr., St. John's | 22.9 | 29 vs. Georgetown in Big East Tournament |
| 1983 | Ralph Sampson, C, Sr., Virginia | 19.1 | 33 vs. North Carolina State |
| 1982 | Ralph Sampson, C, Jr., Virginia | 15.8 | 30 at North Carolina |
| 1981 | Mike McGee, F, Sr., Michigan | 24.4 | 29 vs. Indiana |
| 1980 | Jeff Ruland, C, Jr., Iona | 20.1 | 30 vs. Louisville |
| 1979 | Joe Barry Carroll, C, Jr., Purdue | 22.8 | 27 vs. Michigan State |
| 1979 | Calvin Roberts, F-C, Jr., Cal State Fullerton | 15.3 | 27 vs. Michigan State |
| 1978 | Freeman Williams, G, Sr., Portland State | 35.9 | 39 at Kentucky |
| 1977 | Dave Corzine, C, Jr., DePaul | 19.0 | 26 vs. Marquette |
| 1976 | Terry Furlow, F, Sr., Michigan State | 29.4 | 40 vs. Indiana |
| 1975 | Kevin Grevey, F, Sr., Kentucky | 23.5 | 34 vs. UCLA in NCAA final |
| 1974 | Billy Cook, G, Soph., Memphis State | 16.2 | 33 vs. North Carolina State |
| 1973 | Billy Knight, F, Jr., Pittsburgh | 23.7 | 37 vs. UCLA |
| 1972 | Fred Boyd, G, Sr., Oregon State | 19.8 | 37 vs. UCLA |
| 1971 | Austin Carr, G, Sr., Notre Dame | 38.0 | 46 vs. UCLA |
| 1970 | Pete Maravich, G, Sr., Louisiana State | 44.5 | 38 vs. UCLA |
| 1970 | Rich Yunkus, C, Jr., Georgia Tech | 30.1 | 38 vs. UCLA |
| 1969 | Vic Collucci, G, Soph., Providence | 15.4 | 36 vs. UCLA |
| 1968 | Elvin Hayes, F-C, Sr., Houston | 36.8 | 39 vs. UCLA |
| 1967 | Bill Hewitt, F, Jr., Southern California | 19.5 | 39 vs. UCLA |
| 1966 | Jerry Chambers, F-C, Sr., Utah | 28.8 | 38 vs. Texas Western in NCAA playoffs |
| 1965 | Ollie Johnson, C, Sr., San Francisco | 21.6 | 37 vs. UCLA |
| 1964 | Tom Dose, C, Sr., Stanford | 20.0 | 38 vs. UCLA |