Prominent School Individual Single-Game Scoring Records in NCAA Tourney
If you peer around the corner, someone better can always be found. Did you know NCAA playoff scoring highs for Arizona State's James Harden (10), Auburn's Charles Barkley (23), Cincinnati's Kenyon Martin (16; DNP as senior because of broken leg), DePaul's Mark Aguirre (34), Duke's Grant Hill (25)/Kyrie Irving (28)/Christian Laettner (31), Florida State's Dave Cowens (11), Georgetown's Alonzo Mourning (23), Houston's Clyde Drexler (21)/Hakeem Olajuwon (29), Illinois' Eddie Johnson (19), Indiana's Isiah Thomas (30)/Mike Woodson (26), Kansas' Paul Pierce (27)/Jo Jo White (22), Kentucky's Karl Anthony-Towns (25)/Rex Chapman (30)/John Wall (19), Marquette's Jimmy Butler (15), Louisville's Pervis Ellison (25)/Wes Unseld (25), Maryland's Len Elmore (14)/Buck Williams (19), Memphis' Penny Hardaway (24), Miami's Dick Hickox (17)/Shane Larkin (17), Michigan's Phil Hubbard (22), Michigan State's Magic Johnson (29)/Morris Peterson (21), Missouri's Anthony Peeler (28), North Carolina's Vince Carter (24)/Antawn Jamison (21)/Michael Jordan (27), Notre Dame's Adrian Dantley (34), Ohio State's John Havlicek (25)/Jim Jackson (24)/Clark Kellogg (14), Oklahoma's Ryan Minor (24), South Carolina's Alex English (22), Syracuse's Derrick Coleman (19), Temple's Mark Macon (32), Tennessee's Bernard King (23), Texas' LaMarcus Aldridge (26)/Kevin Durant (30), Texas A&M's John Beasley (13)/Sonny Parker (14)/Robert Williams (13), UCLA's Reggie Miller (32)/Russell Westbrook (22), Utah's Tom Chambers (26)/Keith Van Horn (27) and Villanova's Ed Pinckney (24) all are more than 10 points fewer than all-time single-game tournament record for their respective alma maters? Incredibly, the highest-scoring NCAA tourney game for Martin (40 fewer than UC's all-time mark), Drexler (28), Dantley (27), Wall (25), Coleman (24), Butler (22), Harden (22), Kellogg (22), Westbrook (22), White (22), Hickox (21), Larkin (21) and Peterson (20) are at least 20 points lower than the existing standard for their school.
Among power-conference members and mid-major universities reaching Final Four at some point in their history, an average of two players annually set school NCAA playoff single-game scoring records the previous six years. Only two freshmen - Massachusetts' Marcus Camby in 1994 and Oregon's Tajuan Porter in 2007 - hold the existing NCAA playoff scoring standard for their school among the 109 universities in question. Six individuals among these schools - Gabe DeVoe (Clemson), Juan Dixon (Maryland), Jim McDaniels (Western Kentucky), Glenn Robinson (Purdue), Byron Scott (Arizona State) and Reggie Williams (Georgetown) - established their NCAA tourney single-game marks against Kansas.
Penn State was tied by playoff newbie Northwestern three years ago for the lowest HG (high game) among schools in this category (25 by Jesse Arnelle twice in the mid-1950s). Lamar Stevens, on the precipice of becoming the Nittany Lions' all-time leading scorer when the Big Ten Conference Tournament was cancelled, probably would have been the best bet this year to establish a new individual standard. Penn State is among 19 schools in the following alphabetical list to have their existing NCAA playoff single-game scoring mark set more than 60 years ago:
School | Record Holder | Class | HG | NCAA Playoff Opponent | Date |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Alabama | Antonio McDyess | Soph. | 39 | Penn (First Round) | 3-16-95 |
Arizona | Khalid Reeves | Sr. | 32 | Loyola MD (First Round) | 3-18-94 |
Arizona | Derrick Williams | Soph. | 32 | Duke (Regional Semifinal) | 3-24-11 |
Arizona State | Byron Scott | Soph. | 32 | Kansas (Second Round) | 3-15-81 |
Arkansas | Mario Credit | Jr. | 34 | Loyola Marymount (First Round) | 3-16-89 |
Auburn | Chris Morris | Sr. | 36 | Bradley (First Round) | 3-17-88 |
Baylor | Taurean Prince | Sr. | 28 | Yale (First Round) | 3-17-16 |
Boston College | John Bagley | Soph. | 35 | Wake Forest (Second Round) | 3-15-81 |
Bradley | Hersey Hawkins | Sr. | 44 | Auburn (First Round) | 3-17-88 |
Butler | Shelvin Mack | Jr. | 30 | Pittsburgh (Second Round) | 3-19-11 |
California | Lamond Murray | Soph. | 28 | Duke (Second Round) | 3-20-93 |
Charlotte | Cedric Maxwell | Sr. | 32 | Central Michigan (First Round) | 3-13-77 |
Cincinnati | Oscar Robertson | Soph. | 56 | Arkansas (Regional Third) | 3-15-58 |
Clemson | Gabe DeVoe | Sr. | 31 | Kansas (Regional Semifinal) | 3-23-18 |
Colorado | Cliff Meely | Soph. | 32 | Colorado State (Regional Semifinal) | 3-13-69 |
Connecticut | Ray Allen | Soph. | 36 | UCLA (Regional Final) | 3-25-95 |
Connecticut | Ben Gordon | Jr. | 36 | Alabama (Regional Final) | 3-27-04 |
Connecticut | Kemba Walker | Jr. | 36 | San Diego State (Regional Semifinal) | 3-24-11 |
Creighton | Doug McDermott | Sr. | 30 | Louisiana-Lafayette (First Round) | 3-21-14 |
Dartmouth | Audie Brindley | Jr. | 28 | Ohio State (Regional Final) | 3-25-44 |
Dayton | Roosevelt Chapman | Sr. | 41 | Oklahoma (Second Round) | 3-17-84 |
DePaul | Dave Corzine | Sr. | 46 | Louisville (Regional Semifinal in 2OT) | 3-17-78 |
Drake | Jonathan Cox | Jr. | 29 | Western Kentucky (First Round) | 3-21-08 |
Duke | Jeff Mullins | Sr. | 43 | Villanova (Regional Semifinal) | 3-13-64 |
Duquesne | Jim Tucker | Soph. | 29 | Illinois (Regional Final) | 3-22-52 |
Florida | KeVaughn Allen | Soph. | 35 | Wisconsin (Regional Semifinal in OT) | 3-24-17 |
Florida State | Sam Cassell | Sr. | 31 | Tulane (Second Round) | 3-20-93 |
George Mason | George Evans | Sr. | 27 | Maryland (First Round) | 3-15-01 |
Georgetown | Reggie Williams | Sr. | 34 | Kansas (Regional Semifinal) | 3-19-87 |
Georgetown | Charles Smith | Sr. | 34 | Notre Dame (Second Round) | 3-19-89 |
Georgia | Willie Anderson | Jr. | 35 | Kansas State (First Round in OT) | 3-12-87 |
Georgia Tech | Dennis Scott | Jr. | 40 | Minnesota (Regional Final) | 3-25-90 |
Gonzaga | Brandon Clarke | Jr. | 36 | Baylor (Second Round) | 3-23-19 |
Holy Cross | Togo Palazzi | Jr. | 32 | Wake Forest (Regional Semifinal) | 3-13-53 |
Houston | Elvin Hayes | Sr. | 49 | Loyola of Chicago (First Round) | 3-9-68 |
Illinois | Deron Williams | Soph. | 31 | Cincinnati (Second Round) | 3-21-04 |
Indiana | Don Schlundt | Soph. | 41 | Notre Dame (Regional Final) | 3-14-53 |
Indiana State | Larry Bird | Sr. | 35 | DePaul (National Semifinal) | 3-24-79 |
Iowa | Bill Logan | Sr. | 36 | Temple (National Semifinal) | 3-22-56 |
Iowa State | Lafester Rhodes | Sr. | 34 | Georgia Tech (First Round) | 3-18-88 |
Iowa State | Dedric Willoughby | Sr. | 34 | UCLA (Regional Semifinal) | 3-20-97 |
Iowa State | Dustin Hogue | Jr. | 34 | Connecticut (Regional Semifinal) | 3-28-14 |
Jacksonville | Artis Gilmore | Jr. | 30 | Western Kentucky (First Round) | 3-7-70 |
Jacksonville | Artis Gilmore | Jr. | 30 | Iowa (Regional Semifinal) | 3-12-70 |
Kansas | Clyde Lovellette | Sr. | 44 | St. Louis (Regional Final) | 3-22-52 |
Kansas State | Jacob Pullen | Sr. | 38 | Wisconsin (Second Round) | 3-19-11 |
Kentucky | Dan Issel | Sr. | 44 | Notre Dame (Regional Semifinal) | 3-12-70 |
La Salle | Michael Brooks | Soph. | 35 | Villanova (First Round) | 3-12-78 |
Louisiana State | Bob Pettit | Jr. | 36 | Washington (National Third) | 3-18-53 |
Louisiana State | Shaquille O'Neal | Jr. | 36 | Indiana (Second Round) | 3-21-92 |
Louisville | Junior Bridgeman | Sr. | 36 | Rutgers (First Round) | 3-15-75 |
Loyola of Chicago | Jerry Harkness | Sr. | 33 | Illinois (Regional Final) | 3-16-63 |
Marquette | Terry Rand | Jr. | 37 | Miami of Ohio (First Round) | 3-9-55 |
Maryland | Juan Dixon | Sr. | 34 | Kansas (National Semifinal) | 3-30-02 |
Massachusetts | Marcus Camby | Fr. | 32 | Maryland (Second Round) | 3-19-94 |
Memphis | Roburt Sallie | Soph. | 35 | Cal State Northridge (First Round) | 3-19-09 |
Miami (Fla.) | Jack McClinton | Jr. | 38 | Saint Mary's (First Round) | 3-21-08 |
Michigan | Glen Rice | Jr. | 39 | Florida (Second Round) | 3-19-88 |
Michigan State | Adreian Payne | Sr. | 41 | Delaware (First Round) | 3-20-14 |
Minnesota | Willie Burton | Sr. | 36 | Northern Iowa (Second Round) | 3-18-90 |
Minnesota | Bobby Jackson | Sr. | 36 | Clemson (Regional Semifinal) | 3-20-97 |
Mississippi | Stefan Moody | Jr. | 26 | Brigham Young (First Four) | 3-17-15 |
Mississippi State | Charles Rhodes | Sr. | 34 | Oregon (First Round) | 3-21-08 |
Missouri | Willie Smith | Sr. | 43 | Michigan (Regional Final) | 3-20-76 |
Nebraska | Eric Piatkowski | Jr. | 29 | New Mexico State (First Round) | 3-19-93 |
New Mexico State | Zach Lofton | Sr. | 29 | Clemson (First Round) | 3-16-18 |
North Carolina | Lennie Rosenbluth | Sr. | 39 | Canisius (Regional Semifinal) | 3-15-57 |
North Carolina | Al Wood | Sr. | 39 | Virginia (National Semifinal) | 3-28-81 |
North Carolina State | David Thompson | Jr. | 40 | Providence (Regional Semifinal) | 3-14-74 |
North Carolina State | Rodney Monroe | Soph. | 40 | Iowa (Second Round) | 3-19-89 |
Northwestern | Bryant McIntosh | Jr. | 25 | Vanderbilt (First Round) | 3-16-17 |
Notre Dame | Austin Carr | Jr. | 61 | Ohio University (First Round) | 3-7-70 |
Ohio State | Jerry Lucas | Soph. | 36 | Western Kentucky (Regional Semifinal) | 3-11-60 |
Oklahoma | Stacey King | Jr. | 37 | Auburn (Second Round) | 3-19-88 |
Oklahoma | Buddy Hield | Sr. | 37 | Oregon (Regional Final) | 3-26-16 |
Oklahoma State | Bob Mattick | Jr. | 35 | Texas Christian (Regional Semifinal) | 3-13-53 |
Oregon | Tajuan Porter | Fr. | 33 | UNLV (Regional Semifinal) | 3-23-07 |
Oregon State | Gary Payton Sr. | Jr. | 31 | Evansville (First Round) | 3-17-89 |
Penn | Keven McDonald | Sr. | 37 | St. Bonaventure (First Round) | 3-12-78 |
Penn State | Jesse Arnelle | Jr. | 25 | Southern California (National Third) | 3-20-54 |
Penn State | Jesse Arnelle | Sr. | 25 | Kentucky (Regional Third) | 3-12-55 |
Pittsburgh | John Riser | Sr. | 34 | Notre Dame (Regional Third) | 3-16-57 |
Pittsburgh | Billy Knight | Sr. | 34 | Furman (Regional Semifinal) | 3-14-74 |
Princeton | Bill Bradley | Sr. | 58 | Wichita (National Third) | 3-20-65 |
Providence | Austin Croshere | Sr. | 39 | Marquette (First Round) | 3-14-97 |
Purdue | Glenn Robinson | Jr. | 44 | Kansas (Regional Semifinal) | 3-24-94 |
Rutgers | Phil Sellers | Jr. | 29 | Louisville (First Round) | 3-15-75 |
St. Bonaventure | Fred Crawford | Soph. | 34 | Rhode Island (First Round) | 3-14-61 |
St. Bonaventure | Bill Butler | Sr. | 34 | Boston College (First Round) | 3-9-68 |
St. John's | Bob Zawoluk | Sr. | 32 | Kentucky (Regional Final) | 3-22-52 |
St. Joseph's | Jack Egan | Sr. | 42 | Utah (National Third) | 3-25-61 |
San Francisco | Ollie Johnson | Sr. | 37 | UCLA (Regional Final) | 3-13-65 |
Santa Clara | Dennis Awtrey | Sr. | 37 | Long Beach State (Regional Third) | 3-14-70 |
Seattle | Johnny O'Brien | Sr. | 42 | Idaho State (First Round) | 3-10-53 |
Seton Hall | John Morton | Sr. | 35 | Michigan (National Final) | 4-3-89 |
South Carolina | Tom Riker | Jr. | 39 | Fordham (Regional Third) | 3-20-71 |
Southern California | John Rudometkin | Soph. | 31 | Utah (First Round) | 3-7-60 |
Southern Methodist | Jim Krebs | Sr. | 33 | St. Louis (Regional Third) | 3-16-57 |
Stanford | Brook Lopez | Soph. | 30 | Marquette (Second Round) | 3-22-08 |
Syracuse | Gerry McNamara | Soph. | 43 | Brigham Young (First Round) | 3-18-04 |
Temple | Hal Lear | Sr. | 48 | Southern Methodist (National Third) | 3-23-56 |
Tennessee | Ernie Grunfeld | Jr. | 36 | Virginia Military (First Round) | 3-13-76 |
Texas | Travis Mays | Sr. | 44 | Georgia (First Round) | 3-17-90 |
Texas A&M | Acie Law IV | Sr. | 26 | Louisville (Second Round) | 3-17-07 |
Texas A&M | Josh Carter | Jr. | 26 | Brigham Young (First Round) | 3-20-08 |
Texas Christian | Lee Nailon | Jr. | 32 | Florida State (First Round) | 3-13-98 |
Texas-El Paso | Jim Barnes | Sr. | 42 | Texas A&M (First Round) | 3-9-64 |
Texas Tech | Jarrett Culver | Soph. | 29 | Northern Kentucky (First Round) | 3-22-19 |
UCLA | Bill Walton | Jr. | 44 | Memphis State (National Final) | 3-26-73 |
UNLV | Armon Gilliam | Sr. | 38 | Wyoming (Regional Semifinal) | 3-20-87 |
UNLV | Freddie Banks | Sr. | 38 | Indiana (National Semifinal) | 3-28-87 |
Utah | Jerry Chambers | Sr. | 40 | Pacific (Regional Semifinal) | 3-11-66 |
Vanderbilt | Matt Freije | Sr. | 31 | North Carolina State (Second Round) | 3-21-04 |
Villanova | Howard Porter | Sr. | 35 | Penn (Regional Final) | 3-20-71 |
Virginia | Richard Morgan | Sr. | 33 | Providence (First Round) | 3-16-89 |
Virginia | Richard Morgan | Sr. | 33 | Middle Tennessee (Second Round) | 3-18-89 |
Virginia Commonwealth | Rolando Lamb | Sr. | 30 | Marshall (First Round) | 3-15-85 |
Virginia Commonwealth | JeQuan Lewis | Sr. | 30 | Saint Mary's (First Round) | 3-16-17 |
Virginia Tech | Glen Combs | Jr. | 29 | Indiana (Regional Semifinal) | 3-17-67 |
Wake Forest | Len Chappell | Sr. | 34 | St. Joseph's (Regional Semifinal in OT) | 3-16-62 |
Washington | Bob Houbregs | Sr. | 45 | Seattle (Regional Semifinal) | 3-13-53 |
Washington State | Paul Lindemann | Sr. | 26 | Creighton (Regional Semifinal) | 3-21-41 |
West Virginia | Rod Thorn | Sr. | 44 | St. Joseph's (Regional Semifinal) | 3-15-63 |
Western Kentucky | Jim McDaniels | Sr. | 36 | Kansas (National Third) | 3-27-71 |
Wichita State | Dave Stallworth | Jr. | 37 | Kansas State (Regional Final) | 3-14-64 |
Wisconsin | Michael Finley | Jr. | 36 | Missouri (Second Round) | 3-19-94 |
Wyoming | Fennis Dembo | Jr. | 41 | UCLA (Second Round) | 3-14-87 |
Xavier | Jordan Crawford | Soph. | 32 | Kansas State (Regional Semifinal) | 3-25-10 |