Shatterproof: Loud and Proud NCAA Marks Never to Be Duplicated (#5)

July 7th, 2021 - 7:46

What are the school and individual records that will never come close to being matched, let along exceeded? In ensuing blogs, CollegeHoopedia.com will designate the ultimate team and individual standards of excellence. Records were made to be broken, but perhaps not always in our lifetime. Following is #5 in the countdown of most illustrious NCAA achievements:

5. Bill Walton's NCAA Tournament championship game field-goal accuracy of 95.5% (21 of 22 for UCLA vs. Memphis State in 1973).

Walton, aided by Greg Lee's tourney-high 14 assists, erupted for a championship game-record 44 points in an 87-66 triumph over Memphis State in the 1973 NCAA Tournament final at St. Louis. Walton's 21 baskets were two more by himself than what Connecticut managed en route to winning the 2011 NCAA final against Butler. Walton had been outscored by fellow center Steve Downing, 26-14, in UCLA's 70-59 victory against Indiana in the national semifinals. Following is the box score of the game:

UCLA (87) Min. FG-A FT-A Reb. A. PF Pts.
Keith Wilkes 39 8-14 0-0 7 1 2 16
Larry Farmer 33 1-4 0-0 2 0 2 2
Bill Walton 33 21-22 2-5 13 2 4 44
Greg Lee 34 1-1 3-3 3 14 2 5
Larry Hollyfield 30 4-7 0-0 3 9 4 8
Tommy Curtis 11 1-4 2-2 3 0 1 4
Dave Meyers 10 2-7 0-0 3 0 1 4
Swen Nater 7 1-1 0-0 3 0 2 2
Gary Franklin 1 1-2 0-1 1 0 0 2
Vince Carson 1 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0
Bob Webb 1 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0
Totals 200 40-62 7-11 40 26 18 87

FG% - .645. FT% - .636. Blocks - 5. Turnovers - 17 (Walton 6, Wilkes 4). Steals - 2. Team Rebounds - 2.

Memphis State (66) Min. FG-A FT-A Reb. A. PF Pts.
Billy Buford 38 3-7 1-2 3 1 1 7
Larry Kenon 34 8-16 4-4 8 3 3 20
Ronnie Robinson 33 3-6 0-1 7 1 4 6
Bill Laurie 21 0-1 0-0 0 2 0 0
Larry Finch 38 9-21 11-13 1 2 2 29
Wes Westfall 10 0-1 0-0 0 0 5 0
Bill Cook 18 1-4 2-2 0 2 1 4
Doug McKinney 1 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0
Clarence Jones 4 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0
Jerry Tetzlaff 1 0-0 0-2 0 0 1 0
Jim Liss 1 0-1 0-0 0 0 0 0
Ken Andrews 1 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0
Totals 200 24-57 18-24 21 11 17 66

FG% - .421. FT% - .750. Blocks - 1. Turnovers - 8. Steals - 0. Team Rebounds - 2.

Halftime: Tied 39-39.

6. UCLA's streak of 13 consecutive undisputed conference championships in a power league (from 1967 through 1979 in Pacific-8/Pacific-10).

7. Artis Gilmore's career rebounding average of 22.7 per game (for Jacksonville in 1969-70 and 1970-71).

8. Centenary's Robert Parish finished among nation's top five in rebounding all four seasons with more than 15 rpg each year.

9. Kentucky's 129-game homecourt winning streak (under coach Adolph Rupp from Jan. 4, 1943, to Jan. 8, 1955.)

10. Bill Chambers' 51 rebounds in a single game (for William & Mary vs. Virginia on Feb. 14, 1953.).