Moment in Spotlight: Highest Single-Game Scorers Against NCAA Champions
April 10th, 2013 - 20:29
National player of the year Trey Burke (Michigan) and junior college standout Cleanthony Early (Wichita State) each scored 24 points against Louisville at the Final Four. But Illinois State senior guard Tyler Brown secured the satisfaction of posting the highest single-game output this season against the NCAA champion-to-be Cardinals when the junior college transfer scored 25 points on the first day of December in a 69-66 defeat for the Redbirds.
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 50 individuals who posted the season-high scoring total against the NCAA kingpin:
| Year | Opposing High Scorer Vs. NCAA Titlist | Avg. | Single-Game High |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | Tyler Brown, G, Sr., Illinois State | 18.1 | 25 points 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 | J.J. Miller, G, Sr., North Carolina A&T State | 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 |