March Madness is a single elimination contest for college basketball teams. The tournament takes place each spring and is one of the most popular sporting events in the United States. Austin Carr of Notre Dame scored a record 61 points in a game against Ohio in the first round of the 1970 edition of the tournament, which was the most points scored by an individual player in a single game in the competition's history as of 2023.
Most individual points scored in a single NCAA college basketball tournament game as of 2023
Characteristic
Points scored
Austin Carr (Notre Dame vs. Ohio, 1970)
61
Bill Bradley (Princeton vs. Wichita, 1965)
58
Oscar Robertson (Cincinnati vs. Arkansas, 1958)
56
Austin Carr (Notre Dame vs. Kentucky, 1970)
52
Austin Carr (Notre Dame vs. TCU, 1971)
52
David Robinson ( Navy vs. Michigan, 1987)
50
Elvin Hayes (Houston vs. Loyola Chicago, 1968)
49
Hal Lear (Temple vs. SMU, 1956)
48
Austin Carr (Notre Dame vs. Houston, 1971)
47
Dave Corzine ( DePaul vs. Louisville, 1978)
46
Bob Houbregs (Washington vs. Seattle U., 1953)
45
Austin Carr (Notre Dame vs. Iowa, 1970)
45
Bo Kimble (LMU (CA) vs. New Mexico St., 1990)
45
Clyde Lovellette ( Kansas vs. Saint Louis, 1952)
44
Rod Thorn (West Virginia vs. Saint Joseph’s, 1963)
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National Collegiate Athletic Association. (March 6, 2024). Most individual points scored in a single NCAA college basketball tournament game as of 2023 [Graph]. In Statista. Retrieved January 08, 2025, from https://www.statista.com/statistics/1106701/individual-points-scored-march-madness-game/
National Collegiate Athletic Association. "Most individual points scored in a single NCAA college basketball tournament game as of 2023." Chart. March 6, 2024. Statista. Accessed January 08, 2025. https://www.statista.com/statistics/1106701/individual-points-scored-march-madness-game/
National Collegiate Athletic Association. (2024). Most individual points scored in a single NCAA college basketball tournament game as of 2023. Statista. Statista Inc.. Accessed: January 08, 2025. https://www.statista.com/statistics/1106701/individual-points-scored-march-madness-game/
National Collegiate Athletic Association. "Most Individual Points Scored in a Single Ncaa College Basketball Tournament Game as of 2023." Statista, Statista Inc., 6 Mar 2024, https://www.statista.com/statistics/1106701/individual-points-scored-march-madness-game/
National Collegiate Athletic Association, Most individual points scored in a single NCAA college basketball tournament game as of 2023 Statista, https://www.statista.com/statistics/1106701/individual-points-scored-march-madness-game/ (last visited January 08, 2025)
Most individual points scored in a single NCAA college basketball tournament game as of 2023 [Graph], National Collegiate Athletic Association, March 6, 2024. [Online]. Available: https://www.statista.com/statistics/1106701/individual-points-scored-march-madness-game/
