The NCAA Tournament is college basketball’s biggest stage and it produces some of the most memorable moments in all of sports. Underdogs, heavy favorites, upsets and tight games, March Madness has it all and provides the chance for college basketball’s stars to shine.
There have been many great performances over the years, some in victory and even some in defeat. Below is XN Sports’ list of the top single-game performances in NCAA Tournament history (Men’s Edition).
Table of Contents
- Dave Corzine, DePaul (1978)
- Austin Carr, Notre Dame (1970)
- David Robinson, Navy (1986)
- Bo Kimble, Loyola Marymount (1990)
- Christian Laettner, Duke (1992)
- Jack Givens, Kentucky (1978)
- Bill Russell, San Francisco (1956)
- Bill Bradley, Princeton (1965)
- Danny Manning, Kansas (1988)
- Bill Walton, UCLA (1973)
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The NCAA Tournament is college basketball’s biggest stage and it produces some of the most memorable moments in all of sports. Underdogs, heavy favorites, upsets and tight games, March Madness has it all and provides the chance for college basketball’s stars to shine.
There have been many great performances over the years, some in victory and even some in defeat. Below is XN Sports’ list of the top single-game performances in NCAA Tournament history.
Dave Corzine, DePaul (1978)
Dave Corzine scored 46 points in DePaul’s 90-89 double-overtime victory over Louisville in the 1978 NCAA tournament. He played all 50 minutes in the second-round game against the No. 9-ranked Cardinals, making 18-of-28 shots, including the game-winner.
Austin Carr, Notre Dame (1970)
Carr poured in 61 points in a first-round game in Dayton, Ohio, against an Ohio team that had been ranked as high as No. 5 that season. Notre Dame won 112-82 and Carr’s performance remains the most points scored in an NCAA tournament game.
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David Robinson, Navy (1986)
Robinson and Navy faced second-seeded Syracuse in the Carrier Dome, the same court on which they had lost to Syracuse by 22 earlier in the season. Robinson had a huge game with 35 points, 11 rebounds and seven blocks to lead the Midshipmen to a 97-85 victory.
Bo Kimble, Loyola Marymount (1990)
It was less than two weeks after Kimble’s best friend and teammate, Hank Gathers, collapsed and died on the court during a conference tournament game when Kimble led the 11th-seeded Lions to a 111-92 victory over No. 6 New Mexico State. Kimble scored 45 points and added 18 rebounds while shooting 17-of-35 from the floor and making all six of his free-throws, including his first, which he shot lefthanded in honor of Gathers.
Christian Laettner, Duke (1992)
It was a perfect performance in one of the best tournament games ever as Laettner shot 10-for-10 from the field, 10-for-10 from the line and hit the game-winner at the buzzer in Duke’s 104-103 overtime victory over Kentucky in the 1992 East Regional final. Laettner finished with 31 points and seven rebounds and two games later cut down the nets after winning his second straight national title.
Jack Givens, Kentucky (1978)
Givens’ final college game was his best as he poured in a career-high 41 points in the 1978 NCAA championship game against Duke. Givens was 18 of 27 from the floor and added eight rebounds in the 94-88 victory.
Bill Russell, San Francisco (1956)
Before he was a dominant Celtic in the NBA, Russell led the Dons to the 1956 national championship with a win over Iowa in which he scored 26 points and grabbed 27 rebounds.
Bill Bradley, Princeton (1965)
Bradley sent Princeton to the Final Four with 41 points in a 109-69 rout of Providence. He went on to score 58 points against Wichita State in the consolation game for third place.
Danny Manning, Kansas (1988)
Danny and the Miracles won the title for coach Larry Brown with an upset of Oklahoma, a team that had beaten them twice in the regular season. Manning scored 31 points and added 18 rebounds in the final and made four free throws in the final 14 seconds to seal the 83-79 victory.
Bill Walton, UCLA (1973)
The Big Redhead went 21-for-22 from the field and finished with 44 points to lead the Bruins to the national title with an 87-66 victory over Memphis in St. Louis.
