List of NCAA Division I men's basketball players with 60 or more points in a game
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In basketball, points are the sum of the score accumulated through free throws and field goals.[1] The National Collegiate Athletic Association's (NCAA) Division I is the highest level of amateur basketball in the United States. The NCAA did not split into its current divisions format until August 1973.[2] From 1906 to 1955, there were no classifications to the NCAA nor its predecessor, the Intercollegiate Athletic Association of the United States (IAAUS).[2] Then, from 1956 to 1973, colleges were classified as either "NCAA University Division (Major College)" or "NCAA College Division (Small College)".[2] This is a comprehensive list (through the 2011–12 season) of all occurrences of an NCAA Division I men's basketball player scoring 60 or more points in a single game. The official NCAA men's basketball media guide includes two lists: one listing all 60+ point games against Division I opponents and the other listing all 60+ point games against non-Division I opponents.[3]
The all-time record against a Division I opponent is 72 points.[3][4] It was set by U.S. International's Kevin Bradshaw, a 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) guard, on January 5, 1991, against Loyola Marymount in the highest-scoring game in Division I history.[3] Loyola Marymount defeated U.S. International 186–140.[5] Bradshaw shot 23 for 59 in field goal attempts overall (7 of 22 from three-point range) and made 19 of 23 free throws in his record-setting performance.[5] After the game, Bradshaw reflected on the achievement, "I'm still completely stunned. I wasn't gunning for the record until the last 10 minutes. That's when the bench became aware of the mark and the coaches allowed me to go for it. I won't be celebrating because we lost the game."[5] He also remarked on how he was even able to put himself in the position to break Pete Maravich's record of 69 points: "Our style of play allows for the freelancing that we do. I have to put up the ball a lot because we don't have a lot of shooters on the team."[5]
Among the players who have scored 60+ points against Division I opponents, only LSU's Maravich, Oral Roberts' Anthony Roberts and Ole Miss' Johnny Neumann appear on the list more than once. Maravich's four career 60+ point games is the most in NCAA Division I history.[3] Five players who achieved the feat against a Division I opponent—Maravich, Calvin Murphy, Oscar Robertson, Lew Alcindor (later Kareem Abdul-Jabbar) and Elgin Baylor—are all inductees in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.[6][7][8][9][10] Meanwhile, three players who achieved the feat against non-Division I opponents are also Hall of Fame inductees: Paul Arizin,[11] Elvin Hayes,[12] and Bob Pettit.[13]
The highest scoring performance in NCAA Division I basketball history, regardless of the opponent's classification, is 100 points, scored by Frank Selvy of Furman against Newberry College on February 13, 1954.[14] He made a still-standing NCAA record 41 field goals on 66 attempts.[14] He made his final shot of the game—scoring his 99th and 100th points—with only two seconds remaining on a 40-foot attempt.[14] Selvy later said, "I'll say that I made at least eight or nine baskets that would have been three-pointers today. Plus they didn't have the one-and-one in those days."[14] The performance occurred during Selvy's senior season in which he led the nation in scoring at 41.7 points per game.[15][16] He also led the nation in scoring the previous year at 29.5 points per game.[15][16] Coincidentally, a teammate of Selvy's for one season, Darrell Floyd, is the only player who has scored 60 or more points against both a Division I and a non-Division I opponent.[17] Floyd scored 62 points against The Citadel (Division I) and 67 against (then) non-Division I Morehead State.[17]