The 14 Greatest College Basketball Performances of the Last Decade, RANKED

Steph Curry, Trae Young, Kemba Walker, and Brittney Griner. Which NCAA star unleashed the best college basketball peformance of the last decade?

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Illustration via Marcus Allen

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March Madness is officially upon us, which means big plays, magical moments, and dashed dreams lie ahead. Many future NBA stars will take the court during the tourney, but all eyes will be on Oklahoma’s Trae Young, who’s absolutely owned the 2017-18 college basketball season. With four 40-point games under his belt, the Sooners freshman is going bacon, eggs, and ham on his opponents. While Young has looked rather human as of late, and his team is sputtering into the tournament, March is the month where legends are born. He can (once again) transform into the second coming of Steph Curry.

Inspired by Young’s ridiculous statistical output, and our favorite collegiate hoopers of recent memory, we’re looking back at the best single-game performances from the last decade of college basketball.

With so many iconic performances to choose from, it’s nearly impossible to place them into a coherent order. Who’s to say if Steph was better than Kemba? Was Jimmermania really as insane as we remember? What about women’s hoops?

It’s a subjective scale. But our final rankings are based on five factors:

1) Stats. Pure numbers represent a crucial element here, but this isn’t a list of top scorers. Production in other areas matters a whole lot too. Besides, not all 50-point games are created equal.

2) Efficiency. It’s better to shoot 20-for-25 than to shoot 20-for-40. Plain and simple.

3) Caliber of opponent. Naturally, a player receives more props if he or she hangs a triple-double on Duke as opposed to Appalachian State. Ranked opponents play better defense, and therefore, are tougher to dominate.

4) Stage. A 40-point game in the NCAA Tournament may outweigh a 50-point night in December.

5) Memorability. Emotion counts. Impact on the sports world at large really matters. Any game that turns a college player into water-cooler material merits extra consideration. If it earns you a nickname, that’s something to consider. If your heroics lead off SportsCenter, there’s a good chance you’re at the top of this list.

Alright, enough talk. Let’s dive in:

14. Jack Taylor

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Team: Grinnell College

Opponent: Faith Baptist Bible

Date: November 21, 2012

Stats: 138 points, 3 steals, 52-for-108 FG, 27-for-71 3PT, 7-for-10 FT

Taylor set the all-time collegiate scoring record (at any level) when he netted 138 points in a single game. You read that correctly. The more you look at this box score, the more you realize how nuts this game actually was.

First, a caveat: Grinnell, a Division III school in rural Iowa, is famous for its gimmick offense and complete indifference to defense. Seriously, look it up. The Grinnell offense is based on the principle that more shot attempts equal more points. How do you maximize shot attempts? Let your opponent score and get the ball back immediately.

Yet even though Grinnell is famous for its inflated point totals, Taylor redefined the laws of basketball physics. Here’s a rundown:


  • He scored 138 points, shattering previous collegiate record of 113

  • Taylor sank 52 shots with a shooting percentage below 50 percent

  • 71 of Taylor’s 108 field-goal attempts were from downtown. He made 27, for a total of 81 points off threes. He averaged one shot per 20 seconds of game time

  • Grinnell’s previous scoring high was 89, set the prior year by Griffin Lentsch, who played just 14 minutes off the bench in this game.

  • Grinnell allowed 104 points. They still won by 75.

  • Finally, Taylor only played 36 minutes. That means he scored 138 points and sat out four minutes of the game!

13. Brittney Griner

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Team: (7) Baylor

Opponent: Oral Roberts

Date: December 16, 2009

Stats: 34 points, 13 rebounds, 11 blocks, 12-for-20 FG, 11-for-14 FT

By the tenth game of Brittney Griner’s college career, it became apparent that we were witnessing something we never had before. The 6’9” freshman swatted a preposterous 11 shots, posting the first triple-double in Lady Bears history. It wasn’t quite a Kanye triple-double-no-assists effort, but it was nothing short of a monstrous showcase. Her rejections came in all shapes and sizes. There were chase-downs, rise-ups, loop-de-doos, and all-out thunderclaps. Nobody was safe. The paint was her terrordome.

Welcome to Brittney’s Grine house.

In addition to her sensational swattery, Griner poured in 34 points and snatched 13 boards as Baylor blew out in-state rival Oral Roberts. To this day, she remains one of the most accomplished female basketball players in history. Her 748 blocks stand as the most all time in college hoops, women or men, and she remains the only player in college basketball history to record 2,000 points and 500 blocks.

12. Trae Young

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Team: (9) Oklahoma

Opponent: Texas Christian

Date: January 13, 2018

Stats: 43 points, 11 rebounds, 7 assists, 15-for-27 FG, 10-for-18 3PT

Like Steph Curry but with worse hair, Trae Young ripped off a torrid 18-day stretch in which he topped the 40-point mark three times. Any one of those performances could have cracked this list, but his 43-11-7 with 10 threes against TCU rose above the rest.

He was banging shots from, no lie, 8-10 feet behind the 3-point line. Sizing up his defender with a series of quick dribble moves, Young let the shots fly seemingly out of nowhere. With T-Y’s immense range and hot shooting, Horned Frogs defenders were forced to double, leaving Young’s teammates wide open for easy buckets.

The dynamic PG sank more than half of his shots, and more than half of his threes in a 102-97 victory over Big 12 conference opponent TCU. His performance justified many of the Steph Curry comparisons, and all but cemented his status as a lottery pick in this summer’s draft.

11. Ben Simmons

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Team: Louisiana State

Opponent: North Florida

Date: December 2, 2015

Stats: 43 points, 14 rebounds, 7 assists, 5 steals, 3 blocks, 15-for-20 FG, 13-for-15 FT

The baller from down under, Ben Simmons, played just one season for LSU, but he sure made it count. On this early December night, he sunk three-quarters of his shots, while pulling down 14 boards, dishing out 7 assists, and suffocating North Florida on D. A true point guard with power forward size, godlike offensive creation abilities, and a high basketball IQ, Simmons was in full peacock mode as he led LSU to a 119-108 victory.

It just wasn’t a fair matchup. Go ahead and watch the tape. North Florida was a decent Atlantic Sun team, but Simmons snuffed them out with a Magic-like razzle-dazzle unseen in college hoops since the great Earvin himself 35 years prior. On this night, early in his truncated college career, Simmons was a man amongst boys. A Bogut amongst Dellavedovas. A Lonzo amongst LiAngelos.

Trust the process, amirite?

10. Ben Woodside

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9. Malik Monk

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Team: (6) Kentucky

Opponent: (7) North Carolina

Date: December 17, 2016

Stats: 47 points, 18-for-28 FG, 8-for-12 3PT

Of all the legendary players in the 2016 recruiting class, nobody lit up a gym like Kentucky’s Malik Monk. And when he faced the nation’s No. 7 team on this December evening, he set the stat sheet aflame.

Monk dropped 47 points, accounting for nearly half of his team’s total points. He nailed eight threes, many of them contested, and with 19 seconds left, sunk the go-ahead bucket. What’s more, he did it all on the road.

Everyone knew Monk could score, but seeing him shoot like this against an elite defense confirmed his prowess. At the time, you could envision him becoming the type to explode for 25 points in a quarter. Or perhaps the heir apparent to J.R. Smith—a dude who’s completely un-guardable once every three games.

Fast-forward to today, Monk barely plays for the Charlotte Hornets. It’s not entirely clear why. I mean, just look at him shoot!

8. Kemba Walker

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Team: (9) Connecticut

Opponent: (12) Syracuse

Date: March 11, 2011

Stats: 33 points, 12 rebounds, 5 assists, 6 steals, 9-for-18 FG, 2-for-6 3PT, 13-for-14 FT

The iconic moment of Kemba Walker’s basketball career (pro or college) is his ankle-breaker followed by dagger-jumper against Pitt in the Quarterfinals of the 2011 Big East Tournament. However, it was the following game that represented Kemba’s best.

The undersized PG earns the eighth spot in our ranking, not on scoring or efficiency, but on guts, cojones, and chutzpah. A well-rounded statline of 33-12-5-6 underscores the type of do-it-all performance that defined Walker’s 2011. In the Big East Tournament Semifinal, he made huge play after huge play down the stretch, leading his squad to a 76-71 win over Syracuse at the world’s most famous arena.

Kemba played an indispensable role in the Huskies turning their mediocre season around. 9-9 in conference play and seeded ninth in the 16-team Big East Tourney field, he led the squad to 11 straight victories to close the year, which includes a National Championship win.

Nobody expected much from Walker in college and even less envisioned him developing into the greatest player in the brief history of the Charlotte Bobcats/Hornets franchise. Yet here we are…

7. Ryan Toolson

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Team: Utah Valley

Opponent: Chicago State​

Date: January 29, 2008​

Stats: 63 points, 12 rebounds, 6 assists, 18-for-31 FG, 7-for-11 3PT, 20-for-21 FT​

The highest scoring output of the 21st century belongs to a little-known guard from a little-known basketball program. For context, the school’s most noteworthy athletic accomplishment is producing Ronnie Price, a 12-year career NBA backup. 

In a 123-121 quadruple-OT(!!) win over Chicago State, 6’4’’ junior Ryan Toolson—nephew of Celtics GM Danny Ainge—lit the gym on fire. Dropping 63 points, grabbing 12 boards, and sinking seven of his 11 long-range attempts, Toolson assembled one of the greatest games in NCAA history.

After his college career, Toolson headed overseas. He still hoops professionally for Istanbul BB of the Turkish League.

Unfortunately, no video of Toolson’s 63-point masterpiece exist on the internet, but you can check out his senior year highlights here.

6. Steph Curry

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Team: (23) Davidson

Opponent: (24) Gonzaga

Date: March 21, 2008​

Stats: 40 points, 5 steals, 14-for-22 FG, 8-for-10 3PT, 4-for-6 FT​

Before Chef Curry was a two-time MVP, he was a two-time consensus All-American.

In this NCAA Tournament game, the baby-faced assassin drained eight of his 10 3-point attempts, leading his 10-seeded Davidson Wildcats past the favored Gonzaga Bulldogs in the first round of the NCAA Tournament as Davidson began its charge toward the Elite Eight. 

The game defined Steph. He had averaged 26 points per game—fourth in the nation—during the regular season, but to pin 40 on a ranked opponent in a March Madness game while draining 80 percent of his threes was truly remarkable. The conversation around Curry changed immediately. It took him from “Hey, this kid is pretty good” territory to “This guy could revolutionize the game” territory.

Spoiler alert: That’s exactly what happened.

Curry’s performance ranks exceptionally high on the memorability scale. For a few weeks, he became the biggest star in college hoops and the NCAA’s defining player.

5. Jodie Meeks

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Team: Kentucky

Opponent: (24) Tennessee

Date: January 13, 2009

Stats: 54 points, 8 rebounds, 4 assists, 15-for-22 FG, 10-for-15 3PT, 14-for-14 FT

The Holy Scriptures once said, “If Meek shall inherit the Earth, Jodie had the world in the palm of his hand.” Or something like that…

Kentucky’s Jodie Meeks dropped 54, the highest scoring output in any major conference in the last decade, with extreme efficiency. And he did it a plethora of ways. The guard took the ball to the rack, slicing through defenders and finishing in traffic. He launched threes from distance and sunk them with ease. He created off the dribble, stopped and popped, and ripped nothing but nylon.

Watch the highlights. Jodie is in full Mamba mode, down to the shaved head.

The Volunteers were no easy target. Ranked No. 24 heading into the matchup, Tennessee was the better team on paper. Behind Meeks, an unranked Kentucky crushed them 90-72.

4. Buddy Hield

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Team: (2) Oklahoma

Opponent: (1) Kansas

Date: January 4, 2016

Stats: 46 points, 8 rebounds, 7 assists, 13-for-23 FG, 8-for-15 3PT, 12-for-14 FT

Buddy Hield had a four-year college career to remember, earning the 2016 Wooden Award. By far, his most memorable performance came on the road against No. 1 Kansas. Even though the contest was in early January, it may as well have been a couple months later. Any time you have the nation’s top two teams going toe-to-toe, it becomes one of the season’s defining events, regardless of when it falls on the calendar.

On this night, Hield would not yield, as he tied the record for most points by an opponent at Allen Fieldhouse. Although Oklahoma lost in OT, Buddy poured in 46 points, grabbed 8 boards, and collected 7 dimes.

Hield popped treys with defenders draped all over him and used his patented hop step to finish in traffic. Scoring in every conceivable fashion, the Bahamanian staked his claim as one of the best big-game college performers of the last decade. Just listen to Dickie V lose his mind.

3. Jimmer Fredette

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Team: (10) Brigham Young

Opponent: New Mexico

Date: March 11, 2011

Stats: 52 points, 15-for-23 FG, 7-for-14 3PT

On the same night as Kemba Walker’s Big East Conference Tourney heroics, Jimmer Fredette dropped a stone-cold 52 points as BYU scrubbed New Mexico in the Mountain West Tournament Semifinal. 

This was peak Jimmermania. For years, Fredette’s shooting stroke electrified the national audience. But even by his own lofty standards, this game was redonkulous. Fredette, the nation’s leading scorer, nearly doubled his season average of 28.9 ppg, sinking seven threes, and cutting the heart out of a New Mexico squad that had bested BYU twice during the regular season.

What makes Jimmer’s jumpers that much more incredible is that New Mexico clearly game-planned him. Every shot he took was contested and off-balance. But as they say, give Jimmer an inch, and he’ll take your soul. Or at least, knock down an impossible three from “Jimmer Range.”

Oh, and when people start naming distances from the hoop after you, you know you’re doing something right.

2. De'Aaron Fox

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Team: (6) Kentucky

Opponent: (8) UCLA

Date: March 24, 2017

Stats: 39 points, 3 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals, 13-for-20 FG, 13-for-19 FT

The deeper you find yourself in the NCAA Tournament, the harder it is to score. You’re playing the best teams with the best defenses. So, on its offensive merits alone, De’Aaron Fox’s game was remarkable. He netted 39 points on 13-20 shooting in the Sweet 16, leading the Wildcats to an 86-75 win.

Most impressively, Fox shut down Lonzo Ball, the most hyped player in college basketball in 2017. De’Aaron was a fox in Lonzo’s henhouse, limiting Zo to just 10 points on 4-for-10 shooting.

A freak athlete with long limbs and an unmatched motor, the southpaw was relentless, dominating one of the nation’s best teams for 40 minutes. Remarkably, he scored most of his points in the paint. He poured in layups, floaters, and contested pull-up midrange jumpers. In today’s game, Fox’s style was as unorthodox as it was effective.

1. Kelsey Plum

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Team: (11) Washington

Opponent: Utah

Date: February 25, 2017

Stats: 57 points, 8 rebounds, 19-for-28 FG, 6-for-11 3PT, 13-for-16 FT

Surprised? You shouldn’t be. Kelsey Plum’s 57-point outburst against Utah last winter is without a doubt the finest individual game in college hoops over the last decade. Period.

Plum didn’t just shatter the women’s single-game scoring record. Although that, on its own, would have been enough to put her somewhere on this list. It gets so much crazier than that.

This was Washington’s final regular season game. For the senior Plum, it was also the final regular season contest of her college career, and she needed 53 points to tie Jackie Stiles’ women’s NCAA scoring record. Plum dropped 57.

A lefty two-guard with a sweet shooting stroke and a deft ambidexterity near the basket, Plum got her buckets both inside and out. She finished her Huskies career with 3,527 points—most all-time among women and second-most all time for either gender, behind “Pistol” Pete Maravich.

The San Antonio Silver Stars made her the top pick in last summer’s WNBA Draft. And with good reason.

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