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
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
12. Trae Young
11. Ben Simmons
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?