NCAA BASKETBALL
What is the record for points scored in a March Madness game and who holds it?
March Madness is a single-elimination contest for college teams. The tournament is played each spring and is one of the most popular US sporting events.
The NCAA Tournament is a hugely popular college basketball event that has been taking place since 1939. Throughout its history, there have been several remarkable scoring records set that have become a part of its folklore. Some of these records have stood the test of time and have been around for over half a century.
Austin Carr
One of the most impressive records set in the NCAA Tournament is the single-game points record. Austin Carr, a talented player from Notre Dame, achieved this record-breaking feat. In the first round of the 1970 edition of the tournament, Carr scored an astounding 61 points in a game against Ohio. This remarkable achievement is still the most points scored by an individual player in a single game in the competition’s history as of 2024.
Carr is a legend in the NCAA Tournament record books, and his name appears repeatedly due to his outstanding court performances. He holds four of the top 10 individual scoring performances in the history of March Madness. Along with his 61-point game, he scored two 52-point games and 47 points in a regional third-place game in 1971. This final game was the last contest of his collegiate career before the Cleveland Cavaliers selected him as the No. 1 overall pick in the NBA draft.
Glen Rice
In the March Madness tournament history, Glen Rice’s performance in 1989 stands out as the most impressive. Throughout the tournament, he scored an outstanding 184 points, breaking an NCAA record that still stands today. His remarkable performance made Michigan win that year’s NCAA Men’s Division I Basketball Championship. In the championship game against Seton Hall, Rice was the hero, scoring 31 points, including the game-winning shot in overtime. The performance earned him the title of the tournament’s Most Outstanding Player.
Rice’s contribution to the team was not limited to the tournament alone. He averaged 25.6 points throughout the season, shooting an incredible 58% from the floor and 52% from beyond the arc. His exceptional performance earned him a spot on the Associated Press All-America second team.
On February 20, 2005, Rice’s No. 41 jersey was retired during a ceremony at the Crisler Arena in recognition of his outstanding contribution to Michigan basketball. Finally, his talent and achievement were recognized outside of the basketball community when he appeared on the cover of Sports Illustrated on April 10, 1989.