The NCAA Men’s Tournament has produced timeless games and iconic game-winning shots. It’s also a tournament in which stars are born.
Sometimes, a player gets hot at just the right moment. For instance, Jack Gohlke dropped 32 points for No. 14 seed Oakland, helping it upset No. 3 seed Kentucky in the first round of the 2024 NCAA Tournament. Meanwhile, there are plenty of highly touted recruits who have made some of the biggest shots in the history of men’s college basketball in the Big Dance.
On that note, here are the 10 best performances in NCAA Men’s Tournament history since 1985, when the tournament expanded to include 64 teams.
10 best performances in NCAA Men’s Tournament history since 1985
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10. Freshman Anthony Davis vs. Kansas (2012 National Championship Game)
Davis shot 1-of-10 from the field and finished with just six points, tied for his third-lowest scoring output of the season, in Kentucky’s biggest game of the year. But what else did Davis do? Bring down 16 rebounds, block six shots, record five assists and log three steals. It was one of the best defensive displays by a single player in tournament history. Davis’ all-around play — which helped the Wildcats hold the Jayhawks to just 59 points — and a game-high 22 points from Doron Lamb secured the 2012 national title for Kentucky.
Walker put UConn on his back in the Sweet 16. He scored a game-high 36 points and knocked down four 3-pointers on 12-of-25 shooting from the field and 8-of-10 shooting from the charity stripe, leading the Huskies past the Aztecs to advance to the Elite Eight (they went on to win the national championship). Walker, who’s ninth in UConn history with 1,783 career points across his three seasons at Storrs, played all 40 minutes against San Diego State.
8. Glenn Robinson scores 44 points vs. Kansas (1994 Sweet 16)
Robinson accounted for over half of Purdue‘s offense in an 83-78 win over Kansas. He put up a game-high 44 points, which included six 3-pointers, on 15-of-33 shooting from the field. With that performance, Robinson is tied for 14th in points scored by a player in a single game in men’s tournament history. He also registered seven rebounds and three steals in the winning effort. Robinson led the Big Ten in points per game in each of his two seasons at Purdue, with whom he holds the record for points in a single season (1,030 points in 1993-94).
7. Dwyane Wade records a triple-double vs. Kentucky (2003 Elite Eight)
In what was his final season at Marquette, Wade dazzled the college basketball world with a remarkable Elite Eight performance. Totaling a game-high 29 points, he also put up 11 assists, 11 rebounds and four blocks in a double-digit win over the Wildcats. Furthermore, Wade shot 68.8% from the field (11-of-16) as the Golden Eagles went on to the Final Four. Wade averaged 2.3 steals per game across his two seasons at Marquette, which is tied with Doc Rivers for first in program history.
6. Richard Hamilton drops 27 points vs. Duke (1999 National Championship Game)
Despite 25 points from Trajan Langdon and a double-double from Elton Brand (15 points, 13 rebounds), the Huskies eked out a three-point win over the Blue Devils in the national championship game. Duke entered this game on a whopping 32-game winning streak that started on Dec. 2, 1998. UConn’s triumph was, in large part, due to Hamilton, who scored a game-high 27 points on 10-of-22 shooting from the field. Hamilton also totaled seven rebounds and two steals. UConn’s No. 2 scorer in the title game was Ricky Moore, who had 13 points.
5. Glen Rice totals 31 points, 11 rebounds vs. Seton Hall (1989 National Championship Game)
John Morton scored 35 points for Seton Hall, but it was Rice and Michigan who came out on top with a one-point overtime victory to claim the 1989 national title. Rice, who was playing in his final collegiate game, totaled a team-high 31 points and 11 rebounds on 12-of-25 shooting with five 3-pointers. The veteran forward led the Big Ten in scoring in each of his final two seasons and remains first in Michigan history with 2,442 career points.
4. Ed O’Bannon puts up 30 points, 17 rebounds vs. Arkansas (1995 National Championship Game)
O’Bannon played every minute of UCLA‘s 11-point victory over Arkansas for all the marbles, and he was outstanding from start to finish. In what was his final game at the college level, the senior totaled a game-high 30 points and 17 rebounds, while also tallying three steals. O’Bannon is seventh in UCLA history with 1,815 career points. The 1995 national championship marks the last time that the Bruins won the title.
3. Freshman Carmelo Anthony posts 33 points, 14 rebounds vs. Texas (2003 Final Four)
The Longhorns had a well-balanced attack against the Orange — but the Orange had Carmelo Anthony. Anthony, who shot 12-of-19 from the field, posted a game-high 33 points, 14 rebounds and three steals to help Syracuse advance to the national championship game, where the Orange beat the Kansas Jayhawks to win their only national title in program history. In that 2002-03 season, Anthony averaged 22.2 points — which is tied for seventh in Syracuse history — 10 rebounds and 1.6 steals per game. He went on to be the No. 3 pick in the 2003 NBA Draft.
2. Danny Manning racks up 31 points, 18 rebounds, 5 steals vs. Oklahoma (1988 National Championship Game)
Each of Oklahoma’s five starters scored in double figures, but Manning was that good in the 1988 title game for Kansas. With a game-high 31 points and 18 rebounds, Manning also chipped in with five steals and two blocks. In the process, the Jayhawks, who were tied with the Sooners at halftime, came out with the four-point victory. Manning finished his four-year career at Kansas first in program history with 2,951 career points, a record which still stands in 2025. He went on to be the No. 1 pick in the 1988 NBA Draft.
1. The Christian Laettner Game (1992 Elite Eight vs. Kentucky)
In what was maybe the most iconic game in basketball history, Laettner went off for the Blue Devils; he scored a game-high 31 points on 10-of-10 shooting from the field and 10-of-10 shooting from the charity stripe. Of course, the lasting image of this historic Elite Eight matchup, which went to overtime, is Laettner retrieving an inbound pass from Grant Hill at the free-throw line, turning around and drilling a jumper at the buzzer to stun the Wildcats. This became known as “The Shot,” with Duke going on to win the national championship. Laettner would be the No. 3 pick in the 1992 NBA Draft.
Honorable mentions:
- Greg Oden posts 25-12-4 vs. Florida (2007 National Championship Game)
- Stephen Curry drops 40 vs. Gonzaga (2008 First Round)
- Jairus Lyles scores 28 points, helping No. 16 seed UMBC beat No. 1 Virginia (2018 First Round)
- Carsen Edwards puts up 42 vs. Virginia (2019 Elite Eight)
- Andre Miller has triple-double vs. Arizona (1998 Elite Eight)
- Ja Morant has triple-double vs. Marquette (2019 First Round)
- David Robinson explodes for 50 vs. Michigan (1987 First Round)
- Zach Edey records 40-16 vs. Tennessee (2024 Elite Eight)
- Jimmer Fredette drops 37 points vs. Florida (2010 First Round)
- Bo Kimble posts 45-18 vs. New Mexico State (1990 First Round)
- Shabazz Napier scores 22 vs. Kentucky (2014 National Championship)
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