The NCAA Tournament has produced endless thrillers, including buzzer-beaters and dramatic upsets. Every year, it gives us timeless moments and suspense that never disappoints.
We’ve also seen a great number of shootouts at the Big Dance. With that in mind, what are the highest-scoring men’s college basketball tournament games of all time?
Here are the 10 highest-scoring games in NCAA Tournament history.
10 highest-scoring games in NCAA Tournament history
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In one of the best games played in tournament history, the Mountaineers needed double overtime to get the upset victory. They had five players score in double figures, led by a game-high 29 points from Mike Gansey, with D’Or Fischer posting 15 points, 10 rebounds and three blocks. On the other side, the Demon Deacons, who blew a 13-point halftime lead, had three players finish with 20 points, led by 27 points from Taron Downey and 22 points and nine assists from Chris Paul.
The Dons, who were ranked No. 1 in the country for the bulk of the season, put the ball in the cup with great frequency — they just couldn’t stop the Rebels from doing the same. UNLV scored 63 points in the first half and also had six of its players finish in double figures, led by a team-high 27 points and eight rebounds from Reggie Theus. As a whole, the Rebels shot 55.1% from the field. For San Francisco, Winford Boynes finished with a game-high 30 points on 10-of-15 shooting from the field.
A 65-point first half got the Tar Heels out to an overwhelming 25-point halftime lead on the Lions. A balanced scoring attack saw five North Carolina players finish in double figures, with Ranzino Smith dropping a team-high (and tied for a game-high) 27 points. Meanwhile, J.R. Reid came up with 19 points, 15 rebounds and five assists for the Tar Heels. Jeff Fryer had 27 points for the Lions, whose 25-game winning streak was snapped with the defeat, while Corey Gaines (16 points, 10 assists) and Mike Yoest (10 points, 12 rebounds) each posted a double-double.
7. Arkansas 120, Loyola Marymount 101 (1989)
Typically, when you reach 68 points in a half, you win, which is what Arkansas did while dropping 120 in the game as a whole. Mario Credit put up 34 points and 13 rebounds for the Razorbacks, with Lenzie Howell posting 27 points and 12 rebounds and Keith Wilson finishing with 12 assists, 11 rebounds and three steals. Arkansas shot a combined 58% from the field. Meanwhile, the Lions had three players finish with 20-plus points: Hank Gathers, Bo Kimble and Jeff Fryer. Loyola Marymount — a frequent name on this list — led the country in scoring in head coach Paul Westhead’s final three years on the job.
6. Arizona 114, UNLV 109 in OT (1976)
Regulation couldn’t settle this regional semifinal matchup, as Arizona squeaked out a win in overtime. Herman Harris led the way for the Wildcats, who shot a combined 57.9% from the field, with a game-high 31 points along with nine assists and nine rebounds. Jim Rappis (24 points, 12 assists), Bob Elliott (20 points, 12 rebounds) and Phil Taylor (18 points, 15 rebounds) all had double-doubles as well. This was the first time that Arizona made the NCAA Tournament in 25 years, and it would later make the tournament 25 consecutive years, from 1985-2009. On the other side, Sam Smith, Lewis Brown and Eddie Owens each had 20-plus points for the Rebels, with Brown also ripping down 16 boards.
Poo Welch shot early and often for the victorious Cougars, posting a team-high 38 points on 13-of-30 shooting from the field. Steve Newsome scored 29 points, and Bob Hall (20 points, 15 rebounds) and Dwight Davis (18 points, 13 rebounds) chipped in with double-doubles. All that said, it was Notre Dame’s Austin Carr, the National Player of the Year, who was the game’s high scorer with a remarkable 47 points and 12 rebounds in his final game with the Irish. Collis Jones also had a 20-20 showing (25 points, 22 rebounds).
4. Iowa 121, Notre Dame 106 (1970)
The Hawkeyes dropped an otherworldly 75 points in the first half and led by 33 at the halfway point. Ironically, the Fighting Irish outscored the Hawkeyes in the second half, 64-46. In all, Iowa had five players score in double figures, with Chad Calabria and John Johnson scoring 31 points apiece. Glenn Vidnovic also had 24 points and 11 rebounds, going 10-of-10 from the free-throw line. But it was Notre Dame’s Austin Carr — who still owns the highest scoring average in NCAA Tournament history with 41.3 points per game — who had a game-high 45 points and 10 rebounds.
3. UNLV 131, Loyola Marymount 101 (1990)
The Rebels were running wild against the Lions in the regional final round. Stacey Augmon had a team-high 33 points and 11 rebounds for UNLV. Meanwhile, Anderson Hunt had 30 points and 13 assists, and Larry Johnson had 20 points and 18 rebounds. The Rebels, who had four players finish with 20-plus points (Greg Anthony being the fourth player), shot a combined 59.3% from the field. They went on to win the tournament. For Loyola Marymount, its emotional run following Hank Gathers’ tragic death ended in this Elite Eight matchup. Bo Kimble had a game-high 42 points and 11 rebounds.
2. Loyola Marymount 119, Wyoming 115 (1988)
A tightly contested game saw the Lions escape with a win in the first round of the tournament. Loyola Marymount had five players score in double figures, led by Bo Kimble’s game-high 29 points, while Hank Gathers had a double-double with 19 points and 12 rebounds. On the other hand, the Cowboys had six players finish in double figures, led by Eric Leckner’s 23 points, and still shot a collective 57.3% from the field. But Wyoming had 23 turnovers, 16 of which were steals by the Lions, which helped decide the game.
1. Loyola Marymount 149, Michigan 115 (1990)
Loyola Marymount could not be stopped in the second round. The Lions had five players score in double figures, four of them finishing with at least 20 points, with Jeff Fryer totaling a game-high 41 points on 11 3-pointers and 15-of-20 shooting from the field and Bo Kimble tallying 37 points. After scoring 65 points in the first half and leading by just seven at halftime, Loyola Marymount proceeded to put up 84 points in the second half, setting an NCAA Tournament record with 149 total points. Michigan, the defending national champions, still had six players score in double digits, five of whom scored at least 15 points.
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