The Final Four is a huge milestone for any college basketball player. It’s one weekend to define an individual and a collective team’s destiny on the sport’s biggest stage.
Illustrious scoring performances can be the catalyst for lifting a team into the national championship.
With this year’s Final Four beginning Saturday, we took a look back at the players who have scored the most points in the semifinal round of the NCAA Tournament.
Highest Final Four single-game scorers in NCAA Men’s Tournament history
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T-10. Danny Ferry: 34 points vs. Seton Hall (1989)
Though Ferry led Duke to the Final Four in three of his four seasons as a Blue Devil, he never won it all. In his senior season, he scored 34 points and showcased his versatile inside game with post-ups, face-ups and hook shots. In the end, Seton Hall’s athleticism and defensive discipline were too much, as the Pirates captured a 95-78 win.
T-10. Darrell Griffith: 34 points vs. Iowa (1980)
Griffith, a crafty wing, scored 34 points off a flurry of mid-range jump shots and aggressive drives as he helped Louisville earn an 80-72 win in the 1980 Final Four. The Cardinals advanced and went on to win the national championship that season, in a 59-54 rock fight over UCLA. Griffith dropped 23 and was the only Cardinal to break double digits against the Bruins.
T-10. Don May: 34 points vs. North Carolina (1967)
May was a big man who played with finesse. He danced through the paint to score 34 points off nifty post moves and take Dayton to a Final Four win over UNC. The Flyers, ultimately, lost the championship to Lew Alcindor-led UCLA.
9. Larry Bird: 35 points vs. DePaul (1979)
Bird had an illustrious career at Indiana State, averaging 30.3 points and 13.3 rebounds per game in his three seasons. Although he never won an NCAA championship, 1979 was the closest he came. After scoring 35 in a two-point win over DePaul in the Final Four, he brought the Sycamores to the title game against Magic Johnson and Michigan State.
T-5. Rick Mount: 36 points vs. North Carolina (1969)
Mount was one of the best pure scorers of the late 1960s, averaging 32.3 points per game over a three-year career at Purdue. He maneuvered around screens and pulled up from mid-range to drop 36 points against North Carolina and send the Boilermakers through to the national championship game in 1969. Purdue, though, ultimately lost to UCLA.
T-5. Jamie Thompson: 36 points vs. UCLA (1965)
Thompson wasn’t as prolific of a scorer as most of the other players on this list, but he showed out in the semifinal round as a sophomore. In a season in which he averaged just 12.6 points, he popped for 36 in the Final Four against UCLA, though Wichita State did not emerge victorious.
T-5. Paul Hogue: 36 points vs. UCLA (1962)
Hogue led Cincinnati to consecutive titles in 1961 and 1962. He was a big man with a balanced game, averaging a double-double with a modest 15.3 points to go with 12 rebounds per game. However, he erupted for 36 points in the 1962 Final Four against UCLA. The Bearcats edged the Bruins by two points and advanced to beat Ohio State in the national championship.
T-5. Bill Logan: 36 points vs. Temple (1956)
Logan was another do-it-all big man who made this list. He pounded in 36 points to help Iowa make the 1956 championship round, but the Hawkeyes ended up losing to San Francisco in a game in which Logan scored just 12 points on 5-of-23 shooting.
T-2. Freddie Banks: 38 points vs. Indiana (1987)
Over four years at UNLV, Banks developed into a polished, sharp shooting guard. His 38-point performance in the 1987 Final Four was buoyed by a Final Four record 10 made 3-point shots. The Rebels, though, lost 97-93 to Indiana.
T-2. Jerry Chambers: 38 points vs. Texas Western/UTEP (1966)
Chambers put on a dominant performance, grabbing 17 rebounds to go with his 38 points, but Utah couldn’t overcome UTEP in the 1966 Final Four. He was a long wing who lived in the mid-range and had a nice pull-up game.
T-2. Jerry West: 38 points vs. Louisville (1959)
Before he became one of the best point guards in NBA history, West starred at West Virginia. In his senior season, he averaged 29.3 points and 16.5 rebounds per game. The year before that, his 38 points lifted West Virginia over Louisville, but the Mountaineers fell short of capturing the national title as they lost 71-70 to Cal.
1. Al Wood: 39 points vs. Virginia (1981)
Wood was a slick guard for North Carolina, but he wasn’t known as a high-volume scorer. He averaged just 11.7 field goal attempts per game over four seasons, with 16 points per game. In his final chance to win a national championship, Wood boosted the Tar Heels into the final with a 39-point outing on 14-of-19 shooting in a 78-65 win over Virginia. UNC was then bested in the title game by Indiana.
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