NCAA tournament: Top 10 players with the highest-scoring games during March Madness

Every year, when the NCAA Tournament and March Madness roll around, there are hundreds of high-profile college athletes capable of making college basketball history. March Madness gives players a chance to showcase their skills when the spotlight is at its brightest. As they chase history for their teams, some players have stood out above the rest with some truly special tournament performances.

Certain players have been able to put together some of the most impressive scoring performances throughout the history of the NCAA Tournament. This list will detail the top 10 players with the highest-scoring games during March Madness.

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Top 10 players with the highest-scoring games during March Madness

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#10, Glenn Robinson, 44 points

A Sweet 16 March Madness matchup in 1994 saw Purdue's Glenn Robinson drop 44 points as the Boilermakers defeated the Kansas Jayhawks 83-78.

Robinson went 6-for-10 from beyond the arc and also added seven rebounds. The Boilermakers lost 69-60 to Duke in the Elite Eight. Robinson is the most recent player to score 44 or more points in the NCAA Tournament.

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#9, Bill Walton, 44 points

Before he became a Hall of Famer, Bill Walton was breaking records in the 1973 NCAA national title game as a junior at UCLA. Walton finished with 44 points and 13 rebounds while shooting 21-for-22.

This was one of the greatest shooting and scoring performances in March Madness history, and in a championship game nonetheless. UCLA beat Memphis 87-66 to win the title.

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#8, Bo Kimble, 45 points

Bo Kimble played one season at USC before transferring to Loyola Marymount for three seasons. During a 1990 March Madness matchup against New Mexico State in his senior season, Kimble tallied a record-breaking 45 points for the Lions.

Not only did Kimble lead the team in points, but he also recorded a game-high 18 rebounds, including 12 offensive boards. Loyola Marymount stomped New Mexico State 111-92 to advance to the second round.

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#7, Dave Corzine, 46 points

The 1978 edition of March Madness included a Sweet 16 matchup between the Louisville Cardinals and DePaul, led by Blue Demons senior center Dave Corzine. He finished with 46 points, shooting 64.3% from the field and going 10 for 10 from the free-throw line.

Corzine was dazzling on both ends of the floor with a lights-out scoring performance that also included nine boards and three blocks. DePaul narrowly defeated Louisville 90-89 to advance to the Elite Eight.

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#6, Hal Lear, 48 points

Hal Lear, who played three seasons for Temple, led the Owls to the third-place game in the 1956 NCAA Tournament. In Temple's matchup with SMU, Lear finished with 48 points and seven rebounds. Fourteen of Lear's 48 points came from the free-throw line, where he would shoot 82.4% in that game. Lear and Temple emerged victorious, beating SMU 90-81.

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#5, Elvin Hayes, 49 points

Houston center Elvin Hayes was no stranger to filling up the stat sheet. In 93 games at Houston from 1965 to 1968, Hayes averaged 31.0 points and 17.2 rebounds.

Hayes exploded for an iconic March Madness performance in the first round against Loyola with 49 points and 27 rebounds in 1968. He shot 71.4% from the field, going 20-for-28, and connected on nine of his 15 free-throw attempts. Houston advanced to the next round, taking care of the Ramblers 94-76.

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#4, David Robinson, 50 points

Hall of Famer David Robinson recorded 50 points for Navy in the opening round of the 1987 NCAA Tournament. Robinson dominated on both ends, adding 13 rebounds, three steals and two blocks in addition to his March Madness scoring performance.

Navy ultimately fell to Michigan 97-82, but Robinson's performance was one for the record books despite the loss.

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#3, Oscar Robertson, 56 points

Oscar Robertson is another Hall of Famer with a top-scoring March Madness performance on this list. Robertson nearly recorded a triple-double in Cincinnati's third-place game against Arkansas, finishing with 56 points, seven rebounds and 10 assists.

He shot 21-for-36 from the field and connected on 14 of his 16 free-throw attempts. Robertson's performance led Cincinnati to third place in 1958, easily beating the Razorbacks 97-62.

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#2, Bill Bradley, 58 points

Princeton's Bill Bradley played three seasons for the Tigers from 1962-1965. In Princeton's third-place March Madness matchup against Wichita State in 1965, Bradley scored 58 points and grabbed seven rebounds.

It seemed every shot attempt from Bradley found the bottom of the net, as he went 22-for-29 from the field and 14-for-15 from the free-throw line. Princeton blew out Wichita State, winning the third-place game 118-82.

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#1, Austin Carr, 61 points

Notre Dame's Austin Carr could've filled up this list on his own, scoring 45 or more points in a March Madness game five times. This list includes a 1970 game against Ohio in which Carr recorded 61 points. He shot 25-for-44 from the field and 11-for-14 from the free-throw line in this first-round matchup.

Carr led the Fighting Irish to a 112-82 victory over Ohio and would go as far as the third-place game before falling to Iowa. Carr played at Notre Dame from 1968 to 1971 and averaged 34.6 points with a 52.8% field-goal percentage.

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