Top 10 scoring leaders in Men’s and Women’s College Basketball ft. Caitlin Clark, Pete Maravich and more
Caitlin Clark has finally nabbed the women's basketball career scoring record and is gaining on Pete Maravich's men's scoring mark. But who else are the great scorers of college basketball history?
Sixteen women and eleven men have reached 3,000 career points, and Texas's Max Abmas is currently 13 points shy of the club.
Here's college basketball's top ten scorers, men and women included.
Top 10 scoring leaders in men's and women's college basketball
10. Dyaisha Fair, Buffalo/Syracue (3,224)
Lost in the hubbub over Clark is Fair, who is still an active player herself. Now competing in a fifth season, Fair is averaging 21.8 points per game this year for Syracuse.
She scored 2,035 points in three years at Buffalo and could climb as high as third on the women's scoring list.
9. Chris Clemons, Campbell (3,225)
A 5-foot-9 guard, Clemons averaged 29.1 ppg over four seasons at Campbell from 2015 to 2019. Clemons made 444 3-point shots in his career, and almost scored 1,000 points in his senior season, finishing at 993.
Clemons is currently playing in the NBA G-League.
8. Freeman Williams, Portland State (3,249)
At tiny Portland State, Williams scored 30.7 ppg from 1974 to 1978-- so yes, without a 3-point shot. Williams scored 38.8 ppg as a junior, amassing 1,010 points that year.
A first-round NBA Draft pick, Williams played six seasons in the NBA.
7. Brittney Griner, Baylor (3,283)
A national champion at Baylor in 2012, Griner scored 22.2 ppg for her career. Griner's 748 career blocked shots remains a college basketball record. She was an absolute force for Baylor and reached this high, despite topping out at 23.8 ppg as a senior. A longtime WNBA star before her political imprisonment in Russia, Griner is a women's basketball legend.
6. Jackie Stiles, Missouri State (3,393)
The 5-foot-8 Stiles was a scoring machine, racking up 26.3 ppg from 1997 to 2001. Three times chosen All-American, Stiles scored 30.3 ppg (1,062 points) and still made 56.6% of her shots.
Stiles was WNBA Rookie of the Year but retired after playing just one more season in the league due to extensive injuries.
5. Kelsey Mitchell, Ohio State (3,402)
From 2014 to 2018, Mitchell averaged 24.5 ppg at Ohio State. Mitchell made an astonishing 497 3-point shots. Chosen four times as All-American, Mitchell's top scoring season was her sophomore year, at 26.1 ppg. She was chosen second in the 2018 WNBA Draft and has had a solid career in that league.
4. Kelsey Plum, Washington (3,527)
Until yesterday, The Washington Star held the career women's scoring record since 2017. However, Caitlin Clark broke that record.
Plum averaged 25.4 ppg, topping out at 31.7 ppg as a senior (1,109 points). She added 523 career assists. As the first overall pick in the 2017 WNBA Draft, Plum has not only claimed two WNBA titles but continues to star in that league.
3. Caitlin Clark, Iowa (3,569)
Clark is the Iowa phenom chasing the top of the scoring list. She's averaging 28.3 ppg for her career and 32.8 ppg this season. Clark has made 487 3-point shots for her career. She's a phenomenal all-around talent and is all but guaranteed to be the first pick in the upcoming WNBA Draft.
Barring injury, Clark will be college basketball's top scorer of all time.
2. Antoine Davis, Detroit Mercy (3,664)
Davis played five college basketball seasons due to the NCAA's COVID-19 guidance. He made a run at Pete Maravich's record, scoring 25.4 ppg over his five years. Davis made 588 3-point shots and ended up just another one away from Maravich's mark. The 6-foot-1 guard was released by the Portland Trailblazers, but could still have an NBA career.
1. Pete Maravich, LSU (3,667)
In three seasons with no 3-point line, Maravich wrote college basketball's scoring record. In an era when freshmen could not play varsity sports, Maravich averaged 43.8 ppg in 1967-68 as a sophomore. He improved from there, averaging 44.5 ppg as a senior. Maravich played only 83 college games, never reaching the NCAA Tournament. A Basketball Hall of Famer, his mark has stood for over five decades.