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In the 2022-2023 season, men's college basketball nearly had a new all-time leading scorer. Antoine Davis of Detroit Mercy totaled 3,664 points in his collegiate career, finishing just three points shy of the Division I scoring record that has stood for more than 50 years. Let's take a look at college basketball's top 15 all-time scoring leaders. 15. Elvin Hayes, Houston: 2,884 points | 1965 to 1968 As a senior, Hayes averaged 36.8 points and 18.9 rebounds despite playing without a 3-point line or shot clock. He led Houston to the Final Four in 1967, but the Cougars lost to Lew Alcindor and the UCLA Bruins. The following year, the rematch between Hayes and Alcindor became the first nationally televised college basketball game. Known as the "Game of the Century," Houston snapped UCLA's 47-game winning streak as Hayes posted 39 points and 15 rebounds while holding Alcindor to 15 points. Hayes was named the consensus Player of the Year, and the San Diego Rockets selected him No. 1 overall in the 1968 NBA draft. Hayes went on to become a Hall of Famer, NBA champion and 12-time All-Star. Hayes also ranks No. 14 on the NBA's all-time scoring list with 27,313 points, making him the only player to crack the top 15 on the NBA and NCAA all-time scoring lists. 14. Alfredrick Hughes, Loyola: 2,906 points | 1982 to 1985 Hughes was a three-time Horizon League Player of the Year, averaging 24.2 points, 8.2 rebounds and 1.2 steals (while shooting 46% from the field) over the course of his four-year run at Loyola. He was named an All-American as a senior in 1985, averaging 26.3 points, 9.5 rebounds and 1.2 steals while shooting 48.4%. Hughes was selected No. 14 overall in the 1985 NBA draft by the San Antonio Spurs. After one season in the NBA, he played overseas and in the Continental Basketball Association. Loyola retired his No. 21 jersey. 13. Danny Manning, Kansas: 2,951 points | 1984 to 1988 Manning is widely regarded as one of the all-time great college basketball players, as he put up outstanding numbers and his production translated to team success. Throughout Manning's four years with the Jayhawks, he averaged 20.1 points, 8.1 rebounds, 1.7 steals and 1.4 blocks, while shooting 59.3% from the field. As a senior, he led Kansas to a national championship and was named Player of the Year, as well as the Final Four Most Outstanding Player. After leaving Kansas, Manning was the No. 1 overall pick in the 1988 NBA draft by the LA Clippers. He would play 15 seasons in the NBA, becoming a two-time All-Star and Sixth Man of the Year winner. Manning is currently an associate head coach at Louisville. 12. Oscar Robertson, Cincinnati: 2,973 points | 1957 to 1960 Before Robertson was racking up triple-doubles in the NBA, he filled the stat sheet at Cincinnati. Over the course of his three-year collegiate career, Robertson averaged 33.8 points, 15.2 rebounds and 7.1 assists while shooting 53.5%. During all three of his varsity seasons at Cincinnati, he was named the consensus Player of the Year and led the nation in scoring. The Bearcats were 79-9 during his time on campus, making two Final Four appearances. After dominating at the collegiate level, Robertson did the same in the NBA, putting together a Hall of Fame career that included an NBA championship, Most Valuable Player award and 12 All-Star nods. He ranks No. 16 on the NBA's all-time scoring list with 26,710 career points. 11. Hersey Hawkins, Bradley: 3,008 points | 1984 to 1988 Hawkins was a prolific scorer for much of his collegiate career, but he took his game to another level as a senior, leading the nation in scoring with 36.3 points per game (while also averaging 7.8 rebounds, 3.6 assists, 2.8 threes and 2.6 steals). He won every major Player of the Year award, including the Oscar Robertson Trophy and Adolph Rupp Trophy. After leaving Bradley, Hawkins was selected No. 6 overall in the 1988 NBA draft. Over the course of his 13-year NBA career, he would become an All-Star and win the NBA's Sportsmanship Award in 1999. 10. Keydren Clark, Saint Peter's: 3,058 points | 2002 to 2006 Clark led the nation in scoring twice (in 2004 and 2005), averaging 26.7 points and 25.8 points, respectively. Over the course of his four years at Saint Peter's, the 5-foot-11 point guard averaged 25.9 points, 4.2 assists, 4.0 rebounds, 3.7 3-pointers and 2.2 steals. After going undrafted in the 2006 NBA draft, Clark played overseas for more than a decade. Today, Clark is the director of player development and an assistant coach at his alma mater. 9. Harry Kelly, Texas Southern: 3,066 points | 1979 to 1983 "Machine Gun" Kelly led the nation in scoring twice (in 1982 and 1983), averaging 29.7 points and 28.8 points, respectively. He was also a terrific rebounder, grabbing 11.6 boards as a junior and 11.7 as a senior. Kelly became the first player in Division I history to record 3,000 points and 1,000 rebounds. The three-time SWAC Player of the Year was selected in the fourth round of the 1983 NBA draft by the Atlanta Hawks, but he was cut prior to the start of the season. Kelly played in California's summer pro league and then in Italy. 8. Mike Daum, South Dakota State: 3,067 points | 2015 to 2019 Daum was a terrific shooter who averaged 22.4 points (on 50.4% shooting from the field and 41% from 3) during his four years at South Dakota State. Nicknamed "The Dauminator," he had his best season as a senior, averaging 25.3 points, 11.7 rebounds, 2.0 3-pointers and 1.0 block, while shooting 51.2% from the field. After going undrafted in the 2019 NBA draft, he took his talents abroad. Daum currently plays for Anadolu Efes of the Turkish Basketball Super League. 7. Doug McDermott, Creighton: 3,150 points | 2010 to 2014 Throughout McDermott's four years at Creighton, he became a three-time first-team All-American, averaging 21.7 points, 7.5 rebounds and 1.9 3-pointers while shooting 55% from the field and 45.8% from 3-point range. He was incredibly consistent, scoring in double figures in 135 games, which remains an NCAA record. As a senior, he averaged career highs in points (26.7) and 3-pointers (2.7), earning every Player-of-the-Year award. McDermott was selected No. 11 overall in the 2014 NBA draft, and he's currently a member of the Spurs. 6. Alphonso Ford, Mississippi Valley State: 3,165 points | 1989 to 1993 From the moment Ford arrived at Mississippi Valley State, he was a phenomenal scorer. He averaged 29.9 points per game as a freshman and then improved to 32.7 as a sophomore. He was the first player in NCAA history to average at least 25 points per game in four consecutive seasons. Ford's game was ahead of its time, as he was knocking down 3.9 3-pointers per game (while shooting 36.1% from deep) during the 1989-90 season. After his outstanding collegiate career, Ford was drafted No. 32 overall in the 1993 NBA draft by the Philadelphia 76ers. He later became a star in Europe before he tragically passed away at 32 years old due to leukemia. 5. Lionel Simmons, La Salle: 3,217 points | 1986 to 1990 Nicknamed "L-Train," Simmons became one of the best players in the country throughout his four-year stint at La Salle. Simmons scored in double figures in 115 consecutive games, which is still an NCAA record. As a senior, Simmons was named the Naismith College Player of the Year and Wooden Award winner after averaging 26.5 points, 11.1 rebounds, 3.6 assists, 2.0 blocks, 1.9 steals and 1.0 3s while shooting 51.3% from the field and 47.7% from 3-point range. Simmons was the No. 7 pick in the 1990 NBA draft by the Sacramento Kings and earned All-Rookie first-team honors. He would play seven years in the NBA. 4. Chris Clemons, Campbell: 3,225 points | 2015 to 2019 Despite being just 5-foot-9, Clemons' 44-inch vertical leap and well-rounded skill set allowed him to score at will throughout his four years at Campbell. He led the NCAA in scoring in 2019, averaging 30.1 points and 4.2 3-pointers while shooting 44.8% from the field and 35.7% from deep. After going undrafted in the 2019 NBA draft, Clemons had a two-year stint with the Houston Rockets. Clemons is currently playing in the NBA G League for the Windy City Bulls. 3. Freeman Williams, Portland State: 3,249 points | 1974 to 1978 Like the No. 1 player on this list, Williams played at a time (the 1970s) when there was no 3-point line or shot clock, making his point total even more impressive. He led the nation in scoring in 1977 and 1978, averaging 38.8 points (on 49.8% shooting) and 35.9 points (on 47% shooting), respectively. Williams was selected No. 8 overall in the 1978 NBA draft, and he played six seasons in the NBA for the San Diego Clippers, Hawks, Utah Jazz and Washington Bullets. 2. Antoine Davis, Detroit Mercy: 3,664 points | 2018 to 2023 Davis nearly became college basketball's all-time leading scorer last year, but he finished his collegiate career three points shy. It's worth noting that Davis totaled his 3,664 points over five seasons at Detroit Mercy due to the COVID-19 rules, but it's still extremely impressive. As a senior, the 6-foot-1 guard averaged 28.2 points and 4.8 3-pointers per game, while shooting 41.4% from the field and 41.2% from 3. After going undrafted in the 2023 NBA draft, Davis joined the Portland Trail Blazers' NBA G League affiliate, the Rip City Remix. 1. Pete Maravich, LSU: 3,667 points | 1967 to 1970 Maravich absolutely dominated while at LSU, racking up 3,667 points in just three seasons (since he had to spend a year on the freshman team). As if that wasn't impressive enough, he played in the late 1960s when there was no 3-point line or shot clock. You'd never know this looking at his stats, as he averaged 43.8 points as a sophomore, 44.2 points as a junior and 44.5 points as a senior. As a senior, he erupted for 69 points against Alabama, which is the second-most points scored in a single game in Division I history. Maravich scored at least 40 points in 56 games and at least 50 points in 28 games, which are both still NCAA records. After leaving LSU, Pistol Pete went on to have a 10-year career in the NBA, becoming a five-time All-Star and Hall of Famer. Be sure to check out ESPN's college basketball coverage, including power rankings, breaking news, in-depth analysis, features, recruiting updates and much more!
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