There is nothing quite like March Madness. And there’s nothing quite like the unforgettable all-time NCAA Tournament records.
Three weeks of buzzer beaters, upsets and Cinderella stories.
Every year, iconic moments and epic performances breed March legends. Christian Laettner’s storied Duke career. Mario Chalmers’ game-tying shot in the national championship to save Kansas’ season. Kemba Walker’s memorable effort during UConn’s title run.
The NCAA Tournament creates new stars every year. Here are the most notable NCAA Division I men’s basketball tournament records in March Madness history.
NCAA Tournament Records
Most Points in a Tournament Game / Most Assists in a Tournament Game / Most Rebounds in a Tournament Game / Most 3-Pointers in a Tournament Game / Most Blocks in a Tournament Game / Most Steals in a Tournament Game / Most Points by a Team in a Tournament Game / Biggest Blowout in a Tournament Game / Most 3-Pointers by a Team in a Tournament Game / Most Consecutive Tournament Appearances (All Time) / Most Consecutive Tournament Appearances (Active) / Most Tournament Wins / Lowest Seed to Make the Final Four / Most Steals by a Team in a Tournament Game / Most Assists by a Team in a Tournament Game / Tournament Triple-Doubles
PLAYER RECORDS
Most Points in a Tournament Game
Against Ohio in Dayton, Austin Carr exploded for 61 on 25-of-44 shooting to eclipse Bill Bradley’s previous single-game scoring record. Remember, this was before the implementation of the 3-point line, so Carr scored 50 on field goals alone. He added 11 points from 14 free-throw attempts, helping push the Fighting Irish past the Bobcats 112-82. Carr averaged 52.7 points over three tournament games (also an NCAA record), as Notre Dame lost to Kentucky in the regional semifinals. In three years with Notre Dame, Carr averaged 34.6 points, including a career-high 38.1 per game during a magical 1969-70 season.
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Most Assists in a Tournament Game
Markquis Nowell finished with 20 points and an NCAA Tournament-record 19 assists in the Wildcats’ 98-93 win over Michigan State in the Sweet 16. He broke the previous record of 18 by Mark Wade of UNLV during the 1987 tournament. Nowell, a senior guard, also shined with 30 points, 12 assists, five steals and five 3-pointers in the team’s 79-76 loss to Florida Atlantic in the Elite Eight. He averaged 23.5 points and 13.5 assists while leading Kansas State to the Elite Eight in 2023.
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Most Rebounds in a Tournament Game
In the 1956 NCAA Tournament, Fred Cohen took advantage of a poor-shooting game by both teams and pulled down an NCAA-record 34 rebounds in a single tournament game. Temple and UConn combined to miss 114 shots, shooting 30.5% from the field collectively. So there were plenty of opportunities to grab missed shots. The Owls also set the then-tournament record for team rebounds with 76. Temple advanced to the Final Four but lost to Iowa 83-76.
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Most 3-Pointers in a Tournament Game
Jeff Fryer hit 11 of 15 3-pointers (73.3%), scoring a game-high 41 points in Loyola Marymount’s 149-115 win over Michigan in Long Beach, California. Head coach Paul Westhead’s fast-paced system took college basketball by storm in 1990 as he led Loyola Marymount to the best era of men’s basketball in school history. And in four tournament games against New Mexico State, Michigan, Alabama and UNLV, Fryer hit 23 3-pointers on 43.3% shooting.
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Most Blocks in a Tournament Game
Against BYU in 1992, Shaquille O’Neal blocked 11 shots as the Cougars shot just 36.2% from inside the arc. LSU beat 10th-seeded BYU 94-83 in the first round before falling to Indiana. O’Neal blocked five more shots against the Hoosiers. In three seasons at LSU, O’Neal blocked a total of 412 shots.
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Most Steals in a Tournament Game
JD Notae of Arkansas (2022), Russ Smith of Louisville (2013), Ty Lawson of North Carolina (2009), Duane Clemens of Ball State (2000), Grant Hill of Duke (1993) and Darrell Hawkins of Arkansas (1993) have all notched eight steals in a game to hold the tournament record. Smith’s mark was later erased due to the Louisville program’s NCAA violations.
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TEAM RECORDS
Most Points in a Tournament Game
Loyola Marymount dropped 149 points on Michigan in 1990 in what is also the highest scoring game in NCAA Tournament history. LMU led 65-58 after the first half, which is not an uncommon final score to see in an NCAA Tournament game. The Lions then beat the brakes off of Michigan, outscoring the Wolverines 84-57 in the second half. In addition to Jeff Fryer’s 41 points, Bo Kimble scored 37, Terrell Lowery had 23 and Per Stumer added 21. Loyola Marymount’s Cinderella story would continue until the Elite Eight, where they lost to top-seeded UNLV 131-101. The Runnin’ Rebels eventually won the title in Denver, Colorado.
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Biggest Blowout in a Tournament Game
Loyola Chicago opened the 1963 NCAA Tournament with a 111-42 blowout of Tennessee Tech. It was over in the first half, as the Ramblers outscored the Golden Eagles 61-20. Loyola scored 50 more points in the second half in the biggest rout in NCAA Tournament history. All five Loyola starters scored in double figures, with Ron Miller leading the way with 21 points. The Ramblers rode this momentum all the way to their first and only NCAA men’s basketball national championship, as they defeated Cincinnati 60-58 in overtime.
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Most 3-Pointers in a Tournament Game
Loyola Marymount connected on 21 3-pointers against Michigan in 1990. Yes, Jeff Fryer contributed 11 of those, but Per Stumer hit five 3s, Terrell Lowery made three, and Bo Kimble and Marcellus Lee each added a 3 of their own. As a team, LMU shot 52.5% from behind the arc in a 149-115 victory.
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Most Consecutive Tournament Appearances (All Time)
Kansas has played in the last 33 NCAA tournaments since 1990, but its 2018 appearance, which ended in the Final Four, was vacated five years later due to use of a player, Silvio De Sousa, who was ruled ineligible retroactively. Roy Williams coached the first 14 seasons of Kansas’ 28-year run, including national runner-up finishes in 1991 and 2003. Bill Self led the Jayhawks to the first of his two national championships at the end of the 2007-08 season (the other title season was 2021-22).
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Most Consecutive Tournament Appearances (Active)
During Michigan State’s NCAA Tournament run, the Spartans have earned at least one tournament win in 20 of their 26 consecutive appearances.
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Most Tournament Wins
Thanks to John Wooden, UCLA has won more titles. But the Tar Heels have won the most tournament games (133). Of course, four of their six titles have come after the tourney expanded to 64 teams in 1985 (beating Gonzaga, Michigan State, Illinois and Michigan). Roy Williams (three), Dean Smith (two; over Georgetown in 1982 and Michigan in 1993) and Frank McGuire have coached the team to the NCAA Division I national championship game wins. UNC also has six runner-up finishes.
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Lowest Seed to Make the Final Four
There have been six 11-seeded teams that have made a run all the way to the national semifinals. Those teams were NC State in 2024, UCLA in 2021, Loyola Chicago in 2018, VCU in 2011, George Mason in 2006 and LSU in 1986. Only one 10 seed has made it and no team seeded lower than 11 has made the Final Four.
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Most Steals in a Tournament Game
Russ Smith led the way in Louisville’s 2013 victory over North Carolina A&T with the most steals in an NCAA Tournament game (Wayne Blackshear and Peyton Siva added four each). The Cardinals went on to capture the national title, but five years later, their program was forced to vacate the title and wins in their 2011-12 through 2014-15 season due to NCAA infractions. Because of Louisville’s violations, the NCAA recognizes the 19 steals by Washington (2006), UConn (1990) and Providence (1987) as the team record.
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Most Assists in a Tournament Game
Kevin Madden led the way with nine assists and Jeff Lebo added 19 points and seven dimes as North Carolina racked up a record 36 assists in a 123-97 win over Loyola Marymount in the second round of the 1988 NCAA Tournament. The Tar Heels made it to the Elite Eight before falling 70-52 to top-seeded Arizona.
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Tournament Triple-Doubles
Eight different players have recorded triple-doubles in the NCAA Tournament, but only Draymond Green of Michigan State (2011 and 2012) has done it twice. The future Golden State Warriors star had 23 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists in a first-round loss to UCLA in the 2011 tourney and 24 points, 12 boards and 10 assists in a first-round win over LIU Brooklyn in 2012.
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