Most 3s in a March Madness game: Full list of NCAA Tournament single-game shooting records all time

Scott Rafferty

Most 3s in a March Madness game: Full list of NCAA Tournament single-game shooting records all time image

You probably won't be surprised to hear that there are a lot more 3s in today's college basketball game than when the 3-point line was introduced. 

The NCAA's first season with a 3-point shot was 1986-87, and teams took an average of 9.2 triples per game. That number has more than doubled in the almost four decades since, with teams taking 21.9 3-pointers per game in the 2023-24 season.

That trend continued into the NCAA Tournament. No. 14 Oakland stunned No. 3 Kentucky in the first round of March Madness, and the long-range ball had much to do with it. Golden Grizzlies guard Jack Gohlke let it rip from beyond the arc against the Wildcats, sinking 10 3-pointers in the upset win. 

Gohlke came close to breaking the record for most 3s made in an NCAA Tournament game, however he was unable to surpass the all-time mark. The record was set not long after the introduction of the 3-point line, and no one has beat it since. 

Here's everything you need to know about the best shooting performances in March Madness history.

MORE: 3-point line history, explained

Most 3s made in a March Madness game

The record for most 3-pointers made in an NCAA Tournament is owned by Loyola Marymount's Jeff Fryer, who made 11 of his 15 3-point attempts in a win over Michigan on March 18, 1990.

Fryer is one of five players who have ever made double-digit 3s in a March Madness game. UNLV's Freddie Banks was the first to do it when he hit 10 3-pointers in a loss to Indiana in 1987. Memphis' Roburt Sallie joined the list in 2009, followed by Purdue's Carsen Edwards in 2019.

Edwards hit nine 3-pointers in a different game in the 2019 NCAA Tournament, tying him with a group of players for the third-most triples ever made in March Madness.

Gohlke added his name to the list with his stellar showing for Oakland at the 2024 NCAA Tournament, sinking 10 3-pointers to tie Edwards, Sallie and Banks for second on the all-time list. 

Here are the most 3-pointers made in a single game in NCAA Tournament history:

Most points in March Madness game (Sports Reference)
Rank Player 3s Year
1. Jeff Fryer 11 1990
2. Jack Gohlke 10 2024
  Carsen Edwards 10 2019
  Roburt Sallie 10 2009
  Freddie Banks 10 1987
6. Johnny Hemsley 9 1999
  Johnny Miller 9 1995
  Carsen Edwards 9 2019
  Bryce Alford 9 2015
  Gerry McNamara 9 2004
  Garde Thompson 9 1987
  Rickey Paulding 9 2003
  Brady Heslip 9 2012

Fryer also owns the record for most 3-point attempts in an NCAA Tournament game. In a loss to Arkansas in 1989, he scored 24 points on 5-for-22 shooting from deep.

Edwards set a tournament record by making a total of 28 3-pointers over four games in 2019. The previous record was owned by Michigan's Glen Rice, who drained 27 3-pointers in the 1989 NCAA Tournament.

Scott Rafferty

Scott Rafferty Photo

 

Scott Rafferty is an experienced NBA journalist who first started writing for The Sporting News in 2017. There are few things he appreciates more than a Nikola Jokic no-look pass, Klay Thompson heat check or Giannis Antetokounmpo eurostep. He's a member of the NBA Global team.