<P> Additionally , several of the players on this list played during an era when college freshmen were ineligible to compete at the varsity level and were forced to participate on either freshman or junior varsity teams . Since freshman and junior varsity points do not count toward official NCAA records , three players -- Pete Maravich , Oscar Robertson and Elvin Hayes -- only had three seasons to compile their totals . Larry Bird redshirted ( sat out ) his freshman year , and therefore , like Maravich , Robertson , and Hayes , his totals also cover only three seasons ( though in Bird 's case , unlike the others , it was his own choice not to play a fourth season at the college level ) . With the added benefits of a three - point line and a full extra year of varsity eligibility , their already - historical statistics would have been much higher . Maravich , a guard from LSU , not only owns the three highest single season averages in Division I history , but also the highest career total . Remarkably , he scored 3,667 points ( over 400 more than the next closest player ) in a mere 83 games . His record is considered nearly unbreakable ; the only player who could have potentially overtaken him as the top scorer in Division I history is Stephen Curry of Davidson , who had scored 2,635 points through his first three seasons of college basketball . However , Curry opted to forgo his final year of NCAA eligibility and moved on to the National Basketball Association ( NBA ) following his junior season in 2008 -- 09 . </P>
<P> Additionally , several of the players on this list played during an era when college freshmen were ineligible to compete at the varsity level and were forced to participate on either freshman or junior varsity teams . Since freshman and junior varsity points do not count toward official NCAA records , three players -- Pete Maravich , Oscar Robertson and Elvin Hayes -- only had three seasons to compile their totals . Larry Bird redshirted ( sat out ) his freshman year , and therefore , like Maravich , Robertson , and Hayes , his totals also cover only three seasons ( though in Bird 's case , unlike the others , it was his own choice not to play a fourth season at the college level ) . With the added benefits of a three - point line and a full extra year of varsity eligibility , their already - historical statistics would have been much higher . Maravich , a guard from LSU , not only owns the three highest single season averages in Division I history , but also the highest career total . Remarkably , he scored 3,667 points ( over 400 more than the next closest player ) in a mere 83 games . His record is considered nearly unbreakable ; the only player who could have potentially overtaken him as the top scorer in Division I history is Stephen Curry of Davidson , who had scored 2,635 points through his first three seasons of college basketball . However , Curry opted to forgo his final year of NCAA eligibility and moved on to the National Basketball Association ( NBA ) following his junior season in 2008 -- 09 . </P>
who is the leading scorer in college basketball
who is the leading scorer in college basketball
Pete Maravich
Pete Maravich