Though the 82nd NCAA Tournament has been scrubbed, we can still celebrate the 50th anniversary of Austin Carr’s single-game scoring record: 61 points in the 1969-70 first round game against Ohio University, the Mid-American Conference champion.
Shooting 57% from the field, the 6’3” Notre Dame guard made 25 field goals out of 44 attempts. He nearly duplicated this amazing feat a week later against SEC champion Kentucky and Big Ten champ Iowa scoring 52 and 45 points respectively. His three-game shooting percentage was 58%.
Significantly, he was joined by teammate Collis Jones who averaged 23 points per game in the three contests. Together, they produced 228 points in three successive tournament games — an average of 76 points per game on 54% marksmanship.
For a detailed look at their amazing feat I invite you to visit the piece I posted last week at Hudl.com. You’ll find a highlight film of their two-man, single-game scoring record (85 points) as well as an intriguing comparison with last year’s tournament field.
If you’re interested in seeing the entire game, visit my YouTube channel. Digitized from an ancient Sony reel-to-reel video tape, the game is not only great fun to watch, but is of historic interest as it marks the beginning of the end of one era in college basketball and the launching of the one we now experience. In many ways, it foreshadows how the college game evolved as it grew in popularity, driven by 24/7 cable coverage and the explosion of March Madness.
In the meantime, here are several Krossover charts I constructed to bring analytic definition to the Carr-Jones record, all of it occurring in an era before the 3-point shot.
Chart #1: Traditional Shot Chart: 63 FGA, 34 FG, 54%
Chart #2: Hot Zone: The Hex Bin Shot Chart shows volume by hexagon size and efficiency by color.
Chart #3: FG% by Distance
Chart #4: Shot Zone: Midrange: 40 FGA, 20 FG, 50%; Inside 5 Feet: 23 FGA, 14 FG, 61%
Chart #5: Defensive Contesting Level: Contested: 40 FGA, 22 FG, 55%; Uncontested: 17 FGA, 10 FG, 59%; Blocked: 6 FGA, 0 FG, 0%; Unknown: 2 FGA, 2 FG, 100%
Chart #6: Shot Creation Type: Catch & Shoot Jumpers: 23 FGA, 9 FG, 39%; Off the Dribble Jumpers: 12 FGA,8 FG, 67%; Layup, Dunk, Tip: 27 FGA, 16 FG, 59%; Unknown: 1 FGA, 1 FG, 100%
Chart #7: Offensive Set Up: Half Ct Offense: 42 FGA, 24 FG, 49%; Fast Break: 14 FGA, 10 FG, 71%
I was at the game, I was 14 at the time. (Ohio game). I’m not sure but I believe Austin was doing the “Euro” step back then, because I tried to do the same things he did. I thought and still think he was one of the best players ever.
Carr was truly unbelievable… and a great guy. His short range pull-up jumper epitomized the philosophy behind our stack offense. Thanks for commenting, Steve!
thanks Mark—I remember that game. I also remember seeing you on the Notre Dame bench that day. Can’t remember why Carr wasn’t an impact player in the pros—injury?
Chris, he got off to a quick start in the pros — all-rookie team and then a couple of years later, played in the all-star game. During his opening season in 1971-72, I saw him against the Celtics in Boston. Three different guys tried to guard him: Jo Jo White, Hondo Havlicek, and one other guy whose name I can’t remember. He scored 27 points. But injuries did him in — multiple surgeries on both legs. Here are two articles that provide more detail:
https://www.cleveland.com/cavs/2019/05/he-would-have-been-a-hall-of-famer-austin-carrs-star-crossed-journey-from-nba-no-1-draft-pick-to-mr-cavalier-terry-pluto.html
https://theundefeated.com/features/austin-carr-ncaa-tournament-scoring-records/
Didn’t Carr and Jones combine for 90 in a game(Butler) once?
Yes, absolutely true. Carr had 50 and Jones 40. And Butler’s Billy Shepherd scored in the 40s as well. A total shootout. Thanks for taking the time to comment.
Thanks for posting the upset of UCLA in 1971. I saw that game on tv. So glad you had it saved so we can enjoy it again. I worked for a sports video production firm about 15 years ago and we produced a Best of Notre Dame Basketball, but Notre Dame could not provide us a copy. How did you find this? Wonderful game!
Thanks so much for commenting. I served as the student trainer for ND basketball, 1967-71. In addition to taping ankles I was also in charge of videotaping our games, both home and away. Sometimes I used the camera but if the game was televised regionally or nationally, I set up our Sony machine to tape the feed. Notre Dame no longer possesses any of those old reel-to-reel video tapes as you discovered when you produced “Best of Notre Dame Basketball” and only a few of the old 16-millimeter films are archived at the school. Over the years, though, I have been able to obtain a number of the Sony tapes from teammates. Point guard Jack Meehan’s father had a small collection of games he taped off of the television feeds. The UCLA game I posted came from Jack’s family collection. Really glad you enjoyed it.