The highest scorers of college basketball in 2023
College basketball continues to be one of the most underrated sports in the United States coming off the back of another great season. In fact, college sports in general is underrated with college football odds being some of the most backed markets in the country. The NCAA is so often the breeding ground of early prodigies stepping into the scene of basketball and provides just as much excitement as the NBA. In fact, often times March Madness is one of the most exciting times on the sporting calendar as we see the next big thing’s strutting their stuff on the court. This year was of course no different and some of the top scorers of the season caught the eye. Let’s take a look at the highest scoring players of the 2023 college basketball season.
Jordan Walker – 22.3ppg
UAB guard Jordan Walker boosted his draft prospects from game one right the way through to the end of the season in 2023. He flew out of the gates in the season opener against Alabama, putting up 38 points including five made-threes and a 100% free-throw record from 11 attempts. Playing in his senior year, Walker was not far off of securing the Conference USA player of the year for the second season in a row. He withdrew from the draft in 2022 and will now enter this year. At 5’11, he will need to show he can guard taller players and become slightly more consistent in his shooting, but right now he is a likely second round player.
Elijah Pepper – 22.5ppg
Pepper had a great junior year and is now testing the waters for the draft in 2023. The UCD guard was announced as an early entry candidate in April and has revealed himself how he is now training as we head towards the draft. UC Davis head coach Jim Les also believes that there is a realistic chance he can make it. He referred to a conversation he had with Pepper after the Aggies lost in the first round of the Big West conference tournament in which he said “this is a realistic chance and opportunity”. If he goes undrafted, Pepper can still play his senior year at UCD though there is no reason to think that some teams in the league may get him as a late pick come June.
Darius McGhee – 22.8ppg
At barely 5-foot-10, McGhee is not the prototypical ball player. However, the guard’s ability on and off the ball is undeniable. For starters, he made more deep-shots than any other college player last season with 162 three-point field goals in his 36 games which tied Steph Curry’s record. He starred throughout March Madness and then went on to impress in the Portsmouth Invitational Tournament a month later. The Liberty senior will enter the draft this year and though his diminutive stature may work against him, he could well be a surprise second-round pick based on his shooting ability and smooth dribbling/agility.
Jordan Dingle – 23.4ppg
Jordan Dingle was the second leading scorer in the nation last season. It was a huge year in the Ivy League as they finally showed to have true talent in their ranks. Princeton had a near Cinderella story as they knocked out Power Five programs Missouri and Arizona in the NCAA Tournament. It was a gigantic moment in history for the Ivy League, causing the largest upset by any team in the division in nearly 40 years. Now, hopes of a true declaration of their talent fall on Jordan Dingle’s draft chances. He won the Ivy League Player of the year and now enters the draft while maintaining college eligibility. None of the mock drafts predict Dingle as going in the top 60, though this is of course down to the way that the Ivy League is viewed as a conference. There is no denying though that he is at worst a diamond in the rough and he is another who could well sneak in as a surprise second round pick.
Antoine Davis – 28.2ppg
Detroit Mercy guard Antoine Davis was the best scorer in the nation last season by quite some way. He lit up box scores consistently as a fifth-year senior and ended just four points off of Pete Maravich’s all-time collegiate scoring record. Davis shot 41.4% overall, including 41.2% 3pt% along with 90/7% success rate from free-throws. David is as ready as he will ever be for the draft in 2023 and while he is projected to go late in the second round. While he has some defensive frailties, his jump-shot ability is incredible and he is one of the most proficient scorers in college history. He would enter the NBA as a 25-year-old rookie but of every player on this list, there is no doubt that Davis is the most league ready of them all.
