Caitlin Clark NCAA Scoring Record: How many points does Caitlin Clark need to pass ‘Pistol’ Pete Maravich?

Iowa superstar Caitlin Clark has nothing left to prove when it comes to her superstar credentials, but there are still records out there for her to chase. After becoming the NCAA Division I women’s all-time leading scorer as well as the all-time Big Ten assists leader earlier this season, Clark is in range of Pete Maravich’s NCAA career scoring record, which covers men’s and women’s basketball.

Caitlin Clark Record Tracker: Points, assists, rebounds and award milestones for Iowa superstar

Maravich, as you might guess from his nickname “Pistol Pete,” became more folk legend than basketball player during his exploits at Louisiana State University in the late 1960s. Bouncing around the court with his floppy hair and even floppier socks, Maravich struck one of college basketball’s most indelible images even decades later and put up eye-popping numbers that few players could even dream of.

To learn more about Maravich and the record that Caitlin Clark has in her sights, read on.

*All stats are accurate as of Feb. 27

How many points does Caitlin Clark need to break Pete Maravich’s record?

Clark has scored 3,617 points in her career, putting her 50 away from Maravich’s record of 3,667, set during his time at LSU from 1967 to 1970. Clark is averaging 32.1 points per game this season, and if she maintains that pace, she will pass Maravich in Iowa’s regular season finale against No. 2 Ohio State.

Even if Clark were to fall short of the record before postseason play, she would have at least one (and most likely more) games each in the Big Ten and NCAA tournaments to pass Maravich, as the record is not restricted to regular season games.

What did Pete Maravich average in college?

Maravich was one of the most prolific forces in college basketball history. He set his career scoring record, which has stood for half a century, in just three seasons of play due to an NCAA rule that prevented freshmen from playing at the varsity level. Over his three seasons, Maravich averaged a whopping 44.2 points per game, almost 10 points higher than the next-highest career scoring average of 34.59, which belongs to former Notre Dame guard Austin Carr.

Maravich, a known long-range bomber, also did not have the advantage of playing with the 3-point line, which did not become a full-time part of the NCAA college game until 1986. He did, however, live at the free throw line, making 10.8 of his 13.9 free throw attempts per game over his three seasons.

For Caitlin Clark and Pete Maravich, a meeting across generations of basketball history

How many shots a game did Pete Maravich average in college?

Maravich’s father, Press, was LSU’s coach during Pete’s collegiate career and built the Tigers offense around his son’s talents. Pete Maravich averaged 38.1 field goal attempts per game as a Tiger; for comparison, Clark – who Iowa relies on for much of its offensive production – has averaged 19.9 shots per game across her four years with the Hawkeyes.

Maravich was still fairly efficient despite taking on such a huge workload, shooting 43.8% from the field and 77.5% from the free throw line, but Clark has been more effective on a per shot basis. Clark shoots 45.6% from the field (despite taking more long-range attempts with the inclusion of the 3-point line) and 85.6% from the line over the course of her career.

How to watch Caitlin Clark, Iowa Women’s Basketball on Peacock

Peacock’s schedule of women’s college basketball continues into 2024, and Clark and the Hawkeyes lead the way with eight games on the slate. You can sign up here to access Peacock and all of the service’s live sports, sports shows, documentaries, classic matches, and more. Here is the full list of Big Ten women’s basketball games airing exclusively on Peacock during the 2023-24 season (all times EST):