It’s a tall order for Davis, who had star-worthy upside that was unavailable to Maravich, who set the record in 83 games at LSU. Davis will play his 143rd game Thursday night, helped by the NCAA waiver that gave athletes an extra year of eligibility due to disrupted schedules due to the coronavirus. Maravich played before the three-point shot came to the varsity game in 1986 and two years before the NCAA instituted freshman eligibility. There was also no shot clock when Maravich was playing.
A 24-year-old fifth-year senior whose average of 28.1 points per game leads the nation, Davis playing on a Titans team has a 14-18, 9-11 overall record in the Horizon. He scored 38 points Tuesday night against Purdue-Fort Wayne, but Youngstown State, the tournament seed at 23-8 and 15-5 in conference, presents a formidable challenge. Davis scored 32 points against Youngstown on Jan. 12 and 15 on Jan. 29, the Titans’ two losses, and he’s averaged 34.4 points over his last nine games.
But a loss on Thursday would end the Titans’ season and Davis’ college career.
Davis’ coach, who happens to be his father, would be fine if his son and Maravich end up sharing the record.
“I feel like Antoine is the best scorer of this generation and Pistol Pete is the best scorer of his generation,” Mike Davis told Yahoo recently and Maravich’s son Jaeson agreed, although he noted that Davis’ five-year record and his father’s three-year record are “really an apples and oranges comparison”.
“I’m proud of all my dad’s records,” Maravich said of his Hall of Famer father, who died in 1988 at the age of 40. “I would like them to last as long as possible. But if he breaks it, I’m definitely not going to hate this guy. I will be happy for him.
Davis, the NCAA’s all-time leader in three-pointers with 584, quickly rose to the list of all-time goal scorers this season, passing the likes of JJ, Redick, Larry Bird, Tyler Hansbrough and Oscar Robertson. On Tuesday night, he was aware of how his pursuit of the mark and victory are intertwined.
“Yeah, I mean I’m close now, really close,” Davis told the Detroit News with his dog, Milo, sitting at his feet. “It would be nice to get it in the next game, but, you know, we have to win these games.”