Triple-doubles are the most impressive stat lines in the sport. Which NCAA Basketball players are most likely to pull the feat this upcoming season?
In the sport of basketball, one of the biggest storylines of recent memory was Russell Westbrook’s quest for the single-season triple-double record in the 2017-18 campaign. The Oklahoma City superstar finished with 43 total in 82 games, as well as averaging a triple-double for the entire season.
In general, getting a triple-double in a basketball game is hard. Getting the 10+ points is the easy part. It’s traditionally been more difficult for perimeter players to get at least 10 rebounds while forwards have to pass the ball around enough to get 10+ assists – all in one game.
In the last few years in the NBA, it’s been easier for players to reach the previously rare feat, thanks in part to the faster pace teams play with all the spacing combined with a lack of elite defense. And with eight more total minutes than the college game, it’s much more likely to see the pros get triple-doubles rather than the youngsters.
But that doesn’t mean that triple-doubles don’t happen in the college game. The collegiate version of Russell Westbrook a couple of years ago was Kyle Collinsworth from BYU, who had six triple-doubles in both his junior and senior seasons to finish with an NCAA career record of 12 total.
Last season, there were 26 total triple-doubles throughout D-1 basketball. Two players (Jon Elmore of Marshall and Isaac Fleming of East Carolina) did it twice. They along with a number of others who recorded a triple-double return, potentially bringing the total beyond 26.
For this piece, I want to list the NCAA Basketball players who are most likely to get a triple-double this season. The rankings will be stat-based from a year ago but also taking into account how the supporting cast will help them get to the 10-10-10 stat line. And although Fleming had two triple-doubles, he missed out on the top-10 due to the numbers not consistently being up there (at least either seven points, rebounds, or assists on a given night) compared to the others.
There will be some recognizable names on the upcoming list, while others from the mid-major ranks are lesser known. Either way, these following all-around stars will be the most likely to notch a triple-double.