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Detroit's Davis feels 'cheated' out of shot to break NCAA scoring record

Michael Hickey / Getty Images Sport / Getty

Antoine Davis' quest to overtake "Pistol" Pete Maravich as the all-time leading scorer in NCAA Division I men's basketball has officially come to an end.

The Detroit guard finished the 2022-23 regular season just four points shy of breaking Maravich's mark but was hopeful he'd get another shot at the record during the College Basketball Invitational. The Mercy weren't invited to participate in the pay-to-play tournament, though, much to Davis' disappointment.

"I'm upset about it," Davis told Larry Lage of The Associated Press. "I feel like I got cheated out of something that they can't ever give back to me. I think it's selfish - and weird - that people emailed or called the CBI to say we shouldn't be in the tournament because they didn't want me to break the record.

"But there's nothing to hold my head down about. I still feel like I'm the best scorer in my generation, especially finishing No. 2 behind him."

Rick Giles, president of the Gazelle Group that runs the CBI, said the record didn't factor into the organization's decision not to invite the Mercy.

"We did receive unsolicited emails and voicemails about Detroit Mercy and some said we don't ever want Pete Maravich's record broken," Giles said. "The decision we made wasn't based purely on whether we wanted him to break the record or not."

Maravich played three seasons at LSU from 1967-1970, finishing his college career with 3,667 points. He died in 1988 at the age of 40 after suffering a heart attack during a pickup game.

Davis scored 3,664 points across five seasons at Detroit.

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