__NOTOC__ In basketball, a steal is the act of legally gaining possession of the ball by a defensive player who causes the opponent to turn the ball over. The top 25 highest steals totals in National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I men's basketball history are listed below. The NCAA did not split into its current divisions format until August 1973. From 1906 to 1955, there were no classifications to the NCAA nor its predecessor, the Intercollegiate Athletic Association of the United States (IAAUS). Then, from 1956 to spring 1973, colleges were classified as either "NCAA University Division (Major College)" or "NCAA College Division (Small College)". Steals are a relatively new statistic in college basketball, having only become an official statistic beginning with the 1985–86 season. Therefore, Robert Morris's Chipper Harris, who amassed 450 steals during his career between 1980 and 1984, is not officially recognized in the all-time ranks.
The all-time Division I steals leader is Jacob Gilyard of Richmond. He recorded 466 steals by utilizing an extra year of eligibility granted by the NCAA due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Key
Pos.GFCRef.PositionGuardForwardCenterReferences
^Player still competing in NCAA Division I*Elected to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of FameTeam (X) C
Top 25 career steals leaders
PlayerPos. Team Career start Career end Gamesplayed StealsRef. C G Richmond 2017 2022 154 466 G Providence 1997 2002 122 385 G Providence (2) 1987 1991 117 376 G VCU 2011 2015 127 374 G Temple 1996 2000 116 365 G Nebraska 1996 2001 131 353 G Georgetown 1998 2002 128 349 G Ball State 1994 1998 116 347 G Alabama A&M 2002 2006 114 346 G Gardner–Webb /South Florida 2015 2020 132 345 G Maryland 1992 1996 122 344 G San Francisco 1992 1996 111 344 C G VCU (2) /Penn State 2020 2025 143 342 G Cincinnati / South Carolina 2005 2010 128 342 G Drexel 1984 1988 115 341 G Cleveland State 1986 1990 119 341 G Ohio State 2010 2014 148 337 G East Tennessee State 1987 1991 127 334 G Maryland (2) 1998 2002 141 333 G Washington 2015 2019 135 331 G Alabama A&M (2) 1999 2002 84 330 G West Virginia 2014 2018 144 330 G Portland / UNLV 1987 1991 138 329 G Syracuse 1996 2000 132 329 C G Georgia Southern /UAB 2017 2022 157 329
References General
Specific