ON THIS DAY IN COLLEGE BASKETBALL
January 1.
Different years. Same date. Games worth remembering.
ON THIS DAY · January 1PAINT
Unranked. Unforgettable.
Unranked wins over ranked teams. Best rank beaten first.
| Season | Winner | Opponent | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1955 | Villanova91 | #2 NC State78 | At home · Villanova Field House · Villanova, PA |
| 1964 | Utah76 | #4 Cincinnati68 | On the road |
| 1995 | Louisville88 | #5 Kentucky86 | At home |
| 1955 | Wisconsin79 | #6 Illinois64 | At home · The Wisconsin Field House · Madison, WI |
| 2017 | Minnesota91 | #15 Purdue82 | On the road · OT · Mackey Arena · West Lafayette, IN |
| 2009 | Marquette79 | #15 Villanova72 | At home · BMO Harris Bradley Center · Milwaukee, WI |
| 2019 | St. John's (NY)89 | #16 Marquette69 | At home · Carnesecca Arena · Queens, NY |
| 2007 | Southern Illinois73 | #16 Wichita State68 | At home · Banterra Center · Carbondale, IL |
| 1955 | Pittsburgh81 | #17 Pennsylvania75 | On the road · OT · The Palestra · Philadelphia, PA |
| 1952 | Canisius62 | #18 Utah54 | At home · Buffalo Memorial Auditorium · Buffalo, NY |
| 2016 | Stanford70 | #21 Utah68 | At home · OT · Maples Pavilion · Stanford, CA |
| 2012 | Cincinnati66 | #22 Pittsburgh63 | On the road · Petersen Events Center · Pittsburgh, PA |
| 2015 | Evansville52 | #23 Northern Iowa49 | At home · Ford Center · Evansville, IN |
| 2016 | Washington96 | #25 UCLA93 | At home · 2OT · Alaska Airlines Arena · Seattle, WA |
ON THIS DAY · January 1PAINT
When the ranked collide
Ranked matchups, highest-ranked team first.
| Season | Winner | Opponent | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | #1 Baylor77 | #8 Iowa State72 | On the road · James H. Hilton Coliseum · Ames, IA |
| 2010 | #4 Purdue77 | #6 West Virginia62 | At home · Mackey Arena · West Lafayette, IN |
| 2005 | #2 Kansas70 | #9 Georgia Tech68 | At home · OT · Allen Fieldhouse · Lawrence, KS |
| 2011 | #5 Syracuse70 | #15 Notre Dame58 | At home · JMA Wireless Dome · Syracuse, NY |
| 2022 | #22 Villanova73 | #15 Seton Hall67 | On the road · Prudential Center · Newark, NJ |
ON THIS DAY · January 1PAINT
Down to the wire
Ranked teams. Three points or fewer between them.
| Season | Winner | Opponent | Margin |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | #2 Kansas70 | #9 Georgia Tech68 | 2 pts |
ON THIS DAY · January 1PAINT
Top ten. Taken down.
The widest losses by a team ranked in the top ten.
| Season | Winner | Opponent | Margin |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #4 Purdue77 | #6 West Virginia62 | 15 pts |
| 1955 | Wisconsin79 | #6 Illinois64 | 15 pts |
ON THIS DAY · January 1PAINT
Never count them out
Largest deficits erased, measured from play-by-play. Earliest on file: 2006.
| Season | Winner | Opponent | Trailed by |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Boston College78 | Miami (FL)68 | Trailed by 19 |
| 2022 | Lehigh63 | American61 | Trailed by 19 |
| 2019 | San Diego State65 | Cal State Northridge60 | Trailed by 19 |
| 2016 | North Texas70 | UTSA66 | Trailed by 18 |
| 2022 | Milwaukee61 | Northern Kentucky55 | Trailed by 17 |
ON THIS DAY · January 1PAINT
Points on points
The highest combined scores on this date.
| Season | Winner | Opponent | Combined |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | South Dakota State105 | Southern Utah95 | 200 total pts |
| 2021 | Little Rock102 | UT Arlington93 | 195 total pts |
| 2025 | Mercer99 | Chattanooga94 | 193 total pts |
| 1969 | Utah105 | Connecticut85 | 190 total pts |
| 2016 | Washington96 | #25 UCLA93 | 189 total pts |
ON THIS DAY · January 1PAINT
You had to be there
The biggest crowds, by announced attendance.
| Season | Winner | Opponent | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | #5 Syracuse70 | #15 Notre Dame58 | 23,058 fans |
| 2008 | Cincinnati58 | Louisville57 | 19,488 fans |
| 2012 | #5 North Carolina102 | Monmouth65 | 18,614 fans |
| 2022 | Virginia74 | Syracuse69 | 17,295 fans |
| 2020 | Creighton92 | Marquette75 | 17,289 fans |
ON THIS DAY · January 1PAINT
Big nights
The highest-scoring individual games on this date.
| Season | Player | Game | Line |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | Jordan Lyons | Furman vs. Virginia Military Institute | 40 pts · 1 reb · 4 ast · 10 threes |
| 2015 | Tyler Harvey | Eastern Washington vs. Weber State | 39 pts · 3 reb · 2 ast · 7 threes |
| 2021 | Travis Evee | Rice vs. UTSA | 36 pts · 2 reb · 4 ast · 8 threes |