ON THIS DAY IN COLLEGE BASKETBALL
January 2.
Different years. Same date. Games worth remembering.
ON THIS DAY · January 2PAINT
Unranked. Unforgettable.
Unranked wins over ranked teams. Best rank beaten first. Showing 14 of 57.
| Season | Winner | Opponent | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Rutgers65 | #1 Purdue64 | On the road · Mackey Arena · West Lafayette, IN |
| 1988 | New Mexico61 | #1 Arizona59 | At home · University Arena · Albuquerque, NM |
| 1965 | St. John's (NY)75 | #1 Michigan74 | At home · Alumni Hall · New York City, NY |
| 1976 | Wake Forest95 | #3 North Carolina88 | Neutral site · GBO |
| 1967 | Princeton91 | #3 North Carolina81 | On the road · Carmichael Auditorium · Chapel Hill, NC |
| 1960 | Southern California65 | #3 California57 | At home |
| 2020 | Colorado74 | #4 Oregon65 | At home · CU Events Center · Boulder, CO |
| 2010 | Pittsburgh82 | #5 Syracuse72 | On the road · JMA Wireless Dome · Syracuse, NY |
| 1985 | Villanova82 | #5 Syracuse70 | At home · Villanova Field House · Villanova, PA |
| 1982 | Texas Tech79 | #5 Arkansas74 | At home · Lubbock Municipal Coliseum · Lubbock, TX |
| 1980 | Vanderbilt77 | #5 Louisiana State66 | At home · Memorial Gymnasium · Nashville, TN |
| 1980 | Clemson93 | #6 North Carolina76 | At home · Littlejohn Coliseum · Clemson, SC |
| 2021 | Alabama71 | #7 Tennessee63 | On the road · Food City Center · Knoxville, TN |
| 1971 | Cincinnati60 | #7 Drake59 | At home |
ON THIS DAY · January 2PAINT
When the ranked collide
Ranked matchups, highest-ranked team first. Showing 10 of 35.
| Season | Winner | Opponent | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | #8 Texas84 | #3 Kansas59 | On the road · Allen Fieldhouse · Lawrence, KS |
| 1988 | #3 Pittsburgh80 | #8 Florida68 | At home |
| 2001 | #4 Wake Forest96 | #8 Virginia73 | At home · Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum · Winston-Salem, NC |
| 1991 | #3 Syracuse92 | #9 St. John's (NY)86 | At home · OT · Carrier Dome · Syracuse, NY |
| 2003 | #4 Arizona81 | #9 Oregon72 | On the road · McArthur Court · Eugene, OR |
| 2016 | #3 Oklahoma87 | #11 Iowa State83 | At home · Lloyd Noble Center · Norman, OK |
| 1954 | #6 Minnesota84 | #8 Illinois72 | On the road · Huff Gym · Champaign, IL |
| 2016 | #6 Xavier88 | #9 Butler69 | At home · Cintas Center · Cincinnati, OH |
| 1960 | #9 Bradley86 | #6 Saint Louis64 | At home |
| 1999 | #10 UCLA82 | #6 Arizona75 | At home · Pauley Pavilion · Los Angeles, CA |
ON THIS DAY · January 2PAINT
Down to the wire
Ranked teams. Three points or fewer between them.
| Season | Winner | Opponent | Margin |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | #13 Nebraska58 | #9 Michigan State56 | 2 pts |
| 2021 | #10 Iowa77 | #14 Rutgers75 | 2 pts |
| 1985 | #19 Maryland58 | #17 NC State56 | 2 pts |
| 1958 | #14 Oklahoma State52 | #2 Kansas50 | 2 pts |
| 1951 | #12 St. John's (NY)47 | #11 City College of New York44 | 3 pts |
ON THIS DAY · January 2PAINT
Top ten. Taken down.
The widest losses by a team ranked in the top ten.
| Season | Winner | Opponent | Margin |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #22 Illinois109 | #9 Oregon77 | 32 pts |
| 1975 | San Francisco96 | #10 Providence68 | 28 pts |
| 2021 | #8 Texas84 | #3 Kansas59 | 25 pts |
| 2001 | #4 Wake Forest96 | #8 Virginia73 | 23 pts |
| 1960 | #9 Bradley86 | #6 Saint Louis64 | 22 pts |
ON THIS DAY · January 2PAINT
Never count them out
Largest deficits erased, measured from play-by-play. Earliest on file: 2006.
| Season | Winner | Opponent | Trailed by |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | Colorado State70 | San Diego State67 | Trailed by 26 |
| 2019 | Bucknell64 | Army63 | Trailed by 26 |
| 2010 | FDU88 | Sacred Heart85 | Trailed by 22 |
| 2025 | Lehigh66 | Bucknell64 | Trailed by 20 |
| 2025 | Idaho State72 | Northern Arizona67 | Trailed by 19 |
ON THIS DAY · January 2PAINT
Points on points
The highest combined scores on this date.
| Season | Winner | Opponent | Combined |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1985 | Nevada-Las Vegas142 | Utah State140 | 282 total pts |
| 1990 | #11 Louisiana State124 | Texas113 | 237 total pts |
| 1990 | Xavier115 | #25 Loyola Marymount113 | 228 total pts |
| 2020 | Houston Christian111 | Central Arkansas107 | 218 total pts |
| 1962 | Indiana122 | Notre Dame95 | 217 total pts |
ON THIS DAY · January 2PAINT
You had to be there
The biggest crowds, by announced attendance.
| Season | Winner | Opponent | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | Pittsburgh82 | #5 Syracuse72 | 24,969 fans |
| 2010 | #3 Kentucky71 | Louisville62 | 24,479 fans |
| 2016 | #10 Kentucky83 | Mississippi61 | 24,399 fans |
| 2013 | Kentucky90 | Eastern Michigan38 | 22,135 fans |
| 2019 | #15 North Carolina77 | Harvard57 | 21,329 fans |
ON THIS DAY · January 2PAINT
Big nights
The highest-scoring individual games on this date.
| Season | Player | Game | Line |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | Ian DuBose | Houston Christian vs. Central Arkansas | 44 pts · 11 reb · 4 ast · 2 threes |
| 2007 | Morris Almond | Rice vs. Vanderbilt | 44 pts · 12 reb · 0 ast · 5 threes |
| 2010 | Dorenzo Hudson | Virginia Tech vs. Seton Hall | 41 pts · 3 reb · 5 ast · 3 threes |
| 2016 | Chris Hass | Bucknell vs. Army | 40 pts · 3 reb · 2 ast · 4 threes |
| 2001 | Ian Chadwick | Wofford vs. Georgia Southern | 40 pts · 4 reb · 1 ast · 6 threes |