ON THIS DAY IN COLLEGE BASKETBALL
January 3.
Different years. Same date. Games worth remembering.
ON THIS DAY · January 3PAINT
Unranked. Unforgettable.
Unranked wins over ranked teams. Best rank beaten first. Showing 14 of 65.
| Season | Winner | Opponent | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1975 | Wake Forest83 | #1 NC State78 | On the road · Reynolds Coliseum · Raleigh, NC |
| 2006 | Marquette94 | #2 Connecticut79 | At home · BMO Harris Bradley Center · Milwaukee, WI |
| 1977 | Princeton76 | #2 Notre Dame62 | On the road · Jadwin Gymnasium, Princeton, NJ |
| 2004 | Georgia83 | #3 Georgia Tech80 | At home · OT · Stegeman Coliseum · Athens, GA |
| 1991 | Washington70 | #4 Arizona56 | At home · Hec Edmundson Pavilion · Seattle, WA |
| 2020 | Wisconsin61 | #5 Ohio State57 | On the road · Schottenstein Center · Columbus, OH |
| 2023 | Kansas State116 | #6 Texas103 | On the road · Moody Center · Austin, TX |
| 2015 | Seton Hall66 | #6 Villanova61 | At home · OT · Prudential Center · Newark, NJ |
| 1985 | Minnesota60 | #6 Illinois58 | At home |
| 1983 | Florida89 | #6 Alabama85 | At home · Exactech Arena at the Stephen C. O'Connell Center · Gainesville, FL |
| 1981 | Kansas56 | #6 North Carolina55 | At home · Allen Fieldhouse · Lawrence, KS |
| 1952 | West Virginia100 | #6 New York University75 | On the road |
| 2017 | Texas Tech77 | #7 West Virginia76 | At home · OT · United Supermarkets Arena · Lubbock, TX |
| 2009 | St. John's (NY)71 | #7 Notre Dame65 | At home · Carnesecca Arena · Queens, NY |
ON THIS DAY · January 3PAINT
When the ranked collide
Ranked matchups, highest-ranked team first. Showing 10 of 34.
| Season | Winner | Opponent | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | #2 Duke82 | #4 Maryland64 | On the road |
| 1993 | #3 Kentucky81 | #4 Indiana78 | Neutral site |
| 1976 | #4 UCLA86 | #5 Notre Dame70 | At home · Pauley Pavilion · Pauley Pavilion, Los Angeles, CA, CA |
| 1964 | #4 Cincinnati57 | #8 Oregon State53 | Neutral site |
| 2009 | #3 Pittsburgh70 | #11 Georgetown54 | On the road · Capital One Arena · Washington, DC |
| 1989 | #10 Seton Hall94 | #5 Georgetown86 | At home |
| 1981 | #2 Oregon State71 | #13 Arizona State67 | At home · Gill Coliseum · Corvallis, OR |
| 1970 | #2 UCLA108 | #13 Notre Dame77 | On the road · Pauley Pavilion, Los Angeles, CA |
| 1987 | #11 Kentucky63 | #5 Auburn60 | On the road |
| 1980 | #5 Ohio State59 | #11 Indiana58 | At home · St. John Arena · Columbus, OH |
ON THIS DAY · January 3PAINT
Down to the wire
Ranked teams. Three points or fewer between them.
| Season | Winner | Opponent | Margin |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | #24 Florida State81 | #12 North Carolina80 | 1 pt |
| 1980 | #5 Ohio State59 | #11 Indiana58 | 1 pt |
| 1980 | #10 Iowa72 | #20 Illinois71 | 1 pt |
| 2012 | #10 Michigan State63 | #18 Wisconsin60 | 3 pts |
| 1998 | #1 North Carolina73 | #21 Clemson70 | 3 pts |
ON THIS DAY · January 3PAINT
Top ten. Taken down.
The widest losses by a team ranked in the top ten.
| Season | Winner | Opponent | Margin |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1959 | #9 Auburn97 | #8 Mississippi State66 | 31 pts |
| 1952 | West Virginia100 | #6 New York University75 | 25 pts |
| 1996 | Purdue85 | #10 Iowa61 | 24 pts |
| 1987 | Seton Hall74 | #8 Georgetown53 | 21 pts |
| 1999 | #2 Duke82 | #4 Maryland64 | 18 pts |
ON THIS DAY · January 3PAINT
Never count them out
Largest deficits erased, measured from play-by-play. Earliest on file: 2006.
| Season | Winner | Opponent | Trailed by |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | Washington87 | Southern California85 | Trailed by 22 |
| 2026 | Winthrop88 | Gardner-Webb77 | Trailed by 20 |
| 2026 | Ohio68 | Eastern Michigan67 | Trailed by 20 |
| 2026 | Charlotte104 | Wichita State100 | Trailed by 18 |
| 2018 | Gardner-Webb82 | Campbell80 | Trailed by 18 |
ON THIS DAY · January 3PAINT
Points on points
The highest combined scores on this date.
| Season | Winner | Opponent | Combined |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Fordham119 | George Washington113 | 232 total pts |
| 2000 | Texas Christian134 | North Texas91 | 225 total pts |
| 1967 | Tulane118 | Yale106 | 224 total pts |
| 1956 | Richmond130 | Furman92 | 222 total pts |
| 1976 | Purdue111 | #16 Minnesota110 | 221 total pts |
ON THIS DAY · January 3PAINT
You had to be there
The biggest crowds, by announced attendance.
| Season | Winner | Opponent | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | #17 Syracuse96 | Michigan State83 | 25,869 fans |
| 2017 | #6 Kentucky100 | Texas A&M58 | 23,455 fans |
| 2009 | #6 Wake Forest94 | Brigham Young87 | 23,096 fans |
| 2004 | #8 Kentucky61 | #9 North Carolina56 | 23,014 fans |
| 2007 | Kentucky77 | Houston70 | 22,311 fans |
ON THIS DAY · January 3PAINT
Big nights
The highest-scoring individual games on this date.
| Season | Player | Game | Line |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | Markus Howard | Marquette vs. Providence | 52 pts · 1 reb · 2 ast · 11 threes |
| 2019 | Antoine Davis | Detroit Mercy vs. Wright State | 48 pts · 6 reb · 1 ast · 10 threes |
| 2026 | Javontae Campbell | Bowling Green vs. Massachusetts | 47 pts · 6 reb · 8 ast · 1 threes |
| 2019 | Daishon Smith | Louisiana-Monroe vs. Little Rock | 42 pts · 3 reb · 2 ast · 10 threes |
| 2017 | Darius Dawkins | Jacksonville vs. Middle Georgia State | 41 pts · 5 reb · 0 ast · 13 threes |