ON THIS DAY IN COLLEGE BASKETBALL
January 4.
Different years. Same date. Games worth remembering.
ON THIS DAY · January 4PAINT
Unranked. Unforgettable.
Unranked wins over ranked teams. Best rank beaten first. Showing 14 of 71.
| Season | Winner | Opponent | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | Boston College85 | #1 North Carolina78 | On the road · Dean E. Smith Center · Chapel Hill, NC |
| 1995 | NC State80 | #1 North Carolina70 | At home · Reynolds Coliseum · Raleigh, NC |
| 1964 | Georgia Tech76 | #1 Kentucky67 | At home · Alexander Memorial Coliseum · Atlanta, GA |
| 1989 | Pittsburgh81 | #2 Syracuse76 | On the road · Carrier Dome · Syracuse, NY |
| 1971 | North Carolina79 | #2 South Carolina64 | At home · Carmichael Auditorium · Chapel Hill, NC |
| 1995 | Mississippi76 | #3 Arkansas71 | At home |
| 1952 | Idaho56 | #3 Washington51 | On the road · Hec Edmundson Pavilion · Seattle, WA |
| 2023 | Providence73 | #4 Connecticut61 | At home · Amica Mutual Pavilion · Providence, RI |
| 2018 | Colorado90 | #4 Arizona State81 | At home · OT · CU Events Center · Boulder, CO |
| 2016 | Virginia Tech70 | #5 Virginia68 | At home · Cassell Coliseum · Blacksburg, VA |
| 2012 | Temple78 | #5 Duke73 | At home · Wells Fargo Center · Philadelphia, PA |
| 1972 | Northern Illinois85 | #5 Indiana71 | At home |
| 2014 | Kansas State74 | #6 Oklahoma State71 | At home · Bramlage Coliseum · Manhattan, KS |
| 1964 | Tennessee57 | #6 Vanderbilt55 | At home · William B. Stokely Athletics Center · Knoxville, TN |
ON THIS DAY · January 4PAINT
When the ranked collide
Ranked matchups, highest-ranked team first. Showing 10 of 38.
| Season | Winner | Opponent | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 | #1 Massachusetts64 | #3 Memphis61 | Neutral site |
| 2016 | #2 Kansas109 | #3 Oklahoma106 | At home · 3OT · Allen Fieldhouse · Lawrence, KS |
| 1975 | #1 NC State82 | #8 North Carolina67 | Neutral site · GBO |
| 1974 | #5 NC State78 | #4 North Carolina77 | Neutral site · GBO |
| 1964 | #8 Oregon State82 | #4 Cincinnati61 | At home · Gill Coliseum · Corvallis, OR |
| 1997 | #2 Wake Forest81 | #11 North Carolina57 | At home · Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum · Winston-Salem, NC |
| 1965 | #6 Illinois86 | #7 Indiana81 | At home · Assembly Hall · Champaign, IL |
| 1960 | #5 Ohio State97 | #8 Illinois73 | At home · St. John Arena · Columbus, OH |
| 1986 | #9 Memphis83 | #5 Kansas80 | At home · Mid-South Coliseum · Memphis, TN |
| 2025 | #10 Kentucky106 | #6 Florida100 | At home · Rupp Arena · Lexington, KY |
ON THIS DAY · January 4PAINT
Down to the wire
Ranked teams. Three points or fewer between them.
| Season | Winner | Opponent | Margin |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | #17 Texas Christian88 | #19 Baylor87 | 1 pt |
| 1997 | #9 Arizona76 | #21 Stanford75 | 1 pt |
| 1974 | #5 NC State78 | #4 North Carolina77 | 1 pt |
| 1969 | #17 St. John's (NY)75 | #2 Davidson74 | 1 pt |
| 1969 | #9 Villanova68 | #20 St. Bonaventure67 | 1 pt |
ON THIS DAY · January 4PAINT
Top ten. Taken down.
The widest losses by a team ranked in the top ten.
| Season | Winner | Opponent | Margin |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 | California99 | #9 Arizona75 | 24 pts |
| 1960 | #5 Ohio State97 | #8 Illinois73 | 24 pts |
| 1964 | #8 Oregon State82 | #4 Cincinnati61 | 21 pts |
| 1975 | #1 NC State82 | #8 North Carolina67 | 15 pts |
| 1971 | North Carolina79 | #2 South Carolina64 | 15 pts |
ON THIS DAY · January 4PAINT
Never count them out
Largest deficits erased, measured from play-by-play. Earliest on file: 2006.
| Season | Winner | Opponent | Trailed by |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | Florida104 | Alabama98 | Trailed by 21 |
| 2018 | Cal Poly80 | UC Santa Barbara79 | Trailed by 21 |
| 2023 | Lindenwood67 | Little Rock62 | Trailed by 20 |
| 2021 | #9 West Virginia87 | Oklahoma State84 | Trailed by 19 |
| 2026 | San Francisco73 | Portland68 | Trailed by 17 |
ON THIS DAY · January 4PAINT
Points on points
The highest combined scores on this date.
| Season | Winner | Opponent | Combined |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1990 | Centenary (LA)121 | UTSA116 | 237 total pts |
| 1989 | Xavier118 | Loyola Marymount113 | 231 total pts |
| 1994 | #11 Louisville132 | George Mason87 | 219 total pts |
| 1965 | Tennessee Tech127 | Centenary (LA)90 | 217 total pts |
| 2026 | UAB109 | South Florida106 | 215 total pts |
ON THIS DAY · January 4PAINT
You had to be there
The biggest crowds, by announced attendance.
| Season | Winner | Opponent | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | #2 Syracuse49 | Miami (FL)44 | 21,839 fans |
| 2009 | Boston College85 | #1 North Carolina78 | 21,750 fans |
| 2025 | #1 Tennessee76 | #23 Arkansas52 | 21,678 fans |
| 2020 | Georgia Tech96 | North Carolina83 | 21,099 fans |
| 2025 | #10 Kentucky106 | #6 Florida100 | 21,093 fans |
ON THIS DAY · January 4PAINT
Big nights
The highest-scoring individual games on this date.
| Season | Player | Game | Line |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | Mike James | Lamar vs. Louisiana Christian | 52 pts · 5 reb · 3 ast · 11 threes |
| 2003 | Chris Williams | Ball State vs. Akron | 48 pts · 1 reb · 2 ast · 4 threes |
| 2016 | Buddy Hield | Oklahoma vs. Kansas | 46 pts · 8 reb · 7 ast · 8 threes |
| 2020 | Desure Buie | Hofstra vs. Elon | 44 pts · 5 reb · 3 ast · 6 threes |
| 2003 | Jason Kapono | UCLA vs. Washington State | 44 pts · 5 reb · 6 ast · 9 threes |