ON THIS DAY IN COLLEGE BASKETBALL
January 21.
Different years. Same date. Games worth remembering.
ON THIS DAY · January 21PAINT
Unranked. Unforgettable.
Unranked wins over ranked teams. Best rank beaten first. Showing 14 of 66.
| Season | Winner | Opponent | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | Notre Dame67 | #1 Syracuse58 | At home · Purcell Pavilion · South Bend, IN |
| 2009 | Virginia Tech78 | #1 Wake Forest71 | On the road · LJVM Coliseum · Winston-Salem, NC |
| 2006 | Georgetown87 | #1 Duke84 | At home · Capital One Arena · Washington, DC |
| 1989 | Wake Forest75 | #1 Duke71 | At home |
| 1982 | Wake Forest55 | #1 North Carolina48 | On the road · Carmichael Auditorium · Chapel Hill, NC |
| 2006 | Tennessee80 | #2 Florida76 | At home · Food City Center · Knoxville, TN |
| 1976 | Clemson82 | #2 Maryland77 | On the road |
| 1967 | Cincinnati59 | #2 Louisville58 | At home |
| 1996 | UAB70 | #3 Cincinnati68 | At home · UAB Arena · Birmingham, AL |
| 2021 | Indiana81 | #4 Iowa69 | On the road · Carver-Hawkeye Arena · Iowa City, IA |
| 2012 | Florida State76 | #4 Duke73 | On the road · Cameron Indoor Stadium · Durham, NC |
| 1978 | Illinois State81 | #4 Indiana State76 | At home |
| 1961 | Purdue47 | #4 Iowa41 | At home · Lambert Fieldhouse · West Lafayette, IN |
| 1950 | Detroit Mercy67 | #4 Bradley54 | At home |
ON THIS DAY · January 21PAINT
When the ranked collide
Ranked matchups, highest-ranked team first. Showing 10 of 47.
| Season | Winner | Opponent | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1986 | #4 Georgia Tech87 | #2 Duke80 | At home · Alexander Memorial Coliseum · Atlanta, GA |
| 1991 | #4 Ohio State93 | #3 Indiana85 | On the road · Assembly Hall · Bloomington, IN |
| 2012 | #5 Missouri89 | #3 Baylor88 | On the road · Ferrell Center · Waco, TX |
| 2004 | #5 Louisville93 | #6 Cincinnati66 | At home |
| 1988 | #9 Duke70 | #2 North Carolina69 | On the road · Dean E. Smith Student Activities Center · Chapel Hill, NC |
| 1986 | #7 Kansas98 | #5 Oklahoma92 | At home · Allen Fieldhouse · Lawrence, KS |
| 2009 | #5 North Carolina94 | #10 Clemson70 | At home · Dean E. Smith Center · Chapel Hill, NC |
| 2023 | #14 Texas Christian83 | #2 Kansas60 | On the road · Allen Fieldhouse · Lawrence, KS |
| 2023 | #11 Arizona58 | #5 UCLA52 | At home · McKale Center · Tucson, AZ |
| 2017 | #14 Arizona96 | #3 UCLA85 | On the road · Pauley Pavilion · Los Angeles, CA |
ON THIS DAY · January 21PAINT
Down to the wire
Ranked teams. Three points or fewer between them.
| Season | Winner | Opponent | Margin |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | #5 Missouri89 | #3 Baylor88 | 1 pt |
| 1996 | #20 Michigan67 | #14 Penn State66 | 1 pt |
| 1988 | #9 Duke70 | #2 North Carolina69 | 1 pt |
| 1997 | #21 Indiana72 | #13 Michigan70 | 2 pts |
| 1991 | #8 Syracuse58 | #19 Georgetown56 | 2 pts |
ON THIS DAY · January 21PAINT
Top ten. Taken down.
The widest losses by a team ranked in the top ten.
| Season | Winner | Opponent | Margin |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | #5 Louisville93 | #6 Cincinnati66 | 27 pts |
| 2009 | #5 North Carolina94 | #10 Clemson70 | 24 pts |
| 2023 | #14 Texas Christian83 | #2 Kansas60 | 23 pts |
| 1992 | Tennessee107 | #8 Kentucky85 | 22 pts |
| 2019 | #13 North Carolina103 | #9 Virginia Tech82 | 21 pts |
ON THIS DAY · January 21PAINT
Never count them out
Largest deficits erased, measured from play-by-play. Earliest on file: 2006.
| Season | Winner | Opponent | Trailed by |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | #13 Butler70 | DePaul69 | Trailed by 20 |
| 2026 | The Citadel77 | Furman75 | Trailed by 19 |
| 2017 | Iowa State92 | Oklahoma87 | Trailed by 19 |
| 2016 | Saint Francis (PA)71 | Bryant65 | Trailed by 19 |
| 2017 | Long Beach State98 | Cal Poly92 | Trailed by 17 |
ON THIS DAY · January 21PAINT
Points on points
The highest combined scores on this date.
| Season | Winner | Opponent | Combined |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1991 | Alabama State151 | Grambling97 | 248 total pts |
| 1988 | Loyola Marymount134 | Portland106 | 240 total pts |
| 2023 | Long Beach State112 | UC San Diego110 | 222 total pts |
| 1976 | #4 Nevada-Las Vegas120 | Nevada98 | 218 total pts |
| 2024 | #23 Florida Atlantic112 | UTSA103 | 215 total pts |
ON THIS DAY · January 21PAINT
You had to be there
The biggest crowds, by announced attendance.
| Season | Winner | Opponent | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | #5 Kentucky85 | #24 South Carolina69 | 24,389 fans |
| 2013 | #6 Syracuse57 | Cincinnati55 | 24,281 fans |
| 2012 | #2 Kentucky77 | Alabama71 | 24,246 fans |
| 2006 | Tennessee80 | #2 Florida76 | 24,011 fans |
| 2006 | Kentucky80 | South Carolina78 | 23,420 fans |
ON THIS DAY · January 21PAINT
Big nights
The highest-scoring individual games on this date.
| Season | Player | Game | Line |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | Ron Williamson | Howard vs. North Carolina A&T | 52 pts · 2 reb · 8 ast · 11 threes |
| 2017 | Marcus Keene | Central Michigan vs. Miami (OH) | 50 pts · 2 reb · 4 ast · 10 threes |
| 2023 | Marcus Tsohonis | Long Beach State vs. UC San Diego | 46 pts · 6 reb · 4 ast · 3 threes |
| 2023 | Antoine Davis | Detroit Mercy vs. IU Indy | 42 pts · 1 reb · 5 ast · 8 threes |
| 2017 | Mike Daum | South Dakota State vs. Purdue Fort Wayne | 42 pts · 10 reb · 3 ast · 10 threes |