ON THIS DAY IN COLLEGE BASKETBALL
March 3.
Different years. Same date. Games worth remembering.
ON THIS DAY · March 3PAINT
Unranked. Unforgettable.
Unranked wins over ranked teams. Best rank beaten first. Showing 14 of 71.
| Season | Winner | Opponent | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1962 | Wisconsin86 | #1 Ohio State67 | At home · The Wisconsin Field House · Madison, WI |
| 1958 | Nebraska55 | #1 Kansas State48 | At home · Nebraska Coliseum · Lincoln, NE |
| 1951 | Vanderbilt61 | #1 Kentucky57 | Neutral site · Louisville |
| 2007 | Washington61 | #2 UCLA51 | At home · Alaska Airlines Arena · Seattle, WA |
| 1991 | Texas99 | #3 Arkansas86 | At home · Frank Erwin Center · Austin, TX |
| 1990 | Notre Dame98 | #3 Missouri67 | At home · Joyce Center · Notre Dame, IN |
| 1988 | Missouri93 | #4 Oklahoma90 | At home · OT |
| 1979 | Wisconsin83 | #4 Michigan State81 | At home · The Wisconsin Field House · Madison, WI |
| 1978 | Houston70 | #4 Arkansas69 | At home |
| 1988 | Long Beach State79 | #5 Nevada-Las Vegas77 | On the road · Thomas & Mack Center · Paradise, NV |
| 1978 | Kansas State87 | #5 Kansas76 | On the road |
| 1950 | Akron51 | #5 Duquesne49 | At home |
| 2020 | Tennessee81 | #6 Kentucky73 | On the road · Rupp Arena · Lexington, KY |
| 2018 | Oklahoma State82 | #6 Kansas64 | At home · Gallagher-Iba Arena · Stillwater, OK |
ON THIS DAY · March 3PAINT
When the ranked collide
Ranked matchups, highest-ranked team first. Showing 10 of 52.
| Season | Winner | Opponent | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1983 | #1 Houston74 | #5 Arkansas66 | On the road · John Barnhill Arena · Fayetteville, AR |
| 2010 | #2 Kansas82 | #5 Kansas State65 | At home · Allen Fieldhouse · Lawrence, KS |
| 1973 | #4 Long Beach State76 | #5 Marquette66 | At home |
| 2012 | #6 North Carolina88 | #4 Duke70 | On the road · Cameron Indoor Stadium · Durham, NC |
| 1991 | #8 Duke83 | #4 North Carolina77 | On the road · Dean E. Smith Student Activities Center · Chapel Hill, NC |
| 1979 | #7 North Carolina71 | #5 Duke63 | Neutral site · N5 |
| 1962 | #3 Kansas State60 | #9 Colorado48 | At home |
| 1956 | #10 Iowa96 | #2 Illinois72 | At home |
| 1951 | #2 Oklahoma State50 | #10 Saint Louis29 | On the road |
| 2013 | #4 Michigan58 | #9 Michigan State57 | At home · Crisler Center · Ann Arbor, MI |
ON THIS DAY · March 3PAINT
Down to the wire
Ranked teams. Three points or fewer between them.
| Season | Winner | Opponent | Margin |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | #4 Michigan58 | #9 Michigan State57 | 1 pt |
| 1979 | #9 Arkansas39 | #14 Texas38 | 1 pt |
| 2007 | #13 Washington State88 | #23 Southern California86 | 2 pts |
| 1990 | #14 Michigan State75 | #17 Minnesota73 | 2 pts |
| 1951 | #18 Southern California43 | #17 UCLA41 | 2 pts |
ON THIS DAY · March 3PAINT
Top ten. Taken down.
The widest losses by a team ranked in the top ten.
| Season | Winner | Opponent | Margin |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | #16 Maryland102 | #7 Virginia67 | 35 pts |
| 1990 | Notre Dame98 | #3 Missouri67 | 31 pts |
| 2002 | Mississippi84 | #6 Alabama56 | 28 pts |
| 1956 | #10 Iowa96 | #2 Illinois72 | 24 pts |
| 1951 | #2 Oklahoma State50 | #10 Saint Louis29 | 21 pts |
ON THIS DAY · March 3PAINT
Never count them out
Largest deficits erased, measured from play-by-play. Earliest on file: 2006.
| Season | Winner | Opponent | Trailed by |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Memphis106 | UAB87 | Trailed by 22 |
| 2020 | #16 Michigan State79 | #20 Penn State71 | Trailed by 19 |
| 2015 | Illinois-Chicago60 | Wright State57 | Trailed by 19 |
| 2012 | New Mexico State83 | Fresno State78 | Trailed by 19 |
| 2015 | #9 Kansas76 | #20 West Virginia69 | Trailed by 18 |
ON THIS DAY · March 3PAINT
Points on points
The highest combined scores on this date.
| Season | Winner | Opponent | Combined |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1973 | Holy Cross119 | Rhode Island117 | 236 total pts |
| 1990 | Dayton111 | #19 Xavier108 | 219 total pts |
| 1989 | Florida A&M112 | Delaware State105 | 217 total pts |
| 1975 | Samford110 | Georgia Southern107 | 217 total pts |
| 2026 | Oklahoma State111 | UCF104 | 215 total pts |
ON THIS DAY · March 3PAINT
You had to be there
The biggest crowds, by announced attendance.
| Season | Winner | Opponent | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | #2 Syracuse58 | #19 Louisville49 | 33,205 fans |
| 1991 | #6 Syracuse62 | Georgetown58 | 33,048 fans |
| 2018 | Syracuse55 | #18 Clemson52 | 28,670 fans |
| 2007 | Brigham Young85 | Utah62 | 22,812 fans |
| 2007 | #11 Southern Illinois53 | Bradley51 | 22,612 fans |
ON THIS DAY · March 3PAINT
Big nights
The highest-scoring individual games on this date.
| Season | Player | Game | Line |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | Trevor Diggs | Nevada-Las Vegas vs. Wyoming | 49 pts · 0 reb · 4 ast · 6 threes |
| 2018 | Jerrick Harding | Weber State vs. Montana State | 46 pts · 7 reb · 1 ast · 3 threes |
| 2007 | Al Thornton | Florida State vs. Miami (FL) | 45 pts · 8 reb · 2 ast · 2 threes |
| 2019 | Max Strus | DePaul vs. St. John's (NY) | 43 pts · 4 reb · 1 ast · 6 threes |
| 2009 | Lester Hudson | Tennessee-Martin vs. Tennessee Tech | 42 pts · 9 reb · 6 ast · 8 threes |