ON THIS DAY IN COLLEGE BASKETBALL
March 5.
Different years. Same date. Games worth remembering.
ON THIS DAY · March 5PAINT
Unranked. Unforgettable.
Unranked wins over ranked teams. Best rank beaten first. Showing 14 of 76.
| Season | Winner | Opponent | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1966 | Tennessee69 | #1 Kentucky62 | At home · William B. Stokely Athletics Center · Knoxville, TN |
| 1998 | Southern California91 | #2 Arizona90 | At home · OT · Los Angeles, Memorial Sports Arena · Los Angeles, CA |
| 1966 | Seattle74 | #2 UTEP72 | At home · | Seattle Center Coliseum · Seattle, WA |
| 1956 | Northwestern83 | #2 Illinois82 | At home · McGaw Memorial Hall · Evanston, IL |
| 1951 | Detroit Mercy62 | #2 Oklahoma State52 | At home |
| 1973 | Iowa79 | #3 Minnesota77 | On the road |
| 1962 | Oklahoma State78 | #3 Kansas State68 | At home · Gallagher Hall · Stillwater, OK |
| 2025 | Mississippi78 | #4 Tennessee76 | At home · The Sandy and John Black Pavilion at Ole Miss · Oxford, MS |
| 2022 | North Carolina94 | #4 Duke81 | On the road · Cameron Indoor Stadium · Durham, NC |
| 2014 | Wake Forest82 | #4 Duke72 | At home · LJVM Coliseum · Winston-Salem, NC |
| 1955 | Notre Dame85 | #4 Marquette64 | Neutral site · UW–Mil. Panther Arena, Milwaukee, WI |
| 1998 | Nevada-Las Vegas54 | #5 Utah51 | At home |
| 1972 | New Mexico State73 | #5 Marquette69 | At home · Pan American Center · Las Cruces, NM |
| 1966 | Mississippi State92 | #5 Vanderbilt90 | On the road · Memorial Gymnasium · Nashville, TN |
ON THIS DAY · March 5PAINT
When the ranked collide
Ranked matchups, highest-ranked team first. Showing 10 of 44.
| Season | Winner | Opponent | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1994 | #5 North Carolina87 | #2 Duke77 | On the road · Cameron Indoor Stadium · Durham, NC |
| 1989 | #6 Syracuse82 | #2 Georgetown76 | At home · OT · Carrier Dome · Syracuse, NY |
| 1989 | #8 Illinois70 | #3 Indiana67 | On the road · Assembly Hall · Bloomington, IN |
| 2025 | #5 Florida99 | #7 Alabama94 | On the road · Coleman Coliseum · Tuscaloosa, AL |
| 1988 | #2 Purdue80 | #10 Michigan67 | At home · Mackey Arena · West Lafayette, IN |
| 1977 | #11 Tennessee81 | #2 Kentucky79 | At home · William B. Stokely Athletics Center · Knoxville, TN |
| 1949 | #3 Saint Louis66 | #10 Bradley56 | On the road |
| 1989 | #9 Duke88 | #5 North Carolina86 | On the road · Dean E. Smith Student Activities Center · Chapel Hill, NC |
| 2024 | #3 Purdue77 | #12 Illinois71 | On the road · State Farm Center · Champaign, IL |
| 2016 | #4 Virginia68 | #11 Louisville46 | At home · John Paul Jones Arena · Charlottesville, VA |
ON THIS DAY · March 5PAINT
Down to the wire
Ranked teams. Three points or fewer between them.
| Season | Winner | Opponent | Margin |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | #24 Wisconsin60 | #14 Illinois59 | 1 pt |
| 1999 | #22 Arkansas75 | #21 Florida74 | 1 pt |
| 1989 | #9 Duke88 | #5 North Carolina86 | 2 pts |
| 1977 | #11 Tennessee81 | #2 Kentucky79 | 2 pts |
| 2011 | #8 Notre Dame70 | #16 Connecticut67 | 3 pts |
ON THIS DAY · March 5PAINT
Top ten. Taken down.
The widest losses by a team ranked in the top ten.
| Season | Winner | Opponent | Margin |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | #13 Virginia92 | #6 Maryland67 | 25 pts |
| 1969 | #16 Boston College93 | #9 Duquesne72 | 21 pts |
| 1955 | Notre Dame85 | #4 Marquette64 | 21 pts |
| 1983 | #16 Georgetown87 | #4 Villanova71 | 16 pts |
| 2016 | Virginia Tech77 | #7 Miami (FL)62 | 15 pts |
ON THIS DAY · March 5PAINT
Never count them out
Largest deficits erased, measured from play-by-play. Earliest on file: 2006.
| Season | Winner | Opponent | Trailed by |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | Akron79 | Western Michigan78 | Trailed by 23 |
| 2016 | Marshall108 | Southern Mississippi106 | Trailed by 23 |
| 2010 | St. John's (NY)90 | DePaul82 | Trailed by 20 |
| 2014 | Mount St. Mary's72 | St. Francis (NY)71 | Trailed by 19 |
| 2022 | Miami (FL)75 | Syracuse72 | Trailed by 18 |
ON THIS DAY · March 5PAINT
Points on points
The highest combined scores on this date.
| Season | Winner | Opponent | Combined |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Houston Christian149 | McNeese144 | 293 total pts |
| 1983 | NC State130 | Wake Forest89 | 219 total pts |
| 1988 | Memphis112 | Virginia Tech104 | 216 total pts |
| 1966 | Brigham Young115 | Utah100 | 215 total pts |
| 2016 | Marshall108 | Southern Mississippi106 | 214 total pts |
ON THIS DAY · March 5PAINT
You had to be there
The biggest crowds, by announced attendance.
| Season | Winner | Opponent | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | #4 Villanova92 | Syracuse82 | 33,633 fans |
| 2011 | #12 Syracuse107 | DePaul59 | 28,086 fans |
| 2016 | #22 Kentucky94 | Louisiana State77 | 24,414 fans |
| 2006 | #17 Florida79 | Kentucky64 | 24,329 fans |
| 2022 | Miami (FL)75 | Syracuse72 | 23,108 fans |
ON THIS DAY · March 5PAINT
Big nights
The highest-scoring individual games on this date.
| Season | Player | Game | Line |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Darius Lee | Houston Christian vs. McNeese | 52 pts · 18 reb · 5 ast · 0 threes |
| 2022 | Kylen Milton | Arkansas-Pine Bluff vs. Alcorn State | 42 pts · 0 reb · 2 ast · 8 threes |
| 2008 | Shan Foster | Vanderbilt vs. Mississippi State | 42 pts · 5 reb · 2 ast · 9 threes |
| 2019 | Fatts Russell | Rhode Island vs. Saint Joseph's | 41 pts · 4 reb · 3 ast · 7 threes |
| 2017 | T.J. Cromer | East Tennessee State vs. Samford | 41 pts · 2 reb · 0 ast · 9 threes |