ON THIS DAY IN COLLEGE BASKETBALL
March 8.
Different years. Same date. Games worth remembering.
ON THIS DAY · March 8PAINT
Unranked. Unforgettable.
Unranked wins over ranked teams. Best rank beaten first. Showing 14 of 62.
| Season | Winner | Opponent | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1969 | Southern California46 | #1 UCLA44 | On the road · Pauley Pavilion · Los Angeles, CA |
| 1965 | Ohio State93 | #1 Michigan85 | At home · St. John Arena · Columbus, OH |
| 1997 | Wisconsin66 | #2 Minnesota65 | At home · The Wisconsin Field House · Madison, WI |
| 1987 | NC State68 | #2 North Carolina67 | Neutral site |
| 1952 | Wisconsin58 | #2 Illinois48 | At home · The Wisconsin Field House · Madison, WI |
| 2014 | Oregon64 | #3 Arizona57 | At home · Matthew Knight Arena · Eugene, OR |
| 2007 | California76 | #4 UCLA69 | On the road · OT · crypto.com Arena · Los Angeles, CA |
| 1991 | Villanova70 | #4 Syracuse68 | Neutral site |
| 1950 | Yale66 | #4 Holy Cross62 | At home |
| 1980 | Lamar81 | #5 Oregon State77 | Neutral site |
| 1968 | NC State12 | #6 Duke10 | Neutral site · N4 |
| 2008 | Southern California77 | #7 Stanford64 | At home · Galen Center · Los Angeles, CA |
| 1975 | Auburn76 | #7 Alabama70 | At home |
| 2014 | West Virginia92 | #8 Kansas86 | At home · WVU Coliseum · Morgantown, WV |
ON THIS DAY · March 8PAINT
When the ranked collide
Ranked matchups, highest-ranked team first. Showing 10 of 65.
| Season | Winner | Opponent | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | #2 Kentucky69 | #3 Florida67 | On the road · Stephen C. O'Connell Center · Gainesville, FL |
| 1998 | #4 North Carolina83 | #1 Duke68 | Neutral site |
| 2008 | #1 North Carolina76 | #6 Duke68 | On the road · Cameron Indoor Stadium · Durham, NC |
| 2025 | #7 Alabama93 | #1 Auburn91 | On the road · OT · Neville Arena · Auburn, AL |
| 1981 | #2 DePaul74 | #6 Notre Dame64 | At home |
| 2009 | #2 North Carolina79 | #7 Duke71 | At home · Dean E. Smith Center · Chapel Hill, NC |
| 2003 | #4 Texas76 | #5 Oklahoma71 | On the road · Lloyd Noble Center · Norman, OK |
| 2001 | #8 Arizona76 | #1 Stanford75 | On the road · Maples Pavilion · Stanford, CA |
| 1974 | #4 Maryland105 | #6 North Carolina85 | Neutral site · GBO |
| 2026 | #3 Michigan90 | #8 Michigan State80 | At home · Crisler Center · Ann Arbor, MI |
ON THIS DAY · March 8PAINT
Down to the wire
Ranked teams. Three points or fewer between them.
| Season | Winner | Opponent | Margin |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | #8 Arizona76 | #1 Stanford75 | 1 pt |
| 1986 | #5 St. John's (NY)70 | #8 Syracuse69 | 1 pt |
| 2025 | #7 Alabama93 | #1 Auburn91 | 2 pts |
| 2025 | #6 St. John's (NY)86 | #20 Marquette84 | 2 pts |
| 2020 | #23 Illinois78 | #18 Iowa76 | 2 pts |
ON THIS DAY · March 8PAINT
Top ten. Taken down.
The widest losses by a team ranked in the top ten.
| Season | Winner | Opponent | Margin |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1960 | Western Kentucky107 | #10 Miami (FL)84 | 23 pts |
| 1974 | #4 Maryland105 | #6 North Carolina85 | 20 pts |
| 1958 | #10 Kansas61 | #1 Kansas State44 | 17 pts |
| 1985 | Iowa State75 | #10 Kansas59 | 16 pts |
| 1950 | #11 Villanova68 | #6 Duquesne52 | 16 pts |
ON THIS DAY · March 8PAINT
Never count them out
Largest deficits erased, measured from play-by-play. Earliest on file: 2006.
| Season | Winner | Opponent | Trailed by |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | San Diego State62 | Nevada-Las Vegas52 | Trailed by 21 |
| 2018 | Eastern Michigan67 | Akron58 | Trailed by 19 |
| 2017 | Colorado73 | Washington State63 | Trailed by 19 |
| 2017 | Saint Louis72 | Duquesne71 | Trailed by 18 |
| 2015 | #11 Northern Iowa69 | Illinois State60 | Trailed by 18 |
ON THIS DAY · March 8PAINT
Points on points
The highest combined scores on this date.
| Season | Winner | Opponent | Combined |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1991 | #13 Nebraska117 | Oklahoma113 | 230 total pts |
| 2007 | Wake Forest114 | Georgia Tech112 | 226 total pts |
| 2025 | Notre Dame112 | California110 | 222 total pts |
| 1990 | Southern120 | Alcorn State94 | 214 total pts |
| 1989 | #4 Illinois118 | #15 Iowa94 | 212 total pts |
ON THIS DAY · March 8PAINT
You had to be there
The biggest crowds, by announced attendance.
| Season | Winner | Opponent | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | Syracuse87 | #21 Marquette72 | 23,444 fans |
| 2014 | #11 Louisville81 | #19 Connecticut48 | 22,782 fans |
| 2003 | Brigham Young67 | Colorado State55 | 22,702 fans |
| 2007 | Florida State67 | Clemson66 | 22,269 fans |
| 2007 | Miami (FL)67 | #17 Maryland62 | 22,269 fans |
ON THIS DAY · March 8PAINT
Big nights
The highest-scoring individual games on this date.
| Season | Player | Game | Line |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Camren Hunter | Central Arkansas vs. Queens (NC) | 49 pts · 1 reb · 3 ast · 8 threes |
| 2014 | Doug McDermott | Creighton vs. Providence | 45 pts · 7 reb · 2 ast · 5 threes |
| 2025 | Markus Burton | Notre Dame vs. California | 43 pts · 3 reb · 5 ast · 4 threes |
| 1954 | John Clune | Navy vs. Connecticut | 42 pts |
| 2019 | Bubba Parham | Virginia Military Institute vs. Western Carolina | 41 pts · 5 reb · 3 ast · 6 threes |