ON THIS DAY IN COLLEGE BASKETBALL
March 20.
Different years. Same date. Games worth remembering.
ON THIS DAY · March 20PAINT
Unranked. Unforgettable.
Unranked wins over ranked teams. Best rank beaten first. Showing 14 of 43.
| Season | Winner | Opponent | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | Northern Iowa69 | #1 Kansas67 | Neutral site · Paycom Center · Oklahoma City, OK |
| 2004 | Alabama70 | #1 Stanford67 | Neutral site · KeyArena · Seattle, WA |
| 1994 | Boston College75 | #1 North Carolina72 | Neutral site |
| 2004 | Nevada91 | #3 Gonzaga72 | On the road · KeyArena · Seattle, WA |
| 2011 | Florida State71 | #5 Notre Dame57 | Neutral site · United Center · Chicago, IL |
| 1987 | Louisiana State63 | #5 DePaul58 | Neutral site |
| 1962 | Duquesne88 | #5 Bradley85 | Neutral site |
| 1986 | Louisiana State70 | #6 Georgia Tech64 | Neutral site |
| 2022 | Miami (FL)79 | #8 Auburn61 | Neutral site · Bon Secours Wellness Arena · Greenville, SC |
| 2010 | Washington82 | #8 New Mexico64 | Neutral site |
| 1988 | Vanderbilt80 | #8 Pittsburgh74 | Neutral site · OT |
| 1965 | St. John's (NY)55 | #8 Villanova51 | At home |
| 2021 | Abilene Christian53 | #9 Texas52 | Neutral site · Lucas Oil Stadium · Indianapolis, IN |
| 2016 | Wisconsin66 | #9 Xavier63 | Neutral site · Enterprise Center · St. Louis, MO |
ON THIS DAY · March 20PAINT
When the ranked collide
Ranked matchups, highest-ranked team first. Showing 10 of 53.
| Season | Winner | Opponent | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1976 | #1 Indiana65 | #2 Marquette56 | Neutral site |
| 1965 | #2 UCLA91 | #1 Michigan80 | Neutral site · Final Four, OR |
| 1964 | #3 Duke91 | #2 Michigan80 | Neutral site · N7 |
| 1951 | #5 Illinois79 | #3 Columbia71 | Neutral site |
| 1982 | #6 Georgetown69 | #4 Oregon State45 | Neutral site |
| 1971 | #2 Marquette91 | #8 Kentucky74 | Neutral site |
| 1969 | #6 Purdue92 | #4 North Carolina65 | Neutral site · LOU |
| 1969 | #1 UCLA85 | #11 Drake82 | Neutral site · Final Four |
| 1975 | #4 Maryland83 | #9 Notre Dame71 | Neutral site |
| 1975 | #1 Indiana81 | #13 Oregon State71 | Neutral site |
ON THIS DAY · March 20PAINT
Down to the wire
Ranked teams. Three points or fewer between them.
| Season | Winner | Opponent | Margin |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1997 | #7 UCLA74 | #18 Iowa State73 | 1 pt |
| 2011 | #17 Arizona70 | #8 Texas69 | 1 pt |
| 1983 | #16 NC State71 | #6 Nevada-Las Vegas70 | 1 pt |
| 2004 | #20 Syracuse72 | #19 Maryland70 | 2 pts |
| 1975 | #20 Syracuse78 | #6 North Carolina76 | 2 pts |
ON THIS DAY · March 20PAINT
Top ten. Taken down.
The widest losses by a team ranked in the top ten.
| Season | Winner | Opponent | Margin |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1971 | #19 Villanova90 | #3 Pennsylvania47 | 43 pts |
| 1969 | #6 Purdue92 | #4 North Carolina65 | 27 pts |
| 1982 | #6 Georgetown69 | #4 Oregon State45 | 24 pts |
| 2004 | Nevada91 | #3 Gonzaga72 | 19 pts |
| 2022 | Miami (FL)79 | #8 Auburn61 | 18 pts |
ON THIS DAY · March 20PAINT
Games for the title
Conference tournament and NCAA Tournament championship games played on this date.
| Season | Winner | Opponent | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1965 | #2 UCLA91 | #1 Michigan80 | Neutral site · Final Four, OR |
| 1954 | #12 La Salle92 | Bradley76 | Neutral site · Kansas |
ON THIS DAY · March 20PAINT
Never count them out
Largest deficits erased, measured from play-by-play. Earliest on file: 2006.
| Season | Winner | Opponent | Trailed by |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | South Florida82 | Stony Brook79 | Trailed by 25 |
| 2017 | UCF63 | Illinois State62 | Trailed by 18 |
| 2012 | Massachusetts72 | Drexel70 | Trailed by 17 |
| 2017 | Coastal Carolina72 | Loyola (MD)63 | Trailed by 16 |
| 2016 | Ball State83 | Tennessee-Martin80 | Trailed by 16 |
ON THIS DAY · March 20PAINT
Points on points
The highest combined scores on this date.
| Season | Winner | Opponent | Combined |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1971 | #14 Houston119 | #12 Notre Dame106 | 225 total pts |
| 2000 | Penn State105 | Siena103 | 208 total pts |
| 1965 | Princeton118 | Wichita State82 | 200 total pts |
| 2019 | Green Bay102 | East Tennessee State94 | 196 total pts |
| 2024 | Indiana State101 | Southern Methodist92 | 193 total pts |
ON THIS DAY · March 20PAINT
You had to be there
The biggest crowds, by announced attendance.
| Season | Winner | Opponent | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | #3 Duke63 | Mississippi State55 | 23,207 fans |
| 2003 | #22 Notre Dame70 | Milwaukee69 | 21,250 fans |
| 2003 | #24 Missouri72 | Southern Illinois71 | 20,960 fans |
| 2011 | #1 Ohio State98 | George Mason66 | 20,164 fans |
| 2011 | Marquette66 | #12 Syracuse62 | 20,164 fans |
ON THIS DAY · March 20PAINT
Big nights
The highest-scoring individual games on this date.
| Season | Player | Game | Line |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1965 | Bill Bradley | Princeton vs. Wichita State | 58 pts · 17 reb · 4 ast |
| 1971 | Austin Carr | Notre Dame vs. Houston | 47 pts · 12 reb · 2 ast |
| 1976 | Willie Smith | Missouri vs. Michigan | 43 pts · 7 reb · 3 ast |
| 1965 | Gail Goodrich Jr. | UCLA vs. Michigan | 42 pts · 4 reb |
| 2014 | Adreian Payne | Michigan State vs. Delaware | 41 pts · 8 reb · 0 ast · 4 threes |