ON THIS DAY IN COLLEGE BASKETBALL
March 27.
Different years. Same date. Games worth remembering.
ON THIS DAY · March 27PAINT
Unranked. Unforgettable.
Unranked wins over ranked teams. Best rank beaten first.
| Season | Winner | Opponent | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | Virginia Commonwealth71 | #2 Kansas61 | Neutral site · Alamodome · San Antonio, Texas |
| 2016 | Syracuse68 | #4 Virginia62 | Neutral site · United Center · Chicago, IL |
| 2021 | Oregon State65 | #17 Loyola (IL)58 | Neutral site · Gainbridge Fieldhouse · Indianapolis, IN |
| 1988 | Kansas71 | #20 Kansas State58 | Neutral site |
ON THIS DAY · March 27PAINT
When the ranked collide
Ranked matchups, highest-ranked team first. Showing 10 of 47.
| Season | Winner | Opponent | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | #1 Duke68 | #2 Michigan State62 | Neutral site |
| 1951 | #1 Kentucky68 | #4 Kansas State58 | Neutral site · Minneapolis |
| 1976 | #1 Indiana65 | #5 UCLA51 | Neutral site · Final Four |
| 1951 | #5 Illinois61 | #2 Oklahoma State46 | Neutral site |
| 2010 | #6 West Virginia73 | #2 Kentucky66 | Neutral site · JMA Wireless Dome · Syracuse, NY |
| 1978 | #1 Kentucky94 | #7 Duke88 | Neutral site · N6 |
| 2004 | #4 Oklahoma State64 | #5 Saint Joseph's62 | Neutral site · IZOD Center · East Rutherford, NJ |
| 1988 | #2 Arizona70 | #7 North Carolina52 | Neutral site |
| 1993 | #9 Kansas83 | #1 Indiana77 | Neutral site |
| 2026 | #1 Duke80 | #10 St. John's (NY)75 | Neutral site · Capital One Arena · Washington, DC |
ON THIS DAY · March 27PAINT
Down to the wire
Ranked teams. Three points or fewer between them.
| Season | Winner | Opponent | Margin |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | #4 Oklahoma State64 | #5 Saint Joseph's62 | 2 pts |
| 1978 | #5 Arkansas71 | #6 Notre Dame69 | 2 pts |
| 1971 | #7 Western Kentucky77 | #4 Kansas75 | 2 pts |
| 2003 | #9 Marquette77 | #4 Pittsburgh74 | 3 pts |
| 1992 | #15 Michigan75 | #11 Oklahoma State72 | 3 pts |
ON THIS DAY · March 27PAINT
Top ten. Taken down.
The widest losses by a team ranked in the top ten.
| Season | Winner | Opponent | Margin |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | #2 North Carolina98 | #10 Gonzaga77 | 21 pts |
| 2008 | #13 Louisville79 | #5 Tennessee60 | 19 pts |
| 1988 | #2 Arizona70 | #7 North Carolina52 | 18 pts |
| 1976 | #9 Michigan86 | #4 Rutgers70 | 16 pts |
| 1951 | #5 Illinois61 | #2 Oklahoma State46 | 15 pts |
ON THIS DAY · March 27PAINT
Games for the title
Conference tournament and NCAA Tournament championship games played on this date.
| Season | Winner | Opponent | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1978 | #1 Kentucky94 | #7 Duke88 | Neutral site · N6 |
| 1971 | #1 UCLA68 | #19 Villanova62 | Neutral site · Final Four |
| 1951 | #1 Kentucky68 | #4 Kansas State58 | Neutral site · Minneapolis |
| 1945 | Oklahoma State49 | New York University45 | Neutral site · New |
| 1939 | Oregon46 | Ohio State33 | Neutral site · Evanston, IL |
ON THIS DAY · March 27PAINT
Never count them out
Largest deficits erased, measured from play-by-play. Earliest on file: 2006.
| Season | Winner | Opponent | Trailed by |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Norfolk State75 | Purdue Fort Wayne67 | Trailed by 18 |
| 2025 | #9 Texas Tech85 | Arkansas83 | Trailed by 16 |
| 2016 | Syracuse68 | #4 Virginia62 | Trailed by 16 |
| 2007 | West Virginia63 | Mississippi State62 | Trailed by 14 |
| 2018 | Utah69 | Western Kentucky64 | Trailed by 13 |
ON THIS DAY · March 27PAINT
Points on points
The highest combined scores on this date.
| Season | Winner | Opponent | Combined |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #7 Alabama113 | #17 Brigham Young88 | 201 total pts |
| 2025 | #1 Duke100 | #21 Arizona93 | 193 total pts |
| 1991 | Colorado98 | Massachusetts91 | 189 total pts |
| 2019 | Lipscomb94 | NC State93 | 187 total pts |
| 1993 | #2 Kentucky106 | #11 Florida State81 | 187 total pts |
ON THIS DAY · March 27PAINT
You had to be there
The biggest crowds, by announced attendance.
| Season | Winner | Opponent | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | #3 Connecticut64 | #14 Ohio State58 | 41,340 fans |
| 2009 | #1 Louisville103 | Arizona64 | 33,780 fans |
| 2009 | #8 Michigan State67 | #14 Kansas62 | 33,780 fans |
| 1971 | #1 UCLA68 | #19 Villanova62 | 31,765 fans |
| 2005 | #2 North Carolina88 | #20 Wisconsin82 | 30,132 fans |
ON THIS DAY · March 27PAINT
Big nights
The highest-scoring individual games on this date.
| Season | Player | Game | Line |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | Garrison Mathews | Lipscomb vs. NC State | 44 pts · 8 reb · 3 ast · 8 threes |
| 1978 | Jack Givens | Kentucky vs. Duke | 41 pts · 8 reb |
| 2004 | Ben Gordon | Connecticut vs. Alabama | 36 pts · 2 reb · 2 ast · 4 threes |
| 1971 | Jim McDaniels | Western Kentucky vs. Kansas | 36 pts · 19 reb · 1 ast |
| 1994 | Juwan Howard | Michigan vs. Arkansas | 30 pts · 13 reb · 0 ast · 0 threes |