ON THIS DAY IN COLLEGE BASKETBALL
March 31.
Different years. Same date. Games worth remembering.
ON THIS DAY · March 31PAINT
Unranked. Unforgettable.
Unranked wins over ranked teams. Best rank beaten first.
| Season | Winner | Opponent | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1951 | Syracuse76 | #6 Bradley75 | On the road |
| 2024 | NC State76 | #13 Duke64 | Neutral site · American Airlines Center · Dallas, TX |
ON THIS DAY · March 31PAINT
When the ranked collide
Ranked matchups, highest-ranked team first. Showing 10 of 19.
| Season | Winner | Opponent | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1975 | #1 UCLA92 | #2 Kentucky85 | Neutral site · Final Four |
| 1984 | #2 Georgetown53 | #3 Kentucky40 | Neutral site |
| 2019 | #5 Michigan State68 | #1 Duke67 | Neutral site · Capital One Arena · Washington, DC |
| 2018 | #2 Villanova95 | #4 Kansas79 | Neutral site · Alamodome · San Antonio, TX |
| 2013 | #2 Louisville85 | #6 Duke63 | Neutral site |
| 2001 | #5 Arizona80 | #3 Michigan State61 | Neutral site |
| 1986 | #7 Louisville72 | #1 Duke69 | Neutral site · Dallas |
| 2024 | #3 Purdue72 | #6 Tennessee66 | Neutral site · Little Caesars Arena · Detroit, MI |
| 2007 | #1 Ohio State67 | #8 Georgetown60 | Neutral site · Georgia Dome · Atlanta, GA |
| 2007 | #3 Florida76 | #7 UCLA66 | Neutral site · Georgia Dome · Atlanta, GA |
ON THIS DAY · March 31PAINT
Down to the wire
Ranked teams. Three points or fewer between them.
| Season | Winner | Opponent | Margin |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | #5 Michigan State68 | #1 Duke67 | 1 pt |
| 2012 | #6 Kansas64 | #7 Ohio State62 | 2 pts |
| 1986 | #7 Louisville72 | #1 Duke69 | 3 pts |
| 1997 | #15 Arizona84 | #5 Kentucky79 | 5 pts |
| 2019 | #14 Auburn77 | #7 Kentucky71 | 6 pts |
ON THIS DAY · March 31PAINT
Top ten. Taken down.
The widest losses by a team ranked in the top ten.
| Season | Winner | Opponent | Margin |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | #2 Louisville85 | #6 Duke63 | 22 pts |
| 2001 | #5 Arizona80 | #3 Michigan State61 | 19 pts |
| 2018 | #2 Villanova95 | #4 Kansas79 | 16 pts |
ON THIS DAY · March 31PAINT
Games for the title
Conference tournament and NCAA Tournament championship games played on this date.
| Season | Winner | Opponent | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1997 | #15 Arizona84 | #5 Kentucky79 | Neutral site · OT · Indianapolis |
| 1986 | #7 Louisville72 | #1 Duke69 | Neutral site · Dallas |
| 1975 | #1 UCLA92 | #2 Kentucky85 | Neutral site · Final Four |
ON THIS DAY · March 31PAINT
Never count them out
Largest deficits erased, measured from play-by-play. Earliest on file: 2006.
| Season | Winner | Opponent | Trailed by |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | #6 Kansas64 | #7 Ohio State62 | Trailed by 13 |
| 2017 | Saint Peter's62 | Texas A&M-Corpus Christi61 | Trailed by 12 |
| 2015 | Northern Arizona68 | NJIT61 | Trailed by 12 |
| 2014 | Siena61 | Fresno State57 | Trailed by 12 |
| 2025 | Nebraska86 | Arizona State78 | Trailed by 11 |
ON THIS DAY · March 31PAINT
Points on points
The highest combined scores on this date.
| Season | Winner | Opponent | Combined |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1975 | #4 Louisville96 | #6 Syracuse88 | 184 total pts |
| 1990 | #15 Duke97 | #7 Arkansas83 | 180 total pts |
| 2001 | #1 Duke95 | #11 Maryland84 | 179 total pts |
| 1975 | #1 UCLA92 | #2 Kentucky85 | 177 total pts |
| 2018 | #2 Villanova95 | #4 Kansas79 | 174 total pts |
ON THIS DAY · March 31PAINT
You had to be there
The biggest crowds, by announced attendance.
| Season | Winner | Opponent | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | #6 Kansas64 | #7 Ohio State62 | 73,361 fans |
| 2018 | #2 Villanova95 | #4 Kansas79 | 68,257 fans |
| 2018 | #7 Michigan69 | Loyola (IL)57 | 68,257 fans |
| 2007 | #3 Florida76 | #7 UCLA66 | 53,510 fans |
| 1997 | #15 Arizona84 | #5 Kentucky79 | 47,028 fans |
ON THIS DAY · March 31PAINT
Big nights
The highest-scoring individual games on this date.
| Season | Player | Game | Line |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Zach Edey | Purdue vs. Tennessee | 40 pts · 16 reb · 1 ast · 0 threes |
| 2025 | Malik Mack | Georgetown vs. Washington State | 37 pts · 5 reb · 4 ast · 8 threes |
| 2024 | Dalton Knecht | Tennessee vs. Purdue | 37 pts · 3 reb · 1 ast · 6 threes |
| 1975 | Kevin Grevey | Kentucky vs. UCLA | 34 pts · 5 reb |
| 1997 | Miles Simon | Arizona vs. Kentucky | 30 pts · 3 reb · 1 ast · 0 threes |