ON THIS DAY IN COLLEGE BASKETBALL
December 15.
Different years. Same date. Games worth remembering.
ON THIS DAY · December 15PAINT
Unranked. Unforgettable.
Unranked wins over ranked teams. Best rank beaten first. Showing 14 of 34.
| Season | Winner | Opponent | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | Butler88 | #1 Indiana86 | Neutral site · OT · Gainbridge Fieldhouse · Indianapolis, IN |
| 1973 | Princeton61 | #2 Florida State59 | Neutral site |
| 2020 | Minnesota84 | #3 Ohio State71 | At home · Williams Arena · Minneapolis, MN |
| 1959 | Brigham Young77 | #3 Kansas State68 | At home |
| 1985 | Niagara62 | #4 St. John's (NY)59 | At home · Gallagher Center · Lewiston, NY |
| 1992 | Florida State86 | #5 North Carolina74 | On the road · Dean E. Smith Student Activities Center · Chapel Hill, NC |
| 1991 | UTEP71 | #5 Georgetown60 | On the road |
| 1983 | American62 | #5 Georgetown61 | Neutral site |
| 1965 | Saint Joseph's71 | #7 St. John's (NY)56 | At home |
| 1962 | Duquesne66 | #7 Duke61 | Neutral site · N1 |
| 1993 | Duquesne91 | #10 Florida State84 | At home · A.J. Palumbo Center · Pittsburgh, PA |
| 1970 | Kansas75 | #10 Notre Dame63 | On the road · Athletic & Convocation Center · Notre Dame, IN |
| 1957 | Bradley66 | #10 Canisius64 | On the road · Buffalo Memorial Auditorium · Buffalo, NY |
| 1987 | Temple76 | #11 UCLA65 | At home |
ON THIS DAY · December 15PAINT
When the ranked collide
Ranked matchups, highest-ranked team first. Showing 10 of 18.
| Season | Winner | Opponent | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1985 | #1 Georgetown77 | #2 DePaul57 | At home |
| 1974 | #1 UCLA84 | #2 NC State66 | Neutral site |
| 1980 | #5 Kentucky69 | #1 Indiana58 | At home · Rupp Arena at Central Bank Center · Lexington, KY |
| 2003 | #1 Arizona73 | #8 Texas70 | At home · McKale Memorial Center · Tucson, AZ |
| 2013 | #8 Arizona65 | #5 Florida64 | At home · McKale Memorial Center · Tucson, AZ |
| 2024 | #5 Connecticut76 | #10 Gonzaga63 | Neutral site · Climate Pledge Arena · Seattle, WA |
| 1976 | #1 Indiana77 | #14 Kentucky68 | Neutral site · OT |
| 2019 | #12 North Carolina103 | #4 Gonzaga90 | At home · Dean E. Smith Center · Chapel Hill, NC |
| 2002 | #15 Iowa83 | #2 Missouri65 | On the road |
| 1955 | #5 Dayton71 | #12 Louisville67 | At home |
ON THIS DAY · December 15PAINT
Down to the wire
Ranked teams. Three points or fewer between them.
| Season | Winner | Opponent | Margin |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | #8 Arizona65 | #5 Florida64 | 1 pt |
| 1985 | #12 Georgia Tech66 | #9 NC State64 | 2 pts |
| 2019 | #1 Kansas74 | #17 Villanova71 | 3 pts |
| 2003 | #1 Arizona73 | #8 Texas70 | 3 pts |
| 1971 | #13 Indiana106 | #7 Notre Dame103 | 3 pts |
ON THIS DAY · December 15PAINT
Top ten. Taken down.
The widest losses by a team ranked in the top ten.
| Season | Winner | Opponent | Margin |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1985 | #1 Georgetown77 | #2 DePaul57 | 20 pts |
| 2002 | #15 Iowa83 | #2 Missouri65 | 18 pts |
| 1974 | #1 UCLA84 | #2 NC State66 | 18 pts |
| 1965 | Saint Joseph's71 | #7 St. John's (NY)56 | 15 pts |
ON THIS DAY · December 15PAINT
Never count them out
Largest deficits erased, measured from play-by-play. Earliest on file: 2006.
| Season | Winner | Opponent | Trailed by |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Arkansas State98 | UAB89 | Trailed by 27 |
| 2022 | New Mexico State64 | Washington State61 | Trailed by 18 |
| 2019 | #20 Arizona State76 | Georgia74 | Trailed by 18 |
| 2011 | Saint Louis69 | Jacksonville64 | Trailed by 18 |
| 2021 | Alabama83 | Furman80 | Trailed by 16 |
ON THIS DAY · December 15PAINT
Points on points
The highest combined scores on this date.
| Season | Winner | Opponent | Combined |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1991 | #13 Oklahoma172 | Loyola Marymount112 | 284 total pts |
| 1991 | Southern116 | Dayton112 | 228 total pts |
| 1991 | UT Arlington113 | Georgia State104 | 217 total pts |
| 2018 | Colorado112 | South Dakota State103 | 215 total pts |
| 1980 | #18 Brigham Young108 | La Salle106 | 214 total pts |
ON THIS DAY · December 15PAINT
You had to be there
The biggest crowds, by announced attendance.
| Season | Winner | Opponent | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | #19 Kentucky88 | Utah61 | 21,922 fans |
| 2019 | #12 North Carolina103 | #4 Gonzaga90 | 21,750 fans |
| 2013 | Kentucky88 | Lipscomb50 | 21,323 fans |
| 2013 | Butler88 | #1 Indiana86 | 19,192 fans |
| 2013 | #22 Notre Dame81 | Purdue68 | 19,192 fans |
ON THIS DAY · December 15PAINT
Big nights
The highest-scoring individual games on this date.
| Season | Player | Game | Line |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | Joe Knight | High Point vs. Vanderbilt | 40 pts · 5 reb · 0 ast · 7 threes |
| 2002 | Henry Domercant | Eastern Illinois vs. Loyola (IL) | 40 pts · 9 reb · 4 ast · 5 threes |
| 2008 | Demetric Bennett | South Alabama vs. Mississippi State | 39 pts · 8 reb · 1 ast · 6 threes |
| 2014 | Larry Nance Jr. | Wyoming vs. Denver | 38 pts · 12 reb · 1 ast · 0 threes |
| 2018 | Mike Daum | South Dakota State vs. Colorado | 37 pts · 12 reb · 0 ast · 3 threes |