ON THIS DAY IN COLLEGE BASKETBALL
December 16.
Different years. Same date. Games worth remembering.
ON THIS DAY · December 16PAINT
Unranked. Unforgettable.
Unranked wins over ranked teams. Best rank beaten first. Showing 14 of 31.
| Season | Winner | Opponent | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | Oklahoma91 | #3 Wichita State83 | On the road · Charles Koch Arena · Wichita, KS |
| 1962 | Maryland79 | #3 Wake Forest62 | At home |
| 1958 | Southern Methodist65 | #3 Kentucky64 | At home · SMU Coliseum · Dallas, TX |
| 1964 | Colorado93 | #4 Arizona State70 | At home |
| 1969 | Colorado79 | #5 New Mexico72 | At home |
| 2024 | Michigan State88 | #6 Baylor64 | Neutral site · Little Caesars Arena · Detroit, MI |
| 1979 | Indiana68 | #6 Kentucky67 | At home · OT · Assembly Hall · Bloomington, IN |
| 1969 | Southern California83 | #6 Cincinnati68 | At home |
| 1956 | DePaul68 | #6 Duquesne64 | At home · University Auditorium · Chicago, IL |
| 1981 | South Alabama76 | #7 Ohio State67 | On the road · St. John Arena · Columbus, OH |
| 1967 | Seattle85 | #7 Brigham Young83 | At home · OT · | Seattle Center Coliseum · Seattle, WA |
| 2024 | Memphis79 | #13 Clemson77 | At home · FedExForum · Memphis, TN |
| 2002 | Georgia Tech96 | #13 Syracuse80 | At home · Alexander Memorial Coliseum · Atlanta, GA |
| 1973 | Santa Clara97 | #14 Providence92 | Neutral site |
ON THIS DAY · December 16PAINT
When the ranked collide
Ranked matchups, highest-ranked team first. Showing 10 of 19.
| Season | Winner | Opponent | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | #3 Purdue92 | #1 Arizona84 | Neutral site · Gainbridge Fieldhouse · Indianapolis, IN |
| 1967 | #5 New Mexico71 | #2 UTEP62 | On the road |
| 2007 | #7 Wisconsin89 | #2 Pittsburgh75 | At home · Kohl Center · Madison, WI |
| 2001 | #5 Illinois81 | #7 Arizona73 | At home · Assembly Hall · Champaign, IL |
| 1983 | #1 Virginia72 | #14 Houston63 | Neutral site |
| 1979 | #13 North Carolina70 | #3 Michigan State69 | At home · Carmichael Auditorium · Chapel Hill, NC |
| 1973 | #6 NC State68 | #11 North Carolina61 | Neutral site · GBO |
| 1968 | #7 North Carolina71 | #10 Princeton63 | Neutral site · GBO |
| 1962 | #8 Kansas State63 | #9 St. John's (NY)50 | At home |
| 2000 | #8 Kansas80 | #12 Ohio State67 | At home · Allen Fieldhouse · Lawrence, KS |
ON THIS DAY · December 16PAINT
Down to the wire
Ranked teams. Three points or fewer between them.
| Season | Winner | Opponent | Margin |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | #4 Cincinnati62 | #17 Minnesota61 | 1 pt |
| 1979 | #13 North Carolina70 | #3 Michigan State69 | 1 pt |
| 1969 | #14 Detroit Mercy71 | #10 St. Bonaventure68 | 3 pts |
ON THIS DAY · December 16PAINT
Top ten. Taken down.
The widest losses by a team ranked in the top ten.
| Season | Winner | Opponent | Margin |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Michigan State88 | #6 Baylor64 | 24 pts |
| 1964 | Colorado93 | #4 Arizona State70 | 23 pts |
| 1962 | Maryland79 | #3 Wake Forest62 | 17 pts |
| 1969 | Southern California83 | #6 Cincinnati68 | 15 pts |
ON THIS DAY · December 16PAINT
Never count them out
Largest deficits erased, measured from play-by-play. Earliest on file: 2006.
| Season | Winner | Opponent | Trailed by |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | #10 Xavier68 | East Tennessee State66 | Trailed by 22 |
| 2018 | Grambling68 | Southeastern Louisiana67 | Trailed by 22 |
| 2024 | North Carolina A&T85 | Texas Southern79 | Trailed by 18 |
| 2020 | UC Davis67 | Loyola Marymount65 | Trailed by 18 |
| 2018 | Niagara85 | Norfolk State82 | Trailed by 18 |
ON THIS DAY · December 16PAINT
Points on points
The highest combined scores on this date.
| Season | Winner | Opponent | Combined |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1968 | Florida State130 | Louisiana State100 | 230 total pts |
| 1979 | St. Bonaventure119 | St. Francis (NY)103 | 222 total pts |
| 1990 | Wright State113 | U.S. International107 | 220 total pts |
| 1966 | Utah128 | Morehead State91 | 219 total pts |
| 1992 | Grambling110 | Centenary (LA)107 | 217 total pts |
ON THIS DAY · December 16PAINT
You had to be there
The biggest crowds, by announced attendance.
| Season | Winner | Opponent | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | #8 Kentucky93 | Virginia Tech86 | 22,690 fans |
| 2026 | #20 Tennessee83 | #11 Louisville62 | 21,678 fans |
| 2018 | #2 Michigan State86 | Oakland73 | 20,695 fans |
| 2018 | Michigan90 | Detroit Mercy58 | 20,645 fans |
| 2007 | Kentucky61 | Louisville49 | 20,042 fans |
ON THIS DAY · December 16PAINT
Big nights
The highest-scoring individual games on this date.
| Season | Player | Game | Line |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | Bobby Brown | Cal State Fullerton vs. Bethune-Cookman | 47 pts · 0 reb · 2 ast · 11 threes |
| 2001 | Ron Williamson | Howard vs. Georgetown | 41 pts · 4 reb · 4 ast · 11 threes |
| 2016 | Trey Davis | Massachusetts vs. New Orleans | 40 pts · 6 reb · 3 ast · 2 threes |
| 2007 | Bo Lester McCalebb | New Orleans vs. North Texas | 39 pts · 9 reb · 3 ast · 0 threes |
| 2020 | Tristan Jarrett | Jackson State vs. Southeastern Baptist College | 38 pts · 3 reb · 4 ast · 4 threes |