ON THIS DAY IN COLLEGE BASKETBALL
December 17.
Different years. Same date. Games worth remembering.
ON THIS DAY · December 17PAINT
Unranked. Unforgettable.
Unranked wins over ranked teams. Best rank beaten first. Showing 14 of 43.
| Season | Winner | Opponent | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | Indiana80 | #3 Kansas61 | At home · Assembly Hall · Bloomington, IN |
| 1967 | Florida78 | #4 Kentucky75 | On the road |
| 1952 | Wisconsin55 | #4 Saint Louis54 | At home · The Wisconsin Field House · Madison, WI |
| 2003 | Cincinnati77 | #5 Oregon52 | At home · IZOD Center · East Rutherford, NJ |
| 1967 | New Mexico State62 | #5 New Mexico61 | At home · OT |
| 1963 | Virginia Tech82 | #5 Mississippi State65 | At home |
| 1956 | St. John's (NY)87 | #5 Alabama79 | At home |
| 2006 | Tennessee95 | #6 Texas78 | On the road · Frank Erwin Center · Austin, TX |
| 1998 | Clemson62 | #6 South Carolina57 | At home · Littlejohn Coliseum · Clemson, SC |
| 1972 | Kansas83 | #6 Brigham Young67 | At home · Allen Fieldhouse · Lawrence, KS |
| 1968 | St. John's (NY)91 | #6 Boston College90 | On the road · 2OT |
| 1956 | Marquette83 | #6 Duquesne59 | Neutral site |
| 2011 | Charlotte49 | #7 Tennessee48 | At home · Spectrum Center · Charlotte, NC |
| 1967 | Oregon State92 | #7 Brigham Young76 | At home · Gill Coliseum · Corvallis, OR |
ON THIS DAY · December 17PAINT
When the ranked collide
Ranked matchups, highest-ranked team first. Showing 10 of 26.
| Season | Winner | Opponent | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1952 | #1 Kentucky81 | #2 St. John's (NY)40 | At home |
| 2023 | #5 Houston69 | #2 Virginia61 | On the road · John Paul Jones Arena · Charlottesville, VA |
| 1957 | #7 Illinois62 | #2 San Francisco33 | At home · Huff Gym · Champaign, IL |
| 1978 | #5 North Carolina67 | #6 Cincinnati59 | Neutral site · GBO |
| 1966 | #8 UCLA78 | #4 Kansas71 | At home · Pauley Pavilion · Los Angeles, CA |
| 2017 | #6 Kentucky103 | #7 North Carolina100 | Neutral site · T-Mobile Arena · Las Vegas, NV |
| 2023 | #9 Arizona75 | #6 Tennessee70 | At home · McKale Center · Tucson, AZ |
| 1961 | #1 Ohio State93 | #16 Wichita State82 | On the road · University of Wichita Field House · Wichita, KS |
| 1956 | #2 NC State92 | #15 West Virginia71 | On the road · Stansbury Hall · Morgantown, WV |
| 2023 | #15 Gonzaga100 | #4 Alabama90 | Neutral site · Legacy Arena · Birmingham, AL |
ON THIS DAY · December 17PAINT
Down to the wire
Ranked teams. Three points or fewer between them.
| Season | Winner | Opponent | Margin |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | #5 Kansas58 | #14 Texas Tech57 | 1 pt |
| 1958 | #8 West Virginia76 | #19 Richmond74 | 2 pts |
| 2014 | #16 Florida77 | #15 Memphis75 | 2 pts |
| 2017 | #6 Kentucky103 | #7 North Carolina100 | 3 pts |
ON THIS DAY · December 17PAINT
Top ten. Taken down.
The widest losses by a team ranked in the top ten.
| Season | Winner | Opponent | Margin |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1952 | #1 Kentucky81 | #2 St. John's (NY)40 | 41 pts |
| 1957 | #7 Illinois62 | #2 San Francisco33 | 29 pts |
| 2003 | Cincinnati77 | #5 Oregon52 | 25 pts |
| 1956 | Marquette83 | #6 Duquesne59 | 24 pts |
| 2022 | Creighton79 | #9 Villanova59 | 20 pts |
ON THIS DAY · December 17PAINT
Never count them out
Largest deficits erased, measured from play-by-play. Earliest on file: 2006.
| Season | Winner | Opponent | Trailed by |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Cal Poly95 | Denver94 | Trailed by 23 |
| 2026 | South Alabama96 | Louisiana-Monroe92 | Trailed by 20 |
| 2024 | Texas Southern79 | Howard78 | Trailed by 20 |
| 2025 | Robert Morris68 | Towson67 | Trailed by 19 |
| 2023 | Abilene Christian65 | Cal State Bakersfield59 | Trailed by 18 |
ON THIS DAY · December 17PAINT
Points on points
The highest combined scores on this date.
| Season | Winner | Opponent | Combined |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1989 | #7 Oklahoma136 | Loyola Marymount103 | 239 total pts |
| 1978 | Houston137 | North Texas94 | 231 total pts |
| 1963 | #4 Loyola (IL)123 | Western Michigan102 | 225 total pts |
| 1995 | Southern117 | South Alabama106 | 223 total pts |
| 1995 | Centenary (LA)115 | Stephen F. Austin107 | 222 total pts |
ON THIS DAY · December 17PAINT
You had to be there
The biggest crowds, by announced attendance.
| Season | Winner | Opponent | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | Georgetown78 | Syracuse71 | 25,131 fans |
| 2006 | #23 Kentucky73 | #4 Louisville61 | 24,432 fans |
| 2012 | #3 Kentucky87 | Chattanooga62 | 23,211 fans |
| 2012 | #4 Louisville95 | Memphis87 | 22,733 fans |
| 2012 | #6 Baylor86 | Brigham Young83 | 22,700 fans |
ON THIS DAY · December 17PAINT
Big nights
The highest-scoring individual games on this date.
| Season | Player | Game | Line |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | Amere May | Delaware State vs. St. Francis (NY) | 48 pts · 4 reb · 2 ast · 6 threes |
| 2026 | Paul McNeil Jr. | NC State vs. Texas Southern | 47 pts · 10 reb · 0 ast · 11 threes |
| 2017 | Malik Monk | Kentucky vs. North Carolina | 47 pts · 0 reb · 2 ast · 8 threes |
| 2023 | Jalen Cone | Northern Arizona vs. Southern Utah | 45 pts · 5 reb · 1 ast · 6 threes |
| 2012 | Reggie Hamilton | Oakland vs. Valparaiso | 41 pts · 4 reb · 3 ast · 5 threes |