ON THIS DAY IN COLLEGE BASKETBALL
December 18.
Different years. Same date. Games worth remembering.
ON THIS DAY · December 18PAINT
Unranked. Unforgettable.
Unranked wins over ranked teams. Best rank beaten first. Showing 14 of 46.
| Season | Winner | Opponent | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | Xavier66 | #1 Cincinnati64 | At home · Cincinnati Gardens · Cincinnati, OH |
| 1963 | Davidson72 | #2 Duke69 | At home · A |
| 1962 | Wichita State52 | #2 Cincinnati51 | At home · University of Wichita Field House · Wichita, KS |
| 1977 | Utah70 | #3 Kentucky68 | On the road · Rupp Arena at Central Bank Center · Lexington, KY |
| 1976 | Minnesota77 | #3 Marquette73 | At home · OT |
| 1968 | Florida74 | #3 Vanderbilt72 | At home · Florida Gymnasium · Gainesville, FL |
| 1966 | Southern California81 | #4 Kansas69 | At home |
| 1972 | Temple57 | #5 Pennsylvania52 | On the road · The Palestra · Philadelphia, PA |
| 1962 | DePaul68 | #5 Providence63 | At home · Alumni Hall · Chicago, IL |
| 2020 | Utah69 | #6 Kentucky66 | Neutral site · T-Mobile Arena · Las Vegas, NV |
| 2011 | Florida57 | #6 Kansas State44 | Neutral site |
| 1975 | Pittsburgh65 | #6 Marquette58 | At home · Fitzgerald Field House · Allequippa St & Darragh St Pittsburgh, PA |
| 1955 | Cincinnati97 | #7 Indiana65 | At home |
| 2012 | Oral Roberts64 | #8 Xavier42 | On the road · Cintas Center · Cincinnati, OH |
ON THIS DAY · December 18PAINT
When the ranked collide
Ranked matchups, highest-ranked team first. Showing 10 of 23.
| Season | Winner | Opponent | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2002 | #1 Duke95 | #7 Kentucky92 | Neutral site · OT |
| 1983 | #4 UCLA75 | #7 Iowa66 | At home · Pauley Pavilion · Los Angeles, CA |
| 1957 | #9 Saint Louis93 | #6 Louisville77 | At home |
| 1953 | #4 Seton Hall77 | #11 Western Kentucky74 | Neutral site |
| 1955 | #15 Utah79 | #1 La Salle69 | On the road |
| 1977 | #17 Louisville78 | #2 Marquette75 | On the road · OT · MECCA · Milwaukee, WI |
| 2005 | #6 Wake Forest89 | #14 Texas88 | At home · LJVM Coliseum · Winston-Salem, NC |
| 1957 | #13 Duke85 | #7 Kentucky84 | At home · H |
| 1969 | #6 Cincinnati71 | #15 California70 | On the road · Harmon Gym · Berkeley, CA |
| 2005 | #9 Kentucky60 | #13 Louisville58 | On the road · Freedom Hall · Louisville, KY |
ON THIS DAY · December 18PAINT
Down to the wire
Ranked teams. Three points or fewer between them.
| Season | Winner | Opponent | Margin |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #14 Oklahoma87 | #24 Michigan86 | 1 pt |
| 2005 | #6 Wake Forest89 | #14 Texas88 | 1 pt |
| 1969 | #6 Cincinnati71 | #15 California70 | 1 pt |
| 1957 | #13 Duke85 | #7 Kentucky84 | 1 pt |
| 2005 | #9 Kentucky60 | #13 Louisville58 | 2 pts |
ON THIS DAY · December 18PAINT
Top ten. Taken down.
The widest losses by a team ranked in the top ten.
| Season | Winner | Opponent | Margin |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1955 | Cincinnati97 | #7 Indiana65 | 32 pts |
| 2012 | Oral Roberts64 | #8 Xavier42 | 22 pts |
| 1972 | Hawaii30 | #9 Florida State10 | 20 pts |
| 1957 | #9 Saint Louis93 | #6 Louisville77 | 16 pts |
| 1971 | Houston99 | #10 Villanova84 | 15 pts |
ON THIS DAY · December 18PAINT
Never count them out
Largest deficits erased, measured from play-by-play. Earliest on file: 2006.
| Season | Winner | Opponent | Trailed by |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | Nicholls State64 | Texas A&M-Corpus Christi58 | Trailed by 21 |
| 2018 | Tulane76 | Nicholls State69 | Trailed by 20 |
| 2014 | San Jose State89 | UC Davis85 | Trailed by 19 |
| 2021 | Howard81 | Hampton76 | Trailed by 17 |
| 2015 | Mississippi71 | Coastal Carolina68 | Trailed by 17 |
ON THIS DAY · December 18PAINT
Points on points
The highest combined scores on this date.
| Season | Winner | Opponent | Combined |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1988 | Loyola Marymount140 | Southern California106 | 246 total pts |
| 1966 | Houston132 | Texas Christian102 | 234 total pts |
| 1986 | Loyola Marymount122 | UC Irvine100 | 222 total pts |
| 2011 | St. Bonaventure112 | Ohio107 | 219 total pts |
| 1970 | Cincinnati114 | Iowa105 | 219 total pts |
ON THIS DAY · December 18PAINT
You had to be there
The biggest crowds, by announced attendance.
| Season | Winner | Opponent | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | #17 Kentucky85 | Mississippi Valley State60 | 23,341 fans |
| 2009 | #1 North Carolina91 | Evansville73 | 21,291 fans |
| 2011 | #22 Texas78 | North Carolina76 | 20,787 fans |
| 2011 | #20 Louisville78 | Gardner-Webb49 | 20,434 fans |
| 2005 | #9 Kentucky60 | #13 Louisville58 | 20,088 fans |
ON THIS DAY · December 18PAINT
Big nights
The highest-scoring individual games on this date.
| Season | Player | Game | Line |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | Aaric Murray | Texas Southern vs. Temple | 48 pts · 8 reb · 2 ast · 2 threes |
| 2000 | Eddie House II | Arizona State vs. San Diego State | 46 pts · 3 reb · 3 ast · 6 threes |
| 2011 | Andrew Nicholson | St. Bonaventure vs. Ohio | 44 pts · 12 reb · 5 ast · 0 threes |
| 2020 | Alonzo Verge Jr. | Arizona State vs. Saint Mary's | 43 pts · 3 reb · 2 ast · 1 threes |
| 2011 | D.J. Cooper | Ohio vs. St. Bonaventure | 43 pts · 8 reb · 13 ast · 3 threes |