ON THIS DAY IN COLLEGE BASKETBALL
December 20.
Different years. Same date. Games worth remembering.
ON THIS DAY · December 20PAINT
Unranked. Unforgettable.
Unranked wins over ranked teams. Best rank beaten first. Showing 14 of 39.
| Season | Winner | Opponent | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1953 | Michigan State80 | #2 Kansas State63 | At home |
| 1970 | Baylor87 | #3 New Mexico State73 | Neutral site |
| 1962 | Xavier67 | #3 Providence53 | At home |
| 2021 | Northwestern79 | #4 Michigan State65 | At home · Welsh-Ryan Arena · Evanston, IL |
| 1979 | Maryland124 | #4 NC State110 | At home |
| 2024 | Seton Hall75 | #5 Connecticut60 | At home · Prudential Center · Newark, NJ |
| 2018 | Wofford79 | #5 North Carolina75 | On the road · Dean E. Smith Center · Chapel Hill, NC |
| 1967 | Loyola (LA)74 | #5 Michigan State70 | At home |
| 1959 | Butler81 | #5 Tennessee66 | At home · Hinkle Fieldhouse · Indianapolis, IN |
| 1953 | Colorado56 | #5 Oklahoma State55 | Neutral site |
| 1966 | Houston102 | #7 Providence89 | At home |
| 2009 | Minnesota70 | #9 Louisville64 | Neutral site |
| 1970 | Pennsylvania59 | #9 Villanova55 | At home · The Palestra · Philadelphia, PA |
| 1952 | Manhattan69 | #9 NC State50 | At home |
ON THIS DAY · December 20PAINT
When the ranked collide
Ranked matchups, highest-ranked team first. Showing 10 of 52.
| Season | Winner | Opponent | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1956 | #4 Dayton77 | #3 Utah73 | Neutral site |
| 1990 | #5 Illinois101 | #4 Missouri93 | Neutral site |
| 1987 | #4 North Carolina90 | #5 Illinois77 | At home · Dean E. Smith Student Activities Center · Chapel Hill, NC |
| 1959 | #2 Kentucky97 | #7 West Virginia91 | At home |
| 2009 | #2 Connecticut88 | #8 Gonzaga83 | Neutral site · OT · KeyArena · Seattle, WA |
| 1958 | #1 North Carolina73 | #10 Minnesota67 | Neutral site · LEX |
| 2009 | #6 Duke82 | #7 Xavier64 | Neutral site · IZOD Center · East Rutherford, NJ |
| 1958 | #8 West Virginia77 | #5 Kentucky70 | On the road |
| 2019 | #2 Duke69 | #12 Texas Tech58 | Neutral site · Madison Square Garden · New York, NY |
| 2004 | #3 Duke89 | #11 Texas61 | At home · Madison Square Garden · New York, NY |
ON THIS DAY · December 20PAINT
Down to the wire
Ranked teams. Three points or fewer between them.
| Season | Winner | Opponent | Margin |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | #11 Pittsburgh65 | #6 Duke64 | 1 pt |
| 2026 | #19 Texas Tech82 | #3 Duke81 | 1 pt |
| 1980 | #7 Louisiana State56 | #20 Arkansas55 | 1 pt |
| 2023 | #22 Miami (FL)66 | #6 Virginia64 | 2 pts |
| 2015 | #16 Washington69 | #15 Oklahoma67 | 2 pts |
ON THIS DAY · December 20PAINT
Top ten. Taken down.
The widest losses by a team ranked in the top ten.
| Season | Winner | Opponent | Margin |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1952 | Manhattan69 | #9 NC State50 | 19 pts |
| 2009 | #6 Duke82 | #7 Xavier64 | 18 pts |
| 1953 | Michigan State80 | #2 Kansas State63 | 17 pts |
| 2024 | Seton Hall75 | #5 Connecticut60 | 15 pts |
| 1959 | Butler81 | #5 Tennessee66 | 15 pts |
ON THIS DAY · December 20PAINT
Never count them out
Largest deficits erased, measured from play-by-play. Earliest on file: 2006.
| Season | Winner | Opponent | Trailed by |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Valparaiso76 | Western Michigan73 | Trailed by 22 |
| 2026 | Northern Illinois74 | Central Michigan73 | Trailed by 20 |
| 2026 | Virginia Tech82 | Elon81 | Trailed by 19 |
| 2024 | Robert Morris75 | Saint Francis (PA)73 | Trailed by 18 |
| 2026 | #19 Texas Tech82 | #3 Duke81 | Trailed by 17 |
ON THIS DAY · December 20PAINT
Points on points
The highest combined scores on this date.
| Season | Winner | Opponent | Combined |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | Marshall127 | Western Michigan126 | 253 total pts |
| 1991 | #10 Louisiana State122 | Loyola Marymount114 | 236 total pts |
| 1972 | Oral Roberts123 | Cal State Los Angeles113 | 236 total pts |
| 1979 | Maryland124 | #4 NC State110 | 234 total pts |
| 2004 | #14 Wake Forest119 | #4 North Carolina114 | 233 total pts |
ON THIS DAY · December 20PAINT
You had to be there
The biggest crowds, by announced attendance.
| Season | Winner | Opponent | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | #2 Kentucky80 | Indiana41 | 25,686 fans |
| 2012 | #3 Kentucky82 | Samford50 | 21,984 fans |
| 2004 | #14 Wake Forest119 | #4 North Carolina114 | 21,750 fans |
| 2009 | #16 Tennessee79 | Belmont77 | 21,314 fans |
| 2012 | #4 Louisville69 | College of Charleston62 | 20,752 fans |
ON THIS DAY · December 20PAINT
Big nights
The highest-scoring individual games on this date.
| Season | Player | Game | Line |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | D'Moi Hodge | Cleveland State vs. Purdue Fort Wayne | 46 pts · 7 reb · 3 ast · 10 threes |
| 2009 | Jodie Meeks | Kentucky vs. Appalachian State | 46 pts · 1 reb · 3 ast · 9 threes |
| 2001 | Willie Taylor | Virginia Commonwealth vs. Evansville | 41 pts · 9 reb · 1 ast · 7 threes |
| 2021 | James Bouknight | Connecticut vs. Creighton | 40 pts · 4 reb · 2 ast · 5 threes |
| 2014 | Stephen Croone | Furman vs. Liberty | 40 pts · 11 reb · 3 ast · 5 threes |