ON THIS DAY IN COLLEGE BASKETBALL
December 31.
Different years. Same date. Games worth remembering.
ON THIS DAY · December 31PAINT
Unranked. Unforgettable.
Unranked wins over ranked teams. Best rank beaten first. Showing 14 of 33.
| Season | Winner | Opponent | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | Georgia79 | #2 Pittsburgh67 | At home · Stegeman Coliseum · Athens, GA |
| 1969 | Wisconsin69 | #3 Kentucky65 | Neutral site |
| 1966 | Indiana104 | #3 Bradley87 | Neutral site |
| 2024 | Stanford100 | #4 Arizona82 | At home · Maples Pavilion · Stanford, CA |
| 1963 | Notre Dame90 | #4 Illinois88 | Neutral site |
| 2017 | Virginia Tech89 | #5 Duke75 | At home · Cassell Coliseum · Blacksburg, VA |
| 1963 | Saint Louis87 | #5 Kentucky63 | At home |
| 1953 | Wake Forest91 | #6 Holy Cross69 | Neutral site |
| 2025 | West Virginia62 | #7 Kansas61 | On the road · Allen Fieldhouse · Lawrence, KS |
| 2006 | Arizona96 | #7 Washington95 | On the road · 2OT · Alaska Airlines Arena · Seattle, WA |
| 2017 | Georgia Tech75 | #9 North Carolina63 | At home · McCamish Pavilion · Atlanta, GA |
| 1967 | Auburn64 | #9 Vanderbilt51 | At home · Auburn Sports Arena · Auburn, AL |
| 1966 | Loyola (IL)82 | #9 Minnesota69 | At home |
| 1953 | Marquette70 | #9 Minnesota59 | At home |
ON THIS DAY · December 31PAINT
When the ranked collide
Ranked matchups, highest-ranked team first. Showing 10 of 33.
| Season | Winner | Opponent | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1961 | #1 Ohio State84 | #3 St. Bonaventure82 | Neutral site |
| 1978 | #1 Kentucky73 | #4 Notre Dame68 | Neutral site · Freedom Hall, Louisville, KY |
| 1959 | #4 North Carolina90 | #2 Cincinnati88 | Neutral site · RAL |
| 2012 | #3 Kentucky69 | #4 Louisville62 | At home · Rupp Arena · Lexington, KY |
| 1956 | #3 NC State82 | #4 North Carolina60 | Neutral site · RAL |
| 1997 | #2 Wake Forest70 | #7 Utah59 | On the road · Jon M. Huntsman Center · Salt Lake City, UT |
| 1964 | #1 Kentucky81 | #9 Duke79 | Neutral site · N3 |
| 2017 | #1 Villanova80 | #10 Creighton70 | On the road · CHI Health Center Omaha · Omaha, NE |
| 1955 | #8 Duquesne67 | #3 La Salle65 | Neutral site |
| 1959 | #5 NC State70 | #7 Michigan State61 | At home · Reynolds Coliseum · Raleigh, NC |
ON THIS DAY · December 31PAINT
Down to the wire
Ranked teams. Three points or fewer between them.
| Season | Winner | Opponent | Margin |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | #13 Gonzaga69 | #22 Oklahoma State68 | 1 pt |
| 2017 | #20 Florida State60 | #12 Virginia58 | 2 pts |
| 2003 | #19 Xavier75 | #15 Creighton73 | 2 pts |
| 1964 | #1 Kentucky81 | #9 Duke79 | 2 pts |
| 1961 | #5 Louisville49 | #8 Saint Louis47 | 2 pts |
ON THIS DAY · December 31PAINT
Top ten. Taken down.
The widest losses by a team ranked in the top ten.
| Season | Winner | Opponent | Margin |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | #16 Villanova95 | #6 Xavier64 | 31 pts |
| 1963 | Saint Louis87 | #5 Kentucky63 | 24 pts |
| 1956 | #3 NC State82 | #4 North Carolina60 | 22 pts |
| 1953 | Wake Forest91 | #6 Holy Cross69 | 22 pts |
| 2024 | Stanford100 | #4 Arizona82 | 18 pts |
ON THIS DAY · December 31PAINT
Never count them out
Largest deficits erased, measured from play-by-play. Earliest on file: 2006.
| Season | Winner | Opponent | Trailed by |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | Troy68 | Georgia State66 | Trailed by 19 |
| 2025 | North Texas78 | UAB75 | Trailed by 18 |
| 2023 | Florida Gulf Coast72 | Jacksonville65 | Trailed by 18 |
| 2017 | Brigham Young81 | Loyola Marymount76 | Trailed by 18 |
| 2013 | Saint Mary's70 | Harvard69 | Trailed by 18 |
ON THIS DAY · December 31PAINT
Points on points
The highest combined scores on this date.
| Season | Winner | Opponent | Combined |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1991 | La Salle133 | Loyola Marymount118 | 251 total pts |
| 1989 | Southern105 | Northwestern State104 | 209 total pts |
| 1991 | #2 Arkansas114 | Louisiana-Monroe92 | 206 total pts |
| 2003 | Ohio104 | St. Bonaventure101 | 205 total pts |
| 1964 | #5 Michigan117 | Detroit Mercy87 | 204 total pts |
ON THIS DAY · December 31PAINT
You had to be there
The biggest crowds, by announced attendance.
| Season | Winner | Opponent | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | #3 Kentucky69 | #4 Louisville62 | 24,387 fans |
| 2018 | #16 Kentucky66 | Georgia61 | 22,862 fans |
| 2011 | #11 Kentucky78 | #22 Louisville63 | 22,803 fans |
| 2006 | #1 Duke102 | UNC Greensboro69 | 21,124 fans |
| 2023 | #19 Kentucky86 | Louisville63 | 20,934 fans |
ON THIS DAY · December 31PAINT
Big nights
The highest-scoring individual games on this date.
| Season | Player | Game | Line |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | Ky Bowman | Boston College vs. Hartford | 44 pts · 10 reb · 3 ast · 5 threes |
| 2017 | DeAndre Harris | Nicholls State vs. Incarnate Word | 42 pts · 6 reb · 3 ast · 3 threes |
| 2009 | Lester Hudson | Tennessee-Martin vs. Central Arkansas | 41 pts · 10 reb · 2 ast · 5 threes |
| 2023 | James Bishop IV | George Washington vs. Loyola (IL) | 40 pts · 1 reb · 7 ast · 5 threes |
| 2013 | Jarvis Garner | Central Arkansas vs. Central Baptist College | 38 pts · 11 reb · 4 ast · 4 threes |