ON THIS DAY IN COLLEGE BASKETBALL
January 31.
Different years. Same date. Games worth remembering.
ON THIS DAY · January 31PAINT
Unranked. Unforgettable.
Unranked wins over ranked teams. Best rank beaten first. Showing 14 of 77.
| Season | Winner | Opponent | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1955 | Georgia Tech65 | #1 Kentucky59 | At home |
| 2007 | Indiana71 | #2 Wisconsin66 | At home · Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall · Bloomington, IN |
| 1987 | Michigan100 | #2 Iowa92 | At home · Crisler Arena · Ann Arbor, MI |
| 1980 | UCLA93 | #2 Oregon State67 | At home · Pauley Pavilion · Los Angeles, CA |
| 1970 | Vanderbilt89 | #2 Kentucky81 | At home · Memorial Gymnasium · Nashville, TN |
| 1991 | Michigan State75 | #3 Ohio State61 | At home |
| 1961 | Cincinnati73 | #3 Bradley72 | At home |
| 2004 | Marquette77 | #4 Louisville70 | On the road |
| 1999 | Wake Forest85 | #4 Maryland72 | At home · Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum · Winston-Salem, NC |
| 1998 | Arizona State90 | #4 Stanford87 | On the road · OT · Maples Pavilion · Stanford, CA |
| 2004 | Vanderbilt66 | #5 Kentucky60 | At home · Memorial Gymnasium (TN) · Nashville, TN |
| 2009 | Georgia Tech76 | #6 Wake Forest74 | At home · McCamish Pavilion · Atlanta, GA |
| 2001 | Penn State98 | #6 Illinois95 | At home · OT · Bryce Jordan Center · State College, PA |
| 1980 | Michigan State74 | #6 Ohio State54 | On the road · St. John Arena · Columbus, OH |
ON THIS DAY · January 31PAINT
When the ranked collide
Ranked matchups, highest-ranked team first. Showing 10 of 41.
| Season | Winner | Opponent | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1973 | #2 NC State89 | #3 Maryland78 | At home · Reynolds Coliseum · Raleigh, NC |
| 2015 | #4 Duke69 | #2 Virginia63 | On the road · John Paul Jones Arena · Charlottesville, VA |
| 1987 | #4 Indiana88 | #4 Purdue77 | At home · Assembly Hall · Bloomington, IN |
| 2006 | #1 Connecticut80 | #9 Pittsburgh76 | At home · XL Center · Hartford, CT |
| 2002 | #3 Maryland91 | #8 Virginia87 | On the road · University Hall · Charlottesville, VA |
| 1951 | #7 Kansas State85 | #4 Long Island University65 | At home |
| 1990 | #8 Purdue91 | #4 Michigan73 | On the road · Crisler Arena · Ann Arbor, MI |
| 2023 | #8 Kansas90 | #7 Kansas State78 | At home · Allen Fieldhouse · Lawrence, KS |
| 2004 | #1 Duke82 | #14 Georgia Tech74 | On the road · McCamish Pavilion · Atlanta, GA |
| 1993 | #11 Iowa88 | #5 Michigan80 | At home · Carver–Hawkeye Arena · Iowa City, IA |
ON THIS DAY · January 31PAINT
Down to the wire
Ranked teams. Three points or fewer between them.
| Season | Winner | Opponent | Margin |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1983 | #11 Villanova68 | #15 Georgetown67 | 1 pt |
| 1982 | #18 Wake Forest49 | #12 Arkansas48 | 1 pt |
| 1987 | #11 Georgetown83 | #6 Syracuse81 | 2 pts |
| 2011 | #21 Georgetown62 | #23 Louisville59 | 3 pts |
| 2015 | #10 Louisville78 | #13 North Carolina68 | 10 pts |
ON THIS DAY · January 31PAINT
Top ten. Taken down.
The widest losses by a team ranked in the top ten.
| Season | Winner | Opponent | Margin |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1980 | UCLA93 | #2 Oregon State67 | 26 pts |
| 2001 | #11 Virginia99 | #9 Maryland78 | 21 pts |
| 1980 | Michigan State74 | #6 Ohio State54 | 20 pts |
| 1951 | #7 Kansas State85 | #4 Long Island University65 | 20 pts |
| 1949 | Brigham Young65 | #10 Utah45 | 20 pts |
ON THIS DAY · January 31PAINT
Never count them out
Largest deficits erased, measured from play-by-play. Earliest on file: 2006.
| Season | Winner | Opponent | Trailed by |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | North Carolina A&T67 | Florida A&M65 | Trailed by 24 |
| 2017 | Western Michigan90 | Ohio85 | Trailed by 21 |
| 2013 | Drexel58 | George Mason54 | Trailed by 20 |
| 2013 | Middle Tennessee66 | Florida International64 | Trailed by 20 |
| 2024 | Indiana State78 | Belmont72 | Trailed by 19 |
ON THIS DAY · January 31PAINT
Points on points
The highest combined scores on this date.
| Season | Winner | Opponent | Combined |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1989 | Loyola Marymount181 | U.S. International150 | 331 total pts |
| 1989 | Oral Roberts114 | Lamar109 | 223 total pts |
| 1968 | Niagara116 | Syracuse107 | 223 total pts |
| 1970 | Purdue116 | Michigan103 | 219 total pts |
| 2011 | Norfolk State110 | Coppin State108 | 218 total pts |
ON THIS DAY · January 31PAINT
You had to be there
The biggest crowds, by announced attendance.
| Season | Winner | Opponent | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | #20 Syracuse76 | Virginia Tech64 | 25,862 fans |
| 2012 | #1 Kentucky69 | Tennessee44 | 24,359 fans |
| 2015 | #1 Kentucky70 | Alabama55 | 24,351 fans |
| 2009 | South Carolina78 | #24 Kentucky77 | 24,322 fans |
| 2017 | #8 Kentucky90 | Georgia81 | 23,814 fans |
ON THIS DAY · January 31PAINT
Big nights
The highest-scoring individual games on this date.
| Season | Player | Game | Line |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2002 | Casey Jacobsen | Stanford vs. Arizona State | 49 pts · 2 reb · 2 ast · 6 threes |
| 2019 | Jhivvan Jackson | UTSA vs. Western Kentucky | 46 pts · 1 reb · 3 ast · 8 threes |
| 2019 | Jon Elmore | Marshall vs. UTEP | 44 pts · 7 reb · 2 ast · 7 threes |
| 2009 | Denis Clemente | Kansas State vs. Texas | 44 pts · 3 reb · 3 ast · 6 threes |
| 2000 | Bruce Seals | Manhattan vs. Canisius | 41 pts · 7 reb · 5 ast · 9 threes |