ON THIS DAY IN COLLEGE BASKETBALL
February 21.
Different years. Same date. Games worth remembering.
ON THIS DAY · February 21PAINT
Unranked. Unforgettable.
Unranked wins over ranked teams. Best rank beaten first. Showing 14 of 83.
| Season | Winner | Opponent | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 | NC State86 | #1 North Carolina72 | On the road · Dean E. Smith Student Activities Center · Chapel Hill, NC |
| 1970 | Oregon78 | #1 UCLA65 | At home |
| 1959 | Maryland69 | #1 North Carolina51 | At home |
| 2009 | Texas73 | #2 Oklahoma68 | At home · Frank Erwin Center · Austin, TX |
| 1984 | St. John's (NY)75 | #2 Georgetown71 | On the road |
| 1980 | Iona77 | #2 Louisville60 | At home · John A. Mulcahy Campus Events Center · New Rochelle, NY |
| 1969 | San Jose State73 | #2 Santa Clara69 | At home · San Jose Civic Auditorium · San Jose, CA |
| 1957 | Oklahoma State56 | #2 Kansas54 | At home · Gallagher Hall · Stillwater, OK |
| 2012 | Kansas State78 | #3 Missouri68 | On the road · Mizzou Arena · Columbia, MO |
| 2009 | Maryland88 | #3 North Carolina85 | At home · OT · XFINITY Center · College Park, MD |
| 1990 | NC State76 | #3 Duke71 | At home · Reynolds Coliseum · Raleigh, NC |
| 1956 | Eastern Kentucky86 | #3 Louisville84 | At home · Weaver Health Building · Richmond, KY |
| 2004 | Alabama77 | #4 Mississippi State73 | On the road · Humphrey Coliseum · Starkville, MS |
| 1991 | Iowa80 | #4 Indiana79 | On the road · Assembly Hall · Bloomington, IN |
ON THIS DAY · February 21PAINT
When the ranked collide
Ranked matchups, highest-ranked team first. Showing 10 of 43.
| Season | Winner | Opponent | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | #3 Duke68 | #1 Michigan63 | Neutral site · Capital One Arena · Washington, DC |
| 1959 | #3 Kentucky75 | #2 Auburn56 | At home |
| 2026 | #4 Arizona73 | #2 Houston66 | On the road · Fertitta Center · Houston, TX |
| 1988 | #1 Temple83 | #5 North Carolina66 | On the road · Dean E. Smith Student Activities Center · Chapel Hill, NC |
| 2021 | #3 Michigan92 | #4 Ohio State87 | On the road · Schottenstein Center · Columbus, OH |
| 1987 | #2 Indiana84 | #7 Iowa75 | At home · Assembly Hall · Bloomington, IN |
| 1993 | #4 Arizona70 | #8 Cincinnati60 | Neutral site |
| 1981 | #4 Louisiana State66 | #8 Tennessee65 | On the road · William B. Stokely Athletics Center · Knoxville, TN |
| 1987 | #3 North Carolina96 | #10 Clemson80 | At home · Dean E. Smith Student Activities Center · Chapel Hill, NC |
| 1993 | #1 Indiana93 | #14 Purdue78 | At home · Assembly Hall · Bloomington, IN |
ON THIS DAY · February 21PAINT
Down to the wire
Ranked teams. Three points or fewer between them.
| Season | Winner | Opponent | Margin |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | #18 Notre Dame76 | #10 Boston College75 | 1 pt |
| 1981 | #4 Louisiana State66 | #8 Tennessee65 | 1 pt |
| 2023 | #10 Marquette73 | #19 Creighton71 | 2 pts |
| 1987 | #15 Kansas62 | #20 St. John's (NY)60 | 2 pts |
| 2024 | #13 Alabama98 | #24 Florida93 | 5 pts |
ON THIS DAY · February 21PAINT
Top ten. Taken down.
The widest losses by a team ranked in the top ten.
| Season | Winner | Opponent | Margin |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1979 | Clemson70 | #6 Duke49 | 21 pts |
| 1976 | Oregon65 | #5 UCLA45 | 20 pts |
| 2002 | #20 Southern California77 | #10 Stanford58 | 19 pts |
| 1959 | #3 Kentucky75 | #2 Auburn56 | 19 pts |
| 2012 | Seton Hall73 | #9 Georgetown55 | 18 pts |
ON THIS DAY · February 21PAINT
Never count them out
Largest deficits erased, measured from play-by-play. Earliest on file: 2006.
| Season | Winner | Opponent | Trailed by |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | UCLA95 | #10 Illinois94 | Trailed by 23 |
| 2026 | New Mexico80 | Fresno State78 | Trailed by 22 |
| 2015 | Northwestern State87 | New Orleans84 | Trailed by 21 |
| 2017 | Ball State79 | Eastern Michigan72 | Trailed by 19 |
| 2026 | Southern Mississippi86 | Old Dominion81 | Trailed by 18 |
ON THIS DAY · February 21PAINT
Points on points
The highest combined scores on this date.
| Season | Winner | Opponent | Combined |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1989 | Iona123 | Holy Cross113 | 236 total pts |
| 1987 | #13 Oklahoma133 | Nebraska97 | 230 total pts |
| 2007 | Liberty118 | Virginia Military Institute108 | 226 total pts |
| 1970 | #2 Kentucky121 | Louisiana State105 | 226 total pts |
| 2015 | Virginia Military Institute113 | Western Carolina111 | 224 total pts |
ON THIS DAY · February 21PAINT
You had to be there
The biggest crowds, by announced attendance.
| Season | Winner | Opponent | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | Pittsburgh65 | Syracuse61 | 30,144 fans |
| 2018 | #10 North Carolina78 | Syracuse74 | 27,165 fans |
| 2009 | Kentucky77 | Tennessee58 | 24,394 fans |
| 2026 | #16 North Carolina77 | Syracuse64 | 23,606 fans |
| 2015 | #1 Kentucky110 | Auburn75 | 23,403 fans |
ON THIS DAY · February 21PAINT
Big nights
The highest-scoring individual games on this date.
| Season | Player | Game | Line |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | Julian Eleby | Virginia Military Institute vs. Western Carolina | 43 pts · 7 reb · 4 ast · 8 threes |
| 2012 | Colt Ryan | Evansville vs. Creighton | 43 pts · 6 reb · 4 ast · 4 threes |
| 2015 | James Sinclair | Western Carolina vs. Virginia Military Institute | 40 pts · 9 reb · 5 ast · 4 threes |
| 2007 | Alex McLean | Liberty vs. Virginia Military Institute | 40 pts · 19 reb · 3 ast · 0 threes |
| 2002 | Reggie Borges | Oral Roberts vs. Chicago State | 40 pts · 8 reb · 1 ast · 0 threes |