ON THIS DAY IN COLLEGE BASKETBALL
March 26.
Different years. Same date. Games worth remembering.
ON THIS DAY · March 26PAINT
Unranked. Unforgettable.
Unranked wins over ranked teams. Best rank beaten first.
| Season | Winner | Opponent | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | George Mason86 | #2 Connecticut84 | Neutral site · OT · Capital One Arena · Washington, DC |
| 1993 | Temple67 | #8 Vanderbilt59 | Neutral site |
| 2004 | Xavier79 | #12 Texas71 | Neutral site · Georgia Dome · Atlanta, GA |
| 2026 | Iowa77 | #15 Nebraska71 | Neutral site · Toyota Center (Houston) · Houston, TX |
| 2011 | Butler74 | #15 Florida71 | Neutral site · OT · Smoothie King Center · New Orleans, LA |
| 2000 | North Carolina59 | #18 Tulsa55 | Neutral site |
| 2017 | South Carolina77 | #20 Florida70 | Neutral site · Madison Square Garden · New York, NY |
ON THIS DAY · March 26PAINT
When the ranked collide
Ranked matchups, highest-ranked team first. Showing 10 of 43.
| Season | Winner | Opponent | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1949 | #1 Kentucky46 | #2 Oklahoma State36 | Neutral site · Seattle |
| 1979 | #3 Michigan State75 | #1 Indiana State64 | Neutral site · Salt |
| 1988 | #5 Duke63 | #1 Temple53 | Neutral site |
| 2016 | #6 Villanova64 | #1 Kansas59 | Neutral site · KFC Yum! Center · Louisville, KY |
| 1994 | #6 Duke69 | #3 Purdue60 | Neutral site |
| 1977 | #5 North Carolina84 | #4 Nevada-Las Vegas83 | Neutral site · ATL |
| 2005 | #1 Illinois90 | #9 Arizona89 | Neutral site · OT · Allstate Arena · Rosemont, IL |
| 1989 | #3 Illinois89 | #7 Syracuse86 | Neutral site |
| 1973 | #6 Indiana97 | #4 Providence79 | Neutral site |
| 2017 | #6 North Carolina75 | #5 Kentucky73 | Neutral site · FedExForum · Memphis, TN |
ON THIS DAY · March 26PAINT
Down to the wire
Ranked teams. Three points or fewer between them.
| Season | Winner | Opponent | Margin |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | #1 Illinois90 | #9 Arizona89 | 1 pt |
| 1983 | #16 NC State63 | #4 Virginia62 | 1 pt |
| 1977 | #5 North Carolina84 | #4 Nevada-Las Vegas83 | 1 pt |
| 2017 | #6 North Carolina75 | #5 Kentucky73 | 2 pts |
| 2011 | #9 Connecticut65 | #17 Arizona63 | 2 pts |
ON THIS DAY · March 26PAINT
Top ten. Taken down.
The widest losses by a team ranked in the top ten.
| Season | Winner | Opponent | Margin |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | #11 Villanova77 | #6 Duke54 | 23 pts |
| 1994 | #9 Arizona92 | #5 Missouri72 | 20 pts |
| 1973 | #6 Indiana97 | #4 Providence79 | 18 pts |
| 1952 | #8 Kansas80 | #10 St. John's (NY)63 | 17 pts |
ON THIS DAY · March 26PAINT
Games for the title
Conference tournament and NCAA Tournament championship games played on this date.
| Season | Winner | Opponent | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1979 | #3 Michigan State75 | #1 Indiana State64 | Neutral site · Salt |
| 1973 | #1 UCLA87 | #12 Memphis66 | Neutral site · Final Four |
| 1952 | #8 Kansas80 | #10 St. John's (NY)63 | Neutral site · Seattle |
| 1949 | #1 Kentucky46 | #2 Oklahoma State36 | Neutral site · Seattle |
| 1946 | Oklahoma State43 | North Carolina40 | Neutral site · New |
ON THIS DAY · March 26PAINT
Never count them out
Largest deficits erased, measured from play-by-play. Earliest on file: 2006.
| Season | Winner | Opponent | Trailed by |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | Virginia Military Institute92 | Ohio90 | Trailed by 17 |
| 2008 | Bradley96 | Virginia85 | Trailed by 14 |
| 2023 | #16 Miami (FL)88 | #5 Texas81 | Trailed by 13 |
| 2006 | George Mason86 | #2 Connecticut84 | Trailed by 12 |
| 2019 | Hampton73 | Charleston Southern67 | Trailed by 11 |
ON THIS DAY · March 26PAINT
Points on points
The highest combined scores on this date.
| Season | Winner | Opponent | Combined |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | #2 Arizona109 | #14 Arkansas88 | 197 total pts |
| 2009 | #9 Missouri102 | #3 Memphis91 | 193 total pts |
| 1979 | #6 DePaul96 | #14 Pennsylvania93 | 189 total pts |
| 2014 | Virginia Military Institute92 | Ohio90 | 182 total pts |
| 2008 | Bradley96 | Virginia85 | 181 total pts |
ON THIS DAY · March 26PAINT
You had to be there
The biggest crowds, by announced attendance.
| Season | Winner | Opponent | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #3 Duke70 | #10 Purdue57 | 45,505 fans |
| 2004 | #14 Georgia Tech72 | Nevada67 | 30,801 fans |
| 2010 | #13 Michigan State59 | Northern Iowa52 | 26,377 fans |
| 2010 | #15 Tennessee76 | #5 Ohio State73 | 26,377 fans |
| 2004 | #6 Duke72 | #13 Illinois62 | 24,533 fans |
ON THIS DAY · March 26PAINT
Big nights
The highest-scoring individual games on this date.
| Season | Player | Game | Line |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1973 | Bill Walton III | UCLA vs. Memphis | 44 pts · 13 reb |
| 2013 | Colt Ryan | Evansville vs. Canisius | 39 pts · 6 reb · 2 ast · 5 threes |
| 2016 | Buddy Hield | Oklahoma vs. Oregon | 37 pts · 4 reb · 0 ast · 8 threes |
| 2015 | D.J. Balentine | Evansville vs. Louisiana | 35 pts · 4 reb · 5 ast · 4 threes |
| 1979 | Mark Aguirre | DePaul vs. Pennsylvania | 34 pts · 14 reb · 2 ast |