ON THIS DAY IN COLLEGE BASKETBALL
December 4.
Different years. Same date. Games worth remembering.
ON THIS DAY · December 4PAINT
Unranked. Unforgettable.
Unranked wins over ranked teams. Best rank beaten first. Showing 14 of 43.
| Season | Winner | Opponent | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Creighton76 | #1 Kansas63 | At home · CHI Health Center Omaha · Omaha, NE |
| 2014 | North Carolina79 | #1 Michigan State65 | On the road · Breslin Center · East Lansing, MI |
| 1965 | Illinois110 | #2 UCLA83 | At home · Assembly Hall · Champaign, IL |
| 2021 | Marquette67 | #4 Wisconsin65 | At home · Fiserv Forum · Milwaukee, WI |
| 2020 | Purdue69 | #5 Virginia40 | At home · Mackey Arena · West Lafayette, IN |
| 1964 | UTEP75 | #5 Wichita State74 | On the road · University of Wichita Field House · Wichita, KS |
| 2018 | Florida State83 | #6 Florida66 | On the road · Stephen C. O'Connell Center · Gainesville, FL |
| 2023 | Nebraska63 | #7 Creighton53 | On the road · CHI Health Center Omaha · Omaha, Neb. |
| 1983 | Purdue69 | #7 Louisville63 | On the road |
| 1977 | Syracuse76 | #7 Louisville75 | On the road |
| 1981 | Tulsa68 | #8 Louisville60 | At home |
| 1980 | Tennessee97 | #9 St. John's (NY)80 | At home · William B. Stokely Athletics Center · Knoxville, TN |
| 2011 | North Carolina75 | #10 Kentucky73 | At home · Dean E. Smith Center · Chapel Hill, NC |
| 2000 | Wake Forest77 | #10 Temple72 | At home · Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum · Winston-Salem, NC |
ON THIS DAY · December 4PAINT
When the ranked collide
Ranked matchups, highest-ranked team first. Showing 10 of 31.
| Season | Winner | Opponent | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1997 | #1 Kansas72 | #4 Cincinnati65 | Neutral site |
| 1983 | #3 Kentucky93 | #4 Villanova79 | At home · Rupp Arena at Central Bank Center · Lexington, KY |
| 1975 | #3 Indiana74 | #7 Kansas70 | On the road · OT · Allen Fieldhouse · Lawrence, KS |
| 2025 | #9 Duke84 | #2 Auburn78 | At home · Cameron Indoor Stadium · Durham, NC |
| 2025 | #6 Iowa State81 | #5 Marquette70 | At home · Hilton Coliseum · Ames, IA |
| 1992 | #5 North Carolina83 | #6 Seton Hall54 | On the road |
| 2002 | #7 Arizona87 | #5 Illinois82 | At home · McKale Center at ALKEME Arena · Tucson, AZ |
| 2020 | #6 Ohio State74 | #7 North Carolina49 | On the road · Dean E. Smith Center · Chapel Hill, NC |
| 2000 | #4 Arizona88 | #9 Texas81 | On the road · Frank Erwin Center · Austin, TX |
| 2005 | #9 North Carolina91 | #8 Kentucky78 | At home · Dean E. Smith Center · Chapel Hill, NC |
ON THIS DAY · December 4PAINT
Down to the wire
Ranked teams. Three points or fewer between them.
| Season | Winner | Opponent | Margin |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #17 Duke84 | #22 DePaul83 | 1 pt |
| 1990 | #21 Georgia Tech93 | #18 Pittsburgh92 | 1 pt |
| 2000 | #24 Maryland69 | #16 Illinois67 | 2 pts |
| 1977 | #15 Tennessee69 | #20 Charlotte67 | 2 pts |
| 2008 | #2 Memphis62 | #24 Southern California58 | 4 pts |
ON THIS DAY · December 4PAINT
Top ten. Taken down.
The widest losses by a team ranked in the top ten.
| Season | Winner | Opponent | Margin |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | Purdue69 | #5 Virginia40 | 29 pts |
| 1992 | #5 North Carolina83 | #6 Seton Hall54 | 29 pts |
| 1965 | Illinois110 | #2 UCLA83 | 27 pts |
| 2020 | #6 Ohio State74 | #7 North Carolina49 | 25 pts |
| 2018 | Florida State83 | #6 Florida66 | 17 pts |
ON THIS DAY · December 4PAINT
Never count them out
Largest deficits erased, measured from play-by-play. Earliest on file: 2006.
| Season | Winner | Opponent | Trailed by |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | Georgia State83 | Alabama80 | Trailed by 22 |
| 2018 | Ohio State71 | Michigan62 | Trailed by 20 |
| 2013 | Wyoming81 | Illinois State67 | Trailed by 19 |
| 2010 | UC Riverside58 | San Diego55 | Trailed by 19 |
| 2011 | Columbia73 | Stony Brook72 | Trailed by 18 |
ON THIS DAY · December 4PAINT
Points on points
The highest combined scores on this date.
| Season | Winner | Opponent | Combined |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1990 | Bowling Green136 | Siena91 | 227 total pts |
| 1972 | #6 Maryland118 | George Washington96 | 214 total pts |
| 1980 | New Mexico112 | West Texas A&M100 | 212 total pts |
| 2006 | Florida Atlantic107 | Jacksonville104 | 211 total pts |
| 1979 | Baylor109 | North Texas102 | 211 total pts |
ON THIS DAY · December 4PAINT
You had to be there
The biggest crowds, by announced attendance.
| Season | Winner | Opponent | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | #3 Syracuse68 | Colgate55 | 23,342 fans |
| 2011 | #8 Syracuse65 | NC State59 | 22,334 fans |
| 2025 | #10 Alabama94 | #20 North Carolina79 | 21,750 fans |
| 2005 | #9 North Carolina91 | #8 Kentucky78 | 21,750 fans |
| 2013 | Kentucky88 | Samford56 | 21,221 fans |
ON THIS DAY · December 4PAINT
Big nights
The highest-scoring individual games on this date.
| Season | Player | Game | Line |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Dwayne Cohill | Youngstown State vs. Wright State | 43 pts · 4 reb · 2 ast · 6 threes |
| 2006 | Adam Morrison | Gonzaga vs. Washington | 43 pts · 5 reb · 2 ast · 1 threes |
| 2011 | Kevin Winford | Eastern Washington vs. New Hope Christian College | 39 pts · 3 reb · 7 ast · 10 threes |
| 2000 | Keiron Shine | Memphis vs. Miami (FL) | 39 pts · 3 reb · 3 ast · 6 threes |
| 2026 | Peter Bandelj | Cal Poly vs. Cal State Fullerton | 37 pts · 5 reb · 3 ast · 9 threes |