ON THIS DAY IN COLLEGE BASKETBALL
December 21.
Different years. Same date. Games worth remembering.
ON THIS DAY · December 21PAINT
Unranked. Unforgettable.
Unranked wins over ranked teams. Best rank beaten first. Showing 14 of 55.
| Season | Winner | Opponent | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | Louisiana State66 | #1 Arizona65 | At home · Pete Maravich Assembly Center · Baton Rouge, LA |
| 1966 | Brigham Young103 | #2 Saint Joseph's83 | At home |
| 1963 | Miami (FL)71 | #2 Duke69 | At home · A |
| 2000 | New Mexico70 | #3 Arizona68 | On the road · McKale Center at ALKEME Arena · Tucson, AZ |
| 1956 | Minnesota90 | #3 Utah77 | Neutral site |
| 2025 | Ohio State85 | #4 Kentucky65 | Neutral site · Madison Square Garden · New York, NY |
| 1992 | Southern California79 | #4 Ohio State77 | At home · Los Angeles, Memorial Sports Arena · Los Angeles, CA |
| 2004 | Nevada75 | #6 Kansas61 | At home · Lawlor Events Center · Reno, NV |
| 1963 | Arizona State71 | #6 Colorado53 | At home |
| 1965 | Kansas71 | #7 St. John's (NY)56 | On the road · Alumni Hall · New York City, NY |
| 1995 | Jacksonville68 | #8 Florida67 | On the road · Exactech Arena at the Stephen C. O'Connell Center · Gainesville, FL |
| 1982 | Kansas State62 | #8 Minnesota52 | At home |
| 1993 | Brigham Young76 | #9 Oklahoma75 | Neutral site |
| 1964 | Butler82 | #9 Toledo61 | At home · Hinkle Fieldhouse · Indianapolis, IN |
ON THIS DAY · December 21PAINT
When the ranked collide
Ranked matchups, highest-ranked team first. Showing 10 of 44.
| Season | Winner | Opponent | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1955 | #1 Kentucky70 | #2 Utah65 | At home |
| 2001 | #3 Stanford84 | #1 Duke83 | At home · Maples Pavilion · Stanford, CA |
| 1966 | #1 Duke100 | #3 Michigan93 | Neutral site · OT · N3 |
| 1956 | #2 NC State95 | #5 Brigham Young81 | At home · Reynolds Coliseum · Raleigh, NC |
| 1964 | #3 Michigan83 | #5 Duke67 | At home · A |
| 1958 | #8 West Virginia75 | #1 North Carolina64 | Neutral site · LEX |
| 1997 | #4 Michigan73 | #6 Arizona71 | Neutral site · OT |
| 1975 | #4 Louisville80 | #6 Marquette69 | On the road · MECCA · Milwaukee, WI |
| 2020 | #5 Ohio State71 | #6 Kentucky65 | Neutral site · T-Mobile Arena · Las Vegas, NV |
| 1957 | #7 Kentucky73 | #4 Southern Methodist67 | At home |
ON THIS DAY · December 21PAINT
Down to the wire
Ranked teams. Three points or fewer between them.
| Season | Winner | Opponent | Margin |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | #18 Villanova56 | #1 Kansas55 | 1 pt |
| 2001 | #3 Stanford84 | #1 Duke83 | 1 pt |
| 1992 | #13 Georgia Tech81 | #8 Kentucky80 | 1 pt |
| 1997 | #4 Michigan73 | #6 Arizona71 | 2 pts |
| 1997 | #18 Louisville91 | #19 Arkansas88 | 3 pts |
ON THIS DAY · December 21PAINT
Top ten. Taken down.
The widest losses by a team ranked in the top ten.
| Season | Winner | Opponent | Margin |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1964 | Butler82 | #9 Toledo61 | 21 pts |
| 2025 | Ohio State85 | #4 Kentucky65 | 20 pts |
| 1966 | Brigham Young103 | #2 Saint Joseph's83 | 20 pts |
| 1958 | #5 Kentucky78 | #10 Minnesota58 | 20 pts |
| 1951 | #7 Long Island University90 | #9 UCLA71 | 19 pts |
ON THIS DAY · December 21PAINT
Never count them out
Largest deficits erased, measured from play-by-play. Earliest on file: 2006.
| Season | Winner | Opponent | Trailed by |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | Cal State Northridge76 | Utah71 | Trailed by 21 |
| 2014 | Northeastern62 | Milwaukee59 | Trailed by 20 |
| 2025 | Manhattan86 | Presbyterian81 | Trailed by 19 |
| 2011 | UAB68 | Virginia Commonwealth65 | Trailed by 19 |
| 2025 | Florida International75 | IU Indy69 | Trailed by 18 |
ON THIS DAY · December 21PAINT
Points on points
The highest combined scores on this date.
| Season | Winner | Opponent | Combined |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1992 | #16 Oklahoma144 | Morgan State81 | 225 total pts |
| 1997 | #17 Xavier113 | Akron111 | 224 total pts |
| 1975 | #11 Memphis111 | Pepperdine108 | 219 total pts |
| 1964 | Michigan State118 | Oklahoma100 | 218 total pts |
| 1988 | Miami (FL)110 | Alabama State107 | 217 total pts |
ON THIS DAY · December 21PAINT
You had to be there
The biggest crowds, by announced attendance.
| Season | Winner | Opponent | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #3 Kentucky88 | Drexel44 | 24,354 fans |
| 2014 | #19 Kentucky93 | Belmont80 | 24,224 fans |
| 2017 | #10 Louisville73 | #6 Kentucky70 | 22,783 fans |
| 2006 | #6 Illinois82 | Missouri50 | 22,153 fans |
| 2003 | #12 Illinois85 | #11 Missouri70 | 22,153 fans |
ON THIS DAY · December 21PAINT
Big nights
The highest-scoring individual games on this date.
| Season | Player | Game | Line |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | Markus Howard | Marquette vs. Buffalo | 45 pts · 5 reb · 4 ast · 9 threes |
| 2017 | Marcus Keene | Central Michigan vs. Montana State | 44 pts · 9 reb · 6 ast · 5 threes |
| 2025 | Cliff Davis | Texas-Rio Grande Valley vs. College Of Biblical Studies | 42 pts · 8 reb · 1 ast · 14 threes |
| 2020 | Jhivvan Jackson | UTSA vs. Illinois State | 41 pts · 5 reb · 2 ast · 5 threes |
| 2014 | Alec Brown | Green Bay vs. Fairfield | 40 pts · 8 reb · 2 ast · 2 threes |