ON THIS DAY IN COLLEGE BASKETBALL
December 23.
Different years. Same date. Games worth remembering.
ON THIS DAY · December 23PAINT
Unranked. Unforgettable.
Unranked wins over ranked teams. Best rank beaten first. Showing 14 of 42.
| Season | Winner | Opponent | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1966 | Wyoming99 | #2 Saint Joseph's92 | At home |
| 2015 | Nevada-Las Vegas71 | #3 Arizona67 | At home · Thomas & Mack Center · Las Vegas, NV |
| 1983 | Maryland80 | #3 UCLA79 | At home · 2OT |
| 1962 | Kentucky80 | #4 Kansas State67 | At home |
| 2001 | Texas72 | #5 Illinois64 | At home · Frank Erwin Center · Austin, TX |
| 2000 | Kentucky60 | #5 Michigan State58 | At home · Rupp Arena at Central Bank Center · Lexington, KY |
| 1969 | UTEP71 | #5 New Mexico67 | At home |
| 2018 | New Mexico State63 | #6 Miami (FL)54 | Neutral site · Stan Sheriff Center · Honolulu, HI |
| 2000 | Louisville97 | #6 North Carolina80 | At home |
| 1983 | Washington55 | #6 Missouri48 | At home · Hec Edmundson Pavilion · Seattle, WA |
| 1966 | Utah State97 | #6 Minnesota72 | At home |
| 1953 | St. John's (NY)67 | #6 NC State56 | At home |
| 2018 | UCLA83 | #7 Kentucky75 | Neutral site · Smoothie King Center · New Orleans, LA |
| 2009 | Portland State77 | #7 Gonzaga70 | On the road · McCarthey Athletic Center · Spokane, WA |
ON THIS DAY · December 23PAINT
When the ranked collide
Ranked matchups, highest-ranked team first. Showing 10 of 24.
| Season | Winner | Opponent | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | #5 Florida86 | #3 Ohio State60 | At home · Stephen C. O'Connell Center · Gainesville, FL |
| 1971 | #10 Western Kentucky97 | #4 Jacksonville84 | Neutral site |
| 1951 | #1 Kentucky43 | #13 St. John's (NY)37 | On the road |
| 1960 | #4 California71 | #11 Michigan State60 | At home · Harmon Gym · Berkeley, CA |
| 2024 | #14 Florida Atlantic96 | #4 Arizona95 | Neutral site · 2OT · T-Mobile Arena · Las Vegas, NV |
| 1994 | #5 Kentucky93 | #13 Arizona92 | Neutral site |
| 1951 | #4 Indiana64 | #14 Notre Dame56 | Neutral site · Hinkle Fieldhouse, Indianapolis, IN |
| 1979 | #11 Kentucky94 | #8 Syracuse87 | At home · Rupp Arena at Central Bank Center · Lexington, KY |
| 1953 | #17 Minnesota77 | #2 Illinois73 | At home |
| 2010 | #6 West Virginia76 | #15 Mississippi66 | At home · WVU Coliseum · Morgantown, WV |
ON THIS DAY · December 23PAINT
Down to the wire
Ranked teams. Three points or fewer between them.
| Season | Winner | Opponent | Margin |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | #14 Florida Atlantic96 | #4 Arizona95 | 1 pt |
| 2004 | #21 Illinois71 | #11 Missouri70 | 1 pt |
| 1994 | #5 Kentucky93 | #13 Arizona92 | 1 pt |
| 2001 | #18 Oklahoma88 | #25 Arkansas79 | 9 pts |
ON THIS DAY · December 23PAINT
Top ten. Taken down.
The widest losses by a team ranked in the top ten.
| Season | Winner | Opponent | Margin |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | #5 Florida86 | #3 Ohio State60 | 26 pts |
| 1966 | Utah State97 | #6 Minnesota72 | 25 pts |
| 2000 | Louisville97 | #6 North Carolina80 | 17 pts |
| 1951 | Iowa80 | #9 UCLA63 | 17 pts |
ON THIS DAY · December 23PAINT
Never count them out
Largest deficits erased, measured from play-by-play. Earliest on file: 2006.
| Season | Winner | Opponent | Trailed by |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | San Francisco89 | Pacific76 | Trailed by 19 |
| 2015 | NC State73 | Louisiana Tech65 | Trailed by 18 |
| 2007 | Tennessee111 | Texas105 | Trailed by 17 |
| 2021 | #23 Ohio State80 | #11 Rutgers68 | Trailed by 16 |
| 2012 | Kennesaw State69 | Texas A&M-Corpus Christi65 | Trailed by 16 |
ON THIS DAY · December 23PAINT
Points on points
The highest combined scores on this date.
| Season | Winner | Opponent | Combined |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1990 | #7 Oklahoma136 | Loyola Marymount121 | 257 total pts |
| 1979 | Maryland128 | Canisius103 | 231 total pts |
| 1990 | Louisiana116 | Kentucky113 | 229 total pts |
| 1967 | Wichita State123 | Utah State106 | 229 total pts |
| 1989 | DePaul115 | Loyola Marymount111 | 226 total pts |
ON THIS DAY · December 23PAINT
You had to be there
The biggest crowds, by announced attendance.
| Season | Winner | Opponent | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #3 Kentucky86 | Long Beach State73 | 24,288 fans |
| 2004 | #21 Illinois71 | #11 Missouri70 | 22,153 fans |
| 2012 | #4 Louisville70 | Western Kentucky60 | 22,150 fans |
| 2004 | #2 Kentucky101 | Eastern Kentucky72 | 22,023 fans |
| 2018 | Illinois70 | Missouri64 | 21,289 fans |
ON THIS DAY · December 23PAINT
Big nights
The highest-scoring individual games on this date.
| Season | Player | Game | Line |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1989 | Stanley Brundy | DePaul vs. Loyola Marymount | 47 pts · 20 reb · 0 threes |
| 2022 | Darius McGhee | Liberty vs. Stanford | 41 pts · 3 reb · 3 ast · 7 threes |
| 2016 | Chase Fischer | Brigham Young vs. New Mexico | 41 pts · 5 reb · 4 ast · 9 threes |
| 2016 | Jack Gibbs | Davidson vs. Morehead State | 41 pts · 1 reb · 2 ast · 6 threes |
| 2009 | Alex Ruoff | West Virginia vs. Radford | 38 pts · 8 reb · 1 ast · 9 threes |