Add February 26, 2022 to the list of historic days in college basketball history.
For the first time in the AP Poll Era (1948–49), each of the top six teams in the AP men’s Top 25 lost on the same day, with No. 23 Saint Mary’s stunning 67–57 win over No. 1 Gonzaga capping an unprecedented day of upsets.
The other five? No. 2 Arizona (at Colorado), No. 3 Auburn (at No. 17 Tennessee), No. 4 Purdue (at Michigan State), No. 5 Kansas (at No. 10 Baylor) and No. 6 Kentucky (at No. 18 Arkansas).
In all, seven top-10 teams lost, including No. 9 Texas Tech (at TCU), setting a record for the most losses by the top 10 on a single day in NCAA history.
Aside from the Gaels’ 10-point victory, only two of those matchups ended with a double-digit margin of victory. The Buffaloes beat the Wildcats, 79–63, for its first win over a top-2 team in 30 years while the reigning NCAA champion Bears toppled the Jayhawks, 80–70.
Meanwhile, the Spartans held off a late Boilermakers rally to win, 68–65; the Volunteers beat the Bruce Pearl’s Tigers, 67–62; and the Razorbacks, powered by JD Notae’s 30 points, beat John Calipari’s Wildcats, 75–73, despite a brilliant 30-point, 18-rebound performance by Oscar Tshiebwe.
In the nightcap, the Zags’ imposing frontcourt duo of Drew Timme and Chet Holmgren combined for just 12 points as the gritty Gaels left University Credit Union Pavillion with an emphatic win and a glorious court-storming to boot.
With so many unpredictable finishes this close to the end of the regular season, college basketball fans could be in for an extra dose of madness when the NCAA Tournament starts on March 15.
