Behold the bouquet of what college basketball can be. Odd numbers, bizarre turns, strange happenings. And that can all be in one night. Wednesday night, for example.
One evening, 12 games, and why the sport is so compelling, because you really have no idea what screwball thing might happen next.
It was the night North Carolina State’s Paul McNeil Jr. went historically ballistic. He had scored only 20 total points in the previous four games, then he turned into Steph Curry, putting up 17 shots from 3-point land, making 11 of them and piling up 47 points in a 108-72 rout of Texas Southern. Made all 12 of his free throws, too. It was the most points in a game for an ACC player in nearly 35 years, and tied the conference mark for most 3-pointers. And he did it in 27 minutes, taking only one shot that wasn’t behind the arc.
WELL DESERVED 👏 pic.twitter.com/rpW9g0MCUX
— NC State Men’s Basketball (@PackMensBball) December 18, 2025
It was the night of Braden Huff’s remarkable stat line for Gonzaga — 26 points, making all 12 shots. Wait a minute, that was just the first half against Campbell. He finished 16 for 18 for 37 points in a 98-70 romp.
It was the night Vanderbilt stayed unbeaten by shooting only 32 percent and committing 20 turnovers. The Commodores survived such sloppiness to defeat Memphis 77-70 in overtime with their lowest shooting percentage in a victory in 11 years. The game was nobody’s idea of artistic — 43 total field goals, 40 turnovers.
It was the night the recent past did not matter when Creighton visited Xavier. Creighton had lost four of six; Xavier had won five in a row. So? The Bluejays showed up and crushed the Musketeers 98-57, the worst home defeat in Xavier’s Cintas Center history. Creighton had 31 assists on 38 baskets.
It was the night the benches were pretty much mute at the South Alabama-ULM game. South Alabama came from 20 points down to win 96-92 in two overtimes. The starters on both teams scored all but seven of those 188 points. That included 38 from South Alabama guard Chaze Harris, an NAIA transfer who did all that without a single 3-pointer. Matter of fact, he hasn’t made one all season. He’s tried only eight.
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It was the night the two neighbors had an uneasy meeting in Charleston. The College of Charleston and The Citadel are barely two miles apart, and Charleston won the rivalry for the 14th time in a row 82-78. The Citadel had to be a tad frustrated. The free throw attempt differential was 41-10.
It was the night Longwood almost made history. The Lancers came in 1-56 all-time against the five power leagues of college basketball. Any win would be monumental and there Longwood was, tied with Wake Forest going into the final minute. Alas, Myles Colvin’s 3-pointer with 49 seconds left ruined the fairy tale.
It was the night Seattle kept the good times going. A free throw with two seconds left sent the Redhawks over UC Davis 79-78 and pushed their record to 9-2. That’s the best start since 1968 for a program that actually once played in the national championship game in 1958.
It was the night Colorado went to 10-1 with an 84-73 victory over Portland State before a crowd of 111. Colorado announced two and a half hours before tip-off the game would be closed to the public due to high winds, power outages, and hazardous road conditions in Boulder. Friends and family only, please. “More like a scrimmage than a basketball game,” Colorado coach Tad Boyle said. It was like a turn-back-the-clock game to the pandemic days.
It was the night the sledding stayed tough for Oregon State. Just five years ago, the Beavers were in the Elite Eight and played Houston to the wire for a shot at the Final Four. Now they’re 6-6 with losses to Evansville, Iona, Massachusetts, California Baptist and Wednesday night, Sam Houston.
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It was the night the box score made no sense at Robert Morris. The Colonials shot only 42 percent, Youngstown State 58 percent. Robert Morris won anyway, 80-77 in overtime.
And it was a night the most discussed basket of the Florida-Saint Francis came with 42 seconds left to make the score 102-59. That was from the Gators’ 7-foot-9 Olivier Rioux. With the dunk, he became the tallest man ever to score in a college basketball game.
One unusual December night in college basketball. Or was it really just business as usual?
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