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The Biggest Brawls In College Basketball History

Aaron Hager
Updated October 19, 2023 9 items
Voting Rules
Vote up the craziest college basketball melees.

College basketball is a game full of big men playing hard and going all out, which inevitably leads to fights, and some of the biggest NCAA basketball fights have led to suspensions and bans and wild reactions from fans, coaches, players, and the media. College hoops brawls are sometimes a part of the game, as players stand up for themselves and all the hard work they've put in. But no matter what the cause, no one wants to see a wrestling match break out at a basketball game.

Sometimes a sports brawl breaks out between longtime rivals like Kansas and Kansas State, who got into over a perceived show of disrespect late in a blowout win. Other times, melees get started by teammates trying to defend their fellow players, like the Minnesota-Ohio brawl that broke out during a 1972 game. In 2022, Michigan head coach Juwan Howard provoked a brawl after a loss versus Big Ten rival Wisconsin.

So, check out this list of the wildest brawls ever in NCAA basketball. Whether you're looking for a fight from the '80s or you're wondering what led to the college basketball fight last night, take a look at some of the videos below and vote up the craziest fights.

  • 1
    5 votes

    BYU Vs. UTEP

    BYU Vs. UTEP

    Date: February 9, 1985
    Final: UTEP 97 - BYU 86

    In the second half of a late-season matchup between Brigham Young and Texas-El Paso, tensions boiled over, leading to a major brawl among the players. But the person who got the worst of it was probably the referee who took a punch square on the jaw and was knocked to the ground.

  • 2
    13 votes

    Kansas Vs. Kansas State

    Kansas Vs. Kansas State

    Date: January 21, 2020
    Final: Kansas 81 - Kansas State 60

    Late in a blowout, Kansas State's DaJuan Gordon stole the ball and went in for a layup that gets blocked by Kansas' Silvio De Sousa, who then stood over Gordon and taunted him. The action sparked a brawl, and at one point, De Sousa picked up a chair and looked like he was going to swing it before a coach took the chair from him.

  • 3
    8 votes

    Minnesota Vs. Ohio

    Minnesota Vs. Ohio

    Date: January 25, 1972
    Final: Ohio State 50 - Minnesota 44

    A hard foul, a phony hand up, and a knee to the groin were all it took to send this Ohio State-Minnesota game into absolute chaos. With more than 30 seconds still remaining, the Minnesota athletic director announced the game was over because no one could restore order on the court.

  • 4
    6 votes

    Wyoming Vs. New Mexico

    Wyoming Vs. New Mexico
    • Photo:
      • Wyoming

    Date: January 30, 2007
    Final: New Mexico 91 - Wyoming 83

    New Mexico's Jamaal Smith and Wyoming's Brad Jones and Brandon Ewing were the main instigators of an all-out melee between the two squads, with one of Smith's teammates nearly tackling him to try to stop the fight.

  • 5
    9 votes

    Nichols Bisons Vs. Fitchburg State

    Nichols Bisons Vs. Fitchburg State

    Date: November 15, 2018
    Final: Nichols 84, Fitchburg State 75

    Late in the second half of their first game of the season, the Nichols Bisons held a decisive lead over fellow Division III program Fitchburg State. Nichols point guard Nate Tenaglia pulled up for a corner three to extend the Bisons’ lead to 13, but Falcons junior guard Kewan Platt seemingly deliberately elbowed him in the face before he even finished his stroke. After a video of the altercation went viral, Platt was suspended indefinitely and barred from campus.

  • 6
    5 votes

    Xavier Vs. Cincinnati

    Xavier Vs. Cincinnati

    Date: December 10, 2011
    Final: Xavier 76 - Cincinnati 53

    In the final seconds of a blowout win by undefeated Xavier, two opposing players got in each other's faces, another player came up and shoved his opponent to the ground, and the fight was on. Punches were thrown, blood was drawn, and the game was called with 9 seconds still on the clock.