6 Biggest Fights in College Basketball History
By Alex Coffman
With adrenaline pumping and tempers rising, normal college basketball games can turn from beautiful ball movement to MMA octagons at the drop of a hat.
These college kids are fighting to make a name for themselves every time they step on the court, so it is no surprise when they defend their honor after being stepped on, humiliated or badmouthed. There is no short record of these incidents, either, as over the years, some of basketball's best brawls have come from college coliseums. Kansas vs. K-State on Tuesday is just the latest example, but we've been gifted with plenty of wild ones across the decades.
6. BYU vs UTEP, 1985
Feb. 9, 1985 marked an altercation that entered the college basketball fight canon. UTEP are no strangers to fights over the years, and after they sent a BYU player to the line on this fateful day, the court broke out into chaos. Kent Lockhart seemed to be the spark that sent the coaches flying into the fray, but at that point, it didn't matter who started the fight. It mattered who ended it.
5. Utah Valley State vs New Mexico State, 2014
In 2014, after a brutal loss in overtime, New Mexico State's Ross Miller chucked the ball right past the legs of two Utah Valley players, causing a few of the others away from the scene to start a frenzy as Utah Valley fans flooded the hardwood. Fans were throwing punches in protection of their players, players were being pushed around and grabbed by coaches, and fans continued to heckle their opposition as everyone dispersed from the middle of the court.
4. Wyoming vs New Mexico, 2005
Started under the basket, the 2005 altercation between the Lobos and the Cowboys broke out because of a tumble and knee. A loose rebound left Wyoming forward Brandon Ewing to push New Mexico's PG Jamal Smith on the ground, and while trying to get up, Wyoming's Brad Jones entered and kneed the New Mexico point guard in the ribcage. This led to all 10 players on the court huddling under the rim to give each other a piece of their minds.
3. Louisville vs South Carolina, 1988
South Carolina was comfortably beating Louisville when the Gamecocks' Darryl Martin landed a right jab to the nose of the Cardinals' LaBradford Smith. Smith didn't react too much, but one of his teammates away from the tussle started a melee with the opposition, leading to coaches and players flooding to the scene. As the fight wound down, Pervis Ellison and Kenny Payne tried to jump the scorer's table to chase another South Carolina player, allowing the fight to linger just a bit longer.
2. Xavier vs Cincinnati, 2011
A fight that led to eight suspensions with a total of 30 games to serve between the two teams, this battle was thrilling and also scary to watch. As the clock wound down, with Xavier winning by 23 points, two players got in each others' faces, and eventually found themselves on the ground. The benches cleared and the brawl dragged on as punches were thrown from multiple players on both teams. Cincinnati's Yancy Gates, Cheikh Mbodj, and Octavius Ellis were suspended for six games a piece, as guard Ge'Lawn Guyn got a one-game suspension as well. Xavier's Dez Wells and Landen Amos served four-game suspensions, while Mark Lyons and Tu Holloway both served lesser suspensions.
1. Kansas vs Kansas State, 2020
It might be recency bias talking, but the Kansas-Kansas State fight will surely go down in college basketball history. A blocked shot by Kansas forward Silvio De Sousa to end the game led to Kansas State's bench running out to De Sousa as he stood over DaJuan Gordon. It got uglier and uglier as the fight moved to past the basket and into the edge of the crowd. The fight went on for almost five minutes before everyone went back to their locker rooms, still full of rage for their cross-state rivals.