You Orange Going to Believe It

Any basketball game that goes to six overtimes is likely to have its share of "can you believe that?" moments. The UConn-Syracuse quarterfinal last night (and into this morning) at the Big East tournament certainly did. The Huskies and Orange played the second longest game in Division I history, trailing only Cincinnati's seven overtime victory over Bradley, 75-73, in December 1981 (while I haven't seen the box score from that game, I have to believe that part of the reason why that score in seven OT's is so much lower than yesterday's six OT game is because the three-point shot wasn't introduced until the 1986-87 season).

Any game that goes on as long as the UConn-'Cuse game will have its share of shocking numbers, simply because they continue to accumulate throughout the game: points, minutes played, players who fouled out, etc. But the one that really stands out: Syracuse, which won the game 127-117 in the sixth overtime, never led once in any of the first five overtimes. Not for one second. Of course, UConn's inability to score in the waning seconds of a few of the overtimes gave Syracuse that chance, but nonetheless, can you believe that?