Watched. The. Whole. Thing.
Thank you, Jonny Flynn. The Syracuse guard finally - FINALLY - allows me to get horizontal by taking over in the fifth and sixth overtimes leading Syracuse to a 127-117 win that I won't forget.
This particular couch in Lakeville, Mass., now has a new greatest game witnessed. Previously, it was Boise State over Oklahoma on the Statue of Liberty.
Now it's the Big East Epic.
I'm a Big East epicurean. This is the 30th renewal. I figure I've been an active viewer since 1980. That's 29. I've loved Sleepy Floyd, hated Michael Graham, loathed Rony Seikaly, adored Michael Adams, imitated Ed Pinckney, revered Billy Donovan.
This, though, this reinvents things for me.
I was worried for the refs in this one. These fellas ain't young. Going 94 feet back and forth for almost four hours ain't good for the ticker. Unless the ticker is good.
I'll leave the analysis to college hoop analyzers.
A few quick hit observations.
* The refs put away the whistles at the right moments.
* Jim Calhoun is an absolute chronic whiner. You'd think in the postgame handshake line, he could pause for a second to exchange an arm clench with Jim Boeheim (who was looking for one). Nope. Too distraught.
* Andy Rautins was cold-blooded.
* Good as Jonny Flynn is, and he's good, the best little man on the floor was A.J. Price.
* The great Sean McDonough at one point said that Orange guard Eric Devendorf is the kind of player who keeps both teams in the game. He's right.
* The teams played 30 minutes of overtime. 40 minutes of regulation.
* If I were Syracuse, this win - brilliant as it was - doesn't bode well for the rest of their year. When you accomplish something like this, it takes something out of you mentally and physically. I may be wrong, but replicating this kind of spirit and effort even in the NCAA Tournament, may be hard.
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Drilling deeply into the mantle layer of America's Passion, NBCSports.com's Tom Curran offers up quick hits and insights on all things NFL.
In the words of Howard Cosell: "This wasn't a fight, this was a war." You see: They call The Big East Conference "The Beast" for a reason. And these two teams - they have history. A battle of gladiatorial proportions, the game stopped being a game after the second overtime. From a competition standpoint Syracuse - Connecticut was a fight to the death and for one night, Madison Square Garden became Thunderdome: Two teams enter; One team leaves. If this had been a Final Four game or an NCAA Final this game would rank as one of the greatest ever - Even Attrition gave up on these two teams after the fourth OT! It threw in the towel and left the Garden saying, Does ANYBODY want to win this thing?? In the end as the late great N.Y. Met broadcaster Bob Murphy might say, The Orangemen have won "the damn thing."
This indeed was the greatest war of attrition that I have ever witnessed on a basketball court. I was at the triple overtime in the dome when the Big East was nothing more than Dave Gavitt's dream and I still remember how tried I felt after the game as a spectator, so sleep well Orange. That two generations of Orange players were positively involved in the outcome of these two classics says something about Coach's lifetime love for his school and why we march up the hill 30,000 strong to see games each winter. To paraprase Bobby Kennedy " Now its on to the NCAA's and let's win there". From Pearl to Sherman to Jonni, the tradition continues.
"If I were Syracuse, this win - brilliant as it was - doesn't bode well for the rest of their year. When you accomplish something like this, it takes something out of you mentally and physically."
So, it would have been better for Syracuse to lose the game in regulation? This game probably will cost Syracuse the game against WVU tonight, but it might also help them in the NCAA tourney. They certainly won't be in any closer games in the big dance.
The Cuse is in the house and streakin...
I agree with Don. I dont think Syracuse will have the legs for WVU, but they showed the grit and determination to win this game. They had their heartsbroken when Devendorf's three was overturned. They had to come down to Earth after soaring in the clouds for a few minutes. Then, at the end of the 4th, there was the obvious foul on Harris' put back that wasn't called. Devendorf was on the bench in the final OT after fouling out. They overcame tonight and showed that when their backs are against the wall they can keep fighting and persevere. However, WVU cruised to a victory over Pitt, and Flynn said he couldn't feel his legs and at one point he didn't care who won as long as it was over. I don't think they will have it tonight but then they have a week to rest.