Greatest College Basketball Game. Ever.
I’m prone to hyperbole. And hyperbole in headlines helps bring readers. Was last night’s six overtime marathon between Syracuse and Connecticut the greatest college basketball game ever played? Probably not. But let’s take a closer look: The Stakes This is where this game is lacking. The quarterfinals of the Big East tournament just can’t match the intensity of an NCAA tournament game. In this case
each team was guaranteed a spot in the Big Dance regardless of outcome. For these teams
however
the stakes were high. It’s a pretty intense rivalry and a prime-time game at Madison Square Garden is a big deal for these players. Also
UCONN had lost 4 straight openers in the Big East tourney and wanted this game badly. And Syracuse is working to improve its seeding. It was big to these teams
but hardly matched the stakes of a National Championship game or even a game like Duke-Kentucky in the East Regional Finals of 1992. Quality of Teams UCONN is one of the top 4 teams in the country. They’ve been ranked #1 twice this year and
despite the loss
I think they’ll still be a #1 seed in the NCAA tourney. Syracuse was ranked as high as 8th this year and have already beaten Big 12 champ Kansas
Top 5-ranked Memphis and Florida out of conference. These are two very good teams playing in the nation’s toughest conference. Again
are they Duke and Kentucky from 1992? Not quite. But they can match up with just about anyone in college basketball this season. Historic? That’s where this game has an advantage over most others. Only a 1981 game between Cincinnati and Bradley went longer (7 overtimes)
but the final score in that game was just 75-73 because that was before the shot clock. Two games in the 1950s also went to 6 overtimes. This game is more impressive than any of these because of the shot clock. That entire 7 OT game totaled 148 points. Syracuse and UCONN scored a combined 102 points in overtime alone (and 244 total). The shot clock changes everything. Before the shot clock
teams could rest on offense
milking the clock. Now
teams must continue moving
getting just 35 seconds per possession. This 6 OT game was significantly harder on the players than any previous college basketball game ever played. The Numbers Record for points scored in OT: 56 (Syracuse) Record for total points scored in OT: 102 Minutes played by Johnny Flynn: 67 of a possible 70 Total FGs made-attempted: 82-209 Total FTs made-attempted: 64-93 Players who fould out: 8 (four for each team) Drama This game had it all. UCONN never lead by more than 4 points in regulation. Syracuse lead by 7 points with 4 minutes left
but UCONN came back to tie it with 4 seconds left. Syracuse then hit what appeared to be an amazing buzzer-beating 3 point shot
but after a long review
the refs waved it off. In the first OT
UCONN lead by as many as four but Syracuse tied it on a dunk at the end. In the 2nd OT
UCONN never lead by more than 2 and just missed a half court shot at the buzzer. In the 3rd OT
lead by 6 with must 2 minutes remaining
but Syracuse hit a three pointer with 10 seconds left to tie it up. In the 4th OT
UCONN again never lead by more than 2 points. In the 5th OT
UCONN lead by three
but Syracuse again tied it. In the 6th and final OT
Syracuse took the lead on a three pointer on the opening possession. It was their first lead since regulation. They had played 25 minutes of OT basketball without leading once. But after that three
they never looked back
winning by 10 points. Final Thoughts Is it greatest game ever played? Probably not. The closer you are to the game
the more likely you are to overstate it’s importance. I doubt this game is remembered 15 years from now like the Duke-Kentucky game of 1992. In fact
I’d site two other games involving Syracuse in the last 20 years that are more memorable to me. First
the 1996 game against Georgia in the NCAA tournament that included a buz
zer-beater at the end of regulation to tie it and a John Wallace 3-pointer at the end of OT to win it. And second
the 2003 Finals when Carmelo Anthony lead my Orange to a title over Kansas. It was a great
great game. One I will never forget and one that will stand in the record books for a long time. But it’s not the greatest game ever.
South Carolina poker call to action
I am naturally suspicious of people who use phrases like “call to action.” It’s one of those marketeer phrases that makes me cringe. That said
if you are a South Carolina poker player or one who travels here to play in some of the best home games around
you should be interested in this. Moreover
if you live in Greenville
South Carolina and don’t join me on Monday night
you don’t care about poker and your right to play it. Monday March 30 at 5:30pm
South Carolina Senate President Pro Tem Glenn McConnell will be holding two public hearings on a bill that would legalize home poker games and also expand charity gaming (including charity poker tournaments) in South Carolina. I will be there and you should be
too. Here’s why. Every Monday night I play in the best home game I’ve ever known. The action is great
the location is perfect
and the players are great people. The game has been running for years and shows no signs of dying off. There are games like it all over the state–friendly folks who just want to play cards in a safe environment. Under South Carolina law
local law enforcement could come in at any time and cite every player for violating the state’s gaming law. That we’ve never been raided is no great comfort. Even though this is a friendly game where the only rake goes to pay for drinks and snacks
it is still illegal. And if you think the local constabulary won’t bust a game of this sort
you are sadly mistaken. Last month I covered the trial of five people who were playing in a $20 max-buy no-limit hold’em game in Mt. Pleasant. The max rake on the game was 50 cents and the house owner
according to several people who testified
stopped taking rake the moment he had enough to cover the pizza and beer. The players were put on trial and
despite the magistrate’s obvious distaste for the law
convicted. [See the April issue of Bluff Magazine for my article on the trial.] A few years back
I held what was then my annual Bradoween poker tournament. It was not a huge affair. We had 43 people from around the country in town and crowded into my small house. The buy-in was insignificant and I charged no juice. People from other states laughed at me when I took the buy-in cash to my neighbor’s house and left it there. They laughed harder when I programmed my police scanner to listen for a raid and put a couple friends outside to watch the door. If I had watched myself that day
I might have laughed
too. It was ridiculous. It was a game among friends that wasn’t even charging for the BBQ and sweet tea. Still
if the raid on a similar game in Greer (a nearby suburb) a couple months before was any indication
I stood an uncomfortable chance of getting busted. It had happened to one of my friends just weeks before. He’d been playing in a similar game and had been handcuffed in front of his wife and kids. To people in less-antiquated states
this probably seems inconceivable. The simple fact i this: playing any game with cards or dice in South Carolina (read: Monopoly
bridge
poker
etc) is illegal. President Pro Tempore Glenn F. McConnell
a Republican from Charleston County
wants to change that. His bill would decriminalize social gambling (including poker) in a private homes where no rake is taken. It would also allow for charity poker tournaments for churches and charities like the Lions and Elks Clubs. Opponents of the bill suggest that opening the door to kitchen table poker is the equivalent of opening up the state border to the likes of MGM and Harrah’s casinos. Nothing could be farther from the truth. You can read the full text of the bill HERE. The language is specific
more restrictive than even I would like
and would in no way allow for casinos in the Palmetto State. All of the above is to say nothing of the rampant hypocrisy surrounding the debate. South Carolina is a lottery state. The South Carolina Education Lottery program is lauded by many of the same people who fight against decriminalizing home poker games. It’s nearly impossible to go to a convenience store or turn on a TV without seeing an ad for South Carolina scratch-off tickets or Powerball jackpots. Make no mistake: South Carolina is
in fact
a gambling state
as long as the state is taking the rake. McConnell held a hearing on his bill in Charleston last week. If news reports are to be believed
the pro-poker crowd outnumbered the anti-poker folks by 20-1. The Greenville hearing could be a lot different. The Upstate of South Carolina is a great deal more conservative than the Midlands and Low Country. In the past
I’ve seen giant protests over similar issues. Even the legislators are worried about bringing the issue to Greenville. Said Senator Robert Ford to Charleston poker players
“Y’all get a couple of buses. I’m always afraid of Greenville on these kinds of issues.” It’s my hope that we won’t need Charleston poker players to defend our rights to play in Greenville. I know there are hundreds of poker enthusiasts in the Upstate who care about this issue. The question is
do you care enough to show your support in public? You don’t have to speak. You don’t even have to give your name. You only have to show up. It won’t take but a couple hours out of your day. I know poker is a solitary pursuit
but the battle to legalize it is not. Don’t be the kind of player who complains but does nothing to remedy the situation. If you don’t show up
don’t complain about the law. When you finally have Republicans and Democrats agreeing something needs to be done about the antiquated South Carolina gambling laws
you know it’s time to give just a little bit of yourself. So
you coming? Monday
March 30th 5:30-7:30 pm Greenville County Council Chambers 301 University Ridge Greenville
SC 29601 The South Carolina Poker Players Alliance is trying to get a good idea on who might come. If you’d like to RSVP for the hearing
you can do so HERE. If you have any questions
feel free to leave a comment here or send them to my e-mail address: rapideyereality — @ — gmail dot com
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