The Syracuse-Connecticut 2009 BIG EAST Conference Tournament game that lasted six overtimes is a finalist for a 2009 ESPY Award. It is in the "Best Game" category, along with the Federer-Nadal 2008 Wimbledon final and the Pittsburgh-Arizona Super Bowl.
Voting will determine the winner. Fans can cast a vote two ways:
- at www.espys.tv
- via movile phone at www.espn.mobi
Voting runs through 11:59 p.m. ET on July 11.
The epic outing was a quarterfinal matchup in the BIG EAST Tournament and the final game of the night at Madison Square Garden. By the time Syracuse emerged as a 127-117 victor, the two clubs had logged 70 minutes of play, just 10 minutes shy of two complete outings.
Guard Jonny Flynn played 67 out of a possible 70 minutes and finished with 34 points, including a 16-of-16 effort from the free throw line. He added 11 assists and six steals. Forward Paul Harris tallied 29 points and 22 rebounds while logging 56 minutes of court time. Harris was 13-of-14 from the charity stripe. Guards Eric Devendorf and Andy Rautins contributed 22 and 20 points, respectively..
Remarkably, Syracuse went on to win its semifinal matchup before losing to Louisville in the BIG EAST Championship game. Flynn earned the Dave Gavitt Award as the tournament's most outstanding player.
The ESPYs will be televised Sunday, July 19 at 9 p.m. ET on ESPN.
Game Notes:
- The two teams played the longest college basketball game of the shot-clock era and the second-longest on record. Cincinnati and Bradley played a seven-overtime tilt in 1981 and there have been two other six-overtime outings on record -- Minnesota 59, Purdue 56 in 1955 and Niagara 88, Siena 81 in 1953.
- The elapsed time of the game was three hours, 46 minutes. The game began at 9:36 p.m. March 12 and ended at 1:22 a.m. March 13.
- It was the longest game in BIG EAST Championship history and the fifth multiple-OT game in tournament history. The previous long was the 1981 championshp game, when Syracuse defeated Villanova 83-80.
- The combined score of 244 points shattered the previous BIG EAST tournament record of 189 points (Villanova 96, Pittsburgh 93 in 2ot, March 4, 1998).
- Eight players fouled out including the four for Syracuse.