There are moments in time, moments in sports that we never forget. Moments emblazoned on our hearts and on the consciousness of a community.
For fans who were at Madison Square Garden on Thursday night/Friday morning, the quarterfinal classic between Syracuse and Connecticut was one of those moments. Syracuse prevailed, 127-117, in the longest Big East tournament game ever played and one of the longest college games ever played: a six-overtime marathon.
This was not a classic case of execution ”” five players missed an opportunity to hit a game-winning shot ”” and in terms of an N.C.A.A. tournament berth there really wasn’t much on the line for either team. Instead, it was the game itself, an exhibition of will, emotion and fortitude, that gave the matchup meaning. It reminded us why we continue ”” despite scandals and hypocrisy that so often occupy our attention in sports ”” to embrace games.
Whether it’s Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer playing the Wimbledon final at dusk last summer or the Immaculate Reception by the Steelers’ Franco Harris in 1972, memorialized by a statue of Harris at the Pittsburgh airport, there are unforgettable moments that lift the spirit.