2009 Connecticut vs. Syracuse men's basketball game
The 2009 Connecticut vs. Syracuse men's basketball game was a quarterfinal game of the 2009 Big East Men's Basketball Tournament between the No. 18 Syracuse Orange and No. 3 Connecticut Huskies. The 2009 UConn–Syracuse basketball game took place on Thursday, March 12, 2009 at Madison Square Garden in New York City, more specifically in Manhattan.
This quarterfinal game of the 2009 Big East Tournament went to six overtimes, resulting in a 127–117 Syracuse victory. The Orange won the game without leading at any time during the first five overtimes. The game began at 9:36p.m. and ended at 1:22a.m. on March 13, 2009, spanning 3 hours and 46 minutes. During the game, 244 total points were scored, 211 field goals were attempted, 93 free throws were attempted, 66 fouls were committed, and eight total players fouled out.
This game was the second-longest in college basketball history and the longest in Big East history. The longest game in college basketball history was the 1981 Cincinnati vs. Bradley game in which Cincinnati beat Bradley 75–73 on December 21, 1981. That game took place before the implementation of the shot clock. Two other men's basketball games that involved teams now in NCAA Division I reached six overtime periods, both occurring in the era before the NCAA officially split into competitive divisions. Niagara defeated Siena 88–81 in 1953, and Minnesota defeated Purdue 59–56 in 1955.
