Syracuse-UConn: Orange Win in Six Overtimes, Soak in the Meaning of March

After one of the most amazing games in NCAA Basketball history, March Madness is now in full swing with the tournament less than a week away.

March has always been filled with heroic performances, both individually and collectively. Epic games are played that are always remembered for years to come. And once again, this year is no different.

After Mike Singletary's magical performance Wednesday night against Texas A&M, in which Singletary single-handedly brought his team back from a 21 point second half deficit by scoring 29 straight points by himself, we have been graced with even more greatness.

Thursday's play started off with a bang when top seeds around the country fell to lesser teams. Top seeds in the Big XII, Oklahoma and Kansas, both fell early in their conference tourneys at the hands of Oklahoma State and Baylor.

Not to be out done, on the east coast, the Big East was heating up. In Madison Square Garden, possibly the greatest arena there is in sports, Thursday day and night showed why college basketball is possibly the greatest sport of them all.

Pittsburgh, a team on a tear late in the season was pushing for a No. 1 seed come next week. However, the Mountaineers of West Virginia had other plans. Now Pittsburgh will have to wait a week to play again, and West Virginia will play the winner in one of the best college basketball games I have ever witnessed.

A game that lasted 70 minutes, six OTs, and late into the night, up at MSG Friday morning, provided some of the most heart pounding, gut-wrenching plays that a sports fan can watch. A game that included 244 points, six double doubles, 124 rebounds, and a whopping 93 attempted free throws, kept everyone in suspense.

If your a college basketball fan or not, or if your a Syracuse fan or a UConn fan, one has to recognize the greatness that emits from this game.

In an age where this country is at war, and currently in its worst economic crisis since the early 20th century, there are things that make life better.

In an age where sports is questioned in its legitimacy because of steroid use and various cheating scandals, a glimmer of hope shins through.

The kids on both squads for UConn and Syracuse late Thursday night reminded us all why it's so great to be a sports fan. To witness the courage, the heart, and the guts of each one of these athletes almost gives you goosebumps.

To witness the will to win of each of these players, shows why college athletes are the greatest athletes of them all.

Sure athletes get scholarships, and sometimes there are cheating scandals where college recruits get paid sums of money. But no one has ever questioned the way the athletes play the game. College athletes play to win. They don't do it for the money, nor for the spotlight, but rather for a small three letter word that can make your day.

Unfortunately a team eventually loses. Someone must go home, but it's the fight someone puts up when they go down that really makes you feel great to witness some of the things these college athletes do.

So take a step back. Forget about the confusion that this country is currently in, and just for one month, the greatest month of all, watch these kids do heroic things. Relish  the competition that this month brings. Feel the triumph the winner feels, and feel the heartbreak of defeat, and just for one month know what it means to never quit.

This is just conference play folks, the tournament that starts next week should bring more fireworks.