Thanks for the post Rocco!
That was a very special night for me. I watched the second half and all of the OTs with nycfan and his Dad, who was my professor for three classes at SU. I remember discussing the Devo shot at the buzzer with the professor and we both thought it was good. It seemed that the horn went of a bit late and the shot was good. After seeing the replay, I think the officials got it right.
Sitting on the other side of me was a knowledgeable Seton Hall fan. About four overtimes in he imparted that he was glad that SH was not involved in the game because he wouldn't be able to take the emotional roller coaster. He said that as a hoop fan he was loving it but could not imagine what I must be going through. He was right, a part of me just wanted it to end and another part of me wanted it to keep going. Along the way I got into some trash talking with a jerk in a Uconn Jersey (redundant, I know)and his girl. When the lovely couple left during the sixth overtime, my SH friend laughed and gave me a high five when I wished them a lovely evening.
After the fifth overtime, with what little voice I had left, I said to the professor: Professor, we are going to win this game! They have had us by the throat so many times and let us go...WE ARE GOING TO WIN THIS GAME! About ten seconds later Rautins bombed the trey that put us up for good. Not exactly Joe Namath stuff but I was convinced, for the first time all night, that we were going to walk off the court with the W.
After standing and applauding and appreciating for a few minutes I started for home. As I was walking up the stairs in The Garden my phone buzzed. I got a text from my daughter who is not much of a hoops fan: "I just watched that game, it was awesome!" Knowing that she was watching and thinking about her Dad was the the icing on the proverbial cake.
Finally, I wandered over to the Blarney Rock (force of habit) to find Orange79 and another board member at the door. After exchanging high fives, I imparted that it was my early day at work and that I needed to be in the office by 5:45. As I recall this took place sometime around 1:30 AM. Orange79 turned me towards the subway and told me to go home, which was some of the best advice I have ever received. I was at my post early Friday morning and completed the day's duties but may have taken a cat nap or two at my desk.
It was a great night all the way around.