Video: Horrifying Fall By Syracuse's Kristof Ongenaet

Who said basketball wasn't a contact sport? Of course the worst contact is usually with the hardwood. Check out this gruesome crash to the floor by Syracuse forward Kristof Ongenaet in Saturday night's Big East final. Fortunately he got up but no doubt is feeling it today.

After a heroic three games, inclding a total of seven overtime periods, the Orange finally succumbed to Louisville, losing 76-66.

Louisville's first season in the Big East was a galling one for a street-hardened New Yorker like Rick Pitino who learned early that "No Blood, No Foul," was the way the game is played.

The Cardinals, perennial Conference USA powers, had to learn for themselves what playing in a power conference was all about. Pitino would watch with one eye closed as his team got "taken behind the woodshed," as he said on a near nightly basis.

"In Conference USA, if you shot the ball well, you would usually win and you thought you were playing well," Pitino said four years ago. "We have a lot to learn about life in the Big East."

The Cardinals have learned their lessons well. After winning just one game in the Big East Conference Tournament in their first three seasons, Louisville completed a journey from the woodshed to the top of the ladder as it cut down the nets in the Garden with a 76-66 win over Supercuse.

"I love the fact that we did it in the toughest year in the history of the Big East," said Pitino. "To sweep both of those things."

Yes, the Cards (28-5) swept the regular season and conference tournament titles. They are all but guaranteed a No.1 seed in the NCAA tournament. Syracuse (26-9) became the unofficial darlings of this tournament after outlasting Connecticut in an epic six-overtime game on Thursday and needing another overtime to beat West Virginia in the semis.

"The way we played the last two weeks is tremendous for what we can do next week," said 'Cuse coach Jim Boeheim. "We had to start playing better at the St. John's game. We were on the verge of going nowhere."

Syracuse destroyed St. John's 87-58 on Feb. 24 at the Garden and the Orange didn't lose again until last night.

UConn threw six overtimes at the Orange, leaving Paul Harris and Jonny Flynn cramping in their hotel beds until 7 a.m. Friday morning. That night West Va. took Syracuse to another OT.

Meanwhile top-seeded Louisville was going through its half of the bracket like a thoroughbred at Churchill Downs. Syracuse finally wilted in the second half. The fresh-legged Cards went on a 21-5 run to turn a 38-30 halftime deficit into a 51-43 lead with 13:56 left. It was during that run that Syracuse showed the first signs of fatigue.

Despite being on the losing team, Orange point guard Jonny Flynn was voted the tourney's most outstanding player.

No argument here.

Now we move on to March Madness. Let the fun begin.

Instant Classic: Syracuse Beats UConn in 6 OT Epic

This may rank as one of the greatest college basketball games in history.

And I slept through it. For those of us here on the east coast, this game ended at 1:22 am.

It may be topped only by the 1992 Kentucky-Duke game, which was of much greater significance as it was the East Regional Final, and this was merely a Big East quarterfinal game.

Details here.

New York - Syracuse and Connecticut; the Big East's two standard-bearers for the past 20 years, staged a game for the ages on Thursday night and into Friday morning here at Madison Square Garden.

Regulation wasn't enough for these two rivals as they played into overtime and well past midnight in a classic battle.

It took six overtimes; 30 extra minutes of incredible heart-pumping action, before Syracuse finally out-lasted UConn for a 127-117 victory.

Syracuse and UConn played the first triple-overtime game in Big East Tournament history since Syracuse beat Villanova in the 1981 tournament's championship game - and then the Huskies and Orange, including Syracuse junior Andy Rautins whose father, Leo, won that 1981 game with a last-second tip-in, doubled up on that 1981 classic.

"This is the best I've ever seen,'' Big East commissioner Mike Tranghese, who has worked for the conference since its inception in 1979, said. "Nothing comes close.''

Syracuse played from behind in every single overtime except the last one.

When Rautins hit a 3-pointer to give Syracuse a 113-110 lead just 10 seconds into the sixth overtime, it was Syracuse's first lead since the final minute of regulation.

"It was the first tip we got, I think,'' Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim said. "We had Andy coming off that screen and, boom, he made it. That was pretty big.''

Boosted by Rautins' trey, the Orange scored the first eight points of the sixth overtime and held on from there.

The game ended at 1:22 a.m.; nearly four hours after it started. Not a soul had left the Garden. Well, maybe a few who had jobs to go this morning did. The fans that remained stood throughout the third, fourth, fifth and sixth overtimes.

The six-overtime contest was the longest game in Big East Tournament history. The NCAA record for most overtimes is seven, set by Cincinnati and Bradley in the 1981 season.

Syracuse and UConn's six-overtime drama is the longest game in the shot-clock era.

Syracuse guard Jonny Flynn played 67 out of a possible 70 minutes. He finished the game with 34 points and 11 assists. Paul Harris had 29 points and 22 rebounds in 61 minutes.

Tonight I'll at least be awake for the late game when Syracuse takes on West Virginia.

Will they have anything left?