With No. 2 Pittsburgh in town and 30,303 mostly mustachioed and overweight fans in the seats, the Orangemen dumped the Panthers, 67-65, after overcoming a 13-point second-half deficit.

This was 'Cuse hoops as its best. We averaged 29,000 people a game my freshman year, outdrawing the New York Yankees by several thousand, but last year's average gate was only 17,000. What the fuck? Did they stop selling beer in the Carrier Dome? What the hell else do those people have to do? Plow more snow? There's only so many times you can fry up Heid's hot dogs at home while Shania Twain spins on the Radio Shack CD player.

The funny part of the game was how the fans were guilty of premature celebration — twice. Hundreds ran onto the court when the clock ran out, even though it was clear that Pitt had called time with a second remaining. After order was restored and time was put back on the clock, the Panthers connected on an final heave that was after the buzzer, but the officials — with the help of a Jim Boeheim plea — cleared the court again in order to review the play. They correctly ruled the game in favor of SU, and the crowd flooded the court for a third time in one evening.

And then presumably, everyone froze their balls off on the run to Marshall Street, where they packed the bars and threw up in the bathrooms. Ah, memories.

Top Five Carrier Dome Memories:

1. Without question, SU's 16-10 loss to Miami in the final game of the 1992 football season. No. 6 hosting No. 1 with the Big East title on the line and me blowing two boating air horns that could barely be heard over the second-loudest crowd I've ever heard. My acquaintance and All-American Chris Gedney was tackled at the Miami 3 to end a buzzkiller of a game. (I was at the 1986 Mets-Buckner Game 6. The entire stadium shook. It will never be topped.)

2. Kirby Dar-Dar's 95-yard game-opening reverse kickoff return for a TD against Florida in 1991. I didn't see a thing after he hit the 50. He was gone and everyone was jumping on the seats.

3. Seton Hall center Luther Wright trying to dribble over half-court, flubbing it, then bending over to pick the ball up and kicking it out of bounds. I swear that boy was retarded. I almost felt guilty laughing at him.

4. Having front-row center seats half of my senior year. I mean right in the front row and with the half-court line splitting my legs. Aside from the courtside media, I had the best view of the action. The perks of being a four-year season-ticket holder with a small pre-Big East season group.

5. Everything Billy Owens did. He was there for only one of my years, but he was the best SU hoops player I ever saw. No one else was close. Not Lawrence Moten. Not John Wallace. The only players I saw in the Dome who were in his class were Alonzo Mourning and LaPhonso Ellis, both of whom had bodies like gladiators.

Other Sports Links:

Video Game Makers Battle EA Sports for Supremacy — In college, I was so good at these games. Now I'm so bad, and I don't know how I should feel about it.

The Season of the Dick — That's how this site dedicated to Eric Dickerson describes his 1984 season, one of the greatest seasons ever by a running back. I'm not sure which of his seasons would best be described as The Season of the Nuts or The Season of the Scrotum.

Michael Jordan Scores Season-High 45 Points — Gotta hand it to the old man, even though if he tries to sell me another hamburger or sneaker, I'm gonna barf. We forget sometimes that this is a guy whose father was murdered on the side of a road.

Colts K Vanderjagt Calls Out Manning, Dungy — He says the QB's and coach's laid-back demeanors ain't gonna get the job done in the NFL. Might be true, but since when are kickers interviewed about anything?