(See some not-so-great pictures from the game.)

If you had to script Senior Day, it would go something like this:

The Crowd Would Be Hyped: The second-largest crowd to see a college basketball game this season (second only to the record-breaking 33,199 who attended the Carrier Dome on Feb. 5 against Notre Dame) assured Syracuse of leading the nation in average attendance, wresting the crown from Kentucky. (The Wildcats had held that title nine years running after we'd led the previous 11, including my four years as a student.)

See video of packed house chanting "Let's go Orange!" (3.2MB) (Sorry for the shaky camera-work, as well as missing out on the game's loudest moments. But SU alums should experience a warm flashback.)

The Senior Class Would Shine: Three starters — Hakim Warrick, Josh Pace and Craig Forth — played their final home games, and each played fantastic. Warrick, a serious contender for Big East Player of the Year, upped his career-high in scoring for the third time in five games, finishing with 36. He canned 12 of 13 free throws, an Achilles Heel earlier this season. Pace had 11 points, 9 rebounds and 5 assists in his role as guy-who-can-do-absolutely-everything-but-hit-jump-shots. And even Craig Forth pumped in 6 points in 19 minutes, including a late-game alley-oop that brought the house down — simply because the 7-footer sometimes struggles to convert the easy ones.

We'd Get a Blowout: On Senior Day, the crowd's ready and willing to show the love during late-game substitutions. The players make 'em able. And so, with the game out of reach with a couple of minutes left, Jim Boeheim was able to pull out, one-by-one, Pace, Warrick and Forth, respectively, to thunderous ovations. They deserved it. All three are 2003 national champions, and all three will graduate in May.

Teammates, Too, Would Salute The Seniors: Junior Gerry McNamara, our second-leading scorer, took only nine shots to finish with 14 points and 10 assists. With the game's outcome hardly in doubt, G-Mac passed up shot after shot to get the seniors the ball in great position to make plays that would bring the crowd to its feet. And when we rose and cheered the senior slams and jams, we acknowledged Gerry's awareness of the situation. No wonder Boeheim made certain to sub out McNamara by himself so he, too, could receive deserving applause.

The Coach Would Celebrate a Milestone: The win marked No. 700 for Boeheim, a guy who's been on the Syracuse head coach since I was a tyke. No longer viewed as a whiny nerd, he's simply one of the most consistent winners in the history of college basketball. A former Orangemen himself (back when there were Orangemen), Jimmy B. could walk on water in that town. Snow counts, right?

Other Notes From the Weekend:

Wacky Store Names Spotted: Sheetz gasoline, Harlem World (fear of a black restaurant?) and the all-time best, The Donut Connection (Someday we'll find it/The Donut Connection/The crullers, the creamers and me!). Didn't catch the name of the porn shop that advertised on a big outdoor marquee "Paris Hilton DVD Now on Sale!" It wasn't Adult World, familiar to those who've cruised Erie Boulevard. It was in Pennsylvania, but we wondered, "Who's stopping their cars to pay money for that more than a year after everyone else downloaded it for free?"

What Happened to the Bar Scene? On Friday night we went to Lucy's (formerly The Olive and the Orange, formerly Bugsy's) and it was dead. Went to Feagan's, which was also dead, though they still close the night with Frank Sinatra's My Way. Still, I can't remember ever seeing those bars dead on a Friday night.

Student Enthusiasm: Jimmy B. addressed the crowd after win No. 700 and thanked the students for "coming back the last couple of years." They were tremendous, filling the lower section behind the SU basket and never sitting down. Only problem: they chant, to Gary Glitter's Rock 'n' Roll Part II, "You suck! You suck! Go SU! We're gonna kick the shit out of you!" That's pretty pathetic in a town that carries itself with a great deal of class — a lot of SU passion, but not unhealthy obsession. Lots of kids and families who don't benefit from that stuff.

Elsewhere:

• Orange Juice Weblog on the Game
• SU Alum Amy's Take