MSG Press Release and Highlight Video
New York - In honor of the 75th Anniversary of College Basketball at Madison Square Garden the "All-Time Top 10 College Basketball Moments at Madison Square Garden" were officially announced Wednesday, Dec. 10. Included on the list at No. 10 was the legendary LIU-Stanford game on Dec. 30, 1946, when the Blackbirds had their then-NCAA record 43-game win streak snapped.
Since hosting its first game on December 29, 1934, generations of college basketball fans have packed "The World's Most Famous Arena," from the old Garden on 8th Avenue to its current location. The memories are countless, not just for the athletes and coaches, but for the fans as well.
Narrowing down the many moments was given to a panel of local basketball insiders, including past and present sports reporters, broadcasters, coaches and game officials. The comprehensive ballot itself highlights the storied history of Madison Square Garden's college basketball tradition.
The Garden began its countdown on Nov. 16 at the Coaches vs. Cancer Tournament and continued revealing each moment in-arena and on ESPN. Below is a list of the "All-Time Top 10 College Basketball Moments at Madison Square Garden".
# 1. CCNY WINS NCAA AND NIT - MARCH 1950
It's rare a college team can captivate a city like New York. City College of New York did on the way to making college basketball history. The Beavers, led by head coach Nat Holman won the NCAA and NIT titles in 1950 at Madison Square Garden, still the only team to get the double, something that can no longer be accomplished.
# 2. SYRACUSE WINS 6-OT THRILLER - MARCH 12, 2009
The sellout crowds at the Big East tournament have come to expect great nights in Madison Square Garden. Nobody ever expected a night like Syracuse's six-overtime win over Connecticut in the 2009 semifinals. The game nearly took 4 hours to complete and at the end the Orange won 127-117 in the longest college basketball game ever played at Madison Square Garden. There weren't many empty seats when the game ended at 1:22 a.m.
# 3. BILL BRADLEY'S 41 POINT EFFORT - DECEMBER 30, 1964
It wasn't quite one against five, but the years have made it Bill Bradley against top-ranked Michigan, featuring Cazzie Russell. There were other Princeton players in that 1964 Holiday Festival semifinal, but the Garden crowd was clearly focused on Bradley. The future U.S. senator totaled 41 points prior to fouling out with 4:37 left and the Tigers led by 12 points. Without Bradley as the focus of its passing offense, Princeton struggled against the more athletic and taller Wolverines, and Michigan advanced to the finals with an 80-78 victory.
# 4. McNAMARA'S BIG EAST HEROICS - MARCH 2006
Some stories stretch believability very thin. Gerry McNamara wrote one of those stories in the 2006 Big East tournament. Madison Square Garden has been home for the Big East Tournament for over 25 years and McNamara's stellar play will go down as one of the best individual performances the famed building has ever seen. Syracuse was the No. 9 seed and the Orange got to New York with its senior point guard stung by local criticism. McNamara knocked that idea down over and over in a four-day performance that ended with a conference title for Syracuse and a place in Garden history for McNamara.
# 5. BERRY'S BLOCK AT THE BUZZER - MARCH 8, 1986
The 1986 Big East tournament championship game still ranks as one of the best ever at Madison Square Garden. Ron Rowan hit a 14-foot jumper with eight seconds to play to give St. John's a 70-69 lead over Syracuse. Everybody expected the Orange to call a timeout. Instead coach Jim Boeheim left the ball in the hands of Dwayne "Pearl" Washington, the rubber-like point guard who had already set a tournament record with 14 assists. With the entire Garden on its feet, Washington drove to the basket and St. John's Walter Berry, the national player of the year who was hardly known for his defense, came across the lane and blocked the shot.
# 6. "BIG 0" 56, SETON HALL 54 - JANUARY 9, 1958
In the days before nationally televised games, the place where players made their impact was Madison Square Garden. To this day, no player has matched the debut of Oscar Robertson. A high school star in his native Indiana, Robertson was a sophomore with a big reputation in the Midwest when Cincinnati faced Seton Hall on Jan. 9, 1958. Robertson scored 56 points, two more than the entire Seton Hall team. The Bearcats won the game 118-54, Robertson won all the hearts of those in the building, going 22 of 32 from the field and 12 of 12 from the free throw line.
# 7. LAPCHICK GOES OUT ON TOP - MARCH 20, 1965
The legendary Joe Lapchick had already announced he would be retiring after the season, capping 20 seasons over two stints that saw St. John's win 334 games. A team that had bounced back from a disappointing end to the regular season was making waves with solid performances in the NIT. The championship game - Lapchick's last win or lose - was against Villanova and Madison Square Garden was packed. St. John's point guard, Jerry Houston went to the free throw line with 7 seconds left making two free throws for the final margin, 55-51. Lapchick was carried off the court, not just by his players but the fans.
# 8. ST. JOHN'S DEFEATS #1 MICHIGAN - JANUARY 2, 1965
Most people thought St. John's didn't have a chance when it faced top-ranked Michigan and Cazzie Russell in the championship game of the annual Holiday Festival. Their thinking looked to be on the money when the Wolverines took a 68-52 lead with 9:35 remaining. No deficit is erased quickly but the Redmen kept chipping away and Kenny McIntyre hit four straight jumpers, the last of which tied the game at 70 with 2:25 to play. St. John's took the lead for good at 74-72 when Jerry Houston drove the baseline with 1:37 left. He added a free throw with 28 seconds remaining that offset a late tip-in by Michigan, the Wolverines' only field goal over the final 10 minutes.
# 9. "THE SWEATER GAME" - FEBRUARY 27, 1985
St. John's Chris Mullin was leading a team of very talented local kids in his senior year and was looking at Patrick Ewing and Georgetown as the roadblock in the conference and the country. The last of their eight regular season meetings was drawing all the attention it deserved with the Redmen ranked No. 1 and the Hoyas No. 2. Before the game St. John's coach Lou Carnesecca was upstaged by his counterpart when John Thompson pulled open his jacket to reveal a T-shirt in the same design as the lucky sweater Carnesecca was wearing during a 19-game winning streak. The move, and the laughs it drew, did a lot to calm down an excited Garden crowd. Georgetown won the game going away, 85-69, to even the regular season series. The teams would meet two more times, the Big East title game and the Final Four, both Hoya victories.
# 10. LIU'S STREAK SNAPPED AT 43 - DECEMBER 30, 1936
It was going to take a special performance to snap Long Island University's 43-game winning streak. Hank Luisetti gave one nobody from the East had ever seen - the one-handed shot. Every teacher of the game taught players to set themselves and shoot the ball with two hands. Luisetti and his Stanford teammates arrived at Madison Square Garden playing at a pace at the time considered frenetic, and shooting the ball not only with one hand but their feet were moving.Luisetti finished with 15 points in Stanford's 45-31 victory that ended what at the time was the longest winning streak in NCAA history. A sellout crowd at the Garden left stunned at the loss and how it happened. College basketball took one of its biggest steps that day. Those on the East Coast realized their style of defense and ball control would have to adapt to the tempo and movement coming from the West.
In addition to the top 10 moments and to further highlight the season-long celebration of the 75th Anniversary, Madison Square Garden has commissioned a commemorative basketball, which will be autographed by every coach whose team will play at The Garden this upcoming season. Fans will also notice 75th Anniversary logos placed on the basketball court throughout the season and special vignettes will be played on Gardenvision during each game. Additionally, a special commemorative 75th anniversary book that highlights the top 10 college basketball moments at Madison Square Garden has been created.
A number of industry leading companies will partner with MSG for the season long celebration of the 75th Anniversary of College Basketball at Madison Square Garden. Delta Air Lines, Aéropostale, Coca-Cola, Cushman & Wakefield, Foot Locker, Optimum and Traveler's Insurance will all receive prominent exposure via MSG's unique array of assets, including digital courtside signage, promotions, Gardenvision and experiential benefits.