Madison Square Garden has a capacity of 19,812 when every basketball fanny is crammed into the area. But years from now, when people talk about the epic battle between top-seeded Xavier and No. 5 Providence, there will be thousands more who will claim they were in the building Thursday night.
The BIG EAST Conference semifinal battle between the Musketeers, the third-ranked team in the nation, and the Friars was an instant classic, a heavyweight battle between two teams at the top of their game and one that was far too entertaining to last just 40 minutes.
So the basketball gods willed an overtime session - and the crowd roared its approval.