Most Overtimes For a College Basketball Game

Syracuse's Paul Harris and Connecticut's Jeff Adrien battle for the tip at the start of the sixth period of overtime during a quarterfinal NCAA college basketball game at the Big East men's tournament Thursday, March 12, 2009 at Madison Square Garden in New York. Syracuse won 127-117.
(AP Photo/Julie Jacobson)

The record for most overtimes in a college basketball game is a whopping seven extra periods. 

In 1981 – before the introduction of the shot clock – Bradley and Cincinnati played a 7OT game that ended with a 75-73 win for Cincinnati. 

Because there was no shot clock, both teams used their possessions to play keep-away from the other team for minutes at a time, resulting in 26 total points being scored throughout all seven combined overtime periods.

Since then, Syracuse and UConn played a much more dramatic six-overtime game during the 2009 Big East Tournament. Syracuse won, 127-117. 

Both teams actually had to play offense in those overtimes, which has helped mark it as one of the most epic college games in modern history.

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About the Author Read More @chaseakiddy

Chase Kiddy is a writer for BetMGM and co-host of The Lion's Edge, an NFL and college football podcast available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and everywhere else. He has also written for a number of print and online outlets, including the Richmond Times-Dispatch, Washington Post, Daily News-Record, and HERO Sports. His first novel, Cave Paintings, is in development.

Chase Kiddy is a writer for BetMGM and co-host of The Lion's Edge, an NFL and college football podcast available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and everywhere else. He has also written for a number of print and online outlets, including the Richmond Times-Dispatch, Washington Post, Daily News-Record, and HERO Sports. His first novel, Cave Paintings, is in development.