1981 Bradley vs. Cincinnati men's basketball game
Longest men's basketball game in NCAA Division I history
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The 1981 Bradley vs. Cincinnati men's basketball game is the longest NCAA Division I men's basketball game ever played and tied for the most overtime periods, regardless of NCAA classification, with seven.[2] The University of Cincinnati visited Bradley University on December 21, 1981, and defeated them 75–73 after 75 minutes of game time. Little-used bench player Doug Schloemer scored on a 15-foot jump shot with one second remaining to propel the Bearcats to victory.[2]
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| Date | Monday, December 21, 1981 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Venue | Robertson Memorial Field House, Peoria, Illinois | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Attendance | 7,300[1] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
At the end of regulation, which was two 20-minute halves, the score was tied at 61 apiece.[3] Both teams played keep away throughout each overtime period; only once, during the fifth overtime, did a team take more than a two-point lead.[3] In the 35 additional minutes of playing time, Cincinnati only scored 14 more points while Bradley only mustered 12.[4] The shot clock had not yet been introduced in NCAA basketball. Nine players recorded 60 or more minutes of playing time.[2] Two players—Bradley's center Donald Reese and Cincinnati's guard Bobby Austin—each played 73 minutes, jointly setting the NCAA all-time single game minutes played record.[2][5]
Three other times has an NCAA Division I men's basketball game reached six overtime periods: Niagara defeated Siena 88–81 in 1953, Minnesota defeated Purdue 59–56 in 1955, and most recently Syracuse defeated Connecticut 127–117 in 2009.[2]