Syracuse vs. Villanova: Boeheimberg Lives!

Pitt broke the attendance record at the Peterson Athletic Center with 12,295 tickets sold. That's really cute.

On the other hand, I'm pretty sure a crowd of 13K wouldn't even pay for the electrical bill at the Dome any given night. We don't get out of bed for anything less than 20K. As for the upcoming game against Villanova, things are looking a lot more like 30K.

We won't break the record of 34,616 we set last year, but thanks to some Long Rangers, the Orange should see the biggest crowd of the season, not just for us but for all of college basketball, when Villanova comes a-callin' this Saturday.

The students are a big part of what drives the excitement and creates the base from which our massive attendance numbers grow. Since the student section seating works on a first-come, first-serve basis, and this will be the hottest ticket of the year, those students are already lined up. Outside. Overnight. In Syracuse, NY. God bless'm.

The devoted fans waiting outside the Dome during the first week of classes brought with them tents, warm sleeping bags and laptops. They'll be staying in shifts throughout the week in pursuit of the best seats.

"As break ended, we kinda looked at nova and we saw the game we had here last year and the attendance they were talking about and we kinda figured we had to get out here as early as we could," said senior Louis Milman.

Louis Milman? I know that guy...

There's a whole bunch of TNIAAM regulars out there taking shifts. You'll want to keep track of their efforts by following the Twitter hashtag #Boeheimburg or keeping an eye on the Otto's Army feed. A the game gets closer, they'll move inside (thank God), the players will undoubtedly stop by to play PS3 with them and they'll be ready to remind Villanova why it's such a horrible idea to play us in the Dome.

There might not be a Gameday appearance or 34,616 or any of that, but Saturday's going to be pretty special nonetheless.