St. John’s coach Rick Pitino wanted his Red Storm to close the regular season with the kind of challenge they could expect to face in the NCAA Tournament.

Zuby Ejiofor hit a tiebreaking shot at the buzzer, Kadary Richmond got the first St. John’s triple-double this century and the sixth-ranked Red Storm beat No. 20 Marquette 86-84 in overtime for their sixth consecutive victory.

Michael Jordan gave way to LeBron James in the NBA of the 2000s, just as traditional forms of communication began to yield to the birth and growth of new media.

Fan interaction with the athletes has always been a component of sporting events, whether it’s been the good, the bad or the ugly, to steal the title from the famous western movie of the 1960s.