There's something about No. 34

At the University of Louisville, there is a special magic attached to the Number 34 jersey for the men's basketball team.

Other numbers have a more storied history, to be sure - like Darrell Griffith's No. 35, say, or Wes Unseld's 31.

But don No. 34 as a freshman, and U of L lore gives you a heightened chance of sinking a game-winning jumper for the Cardinals.

It began March 4, 1978, in the old Riverfront Coliseum in Cincinnati. U of L trailed Florida State 93-92 with nine seconds to play in the Metro Conference Tournament championship game when freshman guard Roger Burkman, No. 34, took an inbounds pass and worked his way upcourt.

Burkman, christened "Instant Defense" by Cardinal fans, wasn't the first option on the play, but everyone else was blanketed. He weaved his way upcourt to the left baseline, whirled, and fired an 18-footer as the horn sounded.

BOOM! Nothing but net - the arena erupted, and a Cardinal legend began.

Seven years later, on a January night in Tallahassee, another Cardinal freshman bearing No. 34 stuck a dagger in the heart of the Seminoles. Mike Abram's shot from the right baseline lifted U of L to a 63-62 victory. And again on Feb. 16, 1989, a rookie wearing 34 buried FSU - Everick Sullivan's three-pointer at 0:01 gave the Cards a 78-77 win.

Last night in Milwaukee it happened again.

Jerry Smith, No. 34, a product of nearby Wauwatosa, WI, capped a furious Louisville rally against Marquette with a trey from the right wing as the buzzer sounded. Smith's third triple of the game, all in the final three minutes and change, completed the Cards' comeback from a seven-point deficit and handed the 13th-ranked Golden Eagles a stunning 61-59 loss. The win lifted Louisville into sole possession of third place in the Big East, solidifying the Cards' chances for a first-round bye in the league tournament and enhancing their prospects for an NCAA tourney berth.

But it also added luster to the saga of the magical No. 34.