Syracuse, N.Y. — Anytime a reader submits a question about Syracuse University's basketball team, it automatically becomes important to me because it was important enough for the reader to reach out to me for an answer.

But sometimes a question takes on a little bit more importance.

Such was the case last week when I received a direct message via Twitter from a Syracuse graduate who is now living in the Philadelphia area. His name is Jayson Stark.

Stark is a well-known baseball writer at ESPN.com. Actually, he's more than that. If you've ever heard his appearances on ESPN radio's Mike & Mike in the Morning, you know he makes a habit out of stumping the show's hosts; Mike Greenberg and Mike Golic, with trivia questions. He is ESPN's statistical/historical guru.

And now, he was asking me a question.

Last Tuesday, Syracuse beat Virginia Tech, 68-60, in overtime. The Orange never led during regulation, tying the game twice — at 39-all with 10 minutes left in the game and again at 56 on Michael Gbinije's 3-point shot with 26 seconds remaining.

So Jayson wrote:

"Hey Mike! I have a research project for you for your next mailbag column. Has Syracuse ever won a game where it never led in regulation?''

Talk about throwing down the gauntlet. This was a historical challenge like no other.

It would take almost a week to find the answer. The search went through Syracuse.com's database, Syracuse University's athletic website, the archives of the Syracuse Post-Standard, the Syracuse Herald-American and the Syracuse Herald-Journal with the help of Johnathan Croyle of Syracuse.com's Vintage team. It continued back in time on micro-film images of the Syracuse Herald and the Syracuse Journal prior to their merger.

Pete Moore, Syracuse's director of athletic communications, found some old box scores and game recaps in files from the 1970s and 1960s. Cornell sports information director Jeremy Hartigan found a game story for a 1941 game between SU and Cornell in the Cornell Daily Sun.

Finally, Mary O'Brien, an archives librarian at SU's Bird Library, found the last piece to the puzzle. She found a Daily Orange story about a game between Syracuse and Rochester on Feb. 25, 1922. Syracuse had won 13-12 in overtime. Syracuse, according to the story, took its first lead of the game at 10-9 in the second half on a free throw by George Fisher.

That finished the search and provided an answer to Stark's question.

Syracuse had never won a game in overtime when it never led during regulation until last week's win over Virginia Tech.

The search produced the following nuggets: