THERE were just 8,407 in the house Thursday night when Ohio State defeated UMass, 92-85, in the NIT final at The Garden.
One stood out, though. A dedicated, old-school UMass fan right behind the Minutemen bench. During TV timeouts, he pulled out what seemed like an old piece of posterboard with three words written on it, in black magic marker:
“Refuse to lose.”
It’s been 12 years, but it’s clear some still remember the magic that John Calipari brought to Amherst. During that memorable 1995-96 season, Calipari led the Minutemen to a 35-2 record and a berth in the Final Four. On the bench, on T-shirts, in the stands and across headlines all season throughout New England, was that simple Calipari theme: “Refuse to lose.”
The Minutemen eventually did go down, though, dropping an 81-74 decision to eventual national-champion Kentucky in the national semifinals at the Meadowlands.
But Calipari has another shot this weekend. And as talented as that UMass crew was, led by Marcus Camby, we believe Memphis gives the former Nets coach a better chance to live up to that motto.
“It’s our time,” Calipari said, when asked this week what he told his troops. “I also talked about they play on a dream team.”
We agree. The Tigers beat four opponents by an average of 15.7 points to get here. They are 37-1. And they have as much talent as anyone still playing.
“Refuse to lose”? “It’s our time”? Pick your phrase. We’ll just pick the Tigers (-2).
North Carolina (-3) over Kansas: Hate to side with the public on this one, and the number might be tough to reach, but in their most difficult, most emotional test, the Tar Heels should be ready for prime time. Plus, they’ve given no notice as to slowing down what appears to be a Monday date with destiny.
tsullivan@nypost.com.