Walker's 33 lead UConn to OT win in semi
NEW YORK, NY - MARCH 11: Donnell Beverly #2 and Kemba Walker #15 of the Connecticut Huskies react after a play late in the second half against the Syracuse Orange during the semifinals of the 2011 Big East Men's Basketball Tournament. (March 11, 2011) Credit: Getty Images
The question had been one of fatigue, as in, wouldn't Connecticut be tired, playing its fourth intense postseason game in four days?
The answer was very clear on the Garden floor Friday night: Of course not. Who could get tired of this?
Certainly not Connecticut star guard Kemba Walker, about whom Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim had said, "He could play eight games in a row."
And if that opportunity doesn't present itself, Walker can combine eight games' worth of brilliance into one. He scored 33 points Friday night in another Big East Tournament classic as the Huskies earned a 76-71 overtime semifinal victory over Syracuse -- one day shy of the second anniversary of the teams' six-overtime game.
UConn will face Louisville Saturday night for the title.
"I didn't want it to go into another six overtimes, I'll tell you that," said Walker, who was a freshman back then and struggled. Still, he had shown a flair for seizing the moment, even then. He had grabbed an offensive rebound and scored with 1.1 seconds left in regulation to turn it into a long, long night (won by Syracuse).
These days, Walker can do whatever his team needs whenever it needs it. On Friday, not only did he set a Big East single-season tournament scoring record with 111 points -- believed to be the most ever scored by anyone in any conference tournament -- but the 6-1 guard from the Bronx was the leading rebounder in a tough, physical game with 12.
"He got a lot of long rebounds. He wasn't battling inside, like I was," 6-9 teammate Alex Oriakhi said to loud laughter in the media room afterward.
Connecticut coach Jim Calhoun had a more direct description of Walker: "He's the most valuable player in America, bar none. No one is even close."
A few minutes later, at the same podium, Boeheim said, "He is as good a player as there is in college basketball right now. He made tremendous plays."
The interesting thing about this semifinal was that it wasn't all about Walker. It would have been if Connecticut (25-9) had held on to the six-point lead it had in the final 25.1 seconds of regulation. But Scoop Jardine of Syracuse (26-7) tossed up a desperate three-pointer with 19.2 seconds remaining that happened to bang off the backboard and go in. The score was 68-65.
UConn's Shabazz Napier missed the front end of a one-and-one free-throw opportunity, Jardine swished an open three-pointer with 4.6 seconds left, and it was 68-68. The typically huge and loud Syracuse contingent at the Garden had reason to believe momentum was wearing Orange. Jardine, though, wasn't thinking that way.
"I just tried to give our team a chance to win," he said after his 20-point game. "We didn't come through in overtime."
Walker got the Huskies going in OT, sinking two free throws and making a key stop on Brandon Triche. Then it was freshman Jeremy Lamb -- maybe a Kemba Walker in the making -- who made two big baskets. The second was on a drive with 25.2 seconds left, putting Connecticut ahead 74-71. Jardine missed two three-pointers after that, and the ninth-seeded Huskies were on their way to their fifth game in five days.
Even in AAU ball, Walker never had a schedule like that. "It's tough, but we're ready for the challenge," said the player who wasn't tired of being asked.
