Walker's dream: Teaming with Melo

So far, it hasn't been a dream season for Kemba Walker and his Connecticut Huskies. But that didn't stop the Bronx-born point guard from indulging in a little fantasy-like thinking as he walked off the floor at Madison Square Garden Tuesday.

Walker had just led UConn to a 97-71 win over DePaul in the opening round of the Big East Tournament, giving the Huskies their first win in the tournament since 2005. As he stood in the tunnels behind the court, Walker said that it is his dream to play on the same team with Knicks forward Carmelo Anthony.

"I think about that all the time," Walker said. "He's my favorite player. I'd love to be on the same floor with him."

It's hard not to get carried away at the thought of a dynamic native New York point guard like Walker being brought along under the wing of veteran Chauncey Billups. The only problem with this, however, is that Walker is projected to be a lottery pick this year and will be long gone once the Knicks are on the board.

So for now, Walker will have to settle for being on the same floor as Anthony, only one day later. Less than 24 hours after the Knicks rolled over Utah, Walker scored 26 points in a thumping of 16th-seeded DePaul.

Connecticut began the season with 10 straight victories before losing its Big East opener to Pittsburgh. The ninth-seeded Huskies, who take on No. 8 Georgetown Wednesday, need a strong showing in the Big East Tournament to get a high seeding in the NCAA Tournament.

Early in the season, Walker was considered the favorite to win Big East Player of the Year. Despite averaging 23.1 points and 4.3 assists, he was beaten out by Notre Dame's Ben Hansbrough.

Walker said before the announcement that he thought that Hansbrough would get the honor, given that he led Notre Dame to a second-place finish in the Big East.

"He really deserves it,'' Walker said. "I'm not disappointed. Teams did a great job of stopping me at times. Guys had their game plans against me. For the most part, I wanted to get coaches' respect and I think that's what I did.''

He definitely has his coach's respect as Jim Calhoun ranks him with the top players he ever has coached.

"I would say he's done more for his team than any other single player in the country,'' Calhoun said. "He's been a special player and a special leader . . . We're going to go as far as he can take us."