Butler vs. Connecticut Makes for David vs. Goliath Showdown

The feverish crowd in Reliant Stadium motioned wildly, as some cried in despair over the agony of defeat in the Final Four. In an appealing tournament that has been a season of thrills, suspense and epic spectacles with all the unpredictability in a peculiar year, we have exactly what America desires to see and brace themselves for on Monday night, a date involving the darlings and a high-profile university -- an engagement involving David vs. Goliath.

As a nation, sitting emotionally in the stands pumped for a dramatic event in Houston, the largest crowd in Final Four history watched on a night that we fell in love again with one of the cutest narratives in sports. So often we venture into a tableau of surrealism in the delirious, insane spring months, a moment when infatuation identifies the wrath of college hoops. Every way, that is, the storyline heard suddenly has created buzz around the nation, as the people are bracing themselves for a mesmerizing clash in the national championship game.

Here in America, where many can stroll to the main entrance of a venue, tell amazing stories and root for the underdogs, the nation loves sleepers, which means the vast majority in the nation will be rooting for Butler. There's no Hoosier sequel for the little guys when technically the Bulldogs have done enough to frighten the world as if Butler is America's storied program, given its historic run last season before falling short to Duke on the national stage in Indianapolis.

The reality is that, even if the losing team can reflect back on the phenomenal run in the tourney by beating elite programs with higher seeds, one in particular being No. 1 Kansas Jayhawks, another spectacular chapter ended so painfully to abolish a miracle unlike ever before. That would be Virginia Commonwealth, a university located in Richmond, Va., in which America became accustomed to as weeks progressed, attached to the beautiful program after stunning and ruining much for populace who filled out brackets without including Butler or VCU in the Final Four.

The dream persists for the UConn Huskies as well, standing strong in the nature of competitive and the Big Dance. But most of our nation is charmed, for the second straight year, by Butler's smoothest run in the tournament, no matter if the Bulldogs have advanced to the national championship game for the second straight season. When a night resembled a Hoosiers sequel, flashing back to the unbelievable ride by Milan for a storybook ending that led to a motion picture on the movie screens, the Bulldogs extended to 10-1 in the last two tourneys.

The program from the Horizon League is a top contender, not a Cinderella story, not the darlings of basketball but the fiercest and most dominant team in the nation. It's a rarity for any team to ultimately duplicate and deliver a repetition of marveled Cinderella stories. But in an NCAA tournament where nothing has gone as planned, with all the surprises and scares, the Bulldogs are elated to be playing in their second consecutive national championship game on Monday, one of the greatest achievements in college basketball history.


It wouldn't be hard to call Butler a name-brand program. And to call them the underdogs is an understatement, even if the nation identifies the Bulldogs as underdogs. There'd be a reason Butler is called the Bulldogs, simply because it's the meanest, scariest and most ferocious basketball school currently with a coach by the name of Brad Stevens, a soon-to-be 34-year-old with an ingenious mind to lead his players on a magical quest. And once again, it is very telling the folks are rallying around the Bulldogs, rooting for the so-called underdogs after they preserved the national spotlight for winning big games with implications.

With every startling victory comes the emergence of a new chapter and scene for the Hoosiers sequel. But now, as the Huskies beat the blossoming Kentucky Wildcats 56-55, Butler will play Connecticut, a premier program with two national titles and four Final Fours, despite the NCAA sanctions that has stained the university's credibility. It wasn't an impeccable scene for Kentucky, one of basketball's storied schools that struggled and faltered on the biggest stage, unable to avoid tumultuous meltdowns or ripen into one of the remarkable programs and instead resembles a hallucination that urge the masses in Lexington to believe in a sudden recovery.

Thus the program is one of the most demanding -- Kentucky places its identity on not only basketball but also John Calipari, a bona fide ambassador who makes the Final Four every spring. While he's normally coaching plenty of studs on his roster because of his brilliant recruiting, an explosive scorer in Brandon Knight and a sturdy center in Josh Harrellson, the Wildcats are still marred by a Kentucky Fried Calamity for dropping the biggest game in Kentucky's first Final Four appearance since 1998.

Trailing by two points with 16.6 seconds left, Calipari rallied his team on the sideline with a timeout, grabbed a board and diagrammed a play that resulted in DeAndre Liggins firing an ill-advised three-point shot. The scheme was poorly executed as the Huskies secured the victory to seek its third title in school history. It's seemingly fine to believe that Butler, given its experience and desire to win it all this season, will be hoisting the prize on Monday night, just as much as it is for UConn.

"I don't think I can possibly explain how much I want to do this," said Butler forward Matt Howard after Butler's 70-62 win over VCU. "The experience of being there, of being so close last year, I just can't explain what this chance means to me."

It's been an unrealistic, bizarre tournament with something ridiculous in every round as the top seeds submerged and stumbled against low seeds, shocking the world and destroying brackets across the nation. Until Saturday night, it seemed that the hottest team scorching the nets were the Rams. The reputation of one of the hottest programs in the country was never projected to be selected into the field of 68 teams, let alone advance past the NCAA's inaugural First Four round as an 11 seed, and Shaka Smart was never expected to create a buzz as the impressive coach to rise immensely.


As Howard of Butler may have just amazed NBA executives and bolstered his NBA status as top NBA prospect, Smart could have forged a lengthy resume for his Career-Builder.com openings in the next few weeks. Most notably, after he has led a team on incredible tourney run that landed VCU in the Final Four, he is the leading candidate for many coaching vacancies in the near future. It would be interesting to see what program interviews and offers him a coaching gig, now that speculations of possible candidates have developed undying debates.

"Butler was the more aggressive team, and that was the biggest difference between this one and the last five," Smart said emotionally. "It has more to do with Butler than with us."

In other words, VCU finally had encountered its match, an opponent much stronger, willed and anxious to win it all. This wasn't the Rams greatest night on the court, once identified as the toughest underdogs in the tourney -- angry that most of the country neglected, disrespected and ridiculed them. This wasn't what was seen against USC, Georgetown, Purdue, Florida State and Kansas. What seemingly was the difference in previous games, of course, was that the Rams could force turnovers and intensify the tempo.

For once, there is a sense the Bulldogs have won it already, simply by their experience, toughness, fierceness and onslaughts to dictate the tempo and pace. As usual, there were the Bulldogs attacking by its usual vicious game plan, disciplined and molded to play like cruel and harmful animals on the court hungry to win a championship finally. Now, in this Final Four, Butler should be the scariest, with sharp teeth and fangs that demands a leash, particularly when Howard is the best scoring threat arguably in the nation.

For instance, such as when he entered with 4:40 left, his defensive presence stopped VCU and slowed its up-tempo style and fiery ball pressure. Although he's a centerpiece for Butler's defensive effort, along with scoring, the best player on the floor Monday night will certainly be Kemba Walker, a surefire first-round pick in the upcoming NBA Draft. However, in many ways, it turns out Butler is well-deserving of being considered a national power in college hoops, after rising to the top and making mark on the national championship scene for the second straight season. This isn't an illusion.

This isn't a fluke. This is real. There were cheers heard from an optimistic Butler crowd as the team's mascot, dressed in a bulldog suit ran wildly around the court. And then, suddenly, even the real bulldog on a leash was seen in midcourt once it ended. Every time the Bulldogs win, and if Jim Nantz, the voice of CBS sports, is calling the game, he makes an effort to bend down and pet the dog.

Everybody by now knows that Stevens is the boy-wonder of college basketball, the guy you can easily mistaken for a 17-year-old teenager fresh out of high school. Also, he gave up his job in pharmaceutical sales to embark on a career in coaching college basketball, where he has produced and been successful in the past two seasons. The rallying cry was heard from the Bulldogs, once a fulfilled night ended so sentimentally. "We're not done yet! Unfinished business, baby!"


It seems the Bulldogs have the right mentality, entering Monday night’s showdown against the Huskies in an attempt to make up for such a devastating heartbreaker a year ago. Shelvin Mack, who scored 24 points on the brightest platform, is an attractive NBA player, a first-round pick with the ability to shoot lights out on any giving night because of his discipline and perseverance as a talented player. More impressively, the man off the bench, Zach Haun, scored all eight of his points in the second half that manipulated the game in Butler's favor.

This season alone, the Bulldogs are the cleverest and peskiest defensive unit, roughly frustrating and neutralizing opponents as VCU fell victim. One win away from making history, and Butler can celebrate in triumph, after coming all so close a year ago. With all things considered, for such a commitment to defense emphasized heavily by Stevens obviously, the Bulldogs can create havoc for UConn. This is by now clearly seen as the greatest game in sports, as it is anticipated to be one of the classic events in ages. The night for Walker wasn't so wonderful in the beginning, for which he seemed a bit sluggish and confused. The night for Walker was jittery, and oddly, he wasn't the star and never had the ball in his hands in the pivotal moments.

There were times, on the night when Kemba struggled to find his rhythm, that the stadium muted and wondered about Walker. It was a combination of fatigued, tiredness and nerves in a game with much on the line. When Kentucky's Darius Miller landed onto Walker's right ankle, scaring the UConn faithful, many of whom held their collective breaths worried about their star player's health status, he grabbed the ankle, walked gingerly and grimaced in pain. He sat briefly and slowly walked back onto the court, and by the end of the game, he had scored 18 points and finished 6-for-15 shooting.

But either way, no doubt, the hero on this night was UConn point guard Shabazz Napier, given much spotlight in the biggest game of his lifetime of the semifinals game. The Huskies led by four points and were trying to clinch it with another shot to extend the lead as time ticked, and then Napier drove through traffic and finished on a reverse layup with 2 minutes left. In another play, Napier tried to slash to the basket prematurely, and the ball dribbled off his foot for a costly turnover when Knight dove on it and Terrence Jones called a timeout.

"I thought Shabazz played great," Calhoun said after Napier finished merely 1-for-7 in shooting.


As a Hall Fame name, Calhoun has risen as a fixture at UConn, and honestly, he never expected much this season from his players and mainly felt his star player Walker was hit with a heavy burden in carrying the Huskies. It's amazing how grueling it has been for Walker, but somehow he has pressed on and been sensational leading the Huskies deep into the tournament. Walker, a superb junior from New York, where he was born and raised playing basketball on the playgrounds in the urban community, is worthy of being defined as America's greatest player after conducting a five-wins-in-five-nights winning streak.

There can only be one legitimate winner and, in a sense, it seems Butler is worthy of a title. After all, we'll weigh in on a classic national championship game, once it's all said and done. How breathtaking it is to witness two powerhouses, as one is portrayed as the underdog, a moment when UConn meets Butler for what could be the basketball game of the ages.

Walker Defines Otherworldly Talent: Huskies On Pace to Cut Down Nets

If March is the month when we have fallen in love with college hoops, when filling out brackets become a common rite, and when we are hypnotized with the infatuation of rooting for the underdog, we can fall in love with Kemba Walker and the UConn Huskies. In another week, of course, Connecticut just might be crowned champs with perennial dominance and natural powers.

Such is Walker, the skilled junior guard who was born and raised to dribble and shoot a Wilson basketball, constantly elevating his ability on the playground. He is, no doubt, the well-known star that natives in Connecticut love to embody, worshipping his finesse and scintillating style as the noble idol in a community where populace adores basketball.

There'd be no reason to ultimately disbelieve or denounce the Huskies given the sudden emergence from a flattered ballplayer, clearly the most popular jock on campus, once and for all, sharpening his draft status to make an effortless transition into the NBA. He is, obviously, a commodity within the NBA, only if he decides to forgo his senior season and declare for the draft.

There's no player having a bigger year, other than Walker, who probably represents the finest, or even the overrated, Big East conference after it wasn't such a splendid season. For now, we are flabbergasted with Walker's remarkably startled effort in such a volatile tournament, where nothing is guaranteed but upsets are meant to ruin our brackets.

Saturday night, that team was Connecticut at the Honda Center, where the Huskies celebrated, exhaled, and felt relieved after Derrick Williams missed three-point attempts that could have won it for Arizona, the near-darlings in the West region. It was close, very close, but Williams, who tried to produce an encore performance and stun the basketball world, missed a three-pointer that he fired strongly. For the Wildcats, a group that had much faith and had been hyped after beating Duke, it was a disadvantage without Williams. This was because he was forced to spend much of the first half on the bench in foul trouble, but he finally proved to be a huge factor in the closing moments.

"We were happy when Derrick Williams went outside," said Calhoun.

His counterpart, Jamelle Horne, missed on a shot attempt following Williams' miss when teammate Kyle Fogg secured the ball on a rebound and handed it off to Horne for a memorable miracle to upset the Huskies. Forgive me for speaking, although Arizona was the cutest team for nationally embarrassing and romping top-seeded Duke in a staggering rout, too highly of the Wildcats. It was knowingly that Arizona wore the glass slipper, sending one of the renowned schools back home distraught and heartbroken for being devoid of defending its title.

So instead of the darlings from the desert, we are intrigued to applaud what could be the best program in America, the imagery of the greatest player in college basketball, the attributes of a resilient and versatile ballplayer, dominating the game like Alaskan huskies rule the frigid wilderness. The magical surge late in the season erased the distasteful reflections of a lingering scandal and instead generated a party for a university that celebrated thrills in a one shining moment, escaping the thoughts of adversity.

Back in the Final Four are the Huskies, and suddenly, UConn delivered with a captivating 65-63 win over Arizona in the West Regional final at the Honda Center. This is the team folks had long forgotten, coached by Jim Calhoun, the much-scrutinized man who has been accused as the villain for allegedly keeping a secret or pretending as if he wasn't aware of the NCAA infractions that ruptured a tattered image of the university and painted a fraudulent portrait.

With every victory, the Huskies, for whatever reason, are the hottest team in the tourney and have attracted the eyes of many, ever since UConn's unthinkable streak that included nine straight wins. This is, by definition, the ones with all the momentum and ooze to shimmer and win it all, two wins away from immortality and cutting down the nets in Houston.

For the time being, on this proudest night, Calhoun climbed the ladder and clipped a piece of the net. It was a grand celebration considering that Calhoun saw his fourth Final Four invite, no matter if the mission is not yet complete. The joy suddenly soaked in for Walker, in which he also climbed the ladder and cut a piece of the net, but nobody was more emotional than his sidekick Jeremy Lamb, who cut down his share of the net. Walker’s performance was a dream come true. He finished with 20 points, along with 12 in the first half as the Huskies took a seven-point lead.

"It's a special feeling, but I didn't do it by myself," said Walker, who should be the national player of the year. "Everybody came in, worked extremely hard, and we did a great job of having great chemistry as a team. It's paying off for us."

Early on, he struggled in a rare shooting drought and misfired on plenty of attempts, missing 5-of-6 three-point attempts. He never rendered signs of fatigue or tiredness and constantly downplayed it, but pressed on and led the Huskies in a surprising season. And as usual, he led UConn to victory with other clutch finish by grabbing a game-changing steal late and drilling the shot that shifted the dynamics, a jumper to give the Huskies a five point edge with 1:13 remaining.

While the Wildcats were in an onslaught and harassed Walker with double teams and pressure, nobody expected Lamb, his reliable sidekick, to score in double digits. If anything, the Wildcats stayed alive when Williams drew a series of fouls, collected rebounds, and jumped for two vicious dunks. When he found a groove, he converted on two free throws with 6:36 left that gave Arizona a 55-52 lead, but suddenly, Lamb capped a scorching run with a steal and a one-handed dunk. Throughout the course of this season, it seems that Lamb has matured, a true freshman proven to be a top player.

But much of the attention centers Walker, the finest player these days, particularly if he will be named Player of the Year. That's what he has meant to his team after meaningful victories, potentially wins leading to the brightest prize at the end. Every way, that is, a casual fan can agree with the assessment that Walker is the brand name for the Madness this season.

Kemba Walker Is the Star of Madness, As Arizona Raises Fear

It was a game of the most magical explanation, to prove that the Big East may just be fortunate to possess the dominant powerhouses in the tournament. The conference needed and, oh, sustained a flawless tale, as we can pencil in third-ranked Connecticut for the Elite Eight.

The bliss emanated in Southern California because the Huskies secured a 74-67 win over San Diego State in the West regional semifinals Thursday night and clinched a Final Four berth, for its fourth appearance to the national setting. What it means is that the Big East remains alive because the Huskies handled the challenge, hustled in critical moments, stole national attention and embraced the stupendous sensibility of representing the top conference in college hoops.

And Jim Calhoun, well, felt relieved when the buzzer sounded in the end of a nerve-racking, tense evening in a neutral site, where seas of red were easily noticed in the stands to support the Aztecs. Less than two minutes left, when freshman Jeremy Lamb heaved and sharply hit a clutch three-pointer, a portion of the crowd screamed in bliss.

It was total dominance in the end, and maybe it was a case of believability for the Big East, a justification of allegiance for a conference hit with a debate on whether or not the Big East deserves adoration. The evolution of Kemba Walker is increasingly growing as azaleas bloom in the spring and raindrops fall. He looks like an NBA-ready star, or a lethal scorer with no conscience. It's a good thing Walker is wearing an UConn uniform, prominently the top candidate to win the Player of the Year award when he has clearly led the Huskies deep into the tourney.

If the Big East bias shriveled, when only nine schools qualified for the Sweet 16, it was mainly because no star player dazzled like Walker persists in generating emotion and warmth. It's too large a school to be ignored, especially when the Huskies feature one of the brightest stars in the game, a proficient kid believed to be projected as an NBA magnet and seemingly a surefire centerpiece for a lackluster franchise in the association. At this moment, individuals are obsessed with Walker's stellar performances, fully mindful of the high-scoring displays he produce regularly.

"I'm just trying to do the best I can do," said Walker after scoring 12 straight points for UConn in the final minutes. "Whether it's scoring, talking, getting their confidence up or giving an assist, I'm just trying to do whatever is possible to enhance this team."

What is very well-known in the NCAA Tournament, witnessing plenty of upsets and obliterated brackets while stuck in the middle of insanity, is the lingering drama, controversy and unpredictability, only to freak out a number of devoted fans. By this time, every season, that is, we fall in love with underdogs and miracles, including newly stars in the beginning to a compelling upstart.

All season long, intrigued with one of the most intense performances in UConn's storied NCAA history books, Walker hypnotized an immense audience, from his memorable impact to lead the Huskies to breathlessly five wins in five days, earning the Big East tournament title. Its apparent Walker, the skilled junior point guard and arguably the great name in the college game, preserves more than mild attention when he easily forged a signature in one of the singular achievements ever done.

While a player of his brand is a rarity in the game these days, almost as much as he and Jimmer Fredette are seemingly the only two unconscious scorers in the college landscape and, as a result, has stolen the spectacle, Walker is a superstar with promise and can very well translate his sterling shooting, relentless crossover dribble, and angles in traffic on the professional level.

For a season of unpredictability and strange events, Walker has stolen the season and somehow carried the Huskies to seven postseason wins in 11 days. That is rare, for one player with plenty of abilities to take over single-handedly as if he's a superhuman with magical powers, to score and mentally and physically dominate at will, without even rendering signs of fatigue.

Given the team's strengths and weaknesses, along with too much youth and a malicious scandal that tattered Calhoun's reputation a bit with the storied university, the Huskies raised curiosity as for whether or not they can shimmer and hoist the trophy. Walker is too nice of a tale, not to earn respect for such a gratifying season. In that sense, out of respect of course, he is evidently the best player in the tourney and shines largely in clutch situations.


So, while it's not known which team is favorable to win the tournament and place an identity, a modest one, on the university, we know Walker is a fierce competitor and scored 36 points but also was alleviated by his swingman Lamb, who had 24 to remove much of the tension off Walker. By the time he was done scoring on three-pointers, layups and midrange jumpers and free throws that intensified the feverish crowd at the Honda Center, he had decided the game for the Huskies and looked over to the press table and pulled his jersey and shock his head.

Walker, a 20-year old who developed his game on the playground and translated his skilled effort in the gym, becoming a local star on the local campus in Storrs, has averaged 24 points a game while leading the nation with six game-winning shots in the final three minutes.

"He makes plays, and I just shake my head," teammate Alex Oriakhi said of Walker. "I ask him how does he do that. He just says it's God-given ability. He couldn't explain what he does. It's really amazing what he does. He's truly something special."

Yes, he certainly is something special.

It just so happens that he plays with versatility and resiliency, schooling players with his trickery and high intelligence on the court every time. There is clearly a legitimate winner, once and for all, to determine who is worthy of the national buzz, which includes the national player of the year. And the award goes to...Walker.

Well, in retrospect, at least he is well-deserving in a tight race with Fredette, despite BYU's drastic fall to Florida in the Sweet 16 Thursday night now eliminated from the brackets. Yet, on a night one of the sweetest stories were in the making had San Diego State won, he began slow and missed his first four shots. This time, he was sluggish in the first half, but adapted to the defensive-minded Aztecs, a team normally exceptional at hindering star players.

The best thing that happened essentially on a spectacular night was Arizona's 93-77 stunner of Duke, an upset we never imagined and had been publicly announced. The best upset so far was a regal institution being victimized by the unforeseen Wildcats, one where the university from the desert made national headlines and publicly were advertised as the Cinderellas of March, where the 'Cats endured an uncontested battle and shockingly conquered ascendancy.

There were smiles on the face of Arizona forward Derrick Williams by the time he walked off the court, thrilled after capping the coolest victory to qualify for the Elite Eight. Williams, in the eyes of many, was the star of the night when he buried a 27-foot jump shot. But in such an emotional game, the Wildcats trailed by six.

And then, suddenly, Arizona as a whole celebrated in staggering triumph and point guard Mo Mo Jones stood at midcourt and slammed the ball. A few minutes afterwards, he pumped his fist and screamed to the heavens, electrified over the stunner of Duke. For whatever reason, the Blue Devils were sluggish, weren't scary, weren't fearful and the seniors with experience seemed vulnerable and exhausted.

Why?

Don't ask.

A storied team with a history of glorious accomplishments, known as the Blue Devils and college basketball's most prominent program, were bullied like a chew toy and had no response for the roaring Wildcats. Expected to sustain back-to-back glory, the Blue Devils had plenty of elements, many of whom returned from last year's national title class and even a freshman phenom who enhanced the notion of back-to-back happiness with the chances of another title. In one game, where Duke completely collapsed and couldn't match the intensity, balance and firepower of the Wildcats, the Blue Devils were not ferocious but hesitant to exploit a game plan on both ends of the floor, and instead, allowed the Wildcats to crush and steamroll them.

"We earned a lot of respect tonight," Williams said.


The basketball world witnessed the biggest underdog prevail on the greatest of all nights, seeing the Wildcats play like terrifying predators with large fangs and claws, enough to inhibit a pretentious school from reaching the grandest stage. By now, of course, Williams is the heavy talk for leading the stronger team to a transcendent level in the tournament, one win away from a Final Four appearance.

Had it not been for the burgeoning sophomore Williams, the Wildcats probably wouldn't have salvaged its season and could have been packing and sent home. The second half turned into a disaster and Mike Krzyzewski, one of the game's legendary coaches, watched from the sideline weary and perplexed as the Wildcats delivered five minutes into the half.

Later in the half, Jones hit a jump shot to tie the score, collected a defensive rebound and suddenly hit a pair of free throws to give Arizona a lead. From there, unbelievably, the lead punctuated and never diminished when the Wildcats extended the lead on Brandon Lavender's dunk to give Arizona an 11-point advantage.

Soon enough, Williams nearly electrified the building on a tomahawk dunk, bringing thousands dressed in seas of read to their feet. It wasn't long before Jordin Mayes missed a three-point attempt, but Jamelle Horne, a senior forward who committed to the program after signing to play for the legendary name Lute Olson, reeled in the rebound and dribbled to finally levitate and nearly behead Kyle Singler with a mean dunk that pretty much decided the outcome.

There was Olson in the stands, witnessing Arizona coach Sean Miller follow his footsteps and simply employ his creations into the modern generation, staring proudly at Arizona's latest restoration and the 'Cats scoring 19 of the next 21 points in the second half.

And while Duke took an early exit, for unexpectedly struggling, the Wildcats played fearlessly and it helped their cause. The immeasurable reliability of Kyle Irving, Duke's freshman guard after coming off the bench, posted 14 first-half points on five of six shooting.

The only thing is that it wasn't enough to overtake the underdogs for which Arizona wore the class slipper and, quite fittingly, forged a transcendent story, just as much as Walker has done for the Huskies.

Kemba Walker Provides Wonderful Feel for Madness with Astonishing Finish

If you discovered or embraced a monumental night on Broadway, a beautiful finish to a feel-good tale, it's because you witnessed an epic conference championship series, one of those unforgettable events of March.

It was an appetizer leading to March Madness, one of the loudest and wildest basketball tournaments in sports, and with the madness ever so closer, we saw what a star from the UConn Huskies is capable of producing to increasingly heighten the intensity and exhilaration.

This was an indicator to specify how virtuous and transcendent Kemba Walker is with madness quickly approaching, albeit the scandal sort of blinded the delightful journey the Huskies are enjoying this season. It's now just a matter of Walker, who is a proficient star destined to lead Connecticut in an ambitious, meaningful NCAA tournament, delivering in the tourney when competition is astounding on the road to the Final Four, on the road to a national title for a school with the notoriety for sensational conquests.

On this night, inside the Madison Square Garden, the world's most famous venue, it happened instantly for Walker earlier in the week at the beginning of the Big East tourney. And then, by the end of an improbable run, he was the most valuable essential for the Huskies' unbelievable 69-66 win to beat Louisville in the Big East championship game Saturday night. The moment would belong to Walker, an extraordinary 6'1" junior guard, for leading the ninth-seeded Huskies to cap arguably the greatest five days a top player and team might have ever witnessed in college basketball.

It's almost as if a dream was impossible, but suddenly turned into reality and spectators were alerted at the Garden as Walker absorbed the spotlight in New York City when it was supposed to acknowledge St. John's recent success. He was, even with hardly any applause in the conference tourney, the reliable star on the hardwood in such a well-respected venue, reinstalling life in the heart and soul of a troubled program.

Andrea Walker watched her son finish the game for the Huskies and exhaled when he jubilated with his teammates on a grand night to win five games in five days, emotionally and physically exhausted. The town belongs to Walker, a kid who was raised in the projects and played on the playgrounds. In early childhood, when he was religiously devoted to the game, he always dreamed of playing in the Garden one day. He was finally given an opportunity to conquer a lifelong ambition and, in the end, his mother breathed and smiled, moved by her son's natural abilities to direct his teammates to a triumphant championship.

"I'm out of words," said Walker, who was fatigued in the end. "I can't describe it. It's just so special but I knew we could do it. I knew it."

Walker is a sensational player and has not finished developing into a stud, but it's precisely elementary to praise him for a breakout season, particularly in the Big East tournament, an event of borderline improbability and unpredictability to urge bracketologists to pencil in UConn as a Final Four favorite.

The optimism is felt and noticed in Storrs, where an ecstatic fan base worships basketball, devoid of a major professional franchise but fortunate to have a top-ranking program known for a successful March nearly each season. It's fine for Jim Calhoun, UConn veteran head coach, to trust in Walker to lead the Huskies to the highest level, charmingly for a chance to embrace grandeur. One of the kind benefits UConn is lucky to comprise of is clearly Walker's presence, a resemblance of Michael Jordan or Kobe Bryant.

While Walker is a clutch performer with a leadership mentality, scoring 19 points and forcing defensive meltdowns to contribute in Connecticut's game-winning shot on Saturday, the Huskies aren't expected to survive a field of 68 teams. But it would be inevitable not to pencil them in as the improbable underdogs when, in all honesty, they can shimmer in the tourney and dazzle with the aid of Walker's amazing creativity, which at times seems more creative than Apple releasing the latest iPods or iPhones.

The Huskies, as the No. 9 seed in the tourney, remained firm and fantastically accomplished a consequential mark that had never been done before, keeping afloat with five wins in five days to attain a major-conference title. It is, however, a journey that began Tuesday with a win over DePaul and resumed Wednesday with a victory over Georgetown. By Thursday, Walker crossed Pittsburgh's Gary McGhee and eventually he was sent to the floor and allowed Walker to nail the game-winning step-back jump shot to beat Pittsburgh, a shot that will eternally feature on flashbacks on five-day activity.

It's now fitting to excel when UConn will be forced to miss out on the first three Big East Conference games next season in the aftermath of the revelations of infamously contemptible infractions. Every single possession, he orchestrated plays unselfishly for his teammates, which he was very unselfish in sharing the ball and created opportunities for himself as well until the game was over. His work ethic, perseverance, creativity and proficiency gloriously shifted the momentum the Huskies' way, not once losing its mojo to outlast every Big East opponent.

At game's end, the Huskies were crowned champions and Calhoun pumped his fist, proud of his team's accomplishments. Bear-hugs were exchanged and every UConn player rallied around the star of the game, Walker. Everybody was celebratory, except Walker, who was celebratory but not as much as his players. He was exhausted, out of breath and seemed ready to hit the bed for a good night's sleep. He walked off the floor slowly to eventually be the athlete every reporter was eager to chat with in the news conference.

"Now that the tournament is over I can tell you that I was definitely tired," said Walker. "With about two minutes left, I was gassed. But I just wanted to win this game so bad that, you know, my heart took over."

It's certainly normal for the finest player in college hoops to be tired when he relatively played with heart and much vitality and posted 26 points in the opening round against DePaul, dropped 28 the following night after pummeling Georgetown and scored 24 points over top-ranked Pittsburgh. And now, he easily shattered the Big East tournament scoring record with a staggering 130 points as UConn defeated four Top 25 teams in five days. It should come as no surprise that he's elevated his candidacy for National Player of the Year honors.

Better yet, it brought national regards to the Huskies, generating premature madness.