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.

Calipari, Calhoun Deserve the Final Four Praise

It's utterly interesting that John Calipari, with much innocence in life but blamed for a hideous scandal ever since his poor judgment stained a premier university, a school where he installed a winning mentality, is still perceived as a scapegoat in collegiate basketball.

Just as he is the center of hostility of wicked scandals in the NCAA with equal aspects of humiliation and sickness, UConn head coach Jim Calhoun, a household name in the sport, is exactly marred by similar troubles. It's wonderful enough, despite that Calipari was verbally ripped by Bob Knight and criticized harshly by critics for the lack of integrity, to embrace his befitting marriage with the Kentucky Wildcats, a mutual requisite for one of the most demanding programs in the nation.

When the latest installment of fruition allowed the Wildcats to emerge as a renowned program again but is accompanied by turmoil from dirty infractions, leaving trustees and even bewildered recruits in debacles, there's a reason Calipari's triumph is overlooked. However, in reality, when a head coach rebuilds a fine program into usual form, releasing much of the mediocrity in the past that placed a dismal identity on the obscure basketball program in Lexington, then it's appropriate to credit Calipari for Kentucky's profound resurgence -- a recovery strong enough to inspire enthusiastic supporter Ashley Judd in screaming and dressing in 'Cats attire.

As it stands, the Wildcats, in the Final Four after stunning the nation to reach a tremendous level unexpectedly, are no longer battered in a bucket of fried grease. When he accepted his new challenge with a program that demands the emphasis of capturing titles, even before he began recruiting brilliantly and instituting a winning perspective, the Kentucky Fried Calamity had finally melted.

He can basically lure prospects fresh out of high school to commit and play for the University of Kentucky. He can pretty much grab the attention of a one-and-done player by promising him that he'll next year declare for the NBA Draft. You might recall Calipari losing five first-round draft picks last year, but wonderfully so, his team greatly improved and fostered. Not long ago, he was thrilled to have the gifted point guard John Wall and big man DeMarcus Cousins, but relatively speaking, he doesn't miss Wall or Cousins.

He brings his relentless coaching, as a mentor and a father figure, energizing and uplifting his players to perform with perseverance, exertion and consistency. And in the mind of Calipari, a middle-aged and brilliant man of knowing the fundamentals in basketball, he is definitely excelling in his role as head coach and has taken use of his indomitable talent. It happens to be Final Four Saturday, an event overshadowed by the pending actions of recent investigations into NCAA violations, assuming that the New York Times is accurate in unveiling horrendous news on UConn's major infractions case involving Nate Miles, formerly a top recruit for the Huskies.

It couldn't come at a worst time for Calhoun, almost riding off into sunset approaching the end of his accomplished career even if the scandals are overwhelming, to be held liable after Miles told the paper that he "knew" of improper benefits from a booster and twice cheated on standardized tests and classified Calhoun as liar for his alleged false statements. We all know by now that the last thing Calhoun need is additional stress-related troubles when subsequent health issues forced him to take a temporary leave of absence, and while he was an aloof from the game, he dealt with an undisclosed medical issue.

We can only assume, upon hearing the negative baggage these days smearing two standout programs, that FoxSports.com reported correctly in which a former Kentucky and Memphis basketball staff member, Bilal Bately, unlawfully phoned recruits, including former Kentucky dominant big man Cousins. As for Calipari, 52, he is clearly relished in the Kentucky, and in reality, he and Rick Pitino are the lone coaches to take three programs to the Final Four, but infamously Calipari's appearance with Massachusetts in 1996 and Memphis in 2008 were vacated from the record books.

His speeches, spoken in clarity and seriousness, easily have an impact on his players and history in cultivating guards. The most noticeably guard he turned into a convincing player was Derrick Rose, the leading candidate currently for the NBA's MVP award, and he also disciplined and groomed Wall and Tyreke Evans, a point guard who had a spectacular season freshman season under Calipari in Memphis. But the suspicious vibes appear to be disruption in his monstrous season with Kentucky in the Final Four, arriving onto the national scene, this time with the emergence of guard Brandon Knight when he has clearly found a rhythm in his sensational run in the tourney.

It's simply Calipari, following his normal theory, the traditional pursuit in March prepared to meet Connecticut, another program marred in chaos with allegations denting the romantic success. When it seems like Calipari assembles his team with All-Americans, mostly the one-and-done athletes until the NBA constitutes a rule not allowing players to jump to the pros after one season in college, he is harshly bashed even if a corroded system poorly mishandles the disoriented formula, recruiting talented players before leaving at the end of their freshman season.

"I don't like the one-and-done rule," Calipari said. "Never have. But my choice is to recruit players who aren't good enough? I'm not doing that. My other option is to recruit the best players we have, the best students we have, and then coach them and get them to believe in themselves, get them to reach their dreams. If that is done after a year, then I'll deal with it."


Bashed as Calipari has been, it's enough to quiet down his critics and, after all, earn regards by lifting a program from melancholy to gratification for riding to the Final Four surprisingly, the latest rejuvenation that places Kentucky in good position to win a national championship in the end. For the other name heard heavily, Calhoun has been hit with a punishment, now that UConn is falling from grace being in shambles. And with Calhoun's failures to follow the basic principles of compliance during recruiting, he was inflicted with a three-game suspension by the NCAA and will be expected to serve next season.

The Bluegrass State is back in full swing, simply because of Calipari's presence, an arrival felt instantly. Once he was hired by Kentucky, Calipari dismissed the notion of tumultuous disappointments within one of the most arrogant programs in college basketball, an athletic department run by AD Mitch Barnhart.

It's possible that Kentucky could be on the way to dynasty in the near future, but even better, this may repair Calipari's image if he wins multiple titles to be recognized in the company of Tubby Smith and Adolph Rupp, one of the most successful coaches in the history of college basketball here in America. It is technically his first Final Four appearance, coming with a school that truly trusted in Calipari's intelligence and disciplinary ways to guide his players down the right path and emphasize the tenor of basketball. Whether he's dancing to his first Final Four, he's dancing happily in Houston.

There is Calhoun. All of this drama is, sadly, smudging the gorgeous and watchful men's basketball tournament, discarding a feel-good story in VCU and Butler. And instead, it's almost bad to hear that Calhoun was stripped of its Sweet 16 run in 1996. And he's certainly fortunate to have the Huskies sensation Kemba Walker, an unstoppable scorer with no conscience and the one player in college basketball that is by far having the greatest season among any other player. Being that he's the most dominant player in America, overpowering and bullying everybody he faces on the court, it takes much of the negative attention off Calhoun.

Sure, it has been a rough season for Calipari and Calhoun, a pair of popular coaches in the game with similar scandals in the way of one goal Saturday night. They'll be trying to produce a win for their team.

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.

Jim Calhoun Is Mockery to Academics, UConn, Kids

Sorry, Jim Calhoun, but you lost me when you clearly waited too long to publicly address and confess to your sins. So there goes Calhoun, wearing his innocent face last Friday afternoon in a speech that sounded contrite when he sent out a powerful message in hopes to escape a two-year scandal over NCAA infractions. I have this peculiar feeling that he's in denial, if nothing else.

He needed to be authentic, not closed-minded or naive about the fact that he committed a rogue misdeed prohibited by NCAA rules. Because he knew if he was ever going to move forward, avoid the inescapable of fraud that disclosed the disingenuousness in college hoops contaminated with toxic by coaches unaware or negligent of a scummy system, he decided to apologize publicly and diminish the guilt.

As we all should notice, regarding the NCAA investigations at UConn after revelations clearly unveiled a man of deceit and malfeasance, much confusion in this case is perplexing. Just recently, the NCAA rendered its verdict and Calhoun was delivered his sanction. Unfair as it is, he was handed a slap on the wrist, cited by the NCAA on Tuesday for declining to forge an atmosphere of compliance within his program, but was suspended for the first three Big East games during the 2011-12 season.

The perception of favoritism in another lousy situation almost tarnished the Huskies, but it is a misguided theory in college hoops. It's simple to postulate, even if UConn was spared a postseason ban, that Calhoun feels stuck in a major sanction, which many of us probably feel he is awarded immunity after infringement to make a mockery of the NCAA and academics.

The turbulence has reached the point in which it can no longer be overlooked, even more so when we live in an age that sleazes and con artists attempt to deceive universities. Yet he wasn't hit with a severe punishment for unlawful recruiting of athletes—the NCAA imposed UConn with scholarship reductions for three academic years, recruiting limitations, permanent disassociation of a booster and three years probation.

"We think the penalty is appropriate," said Dennis Thomas, chairman of the Committee on Infractions. "The head coach should be award, but, also in the same fame, the head coach obviously cannot be aware of everything that goes on within the program. However, the head coach bears that responsibility."

It's an inappropriate penalty.

He seemed much too wary and humiliated in his usual wardrobe, sadly revealing that his days are numbered with the Huskies at a time the program is known as a sham. The real issue is, he's allowed to keep his job obviously, even in a period when the school is mired in shambles. The fact that he's not begging or pleading to save his job remains a mystery because of loopholes within the decrepit formula of collegiate rules, which has not been constituted to inflict harsher penalties.


If ever the Huskies plan to erase the dreadful memories of fraud, the Huskies would have to rid the misery which sadly is Calhoun. It's hard to envision Calhoun, a 68-year-old mentor and ambassador of the university after winning two national titles in his 25 years existence with the Huskies, returning next season when he insisted he had no awareness of sins within the program. And he is obviously wrong to deny that he never knew about the infractions that prompted the NCAA to accuse UConn of eight rule violations.

Once it had all surfaced, essentially he was accused as a notorious sham but never knew about forbidden phone calls and text messages from his assistant coaches to recruits, until the investigation completed. It wasn't a secret shortly after a former team manager Josh Nochimson, now a so-called representative of UConn's athletic interest, helped guide recruit Nate Miles to Connecticut by pampering him with lodging, transportation and meals.

"I am very disappointed with the NCAA's decision in this case," Calhoun said. "My lawyer and I are evaluating my options and will make a decision which way to proceed. In the meantime, I will not make any further statements about the case as our program prepares for what I hope will be an exciting and successful postseason."

As the basketball tournament looms, most importantly, this is the kind of scandal that can rupture a brand name university, this is the kind of scandal that should have penalized the institution for reprehensibly violating NCAA rules with a postseason ban. In addition to the ruination, though Calhoun denied wrongdoings that stained an extolled program, the school evidently learned the basketball staff exchanged more than 1,400 calls and 1,110 text messages with Nochimson between June 2005 and December 2008.

From there, members of the staff even provided 32 impermissible complimentary tickets to individuals responsible for operating activities with prospective student-athletes. Their best player supposedly in the recruiting class that year, Miles, was expelled from UConn in October 2008 without ever playing for the Huskies, and unsurprisingly, they were even sturdy with their current lineup.

It's scary and creepy that UConn is faced in the state of uncertainty for a school that emphasized cleanness and honesty, where, for an athletic program, there seemingly was memorable triumph Calhoun brought with his brilliant philosophy. Once again, in attempt to offer my advice, Calhoun should wisely step down and relieve himself from his duties, taking the greater stance in such a contemptible event after the school imposed sanctions on itself. With that, the university reduced scholarships from 13 to 12 for the 2010-11 and 2011-12 academic years, and placed itself on two-year probation.

"When we submitted our response to the NCAA Committee on Infractions acknowledging violations in the men's basketball program, we immediately self-imposed a series of penalties and corrective measures that are included as part of the NCAA Committee on Infractions report," UConn athletic director Jeffrey Hathaway said. "We are disappointed that the committee determined that additional penalties needed to be imposed."

Yeah, but Calhoun still hasn't stepped down.