Times wires
Saturday, March 26, 2011
ANAHEIM, Calif. — With nine pressure-packed victories in 19 days, Connecticut has been on an exhausting sprint through the postseason.
Turns out Kemba Walker and his Huskies aren't slowing down until they get to Houston.
Walker had 20 points, freshman Jeremy Lamb added 19 and Connecticut earned its second Final Four berth in three years, beating Arizona 65-63 Saturday to win the West Region.
Derrick Williams and Jamelle Horne missed 3-pointers in the final seconds for Arizona, allowing the third-seeded Huskies (30-9) to hang on after Lamb scored six key points down the stretch.
After missing the NCAA Tournament entirely last year, coach Jim Calhoun's team is headed to its fourth Final Four, punctuated by an ebullient celebration in a building packed with Arizona fans.
"This is no time to be tired," Walker said. "We're trying to get as far as possible. We want to win this whole thing."
Williams had 20 points while battling foul trouble for the fifth-seeded Wildcats (30-8), who led with six minutes left. After Lamb pushed the Huskies ahead and Walker hit a jumper with 1:13 left, Lamont Jones and Horne hit late 3-pointers for Arizona, but the Wildcats failed to convert two good looks in the final seconds.
"The second one, I thought it was definitely going in," Lamb said. "When he missed it, I looked at the clock and saw zero-zero, and I just went, 'Whooooo.' It's the best feeling I've ever had."
UConn also made the Final Four in 1999, 2004 and 2009, all three times out of the West. The Huskies will face the winner of the East Region final between North Carolina and Kentucky next Saturday.
The Huskies are the last team standing from the Big East's 11 NCAA entrants. After going 9-9 in regular-season conference play, they've done more than even Calhoun might have expected just three weeks ago.
After the Wildcats missed their final two shots, Walker and Calhoun wrapped each other in a bear hug at center court after the buzzer as Emeka Okafor, Jake Voskuhl and other UConn alums celebrated on the court.
The two-time national champion coach has referred to his players as "an old-fashioned team," a praise of their work ethic and resilience. But they also showed remarkable poise down the stretch in a building firmly in favor of the Wildcats.
"I definitely expected to play in the NCAA Tournament and have a chance at the Final Four when I chose UConn," Lamb said. "I just didn't know it would happen this fast."