Walker lifts UConn over Pitt at buzzer

Kemba Walker bided his time, calmly dribbling the ball near the top of the key. Precious seconds ticked away, but there was no sense of urgency on the face of the Connecticut guard.

The final shot would be his to take. And the Bronx-born junior was determined to electrify his hometown Garden crowd.

With five seconds remaining and the game on the line, Walker made his move toward the basket. Pittsburgh center Gary McGhee, who switched to defend Walker after Brad Wanamaker was picked, looked like a deer in headlights, unsure how to stop one of college basketball's most clutch shooters.

The 6-1 Walker stutter-stepped to his right, pulled back, then made a hard diagonal dribble to his left, sending the 6-11 McGhee reeling backward to the floor. Walker jumped backward, and with a wide-open look, he drained the winning jumper just before the buzzer sounded to stun the top-seeded Panthers, 76-74, in a Big East Tournament quarterfinal Thursday.

"Everybody in the world knew that ball was coming to me," said Walker, who immediately was engulfed by his teammates. "I wanted to take that shot. I knew McGhee was going to switch and I knew if I had him, it was going to be time to go . . . I was going to penetrate and get a layup or get a foul for a teammate, but he fell, so I was able to get a clean, clean look at the rim, so I took my shot."

Ninth-seeded UConn will face No. 4 Syracuse Friday night at 7 in a semifinal.

Walker scored 24 points, Jeremy Lamb 13 and Alex Oriakhi 11 for the Huskies (24-9). Ashton Gibbs had 27 for the Panthers (27-5), who had led 20-8.

Gibbs pounded his chest after his three-pointer tied the score at 74 with 47.9 seconds to go. Walker missed a jumper on the Huskies' next possession, but teammate Jamal Coombs-McDaniel rebounded the ball in traffic and called timeout with 18 seconds left, setting the stage for Walker's game-winner.

"It's special, especially because I missed a couple of shots before that shot," said Walker, who was 8-for-22. "My teammates had the confidence in me. They told me take this last shot and win the game for us, and that's what I did. And there is nothing like doing it in your hometown."

What effect will the loss have on Pitt's NCAA Tournament seeding? "One game doesn't change what we did the other 31," coach Jamie Dixon said.

Fatigue and inexperience weren't a hindrance for the young Huskies, who have played three games in three days and feature five freshmen playing significant minutes. "After three days, I feel so much better about our team as we go into play beyond this," coach Jim Calhoun said. "And I was telling the kids, we have not experienced it recently, but Friday night in Madison Square Garden, semifinal, it's a pretty special building to walk into. And they'll have an opportunity to do that."