Big East Tournament: Kemba Walker Buzzer Beater Helps UConn Top Pitt in Quarters

Those people who believed Connecticut could make the quarterfinals of the Big East Tournament thought the run would end there.

It's not going to.

After going down 20-8 early, the relentless Huskies fought their way back into the game with great performances by several players. The comeback was completed with Kemba Walker's mid-range jumper that fell through the hoop as time expired, giving the ninth-seeded Huskies a 76-74 win over top-seeded Pittsburgh.

Ashton Gibbs dominated from the opening tip for the Panthers, shooting 10-of-13 from the floor and 6-of-7 from three-point range to end with 27. But it was not enough for Jamie Dixon's team, who were considered a favorite and the potential NCAA Tournament top-seed.

UConn knew that if they were going to have a chance they were going to need production from other sources besides Walker—who ended the game with 24 points. They certainly got that. Jeremy Lamb finished with 17, Alex Oriakhi had 13 points and seven boards and Shabazz Napier finished with 10 points.

Another key for the Huskies was their refusal to let Pittsburgh overpower them physically, as they went right at the Panthers. Despite foul trouble for Alex Oriakhi and Charles Okwandu, the Huskies fought their way to the rim—especially in transition where Walker thrives.

Heads-up play on the boards is eventually what got UConn the win. After Walker missed with about 20 seconds left, sophomore Jamal Coombs-McDaniel grabbed the rebound and was able to call a timeout before a foul or jump ball could be called.

After the timeout, Connecticut was able to get the ball to Walker. The graduating junior allowed the clock to run down to about six seconds left before he made his move. He began to drive in before pulling back and putting a crossover on Gary McGhee—sending the 6'10" center to the ground—before calmly draining the shot from just inside the arc at the buzzer.

The Huskies, who came into the tournament having not won a Big East Tournament game since 2005, have now won three games in three days—two against the Top 25. All this after finishing the season winning only one of their last five.

The three straight wins over DePaul, Georgetown and Pittsburgh have propelled Connecticut into the semifinals where they will play the winner of St. John's and Syracuse.