The power of Kemba

Jim Calhoun took a page out of Rick Pitino's book on Monday night, and no, I'm not talking about coaching the Nets or restaurant etiquette.

Last Thursday, Rick Pitino and the Louisville Cardinals suffered a potentially crippling loss to St. John's, getting drubbed by the Johnnies 74-55 in Madison Square Garden. Not 72 hours later, the Cardinals were headed to Syracuse to take on the Orange in a game that many believed would make or break the 'Ville's tournament chances.

Well, they made the best of it, holding on to upset the 'Cuse 66-60.

On Saturday, UConn lost by 12 to Cincinnati at home in one of the ugliest performances a Jim Calhoun team has had. Not only did it seemingly put the nail in the coffin in terms of UConn's tournament hopes, but it led to people questioning whether or not the Huskies had quit on Calhoun and an Outside the Lines segment questioning whether or not Calhoun should return next season?

That's about as bad as losses get.

But as Louisville did Sunday, UConn did Monday, rebounding to knock off the No. 3 team in the country on the road.

Looking at the box score, however, it is tough to tell. UConn turned the ball over 17 times, while forcing just nine and allowing 12 offensive rebounds. Jerome Dyson (15 points on 3-14 shooting), Stanley Robinson (10 points, 7 boards, 7 turnovers), and Gavin Edwards (7 points, 6 boards) all played relatively poorly on the offensive end.

The difference was the smallest player on the court.

Kemba Walker played great for the Huskies, finishing with 29 points and 9 boards.
(photo credit: WTIC)

Kemba Walker played the best game of his UConn career. He had a career-high 29 points on just 6-10 shooting from the field, he hit three big second half threes, he got to the line and knocked down his free throws late, and perhaps most impressively he had a game-high 9 rebounds, including four on the offensive end.

With Dyson struggling, Walker stepped up and provided the Huskies with a go-to scoring presence.

And while the scoring boost was nice from Walker, who has struggled at times on the offensive end of the floor, his defense and hustle may have been more valuable. Walker held fellow NY native Corey Fisher in check for much of the game. Fisher finished with 14 points on 5-12 shooting, but he scored five points late in the game when the outcome was all but decided.

Dyson, for all his struggles offensively, also was fantastic on the defensive end. Scottie Reynolds, Villanova's star and the leading candidate for Big East player of the year, got off to a quick start, scoring 14 points in the first 14 minutes of the game.

But from that point on, Reynolds had just two buckets as Dyson was all over him.

The bottom line tonight was effort. UConn has no shortage of talent, and when they play hard, hustle defensively, and attack the glass, this team can hang with anyone in the country.

And as was the case against Texas, when UConn has one of their big three get hot, they can beat anyone in the country. (Against the 'Horns, Jerome Dyson went for 32.)

Much like Louisville, this win hardly ensures UConn a tournament berth. What it does, however, is keep UConn's hopes on life support. With an RPI of 60, a 2-8 record against the RPI top 50, losses to Providence and Michigan, and a 15-11 (5-8 in the Big East) record overall, UConn probably needs to win out in order to feel comfortable getting an at-large bid.

Beating Villanova on the road is the perfect way to start.