One shining moment
A team couldn't have a better first half than Connecticut did Saturday, but game Alabama was still within eight points with just under five minutes left -- and then Ben Gordon, as Gordon often does, grabbed the game by the throat and made it do his bidding. He drove the lane against Earnest Shelton, stopped, pulled up, missed the short jumper, got his own rebound on the right side of the lane and then stuck it back in for an easy two. The next time down, after an Alabama miss, he ran off a screen on the right side and put up a 3-pointer that was off, but Alabama's Kennedy Winston, jumping out on defense, fouled him, putting Gordon on the line for three free throws. He made all three, the UConn lead ballooned to 13 points at 38-25 with 4:13 left and ... well, if the game wasn't settled then, it soon would be. Gordon's five straight points started a 20-4 run at the end of the first half -- Rashad Anderson added two 3-pointers in the stretch -- and Connecticut fans from all over began to call in their reservations for San Antonio.
Player who impressed me
Man, take your pick. Emeka Okafor scored only two points and played just 19 minutes, but his early defense took the hope clean out of Alabama. Guard Taliek Brown was an unsung star, putting the defensive clamps on 'Bama's Antoine Pettway, who got off only two shots in 37 minutes and didn't hit either one. Gordon scored 36 points, for heaven's sake, on all sorts of nifty drives, dips and deadly outside shooting. But, c'mon, you can't get any more impressive than Anderson, who nailed all six of his first-half 3-pointers to silence 'Bama's bark. Anderson finished with 28 points (the slacker missed all three of his 3-point tries in the second half). Wow, was he hot.
Courtside confidential
As Gordon walked off the court after the by-now cliche net-cutting ceremony, dribbling a ball as easily as most people chew, a radio guy intervened for some choice on-court sound bites. Gordon obliged, still walking, and as he went under the basket, he flipped up a shot. This just in: He missed. ... Okafor seemed a little baffled about his injury, suffered in the first half when 'Bama's Winston nailed him from behind. (It was later deemed an "elbow stinger.") Okafor had numbness throughout his right arm and fingers. "I don't know what it is," he said. He had no X-rays done during or immediately after the game, but coach Jim Calhoun said Okafor probably would have an MRI. ... Okafor took to the court for the net-cutting ceremonies with a camcorder. ... Among those waiting to congratulate the Huskies as they walked off the court: members of the Crimson Tide pep band. ... Heard in the crowd at the America West Arena, not five minutes after Saturday's game had ended: "We want Duke!"
Championship formula
The Huskies have everything they need to win it all. Everything. UConn is deep up front, has that super-talented backcourt that is so necessary in the tournament, plays the best defense in the nation (holding opponents to 37 percent shooting during the season) and is healthy, Okafor's shoulder/neck notwithstanding. The Huskies have handled everyone in the tournament with relative ease, and before you pooh-pooh their competition in the Phoenix final, remember that Alabama beat not only No. 1 Stanford, but defending champion Syracuse as well to get to Connecticut. And the Huskies never gave the Tide a chance Saturday. So far in the NCAA tournament, UConn has won by 17 points (over Vermont), 17 points (DePaul), 20 points (Vanderbilt) and 16 points (Alabama). You can talk about an easy road, if you must, but really, what more could you ask for?
