Hakim Warrick had 26 points and 10 rebounds Friday night in the Orange's 67-63 win over UConn. AP

NEW YORK -- Two years ago, Syracuse rode the shoulders of a celebrated freshman forward all the way to a national championship. This year, it will be up to a talented, yet underappreciated senior to carry it if it hopes to get anywhere near as far.

In a physical, oftentimes ugly showdown of college basketball's last two national champions Friday night, the Orange prevailed over Connecticut 67-63 to advance to Saturday's Big East title game against tournament darling West Virginia.

In a conference semifinal game with a Final Four atmosphere, it was Syracuse's All-America forward, Hakim Warrick, who set the tone as his team built a 21-point second half lead, and it was Warrick whose absence paved the way for the Huskies' desperate rally at the end.

Warrick's final numbers, 26 points and 10 rebounds, were about par for the course the way he's played this season, but rarely has his importance so blatantly paralleled the direction of a game.

The Huskies came in considered by many to be the hottest team in the country, having won 10 of their last 11, the only blemish coming against No. 2 North Carolina. The 'Cuse, having dropped five of their last 10, including 88-70 in Storrs just six days earlier, wasted no time pouring about 20 gallons of cold water on them, with Josh Pace tipping in the second of consecutive offensive rebounds on the game's first possession.

Over much of the next 30 minutes, the Orange, dogged all season with a reputation for being soft, relentlessly pounded the offensive glass. When Warrick slammed home a Gerry McNamara miss just before the halftime buzzer to put Syracuse up 32-19, it marked his ninth rebound of the half, his team's 17th offensive rebound and its 14th and 15th second-chance points.

The thing about Warrick, though, is he has become just as important outside as inside, draining two 3-pointers in the half. Long gone are the days of Warrick the raw athlete, the sophomore sideshow to Carmelo Anthony who had the game-clinching block in the 2003 national title game.

"Hak has become more comfortable playing away from the basket," said Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim. "Guys like [Connecticut center Josh] Boone are going to play him. He can get them outside and get guys like him in foul trouble. That adds something to our offense and gives him more freedom."