2011 NCAA Tournament: UConn edges Arizona for a trip to the Final Four

(AP) ANAHEIM, Calif. — With nine pressure-packed victories in 19 days, Connecticut has been on an exhausting sprint through the postseason for nearly three weeks now.

Turns out Kemba Walker and his Huskies aren’t slowing down until they get to Houston.Walker scored 20 points, freshman Jeremy Lamb added 19 and Connecticut earned its second Final Four berth in three years, beating Arizona 65-63 Saturday to win the West regional.Derrick Williams and Jamelle Horne missed 3-pointers in the final seconds for Arizona, allowing the third-seeded Huskies (30-9) to hang on after Lamb, the Huskies’ fearless freshman, scored six key points down the stretch.After missing the NCAA tournament entirely last year, coach Jim Calhoun’s tireless team is headed to UConn’s fourth Final Four.Williams had 20 points while battling foul trouble for the fifth-seeded Wildcats (30-8), who led with 6 minutes to play. After Lamb pushed the Huskies ahead and Walker hit a jumper with 1:13 left, Lamont Jones and Horne then hit late 3-pointers for Arizona, but the Wildcats couldn’t convert two good looks in the final seconds.UConn also made the Final Four in 1999, 2004 and 2009 — all three times out of the West. In sweet redemption for a program and a veteran coach tarred by scandals over the past year, the Huskies will face the winner of North Carolina’s East regional final against Kentucky next Saturday.A year after Arizona’s 25-year streak of NCAA tournament appearances ended, the Wildcats were one 3-pointer away from a return to the Final Four. Williams demolished Duke in the regional semifinals with a career-high 32 points, but three early fouls limited him to 7 minutes in the first half against UConn.Arizona trailed 34-25 early in the second half before scoring nine straight points. The Wildcats reclaimed the lead with 14 1/2 minutes left on Williams’ layup, but UConn quickly scored seven consecutive points.The Huskies led 50-41 until the Wildcats made a 12-2 run that included two rim-ripping dunks by Williams and the go-ahead slam by Perry with 7:17 left. Lamb then put the Huskies ahead, following Alex Oriakhi‘s putback layup with a steal and a dunk with 3:08 left for a seven-point lead.UConn just keeps rolling in what has shaped up as a magnificent season after last year’s disappointing NIT trip followed by a 9-9 mark in Big East regular-season play this spring. The Huskies then roared through the league tournament with an unprecedented display of endurance — five wins in five days — at Madison Square Garden.Walker kept up his incredible scoring pace in the tournament, dropping 33 points on Cincinnati before equaling the highest-scoring tourney game in UConn history with 36 against San Diego State in the regional semis.Arizona won the Pac-10 regular-season title and made the top 10 for the first time in late February, but lost consecutive league games in Los Angeles before dropping the Pac-10 tourney finale to Washington on a buzzer-beater.Last week, Arizona knocked off powerful Memphis and Texas before their 93-77 victory over the Blue Devils.The West Coast crowd was solidly behind Arizona, with red-and-blue fans filling most of the lower bowl. Williams and the Wildcats repeatedly waved their arms before UConn’s possessions, riling up the noisy crowd.

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