Politic

It was a busy day in college basketball as conference tournaments entered their final stages and teams prepared for the NCAA men's basketball tournament. UConn played No. 4 Pittsburgh in the Big East tournament in Madison Square Garden. As David Skretta reported:

Jim Calhoun drew up a play in the Connecticut huddle that gave Kemba Walker two options for the final shot. He could either take it himself in the closing seconds against Pittsburgh, or kick it to Jamal Coombs-McDaniel if he was covered.

As soon as Walker put the ball on the floor, Calhoun knew which choice he'd made. The star point guard used a crossover and shoulder roll to shuck his defender right to the ground, then stepped back and swished the winning basket at the buzzer, lifting the No. 21 Huskies to a 76-74 victory over the third-ranked Panthers in the Big East quarterfinals.

"The best player in my opinion for his team made another winning shot, a big-time shot," Calhoun said. "There wasn't any doubt in my mind what option it would be when he put the hard dribble down. Kemba has made a ton of big shots."

Few bigger than this one. The buzzer sounded just as the ball went through the net, and freshman Shabazz Napier was the first person to grab Walker by the waist and hoist him into the air. The Huskies calmed down quickly, though, making sure nobody got hurt in the scrum.

Video: Watch Kemba Walker's buzzer beater against Pittsburgh

Virginia blew a large lead in the final seconds to fall to Miami:

If Thursday's shocking 69-62 overtime loss to Miami was any indication, Virginia still has plenty of room for growth. In one of the more improbable collapses in ACC tournament history, the Cavalier fumbled away a 10-point lead in just 28 seconds during the final minute of the second half, allowing the Hurricanes to force an extra period.

Virginia appeared to be cruising to a resounding victory, up by 10 with less than 43 seconds after senior Mustapha Farrakhan made 1 of 2 free throws. That lead, though, soon turned into a curse. Miami's Durand Scott and Malcolm Grant hit consecutive three-pointers to draw the Hurricanes within four.

After missing two free throws, Virginia guard Sammy Zeglinski then committed a turnover, and Miami's Julian Gamble responded with a dunk. After Bennett called a timeout to calm his troops, guard Jontel Evans mishandled the ensuing inbounds pass and Scott hit a layup and was fouled in the process to tie the score at 53 with 13 seconds remaining.

Georgetown's big loss to UConn in the second round has alarm bells ringing in Washington. As Sally Jenkins explained:

This isn't a slump by Georgetown. It's a cave-in. It's one thing for the Hoyas to lose four straight games, but quite another to lose so dispiritedly. Sure, they miss point guard Chris Wright, but to be this easily destroyed, so undone by his broken left hand, suggests they weren't very tough to begin with.

It was still lunchtime when the Hoyas were out of the Big East tournament. They trailed ninth-seeded U-Conn. by 15 with 3 minutes 41 seconds left in the first half of their noon quarterfinal at Madison Square Garden, and were never able to get it under double digits after that, losing, 79-62. Without Wright they didn't just lack organization and confidence, they seemed to lack enthusiasm. Even the school band sounded flat, off key and out of time.

At the buzzer Julian Vaughn sat on the bench, staring at the towel in his hands, while next to him Henry Sims chewed his thumbnail, both yanked by Coach John Thompson III for not producing. Nearby the injured Wright was somber in a charcoal suit, with a black wrap on that busted left hand.

More from The Washington Post

D.C. Sports Bog: Virginia blew a 100 percent safe lead

Bracketology: Updated 68-team tournament field projection

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