The Big East was never in real danger of having an automatic berth-winner that would not have otherwise qualified for the 2011 NCAA Tournament. But with Connecticut’s 69-66 victory over Louisville in the Big East Championship, the Huskies may have pulled off the greatest accomplishment in conference tournament history.
2011 NCAA Tournament Field: UConn Tops Louisville To Earn Big East Automatic Berth
Kemba Walker, as usual, was fantastic for the Huskies: he had 19 points, staked UConn to a huge first half lead, and made a splendid pass to Jeremy Lamb for the lay-up that gave his team a lead it would not relinquish. Walker’s Big East Tournament performance set all sorts of records, and his 130 points over UConn’s unprecedented five wins in five days will likely be emblazoned in lore for a long, long time. Heroism isn’t quite right for sports, but there are certainly heroics, and Kemba Walker’s play over the last five days qualifies.
With the win, expect UConn to get a 2 or 3 seed from the NCAA Selection Committee; Louisville might well be a 3 seed if the Huskies get a 2.
For more, be sure to check out SB Nation’s Louisville blog, Card Chronicle, and our UConn blog, the appropriately-named UConn Blog.
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