Consider Gary McGhee's ankles broken.
Kemba Walker crossed him up once, crossed him up twice and McGhee went down, giving Kemba about 10 feet of room to hit the game-winning shot as time expired. Jim Calhoun skipped around on the Garden floor after the ball went through the net, pausing his celebration only to shake Jamie Dixon's hand. His love for Kemba was obvious in the post-game interview.
The most anticipated matchup of the game was between junior guards Kemba Walker and Ashton Gibbs and they did not disappoint. Gibbs was 5 of 5 from beyond the arc at one point, with the Huskies clearly guarding against his slashing game. A 47% shooter from beyond -- perhaps Calhoun should have taken his chances on the drive with Alex Oriakhi and Charles Okwandu in the middle. Gibbs finished with 27 point on 13 shots. Walker was less efficient from the field, but certainly had his share of breathtaking plays on the night. Getting his hands all over the passing lanes, Walker lived in the open court and on the foul line on his way to 24 points for the game, two of which ended it.
But the biggest difference of the game was getting Gary McGhee in foul trouble. Pittsburgh height has always been an issue and with McGhee at three fouls at the break and adding a fourth later, UConn was able to take it inside and draw fouls without risk of getting their shot blocked. The Huskies had the clear free throw advantage, hitting 21 of their 25 foul shots to Pitt's 14 attempts.
Jeremy Lamb, Shabazz Napier, and Alex Oriakhi all scored in double figures for Calhoun, further proving that Kemba has some help from his supporting cast. Brad Wanamaker played another great game, especially in the paint for the undersized Panthers, but without any other rebounders to get to the glass, UConn was able to hang around and make a surge when McGhee went to the bench.
Pitt still figures to be a No. 1 seed, but as Doug Gottlieb said, no team has ever won an NCAA championship when it lost the first round of its conference tournament. UConn continues to climb the ladder, having won three straight games. It faces the winner of Syracuse and St. John's in the semi-finals.