Dear lord was that a fun game. A.J. Price is a man-monster, Jerome Dyson seems primed to take the leap, Gavin Edwards and Stanley Robinson were outstanding and the Huskies won a thriller in front of 18,000 screaming Pacific Northwesterners.
Frankly, I'm still in sort of shock from the game. UConn winning...on the road...against a legit, top-10 non-conference opponent. I can't remember the last time this happened, though I'm sure Porter will yell me an answer.
It was a brilliant comeback, a near-perfect final 10 minutes, and a game that should ensure the Huskies' place as a contender to North Caralmighty over the next few weeks.
For most of the second half, the Huskies looked like the same old teams that lost to Syracuse (2007 BET), West Virginia (2008 BET), George Mason and San Diego. And then, the comeback leading to the shot. Price's 3 was a weird mix of Ray Allen's twisting jumper against Georgetown in '96 and Rashad Anderson's 3 against Washington in the '06 tournament.
Sidenote: In fact, the entire game reminded me of that Washington game (with a second-half comeback capped by a big 3 in the waning seconds, a bunch of Gonzaga starters fouling out, and lots of awful, awful refereeing).
Price's shot was rushed and off-balance, ballsy and dramatic. But it was perfect. And so was the overtime (barring a few of the worst officiating calls, perhaps in the history of organized basketball).
I'll see if I can piece together some fuller thoughts after reading some of the press materials Sunday, but for now, allow me to ever so slightly temper my optimism.
UConn is very good. Merely having a chance to tie after being down 11 in the second half speaks to that fact. But keep in mind, they'd still be really good whether or not Price knocks down the crazy 3.
What I'm trying to say is that It's still December; the wins and losses aren't terribly important for the Huskies in the grand scheme of things. The fact that Price actually did hit that 3 merely means that I, Jim Calhoun, and A.J. Price will be able to sleep very well tonight.
(P.S. Dear referees Chris Rastatter, Keven Cutler, Dick Carmell: I hope you all fornicate yourselves with a spoon. Pinning a ball against the backboard is not a foul. Saying two words to an opponent after they fouled you on a dunk is not a technical. Dribbling the ball while on the ground is not traveling. Even Mike Krzyzewski was sitting at home watching, saying "Damn, those are some homer calls.")