TheRoundUp 3/28: Last four dancing

NCAA Tournament: Kemba Walker and young UConn Huskies ride wave of momentum into Final Four
"I didn't know what to expect after losing four out of five and everybody's confidence was down," center Alex Oriakhi said. "But we had two great practices before we went off to the Big East Tournament. (Calhoun) said, 'I'm not going to quit on you guys, I'm not going to let you quit.' ... That changed everything."

Jeff Jacobs: UConn's Resurgence Started After Loss To Notre Dame - Courant.com
"The approach we've taken is, 'To hell with it, let's just play basketball.'" It's an approach embraced by Walker, practically an assistant coach this season. Against Arizona, his rhythm off, he implored Calhoun during a second-half timeout not to run the "cage" play for him, but the "circle" play for Lamb. Looking at the freshman, Walker said, "And you'll make those shots." To hell with it, let's just play basketball. The words have been embraced by Lamb, a freshman who fails to be excited by anything, and Shabazz Napier, a freshman excited by everything.

They're Riding High Out Of The West Again - Courant.com
The wisdom was that if Kemba could lead this group into the NCAA Tournament it would be a nice season. Then they won in Maui in late November and everybody laughed about the Big East coaches picking the Huskies for 10th. Well, they finished in a tie for ninth, finished with that loss to Notre Dame. That was nine games ago, nine giddy, pulse-stopping, dumfounding games ago.

UConn Looks To Freshman Jeremy Lamb In The Clutch To Reach Final Four - Courant.com
Coach Jim Calhoun has been saying for months that Lamb doesn't realize how good he is. Nearly everyone else does. He has reached double figures in nine consecutive games. He played all 40 minutes of a regulation game for the first time Saturday.

Connecticut's remarkable run continues - College Basketball Nation Blog - ESPN
"A good friend of mine once said, ‘I don’t mind fighting you in an open space, but I hate to put you in a corner,’" Calhoun said. "If I take something personally, I’m going to do everything humanly possible to make sure your perception is wrong. These kids allowed that to happen."

NCAA tournament: Final Four primer for Butler Bulldogs, Kentucky Wildcats, UConn Huskies, VCU Rams - ESPN
Having the best player (Walker) in the Final Four is clearly an edge for the Huskies, but Calhoun's experience in this event and ability to steer a young team -- with Jeremy Lamb, Shabazz Napier and Alex Oriakhi all experiencing this for the first time -- should help calm any nerves.

The reason Wildcats got in is reason they're out - Los Angeles Times
Williams once dunked over two guys, but finished with a crazy shot from Fullerton. He once owned this game with his power, then gave it away with his freelancing.

Final Four Look Ahead: Could it get any crazier? - NCAA Division I Mens Basketball - CBSSports.com
UConn made the Final Four because ... it has a Hall of Fame coach (Calhoun), a veteran star (Kemba Walker) and an emerging star (Jeremy Lamb), and because the Huskies simply got hot at the right time. In other years, that might not be enough. But it is this year.

UConn's coming-of-age win in West final more than just Kemba tribute - Andy Staples - SI.com
"We were up there laughing," Voskuhl said. "They don't realize what they're doing right now. Sometimes, when you're that young, you don't really know how hard it is to get to a Final Four. So many guys play their whole lives and never do it. For them to get there as freshmen, it's reality, but it's not reality."

Shots finally fall, lift spirits of UConn women’s basketball team - The Boston Globe
For a UConn team that rarely faces adversity, this was something new. Not only was Georgetown playing physically and making half of its 3-point attempts over the first 20 minutes, but Huskies star Maya Moore was having an abysmal shooting game in what, at times, looked as if it would be her final one in a UConn uniform.

UConn Women Reach Elite Eight - Courant.com
They needed it all Sunday. They needed every last drop of sustenance to deal with a fearless Georgetown team intent on engineering the biggest upset in recent NCAA Tournament history.

Women's basketball, Philadelphia regional notebook - Courant.com
Along with that, Auriemma ordered Dixon to push the spacing and pace of UConn's defense in an effort to take Georgetown out of its comfort level. And soon, the Huskies went on a 13-0 run that turned the game in their favor.

UConn basketball takes over Facebook
In the spirit of UConn making the final four, we've decided to show our support by temporarily changing our Facebook names to players of the team. Join us in this Facebook phenomenon. get creative...how often do you get to use "okwandu" as a first name?