For 34 minutes of basketball time Friday night, everything was possible.
Ice cream as a cure for cancer? You bet.
A woman president? Sure.
|
|
| No one outside of the Great Danes' locker room and this fan could have had Albany winning. (AP) |
Before Marcus Williams dropped in a 3-pointer from just right of the key with 5:49 to play that gave Connecticut the lead for good, 16th-seeded Albany had America's basketball attention all to itself. Using an opportunistic defense that forced a pile of turnovers and a patient offense that used layups as its most effective weapon, Albany forged a 12-point lead in the second half that had everybody in the Wachovia Center and beyond wondering "Can it really happen?"
But instead of finishing the miracle, Albany wilted under a UConn comeback that produced a 72-59 victory and a narrow escape for the national title contender.
"A 16's going to beat a one,” Albany coach Will Brown said. "I told the kids before the game, 'This is the last 16-1 game. Why not us?' They believed, and America believed for a while."
True, but that faith was shattered in the end, and the perfect streak of top-seeded dominance was pushed to 22 years and 88 wins without a loss. Despite falling behind by 12 (50-38) with 11:34 left, Connecticut gathered its wits and was able to avoid a college basketball embarrassment that would have rendered every other upset in history secondary.
"I think when you've been in the situation before (being down), it's natural to go to what you've done before," said Connecticut guard Marcus Williams, who scored a game-high 21 points, handed out eight assists and played a strong floor game. "We buckled down, got some stops and kept doing it, doing it."
Albany's ability to keep what many expected to be a runaway not only interesting but shocking was a testament to its heart, preparation and execution. The Great Danes traded buckets with UConn through much of the first half and then used a 13-0 run at the start of the second to pull away, much to the delight of their rowdy fans -- and everybody else in the building, save the sliver of Connecticut supporters.
"I'd be a fool to say I wasn't looking at the clock every couple seconds," said Albany guard Jamar Wilson, who had a team-high 19 points and six assists.
Everybody was watching the clock, willing it to move more quickly, because all but the most fervent dreamers knew what was coming eventually. Connecticut was going to retaliate with force, and Albany wasn't going to hang. That's why UConn coach Jim Calhoun and his players refused to say they experienced dread and fear as their predicament became more dire. They wanted a win. They wanted to advance. It would have been nice to laugh through a rout, but in lieu of such hilarity, the Huskies gladly took a win.
"We kept asking and begging and subbing for poise," Calhoun said.
