Postgame Notes
No. 9 Connecticut 76, No. 4 Syracuse 71 (ot)
Records: Connecticut (27-6); Syracuse (24-10)

Connecticut advances to the BIG EAST Championship game for the 10th time and for the first time since 2004, when the Huskies won their sixth BIG EAST title.

Connecticut improved to 10-3 all-time in BIG EAST Championship semifinal rounds.

Connecticut is the 15th team in NCAA history to win four games in four days in a conference tournament. The Huskies are the third team to win four games in the same BIG EAST Championship, joining Syracuse in 2006 and Pittsburgh in 2008.

Tonight’s game was the second overtime game of the 2011 BIG EAST Championship and the 26th overtime game in tournament history.

Tonight’s game was the second consecutive meeting between Connecticut and Syracuse in the BIG EAST Championship to be decided in overtime. The last was Syracuse’s 127-117 win in six overtimes in 2009.

Connecticut guard Kemba Walker scored a game-high 33 points and has shattered the BIG EAST Championship single-tournament scoring record with 111 points through four games. The previous BIG EAST tournament scoring record of 84 points was set by Syracuse’s Eric Devendorf in 2009.

Kemba Walker hit his first 3-point field goal of the BIG EAST Championship with 17:16 remaining in the second half of tonight’s game.

In addition to the tournament scoring record, Kemba Walker also set a BIG EAST Championship mark with 35 field goals in this year’s tournament. The previous mark of 30 field goals was held by Syracuse’s Dwayne Washington in 1984, Ricardo Greer of Pittsburgh in 2001 and Eric Devendorf of Syracuse in 2009.

Connecticut coach Jim Calhoun won his 32nd career game in the BIG EAST Championship, leaving him one shy of Georgetown’s John Thompson for second all-time.

Connecticut improved to 16-6 in the BIG EAST Championship semifinals. Syracuse fell to 15-7 in the semifinals.