Okafor is a lot better than OK
SAN ANTONIO --- Emeka Okafor makes a difference. Well, yeah, this is a bit like saying that a good tomato sauce and the right cheese help make a good pizza, but occasionally certain life truths need reinforcing.
The University of Connecticut center is the most potent force in college basketball. It is doubtful anyone in a Duke uniform would argue that after Okafor scored 17 of his 18 points upon returning to the game with 14:23 remaining as the Huskies ran off an improbable 12 unanswered points to pull out a 79-78 victory over the shattered Blue Devils in the second game of an epic Final Four doubleheader at the Alamodome last night.
Connecticut advances to the championship game for the second time despite submitting what could not have been much more than its B game. The Huskies trailed from 17-16 through an Okafor follow-up basket that gave them a 76-75 lead with 26.3 seconds left. They had major turnover problems all night (18, good for 23 Duke points). And they went through long stretches where it seemed as if they were powerless to stop Duke.
But they still found a way to win, and coach Jim Calhoun will not be giving it back.
"Duke put much better pressure on us than those other teams," Calhoun said. "This was one of the greatest wins we've ever had."
Okafor arrived at Storrs in possession of enormous raw athleticism, and little else. The young man on display last evening was a complete ballplayer. He knows what he is doing when he gets the ball in the low hole. He scored on lefty jump hooks. He scored on baseline turnarounds. And he scored on vital put-backs, the last of which was the game's biggest basket. But he had to compress almost all of it into the game's final 14:23 because he simply wasn't allowed to play in the first half.
"I was frustrated in the first half," he admitted. "I wasn't even in it. My teammates helped keep me in the game. They told me the second half would be the charm. Then I was able to dominate. The team rallied, we played with a lot of heart, and we came out with the win."
The game was marred by brutal officiating. Okafor sat out the final 16:05 of the first half. Duke inside force Sheldon Williams was only allowed to participate for 19 minutes before fouling out with 5:04 remaining. The refs blew the whistle 44 times and were especially horrible in the second half, when breathing was adjudged to be a sin. In one second-half stretch of 5:01, they called six fouls on UConn, the majority on dubious plays with minimal contact. This was in contrast to a first half in which the players had to be governed, especially under the basket. There was fierce territorial warfare going on there; the teams combined for 22 first-half ofensive rebounds.
Even with the restrictions placed on Okafor, the best inside force in college basketball, and on Williams, very likely the second best inside force in college basketaball, there was still some choice young talent on display. UConn freshman Josh Boone picked last evening to play what might have been his finest game, scoring 9 points and hauling in a desperately needed 14 rebounds. Duke freshman Luol Deng was his team's inside force with 16 points and 12 rebounds. Yeah, that's right. I said "freshman." And UConn's flashy Charlie Villanueva makes three. Throw in Duke sophomore Shavlick Randolph (14 points, 6 rebounds), and there was a tremendous amount of impressive young inside talent on display.
Distracting officiating or no distracting officiating, players did eventually decide the game. The fact is that after Duke, which once led by 11 (45-34), had a 75-67 lead with 3:28 to go and was unable to hold it because Connecticut finally began playing true Connecticut basketball. This means aggressive defense, tough rebounding, unmatched transition from defense to offense, skilled shotmaking and, finally, Okafor being Okafor.
The big swing began at 75-67 when Deng missed a jumper that might not have been the shot Coach Mike Krzyzewski would want. The ball went the other way and UConn definitely got the shot it wanted, that being an open corner 3 for the sizzling sophomore Rashad Anderson. He has been as reliable from deep as anyone in America during the past half dozen games or so, and last night he continued his amazing streak by going 3 for 5 on threes. This one swished, and now UConn was jacked up. Duke, meanwhile, would not score again until the noble Chris Duhon banked home a meaningless desperation three at the buzzer.
Calhoun will skate a bit because his team won the game, but had the Huskies lost he might have been challenged over his decision to keep Okafor anchored on the bench for the remainder of the half after picking up personal No. 2 with 16:05 left in the half. Since when did having two personals in the first half constitute having the bubonic plague? Two? Big deal.
UConn responded with an immediate run of 8-0 to take a 15-4 lead, but Duke came back with a blast of 30-9 to go up by 10 at 34-24. It was 7 (41-34) at the half.
Okafor started the second half, but he got his third at 16:06 and went to the bench. This time Calhoun didn't mess around. He put Okafor back into the contest with 14:23 remaining.
You can call that coaching. I call that common sense. If you've got the best player, it's a good idea to use him.
Bob Ryan is a Globe columnist. His e-mail address is ryan@globe.com.
