As we continue our Missing March Madness series reviewing the NCAA Tournament runs of current Boston Celtics in their collegiate days, we find three games by two players who run the show for their current team from the point.
That duo would be starting Celtics point guard Kemba Walker in his time as a UConn Husky, and his Big East rival, now-reserve guard Brad Wanamaker, formerly of the Pitt Panthers.
We’ll start with Wanamaker, whose Panthers knocked off the Xavier Musketeers in the Sweet Sixteen of the 2009 Tournament.
While Wanamaker was just a reserve that season, he still managed 6 points and 4 boards in the 60-55 win that would set up the Panthers for an Elite Eight meeting with another Big East foe, the Villanova Wildcats.
On the same day, Walker’s Huskies took out the Purdue Boilermakers 72-60, also in the Sweet Sixteen.
The Bronx native’s 5 points and 4 assists helped UConn advance to face the Missouri Tigers in the next round after a big game from teammate Hasheem Thabeet.
The future Celtic floor general would have a much bigger game on the same date two years later.
On March 26, 2011 Connecticut defeated the Arizona Wildcats 65-63 to advance to the Final Four of the 2011 NCAA Tournament the Huskies and Walker would go on to defy the odds to win.
Walker scored 20 points and 7 assists in the victory secured with the help of teammates and future NBA players in their own right Shabazz Napier and Jeremy Lamb.
