By Dustin Dow
The Cincinnati Enquirer

SAN ANTONIO - As they cut down the nets Monday night at the Alamodome, Connecticut's heroes, Emeka Okafor and Ben Gordon, might have said their farewells to college basketball in the grandest way.

They left as NCAA Tournament champions.

Georgia Tech's Ismail Muhammad, right, goes up to the basket under pressure from Connecticut's Emeka Okafor. (AP photo)

Connecticut's superstar juniors probably won't be back next season. Okafor is a possible No. 1 NBA pick and Gordon is expected to follow him to the draft. So their last hurrah probably was Monday night against No. 3 seed Georgia Tech, the working-class team that plays superb fundamental basketball - just not good enough to beat ultra-talented Connecticut.

The Huskies won the championship 82-73, giving Connecticut coach Jim Calhoun his second national title in six years.

"When we're healthy, we're the best team in America," Calhoun said.

Okafor, who has battled back problems throughout the season, was named the Most Outstanding Player of the Final Four after scoring 24 points and grabbing 15 rebounds in the championship game.

In the end, the pundits who predicted Connecticut as the No. 1 team in the preseason were right. There was no stopping the Huskies when they were at their most focused and Okafor was at his healthiest.

Georgia Tech (28-10) put up a valiant fight for the first half of the first half and the second half of the second half, but once Okafor and Gordon's playmaking ability took over, No. 2 seed Connecticut (33-6) dominated. Only a scrappy Georgia Tech defense and hot shooting in the final minutes prevented a blowout.

"I don't think it's hit me yet," Okafor said. "When's practice tomorrow? I'm still in awe."

Connecticut guard Taliek Brown (12) makes a lay up against Georgia Tech in the 2nd half. (AP photo)

Connecticut led by 25 at its height midway through the second half. In desperation, Georgia Tech made the final outcome nervously close for Connecticut. Georgia Tech's Will Bynum scored 12 of his 17 points in the second half, cutting Connecticut's lead to as few as seven points in the final minute.

"I just kept telling myself that I won't be denied, and I would not let my team lose not matter what," Gordon said. "We came out with the win. This feels just incredible."

The combination of Gordon's outside shooting and Georgia Tech turnovers allowed Connecticut to go on a 21-6 run in the first half, building a 32-18 lead.

Gordon made the all-Final Four team and scored 14 of his 21 points in the first half, nine of them from 3-point range, the other five from the free throw line. He scored nine points in a two-minute period midway through the first half, while Georgia Tech committed four turnovers in the same time span.

"Gordon took advantage of some breakdowns," Georgia Tech coach Paul Hewitt. "You give a player like that room, he's just too good. We gave him room, and he made us pay."

Poor free throw shooting in the first half made Georgia Tech's job even tougher. The Yellow Jackets missed front ends of three one-and-one opportunities.

When Bynum missed two free throws with five seconds left in the half, Okafor grabbed the rebound and threw an outlet pass to Rashad Anderson near midcourt. Anderson dribbled left, pulled up with his foot on the 3-point and sank a jumper over Georgia Tech's Theodis Tarver at the halftime buzzer.

Connecticut led 41-26, the final outcome all but decided. It was the largest halftime lead in the NCAA final since UCLA lead Dayton by 18 points at halftime in 1967.

"We made history," Gordon said. "We immortalized ourselves."

Okafor's presence inside dictated Connecticut's defensive pressure and forced Georgia Tech into a 29.4 percent shooting performance in the first half. Connecticut meanwhile made 40.6 percent of its field goals, including four of eight by Okafor, who also grabbed seven first-half rebounds. Gordon and Okafor combined for 24 of Connecticut's 41 first-half points or two points less than Georgia Tech's entire first-half total.

"It feels good; we earned it," Okafor said. "We wanted it all, and we took it."

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E-mail ddow@enquirer.com

GEORGIA TECH (28-10)-Lewis 3-9 0-0 6, McHenry 1-3 0-0 3, Schenscher 4-7 1-2 9, Elder 4-15 3-4 14, Jack 1-8 5-6 7, Muhammad 5-12 0-0 10, Bynum 6-11 2-6 17, Brooks 0-0 0-0 0, Moore 3-5 1-3 7, Tarver 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 27-71 12-21 73.

CONNECTICUT (33-6)-Boone 4-6 1-4 9, Anderson 5-10 6-8 18, Okafor 10-17 4-8 24, Gordon 5-17 8-9 21, T.Brown 2-6 5-8 9, Villanueva 0-0 0-0 0, Armstrong 0-1 1-2 1, Tooles 0-0 0-0 0, D.Brown 0-4 0-0 0. Totals 26-61 25-39 82.

Halftime-Connecticut 41-26. 3-Point Goals-Georgia Tech 7-22 (Bynum 3-6, Elder 3-8, McHenry 1-1, Jack 0-1, Moore 0-1, Lewis 0-5), Connecticut 5-17 (Gordon 3-8, Anderson 2-7, D.Brown 0-2). Fouled out-None. Rebounds-Georgia Tech 43 (Schenscher 11), Connecticut 50 (Okafor 15). Assists-Georgia Tech 9 (Bynum 5), Connecticut 10 (T.Brown 4). Total fouls-Georgia Tech 26, Connecticut 18. A-44,468