After dropping 36 points in UConn Huskies' victory against the San Diego State University Aztecs Thursday, point guard Kemba Walker walked off the court and exchanged words with fellow New York products in Arizona Wildcats Momo Jones and Kevin Parrom.
And it was almost as if Walker had left some of his magic on the floor.
Jones, Parrom and company -- by company I mean boss Derrick Williams and his underlings -- dropped the defending national champion Duke Blue Devils soon after, a 93-77 victory atonishing considering where the Wildcats have come from.
The Wildcats (30-7) did it in every which way we thought they couldn't.
Duke's pressure defense would suffocate Jones and Fogg. Wrong.
Duke's size would contain Williams and prevent the Wildcats from scoring in the paint. Wrong.
Nolan Smith and Kyrie Irving would be too much for the UA backcourt to defend. Wrong, yet again.
Instead, the Wildcats find themselves in a 4:05 p.m. tip-off in the Honda Center, facing the UConn Huskies in the Elite Eight in Anaheim, Calif. Walker and Jones will square off once again.
All those memories of New York City AAU battles will return. So will their Rice High School days, where Jones, one year Walker's junior, shared the backcourt with one of the nation's best players. But Jones comes of a game where he wasn't too shabby himself, scoring 16 points and dropping six dimes without turning the ball over.
Will he know how to contain his old buddy? Or will Kemba Walker torch Jones just like any other opponent?