Playing in the Sweet 16 added yet another sweet success to the Connecticut Huskies’ improbable March resume.

The Huskies did it again Thursday night, downing San Diego State 74-67 in the NCAA tournament’s West region semifinals. Kemba Walker scored 36 points and freshman Jeremy Lamb scored a season-high 24 points, including a big 3-pointer with 1:43 remaining.

Next up for Connecticut in its amazing journey: a berth in the Elite Eight. UConn will face Arizona, which knocked out top-seed Duke, in the regional final on Saturday.

A win there would send the Huskies on to Houston and next weekend’s Final Four. Just two and a half weeks ago, the Huskies started this run in the Big East Conference tournament after dropping three of their final four regular-season contests.

But UConn got hot in the Big East tourney, winning five games in five days to capture the title. In the NCAAs, the Huskies have won three games, beating Bucknell, Cincinnati and the Aztecs.

Now the Huskies are one of eight teams left in the field of 68. Walker is a huge reason why. Thursday he sparked the Huskies again, hitting four 3-pointers and shooting 12 of 25 from the field.

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There are just two teams in the NCAA tournament from the powerful Big East Conference. It should be no surprise the beast of the East march on into the Sweet 16.

The Connecticut Huskies continue their March through March, the conference champions running their postseason winning streak to seven games with a 69-58 victory Sunday night over fellow Big East squad Cincinnati in the third round of the West region in Washington.

The Huskies (28-9) head into the regional semifinals on Thursday against San Diego State. It’s a match of the No. 3 seed in the region (the Huskies) and the No. 2 seed (the Aztecs), for a trip in the regional final on Saturday.

Connecticut, which ripped through the Big East tournament by winning five games in five days, showed no signs of slowing down against the Bearcats. Kemba Walker scored 16 of his 33 points in the final 10 minutes as UConn locked down the victory.

The Huskies had beaten Cincinnati in the regular season, but the Bearcats finished two games better than UConn in conference play. Since losing four out of five to end the regular season, the Huskies have won seven in a row.

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It took five victories in five days last week for the Connecticut Huskies to win the Big East Conference tournament.

The schedule isn’t as hectic in the NCAA tournament. So far though, the results have been the same for the Huskies. As he did in the conference tournament, Kemba Walker sparked the UConn offense on Thursday, fueling an 81-52 rout of Bucknell in the second round of the NCAA East regional at Washington, D.C.

Walker led the Huskies with 18 points and 12 assists, missing a triple-double by two rebounds. Roscoe Smith scored 17 points and Jeremy Lamb added 16. Alex Oriakhi pulled down 13 rebounds.

The Huskies were outstanding on both ends of the floor, pounding the overmatched Bison. Connecticut outrebounded Bucknell 41-20, had 19 assists to Bucknell’s 4, and limited Bucknell to 31.4 percent shooting from the field.

The Huskies take on the Cincinnati/Missouri winner on Saturday in the third round, for a trip to the Sweet 16.

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They came into the Big East tournament having won just once in their past four games. But under the spotlight of the conference tournament in Madison Square Garden, the Connecticut Huskies displayed the heart of a champion.

And Kemba Walker was the heartbeat of a stirring five-day surge that saw the Huskies go from middle of the pack and an NCAA bubble team to a conference champion and a No. 3 seed entering the Big Dance.

Walker strung together five breathtaking performances in one of the world’s greatest arenas, sparking the Huskies to the conference crown, the last victory a 69-66 thriller over No. 14 Louisville. Walker scored 130 points in five games, the most by any player in any conference tourney in 15 years, as the Huskies became the first school to win five games in five days to take a tournament title.

The Huskies ran a gauntlet unlike anybody in the country will see in the NCAA tournament. UConn beat four consecutive ranked teams in the final four days, and will open the NCAAs on Thursday against Bucknell in Washington, D.C.

UConn won its seventh Big East title, tying Georgetown for the most in conference history.

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Kemba Walker has hit his share of game-winning shots for the Connecticut Huskies. But with the stroke of his wrist Thursday afternoon, the Huskies’ point guard kept UConn’s dynamic Big East Tournament run going.

Walker knocked down a jumper at the buzzer, giving UConn a thrilling 76-74 victory over conference regular-season champion and No. 3-ranked Pittsburgh at Madison Square Garden in New York City.

Connecticut, ranked No. 19 in the nation, has beaten DePaul and No. 22 Georgetown so far in the tournament. Walker has been huge in all three victories. He scored 26 points in UConn’s victory over DePaul on Tuesday, and added 18 points as the Huskies toppled No. 22 Georgetown on Wednesday.

Thursday, Walker finished with 24 points, five assists and two steals, as the Huskies moved into the semifinals to face No. 11 Syracuse on Friday night.

UConn is rolling after staggering into the postseason. The Huskies had lost four of their final five games of the regular season and entered the tournament as the ninth seed in the 16-team field.

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If the Connecticut Huskies are going to win the Big East tournament this week, they will have to travel a long, long road.

The journey started Tuesday with a breather, as the No. 19-ranked Huskies hit the court and pounded last-place DePaul 97-71 to begin the postseason at Madison Square Garden. Kemba Walker scored 26 points, leading five players in double figures as the Huskies shot a blistering 60 percent from the field.

Now the road gets tougher for the Huskies, starting Wednesday in the second round against No. 22 Georgetown. The sheer fact two ranked teams are meeting on a Wednesday shows the depth of the Big East this season, a conference in which seven teams are ranked in the top 22 in the nation this week.

Should the Huskies get past Georgetown, UConn then would face conference regular-season champion and No. 3-ranked Pittsburgh in Thursday’s quarterfinals. A potential semifinal matchup could include No. 11 Syracuse or No. 18 St. John’s.

The Huskies lost four of their final five regular-season games, but at least started the tournament with a strong showing against DePaul. But things will get a lot tougher, and quickly.

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The Connecticut Huskies are 21-8 overall on the season, and in most other conferences would be much higher than a three-way tie for ninth.

But losses in three of their past four games have dropped the Huskies to a ninth-place tie in the rugged Big East Conference.

The Huskies play host to No. 7 Notre Dame on Saturday in the regular-season finale. Ranked No. 16 this week in the national rankings, the struggles of late have dropped UConn into a tie with Marquette and Villanova for ninth in the Big East, which has been the toughest conference in the nation this season.

UConn comes in after losing 65-56 to West Virginia on Wednesday. The Huskies already have victories over three ranked teams this season, including consecutive wins in November over then No. 2 Michigan State and then No. 9 Kentucky.

The Big East tournament begins next week in New York City, and at least one victory for UConn in the conference tournament would give the Huskies a big boost heading into a likely trip to the NCAA tournament.

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UConn looked like it was heading for a disappointing loss when it stormed back from a double-digit deficit in the second half.

The Huskies were finally able to pull in front just at the right time, taking the lead with only seconds to play.

Kemba Walker filled up the stat sheet by scoring 19 points, grabbing five rebounds and picking up two steals.

Head coach Jim Calhoun said he repeatedly challenged his team about their effort on the way to the comeback win.

The Connecticut Huskies did their best work late in the season. As a result, they completed a remarkable turnaround and earned a BCS bowl berth.

The Huskies lost their first two Big East Conference games, and were 3-4 overall in late October. But five consecutive victories vaulted the Huskies to the conference title, and a Fiesta Bowl date with Oklahoma on New Year’s night.

Big-time offensive stars will grab the spotlight in this one. For Connecticut, running back Jordan Todman topped 1,000 yards for the second year in a row, rushing for 1,574 yards and 14 touchdowns. His 143.1 rushing yards per game ranks second in the nation.

For Oklahoma, it’s quarterback Landry Jones who is the big attraction. Jones passed for 35 touchdowns and 4,289 yards, sparking a Sooners’ passing offense that ranks third in the nation at 351.7 yards per contest.

The two schools have never met, and could not be more opposite in their bowl history. Oklahoma has one of the richest traditions in college football, while UConn has only played in the FBS since 2001. But the Sooners have lost their past four BCS bowl appearances.

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Up by just eight points at halftime of their season opener, the Connecticut Huskies clamped down on defense Friday.

In doing so, the Huskies took away any chance Stony Brook had of springing an upset. UConn held the Seahawks to five field goals in the second half, pulling away for a 79-52 victory.

UConn got 18 points from Kemba Walker and a double-double from Alex Oriakhi in winning the season opener. Oriakhi finished with 11 points and 18 rebounds.

Up 39-31 at halftime, UConn blew the game open in the second half with a 12-0 run. UConn held Stony Brook to 27 percent shooting and outrebounded the Seahawks 59-33.

UConn plays host to Vermont on Wednesday.

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