No. 6 Connecticut trailed Seton Hall by 10 points with eight minutes to play on Saturday, but Kemba Walker helped the team escape a potential upset.

Huskies coach Jim Calhoun said he challenged his team numerous times on the sidelines.

"I did challenge them on the sidelines a couple of times, really challenged them about what they were doing or not doing and the effort they were not giving," Calhoun said. "I didn't want to hear a damn excuse -- I didn't use that word exactly. 'I hear one excuse and I will put you on the bench so hard that you'll still be here when we come back here next year. This game is winnable.' And then they did it."

Connecticut closed the game on a 15-3 run to overcome the big deficit and win 61-59, their 11th consecutive win over Seton Hall.

Walker finished with 19 points on 7-of-19 shooting. He hit a three-pointer with 2:32 to play that capped a 12-1 run and gave the Huskies their first lead of the second half.