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Picture courtesy of Shundaroni over at Catspause
…And we, the lowly majority not fortunate enough to possess breathtaking basketball skill, are simply living in it. John Calipari’s star recruit took Madison Square Garden by storm last night with a stellar performance against the UConn Huskies, a game UK won 64-61. After starting the game like a house on fire, Wall finished the first half on the bench with foul trouble, which allowed the Huskies to recover from the 12-0 run Kentucky used to open the game. In fact, UConn had a three-point lead going into the break, but in the second — especially during the last four minutes of the contest — it was all John Wall, all the time.

Wall essentially won the game for the Wildcats, scoring 12 of Kentucky’s final 15 points, including what wound up being the game-winning shot with a driving, and-one layup that went a long way in demonstrating just how unstoppable the true freshman phenom can be. But please, don’t take my word for it.

Following the jump, we have video of the game’s closing minutes, as well as reactions from a number of college basketball pundits.

Dan Shanoff’s take:

It’s not hype. It’s reality. The kid is the best player in college basketball. Heck, he is a better player than anyone in the NBA rookie class of 2009. Or 2008. He makes former Calipari one-and-done PG Derrick Rose look unathletic… Forget Brandon Jennings. John Wall is the most must-see player in basketball right now. Yes, I’m going ga-ga.

Rush The Court:

“Garden security should kidnap Wall and throw a Nate Robinson jersey on him. Who will know?” That’s the point. Wall is probably nearly as good as anyone on the Knicks (or Nets) roster, and the star-studded NYC crowd was electric tonight as they knew this was but a first glimpse of WonderWall and that they would be seeing this kid play for a very long time at the Garden.

Dana O’Neil:

But ultimately, Wall was the difference. Connecticut simply doesn’t have a player like him, a guy who can dominate a game.

“Wall is all of that,” Calhoun said. “Whatever that is, he is all of that. … He’s no freshman. He’s a great player. That’s what he is.”

Kevin Durant loves him some John Wall too:

Hell, even Jay “Happy” Mariotti got in the Wall love:

Barring illness, scandal or a kidnapping by Rick Pitino or Roy Williams, Wall will be the No. 1 pick in the next NBA draft. Anyone who doubts the assertion should have seen the wall of NBA executives and scouts analyzing his every twitch, movement and explosive step in a blue uniform that he’ll wear until March or April, then discard for the franchise fortunate enough to win the draft lottery — did someone say the New York Knicks? — and a pro career sure to be filled with legendary battles against Derrick Rose, Chris Paul, Rajon Rondo, Brandon Jennings and other contemporaries. Did Wall notice them? “I try to block that out,” he said, wisely.

As I was saying, the world as we know it today — the sporting half, anyway — belongs to one Johnathan Wall. Even Google Trends reflects Wall’s popularity, who is currently ranked as the ninth-ranked hot topic item being searched for. Yeah, that’s not quite Tiger Woods status, but then again, Wall didn’t cheat on his significant other with a truckload of “socialites” and porn stars.

Unfortunately, Wall has to settle for simply being one of the best players, even as freshman, in college basketball.

Tags: John Wall, Kentucky Wildcats, UConn Huskies

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