New York ? Ben Gordon had a game-winning shot, a tournament record, an MVP trophy and a smile that could be on his face for days.

“I don’t have a lot of words to explain it. I’m just happy we won, and to get the MVP … this is the best moment of my life,” Gordon said after his jumper in the lane with 30 seconds left lifted No. 9 Connecticut to a 61-58 victory over No. 6 Pittsburgh on Saturday night in the Big East championship game

It was the third big game in as many nights for the junior guard who broke Allen Iverson’s record for points in a tournament as the Huskies won their record-tying sixth Big East title.

Gordon led the Huskies (27-6) in the first two games when center Emeka Okafor was out because of back spasms. Gordon struggled with his shooting in the championship game, but it was his jumper in the lane with 30 seconds left that gave Connecticut a 59-58 lead, and then he added two free throws with 0.5 seconds to play to cap the win.

He had 29 points in each of the first two games and set a tournament record for points with 81, two more than Iverson had for Georgetown in 1996.

“Big-time players do it in the big games, and he did,” Connecticut coach Jim Calhoun said of Gordon.

Okafor played Saturday night, and he had 11 points, 13 rebounds and three blocked shots, but it was Gordon who was selected MVP.

“We’re roommates, and all I kept saying to him was ‘domination,'” Okafor said of Gordon. “That’s what he did. He dominated.”

It was the third straight year the defending champion Panthers (29-4) and Connecticut met in the championship game, and they provided another classic.

“I thought we played with tremendous heart and desire, as always,” first-year Pitt coach Jamie Dixon said. “We responded and did everything we wanted to do. We just came out short.”

Gordon’s jumper in the lane was the third lead change in the final 2:01.

Rashad Anderson’s three-pointer gave the Huskies a 57-56 lead with 2:01 left, their first since opening the game with a 13-2 run.

Mark McCarroll hit a bank shot with 1:35 left to give the Panthers a 58-57 lead. Both teams had a scoreless possession before Gordon capped a 7-for-22 night with the tough shot in the lane.

Carl Krauser’s drive with eight seconds left was blocked by Josh Boone, and the loose ball was grabbed by McCarroll, who missed a jumper. The buzzer sounded, and Gordon threw the ball into the stands to start the celebration, but the teams came back on the court when a review by the officials had a foul on McCarroll with a half-second left.

No. 2 Stanford 77, Washington 66

Los Angeles — Matt Lottich had 20 points, six rebounds and five assists, and Stanford defeated Washington to win its first Pac-10 tournament title and a berth to the NCAA Tournament for the 10th consecutive season.

The Cardinal (29-1) virtually assured itself of a top seed when the pairings are announced today, along with a trip to Seattle for its first game.

A week ago, Washington (19-11) spoiled Stanford’s bid for a perfect season with a 75-62 victory in Seattle.

Josh Childress, the Pac-10 player of the year and tourney MVP, added 14 points and nine rebounds. Justin Davis had 13 points, and Kirchofer had 11 points and eight rebounds.

Nate Robinson, the 5-foot-9 guard, led the Huskies with 16 points and five assists. Bobby Jones and Mike Jensen added 11 points each.

No. 5 Duke 85, No. 14 Georgia Tech 71

Greensboro, N.C. — Shelden Williams had 20 points and 18 rebounds to lift Duke past Georgia Tech in the semifinals of the Atlantic Coast Conference tournament.

Luol Deng scored 19 for the Blue Devils (27-4), who won their record 17th straight ACC tournament game. Chris Duhon added 17 points and eight assists.

Duke is seeking to become the first team in the conference to win six straight championships.

B.J. Elder scored 25 points to lead the Yellow Jackets (23-9), who were making just their second semifinal appearance since 1996.

No. 8 Kentucky 78, South Carolina 63

Atlanta — Gerald Fitch and Erik Daniels put Kentucky back in a familiar place. Fitch came off the bench to score 24 points, and Daniels added 21, and the Wildcats (25-4) won their season-high eighth straight to advance for a chance to win their 25th Southeastern Conference tournament title. Josh Gonner led South Carolina (23-10) with 17 points.

No. 10 Wisconsin 68, Michigan State 66

Indianapolis — Devin Harris scored 21 points, including back-to-back three-pointers to start a late rally and help Wisconsin advance to the Big Ten championship game. The Spartans (18-11) had a chance to tie it after Wisconsin’s Zach Morley missed the second of two free throws that could have sealed the game. However, Maurice Ager’s runner in the lane caromed off the front of the rim as time expired. Wisconsin (23-6) will play No. 12 Illinois, the defending tournament and regular-season champion.

No. 12 Illinois 74, Michigan 60

Indianapolis — Dee Brown scored 21 points, and Illinois held off a second-half comeback to move into the championship game of the Big Ten tournament for the second straight year. Michigan (18-11) cut a 15-point Illinois lead to two points midway through the second period, mainly with the three-point shooting of Daniel Horton. However, Brown countered with his second three-pointer, then added two free throws and another basket on a goaltend as the Illini (24-5) pulled away for good. James Augustine added 15 points, and Luther Head had 12 for Illinois. Horton led the Wolverines with 16 points, and Bernard Robinson Jr. added 15.

No. 13 Cincinnati 55, DePaul 50

Cincinnati — Tony Bobbitt overcame a punch to the groin, returning to make the decisive shots and leading Cincinnati to the Conference USA tournament championship.

The 13th-ranked Bearcats (24-6) survived a tumultuous second half — a technical foul, an ejection, a wild last minute — to get their fourth tournament title. They also won a share of the regular season championship.

Bobbitt left the game after LeVar Seals hit him in the groin with 8:22 left, drawing an ejection. When he recovered from the low blow, Bobbitt returned and made a pivotal three-pointer and a driving lay-in that clinched it. He was voted the tournament’s MVP, finishing with a team-high 17 points.

DePaul (21-9) shot a season-low 35.3 percent from the field in its second Conference USA tournament final.

Maryland 85, No. 17 N.C. State 82

Greensboro, N.C. — John Gilchrist scored a career-high 30 points to lead Maryland back into the ACC tournament final. The sixth-seeded Terrapins (18-11) overcame a 19-point halftime deficit — tied for the largest in ACC tournament history — for the right to face Duke in today’s final. Gilchrist scored 23 points in the second half, went 11-for-13 from the floor and made five three-pointers to lead the Terps. He also added seven assists. North Carolina State (20-9) got 31 points from Julius Hodge, but he missed a free throw with 29 seconds to play and N.C. State trailing 81-78.