***

Otto Porter Jr. went coast-to-coast for a layup with eight seconds to complete a miraculous comeback in the second overtime and propel Georgetown to a 79-78 victory Wednesday at Gampel Pavilion.

Shabazz Napier, heroic in overtime all year, drilled a clutch 3-pointer in the second extra period to give UConn a 75-71 lead.

D’Vauntes Smith-Rivera hit a 3-pointer from the left wing to cut UConn’s lead—which was six at one point—to 78-77. From there, Napier turned the ball over and Porter coasted past the Huskies defense for the lay-in.

STAR OF THE GAME: DeAndre Daniels outplayed the likely Big East Player of the Year, Georgetown forward Otto Porter Jr. UConn’s 6-foot-8 sophomore defended Porter down the stretch, blocked his shot three times, poured in 25 points and corralled 10 rebounds.

KEY TO THE WIN: Georgetown hit eight 3-pointers in the first 11 minutes of the second half and finished with 11 for the game. The Huskies were 11-for-29 from deep, none bigger than an Omar Calhoun longball from the left wing that forced overtime with 2.2 seconds remaining. Boatright’s final attempt, a desperation 3-pointer from the corner, skimmed the backboard and rattled out.

*Tied at 69 with under a minute remaining in the first overtime, Napier launched a difficult fadeaway On the ensuing possession, Daniels got a piece of a Porter fallaway, and a running Boatright 3-pointer nearly banked in, sending the game to double-overtime.

*Down 12, UConn went on a quick 9-0 run, powered by Daniels, to cut the lead to 60-57. Two late UConn miscues—a Napier turnover and a Ryan Boatright missed free throw—gave way to some Georgetown mistakes, and overtime ensued.

*After a drive to score his first points, Shabazz Napier landed on the shoe of Georgetown’s Mikael Hopkins, re-injuring the right foot that has bothered him since the summer. Napier had surgery on the foot in September. After last Saturday’s win over DePaul, the junior guard said the foot was “still bothering him a little bit.” He returned with 14:20 and struggled to 16 points.

*Phil Nolan, scoreless in Big East play prior to Wednesday, had more first half points than Shabazz Napier, Ryan Boatright and Otto Porter combined. Porter finished with 22.

Despite two combined points from Ryan Boatright and Shabazz Napier, UConn took a 22-19  lead into halftime Wednesday against seventh-ranked Georgetown.

In a half played at Georgetown’s pace, the Huskies were able to leak out for a few easy buckets, including Tyler Olander and R.J. Evans layups.

The Hoyas, who went 11:02 without a field goal, shot just 6-for-21 from the floor. The Huskies, at 9-for-26, weren’t much better. DeAndre Daniels led the way with nine points while Otto Porter Jr. — Georgetown’s stud small forward — tallied just one.

A few hours until tip here at Gampel Pavilion.

Georgetown, riding a nine-game win streak, vistis UConn for a late-season matchup with conference title implications. The Hoyas (11-3) are in first place; UConn, at 9-5, trails by just two games.

Some pertinent links along with rosters and stats for tonight:

*Georgetown, Porter up next for UConn

*A look at Otto Porter Jr., leading candidate for Big East Player of the Year

*What to watch for in Wednesday’s game

WHEN: Tonight, 7

WHERE: Gampel Pavilion

RECORDS: Georgetown 21-4, 11-3 Big East; UConn 19-7, 9-5

LINE: Georgetown by 2

ON THE AIR: ESPN2 (Mike Patrick, LaPhonso Ellis); WTIC-AM 1080 (Joe D’Ambrosio, Wayne Norman)

UP NEXT: Saturday at Cincinnati, 2 (SNY)

GEORGETOWN

Jabril Trawick G 6-5 So.: 4 pts, 5 assists vs. Syracuse

Markel Starts G 6-1 Jr.: 12.1 ppg, 40 % 3-point FG

Otto Porter Jr. F 6-8 So.: 15.9 ppg, 7.7 rpg, 51 % FG, 45 % 3-point FG

Nate Lubick F 6-8 Jr.: 7.7 ppg, 5.3 rpg

Mikael Hopkins F 6-9 So.: 6.0 ppg, 2.5 rpg

D’Vauntes Smith-Rivera G 6-3 Fr.: 40 pts, 6 3-pointers in past 2 games

Moses Ayegba F/C 6-9 Jr.: 10 rebs vs. Syracuse

UCONN

Shabazz Napier G 6-0 Jr..: 11-for-16 3-point FG in past 2 games

Ryan Boatright G 5-10 So.: 17 pts, 6 assists vs. DePaul

Omar Calhoun G 6-5 Fr.: 9-for-14 FG in past 2 games

DeAndre Daniels F 6-8 So.: 4 pts, 5 rebs vs. DePaul

Tyler Olander F 6-9 Jr.: 5 pts, 5 rebs vs. DePaul

Niels Giffey F 6-7 Jr.: 8.8 ppg in past 4 games

R.J. Evans G 6-3 Sr.: 3.1 ppg, 1.3 rpg

Phil Nolan F 6-9 Fr.: Has not scored in Big East play

Leon Tolksdorf F 6-8 Fr.: Scoreless in 4 mins vs. DePaul

STORY LINES

AN XLENT ON-CAMPUS ARENA: Wednesday marks the season’s first marquee matchup at Gampel Pavilion. Most of UConn’s big games have been at the XL Center. “If I had a chance to pick our home games, they would all be at Gampel,” said UConn guard Shabazz Napier. “I think the crowd is just so right there on you, it could be devastating for the other team. It helps when we go through stretches where we don’t score, and it also helps when we go through spurts where we do score. I just appreciate everything about Gampel.”

BUGGING HIM FOR THE WRIST OF THE SEASON: Omar Calhoun suffered a sprained right wrist versus Villanova on Feb. 16. Since sprains usually take a few weeks to heal, Calhoun expects the injury to be somewhat troublesome for the remainder of the year. “The wrist is still bothering me,” Calhoun said. “It still hurts, but I’ll fight through it like I’ve been doing.”

POSTSEASON AWARDS: Wednesday’s game has major implications at the top of the Big East standings. It also could determine a few postseason awards. UConn’s Kevin Ollie and Georgetown’s John Thompson appear to be the frontrunners for Big East Coach of the Year. Hoyas forward Otto Porter Jr. is the favorite for Big East Player of the Year, but a UConn win and a huge Napier performance could put the 6-foot-1 guard back in the discussion.

Live Updates

Georgetown puts its nine-game winning streak on the line Wednesday at Gampel Pavilion. UConn seeks its 20th win — an accomplishment few thought was possible at season’s start — and a third “signature” victory for Kevin Ollie, who has already coached the Huskies to upsets of Michigan State and Syracuse.

Here’s what you should look for Wednesday:

*The Break: It’s a battle UConn must win. In a purely halfcourt game, the Huskies are toast. Georgetown is too long, too active on defense. If the Hoyas are successful in limiting Shabazz Napier’s open looks (and you’d imagine they’ll try), UConn could have worlds of trouble scoring in the halfcourt. During Georgetown’s nine-game winning streak, only two opponents — DePaul and Rutgers — have reached 60 points.

*DeAndre Daniels: You never know what you’re getting with Daniels. He’s been enormous at times — his performance versus Providence kept the Huskies alive before Napier took over in OT — and damn near invisible at others. UConn needs him on both ends tonight. He’ll likely defend Otto Porter Jr. and, above all, he’ll be counted on to rebound. No boards = no transition points. And no transition points is a problem for the Huskies.

*Frontcourt rotation: With Enosch Wolf indefinitely suspended, Ollie has been forced to get creative with his rotations. Tyler Olander, the biggest body left, has still received solid minutes (26.6 per game) since Wolf’s suspension. He hasn’t been very productive, though, and has been outperformed on the boards by Daniels and small forward Niels Giffey. If Olander gives Ollie little production against Georgetown, it will be interesting to track how long he sticks with the 6-foot-9 junior before opting for a frontcourt of Giffey and Daniels (the only drawback: Olander’s size makes him a better post defender than Giffey).

*Big guards: Wednesday’s game certainly isn’t the first (or the last) in which Shabazz Napier and Ryan Boatright will face a much longer backcourt. D’Vauntes Smith-Rivera is 6-foot-3, 227 pounds and sophomore guard Jabril Trawick stands 6-foot-5. The Huskies need crisp ball movement and consistent dribble penetration to free Napier and Boatright from the Hoya defenders.

*The Gampel Advantage: I’d be remiss not mention Gampel Pavilion, a superior setting to the XL Center for such a big game. Home court advantage is real, and the intense crowd noise (expect a sellout) could play a major role in Wednesday’s outcome.