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Wall scored 19 of his game-high 25 points in the second half, including a game-winning three-point play in the final seconds, to lead No. 4 Kentucky to a captivating 64-61 come-from-behind victory over No. 14 UConn in the SEC/Big East Invitational before a crowd of 15,874 at Madison Square Garden.

Wall had six steals on the night, twice as many as UConn's entire team.

He is currently projected as the No. 1 pick in the 2010 NBA Draft. The Nets (2-20) have the worst record in the NBA, meaning they could land the top pick if the ping pong balls bounce their way.

"I hope we make the playoffs," Thorn said with a smile. "Right now it looks like we'll probably be in the lottery someplace."

If the ping pong balls do bounce the Nets' way, Thorn can't go wrong having NBA Commissioner David Stern utter these words next June: "With the first pick in the 2010 NBA Draft, the New Jersey Nets select ... John Wall of the University of Kentucky."

Wall's seven turnovers were typical of a college freshman, but his killer instinct and otherworldly athleticism piqued the interest of a section full of NBA scouts and a mostly pro-Kentucky crowd.

With his team in a nip-and-tuck battle, Wall told Kentucky coach John Calipari late in the game: "Coach, Just give me the ball. I can make plays for us."

And he did.

UConn's Kemba Walker (12 points) hit a pullup jumper over Wall with the shot clock was winding down to give the Huskies a 61-60 lead with 1:12 remaining.

After a Kentucky timeout, UConn coach Jim Calhoun moved 6-9 Stanley Robinson on Wall instead of the 6-1 Walker.

Wall responded by driving into the paint, scoring over the 6-9 Alex Oriakhi and drawing a foul.

The basket and ensuring free throw made it 63-61 Kentucky.

UConn had a chance to tie or take the lead, but Gavin Edwards (16 points) missed a 3-pointer in the final seconds and Walker missed one at the buzzer.

At that point, Wall went flying into the air near the Kentucky bench and pounded his chest directly in front of an ESPN camera.

"We rode John Wall until the end of the game," Calipari said. "We were groping for offense and we just gave it to him and said, 'Make some baskets.'"

"[Wall] is one of the best basketball players out there," said Patrick Patterson, who added 16 points for Kentucky. "He has been doing this all year. Pretty much, when we need a basket we all know who to get the ball to."

Wall and Kentucky have now beaten two of last year's Final Four teams in five days, having defeated defending NCAA champion North Carolina on Saturday in Lexington, Ky.

Wall looked like one-man wrecking crew in leading undefeated Kentucky (9-0) to an early 12-0 lead.

On UConn's very first possession of the game, Wall stole the ball from Jerome Dyson and Eric Bledsoe scored to give Kentucky a 4-0 lead, prompting Calhoun to call a timeout and send Dyson to the bench.

A minute later, Bledsoe and Wall worked a two-man weave up the court before Bledsoe fed a pass above the rim to Wall for an alley-oop dunk.

Then it was time for Wall to flash his mid-range game by draining a pullup jumper over Walker.

Wall scored again on a layup and before UConn knew what hit them, it was 12-0 Wildcats.

Wall notched six points and three steals in the first 3:33, when it looked like the Wildcats might just blow the Huskies out of the building.

But Wall and his teammates fell silent for the remainder of the first half just as Dyson resurrected himself from his benching.

The Huskies fought back and took a 29-23 halftime lead behind Dyson's 13 first-half points.

In the second half, Kentucky tied the game and went ahead, 41-40, on a pair of foul shots by Patterson.

Wall then drained a 3-pointer to extend the lead to 44-40 for first basket since the 16:26 mark of the first half and that seemed to get him going.

Wall's highlight may have been when he stole the ball from Dyson and then soared toward the basket before throwing down a monster two-handed jam that put the Wildcats up 63-57.

Calipari has sent his last two point guards from his time at Memphis to the lottery, Derrick Rose and Tyreke Evans. Last season, Rose was the NBA Rookie of the Year with the Chicago Bulls, and Evans is having a strong rookie campaign with the Sacramento Kings.

Wall is widely regarded as the next guard to follow in their place.

"I can't talk about specific players, but you don't know," said Thorn, who also saw Wall play here in April in the Jordan Brand Classic. "It's tough. I don't care who you are, a young guy coming in the NBA."

Still, the way Rose and Evans have transferred their talents to the next level, one figures Wall is ready to follow suit.

Calhoun has coached his share of NBA players and says Wall is right up there.

"I said he's at least as good at Derrick Rose," Calhoun said. "Wall is all of that. Whatever that is, he is all of that. He's a tremendous player...He's no freshman, he's a great player."