HARTFORD, Conn. -- Emeka Okafor and Ben Gordon were walking off the Civic Center court after the Monday shootaround when assistant coach Tom Moore pulled the two sophomores back and handed them a cell phone.

It was Connecticut coach Jim Calhoun. He wanted a few words with his two best players. The conversations were brief, the message direct and the words inspiring.

"He told me he needed me to hold this team together,'' Okafor said following the Huskies' 75-61 victory over Syracuse on Monday night -- UConn's first top 25 power rating and/or RPI victory of the season.

"He told me he wanted me to be active and be the Emeka that I could be,'' Okafor said.

Gordon hadn't talked to Calhoun since the surgery Thursday to remove the coach's prostate. So, just talking to him Monday seemed to energize Gordon.

"It just was great to hear his voice,'' Gordon said. "But he wanted to make sure that we were keeping this team together through the good and the bad.''

Calhoun told ESPN.com earlier Monday that he wouldn't be trying to coach this game while watching it at home. He said he knew his staff, led by interim head coach George Blaney, would be fine handling the coaching chores. But clearly, Calhoun had an influence in this season-changing victory for the Huskies, especially on Okafor and Gordon.

If the Huskies are going to make the NCAA Tournament, let alone be a factor deep into the tournament, it will be because of these two.

Calhoun was all over Okafor a week ago when Boston College blew out the Huskies. He qualified his statements by saying Okafor was a great person, and one of the smartest players he has coached, but he was miffed at how Okafor would not be aggressive against the Eagles. Okafor had no blocks at the half, one rebound and no fouls. He still finished with zero fouls and one block.

Okafor was more of a factor against Virginia Tech with six blocks, but the Huskies' defense was so transparent in the one-sided victory for the Hokies that clearly he wasn't as imposing. Okafor blocked only one shot in the turnaround victory at Providence on Saturday, but he altered more shots and that won't show up in the box score.

The same was true Monday. Okafor finished with 15 points, 12 rebounds and six blocks. The Orangemen were forced to start jacking shots up against Connecticut's zone because they had only a few ways to score inside. Syracuse tried a few alley-oops, hoped for a putback from Hakim Warrick and then looked for Carmelo Anthony to escape double-teams and get to the free-throw line. All three ways to score worked at times, but clearly the Orangemen were 2-for-17 on 3-pointers for a reason -- they were tentative to go inside against Okafor.

"Coach just wants the best for me and if someone isn't playing the way he thinks he should, then you've got to pick it up,'' Okafor said. "I had to pick it up and give an extra effort to elevate my game.''

Connecticut assistant coach Clyde Vaughan worked the past few days on making Okafor more aggressive. Vaughan was a load inside for Pittsburgh in the early '80s. He knows all about being a presence. In his first season with the Huskies, his teaching has focused on getting the inside players on the block offensively and imploring them to take chances defensively.

"I felt I wasn't as much of a presence in the first half,'' said Okafor, who had only one block by halftime. "I made a point to myself to come off being more aggressive and make sure they knew I was there.''

Having Okafor in the backline as a safety net is what allowed Connecticut to make an Elite Eight run last season. Sure, the Huskies had Caron Butler offensively but Okafor was the glue to the Huskies' defensive run. He needs to be again, and be even more of an offensive threat.

Gordon said the Huskies simply weren't playing any 'D' in the defeats against Boston College and Virginia Tech. But Gordon has emerged as the point man defensively and the scoring playmaker in the absence of Taliek Brown, who is out with a broken finger on his left hand and he said he probably would be back for the final two regular-season games. Until then, or maybe even when he returns, this is Gordon's team from the top and Okafor's from the paint.

But they're hardly feeling fine after the Syracuse victory. The Huskies still must go to Villanova, Notre Dame, Pittsburgh and Boston College in the final month of the season. The Huskies (15-5, 6-3 in the East Division of the Big East) will either earn their way into the Dance or play their way out.

"I love the fact that the schedule is set up this way and gradually gets harder and harder,'' Okafor said. "It makes sure that we'll have to have a killer instinct the rest of the way.''

Andy Katz is a senior writer at ESPN.com.