duke
Derrick Williams felt the lack of respect. In his mind, not much thought Arizona was really upset defending national champion Duke.
But Williams, the Wildcats for a game-changer unlike any other. Time he had finished scoring 32 points and grabbed 13 rebounds in the 93-77 victory against Duke in the Hall of Fame coach Mike Krzyzewski kept piling praise on the star sophomore, and he said the 6-foot-8 forward, that he really is special.
"He's as good as anyone has played, or should I say better than anyone could play," said Krzyzewski, who ended the season in the 900 career Division I wins. "Even if you do not score, you can cover. There is a physicality to the game. Clean, nice - he's a great player."
Williams '32 points tied a school record for most points in the NCAA championship game, and this particular command performance on Thursday, carried the Wildcats to the Elite Eight to face Connecticut. All the doubters who thought that Arizona is a young team under second year coach Sean Miller was not ready to experience the glory days of Williams, if the answer to the court and in his own words.