Trojans Upset Arizona: USC Coach Kevin O'Neill Gets in Derrick Williams' Head

USC head coach Kevin O'Neill started trying to win Thursday night's game against No. 10 Arizona on Tuesday afternoon.

During the Pac-10 coaches weekly conference call, O'Neill made the following statement about Wildcat power forward Derrick Williams: "He's the most protected dude I've seen since Michael Jordan. If the guy walks across the court, it's a foul."

(If you didn't already know, mentioning Jordan and Williams together in this way was a tribute to neither the Hall of Famer nor the rising-star sophomore.)

A short time later on Tuesday, Williams tweeted: "I don't get Michael Jordan treatment... Just stop fouling me and we will be good."

On Thursday, Williams was held to under 10 points for the first time this season as USC upset Arizona at home, 65-57.

The fact that Williams only scored eight points is noteworthy—and how he scored those points is intriguing.

Williams made both of his free throws on Thursday night.

On the season, he leads the nation in both free throw attempts and free throws made.

He has now shot 250 on the season, an average of nine free throws per game.

A couple of questions arise.

Did O'Neill's comment get into Williams' head, making him subconsciously alter his game?

Did the refs who called the game, hear the comments ahead of time and unintentionally adjust their approach to the contest?

It is interesting to note that USC, normally a very physical ballclub, did not get whistled for a foul until after the first TV timeout and was only called for six personal fouls in the whole first half.

Along with that, Arizona only shot four free throws in the first half and Williams didn't take any of them.

The truth is, lots of factors go into the final outcome of a game.

We will probably never know what impact or influence O'Neill's comments really had on the final result.

However, this is just one more reminder of the fact that, while a sporting event is a physical contest, there has and always will be a mental side to the game.