NCAA Tournament 2011: UConn Must Find a Man To Guard Arizona's Derrick Williams
Kenny Smith, on CBS' postgame coverage of the Duke vs. Arizona Sweet 16 game, said, "Somebody needs to find A MAN to guard Derrick Williams."
Jimmy Dykes of ESPN added, "How did Arizona get Blake Griffin to suit up?"
UConn is on a roll, winning five straight games in the Big East tournament and now three in a row in the NCAA tournament.
Is there any team as hot as the Huskies?
Well, Arizona has won seven of its last eight, including March Madness wins against 12-seed Memphis, 4-seed Texas and 1-seed Duke.
Not only is Arizona on fire as a team, so is power forward Derrick Williams.
After Arizona's total dismantling of Duke, the biggest question going into today's Elite Eight matchup between the Huskies and Wildcats is whether UConn has an answer for Derrick Williams.
Let's take a quick look at five questions that need to be answered during what will be a great Elite Eight matchup between UConn and Arizona.
1. What Will UConn Do To Check Derrick Williams?
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Derrick Williams continues to impress the college basketball world with his elite inside-outside skills.
Last year, Williams was named Pac-10 Freshman of the Year and Sporting News Freshman All-American, First Team.
This year, Williams was named Pac-10 Player of the Year, and is in the running for all of the major national player of the year awards.
The 6'8", 241-pound sophomore power forward is a matchup nightmare.
Put a big man on him, and he will slide outside and hit the perimeter shot.
Come at him with a smaller defender, and he will dominate from the low post.
Williams is shooting an amazing 60.2 percent from the field, including 60.3 percent from beyond the arc.
This season, he led the nation in free-throw attempts (319) while connecting on nearly 75 percent from the line.
Williams is averaging 19.5 PPG and 8.4 RPG on the season.
In the NCAA tournament, Williams has stepped it up a notch, averaging 23.7 PPG and 11 RPG.
So, what will UConn do to stop Williams? Which Husky will attempt to guard him?
It is possible that UConn could throw a zone defense at Arizona, attempting to clog the lane, forcing the Wildcats to beat them on the perimeter.
But that is not what UConn has played over the years. The Huskies have been known for applying intense man-to-man pressure.
Alex Oriakhi, who has the size and length necessary, would most likely be the first defensive option. Tyler Olander, another athletic "big," could also be called on.
Regardless of who is assigned to Williams, the Huskies will probably collapse on him once he gets the ball, trying to force him to change from being a scorer to a passer.
However, other teams have not always had much success with double-teaming him. Williams has still had big offensive games when teams bring reinforcements.
2. Can Kemba Walker Keep Up His Late-Season Magic?
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Kemba Walker can't seem to catch a break.
After a fast start to the 2010-11 season, Walker has hid in Jimmer Fredette's shadow for most of the season in terms of national press.
Walker played as good as anyone in the Big East this season, but Notre Dame's Ben Hansbrough was named the conference's Player of the Year.
Fredette and his BYU Cougars were eliminated in an early Thursday Sweet 16 matchup against Florida, but then Derrick Williams detonated and, once again, Walker was overlooked in terms of media coverage.
But, Kemba Walker just might use this as motivation. Playing with a chip on his shoulder might be what helps him go off again.
This season, in 38 games, Walker is averaging 24 PPG, 5.4 RPG and 4.5 APG.
He just doesn't seem to ever get tired. He plays nearly every minute of every game (averages 37.5 minutes).
Walker is a great penetrator who can either find an open teammate or finish at the rim.
Arizona's will most likely bring pressure from their own point guard, MoMo Jones.
Walker and Jones, both from New York City, have been friends and competitors since junior high.
Sean Miller needs MoMo to step up, because if he needs to use someone else to stop Walker, it will most likely create some other matchup challenges for Arizona.
Kyle Fogg, the Wildcats' shooting guard, actually might be called on. He has been Arizona's backcourt defensive stopper for most of the season. His added length might be enough to help slow Walker down.
3. Who Will Win the Battle Beyond the Arc?
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What Arizona does beyond the arc has been a big part of its success this season.
As a team, the Wildcats are sixth in the nation (40.6 percent) from downtown.
On defense, they are even better, only allowing their opponents to connect on 29.3 percent of their three-point attempts (No. 5 in the nation).
UConn hasn't done nearly as well on either.
The Huskies have hit only 33.8 percent of their three-pointers this year, and allow their opponents to hit on 33.3 percent.
This could be an issue if UConn collapses on Williams when he gets the ball, as the other Wildcats need to make the Huskies pay.
Against Duke, Arizona did just that, hitting on 9-of-15 shots from beyond the arc. Derrick Williams made five of his six three-point attempts against Duke.
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4. Will Jeremy Lamb Continue To Go Off?
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Jeremy Lamb, UConn's talented freshman wing, is having an exceptional NCAA tournament.
Lamb was the Huskies' second-leading scorer throughout the season, averaging 10.9 PPG. He has elevated his game during March Madness, now scoring at a 18 PPG clip.
He blew up against San Diego State, scoring 24 points on 9-of-11 shooting, including all three attempts from beyond the arc.
Lamb's size (6'5", 185 pounds) might mean that Arizona's wing forward Solomon Hill will get this important assignment.
Also, Kevin Parrom, Arizona's bigger perimeter defensive stopper off the bench, might see more action in order to lock down Lamb.
5. Which Bench Will Play a Bigger Role?
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UConn coach Jim Calhoun primarily calls on three talented players off his bench: freshman point guard Shabazz Napier, sophomore forward Jamal Coombs-McDaniel and seven-foot center Charles Okwandu.
Napier averages 3.2 assists in 23.6 minutes a game. He also is second in steals with 62 behind Walker’s 73.
Coombs-McDaniel is an inside-outside threat.
Okwandu averages 2.9 points and 2.8 rebounds a game and is second on the team with 47 blocked shots.
Arizona coach Sean Miller has used a 10-player rotation for most of the season with his second five getting anywhere from 10-20 minutes consistently per game.
Kevin Parrom (pictured) has actually played more minutes and scored more points than starter Jesse Perry.
Reserve point guard Jordin Mayes has yet to miss a three-pointer in the NCAA tournament, making all six attempts. He has made 9-of-13 shots from the field (69.2 percent) and all three of his free throw attempts.
Kyryl Natyazhko (6'11", 265 pounds) may not be posting significant numbers, but he brings strong defense and rebounding in the middle.
At critical times during this game, it will be these players, not the starters or the stars, who will make a difference.
Prediction
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Jim Calhoun has won two national championships and over 600 games as UConn's head coach.
Sean Miller is in his second year as Arizona's head coach. He has 166 career wins at Xavier and Arizona, but has never been to the Final Four.
Both teams are on a roll.
The success of each team's defense against star players Kemba Walker and Derrick Williams will weigh heavily on this game's outcome.
This game could go like UConn's late-season contest with Notre Dame.
Walker went for 34 and the rest of the team scored 33 points, as the Huskies came up short, 70-67.
Prediction: Arizona by two
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