NCAA Tournament: Arizona Escapes With 77-75 Win Over Memphis

On Friday afternoon, 5-seed Arizona managed to win its first game of the 2011 NCAA Tournament. The Wildcats advanced in the tournament bracket past 12-seed Memphis, thanks in large part to Derrick Williams’ last-second block.

In the final seconds, a Will Barton steal facilitated a Joe Jackson lay-up that cut Arizona’s lead to 75-74. Arizona’s Lamont Jones was then sent to the free-throw line and drained both attempts. Down by three, Memphis was fouled, forcing Joe Jackson to try to make his first free throw and intentionally missed the second. He succeeded on both counts, clanking the ball up off the base of the rim, and teammate Wesley Witherspoon was there to grab the offensive rebound. Arizona’s Williams, though, smacked Witherspoon’s lay-up attempt away, effectively ending the game. Arizona won, 77-75.

The No. 5 seed Arizona Wildcats didn’t get off to a good start against No. 12 seed Memphis in their 2011 NCAA Tournament opener, but sure had a good finish. The Wildcats fell behind 10-1, but rallied and lead 41-38 at halftime.

The Wildcats started forcing Memphis turnovers and turned them into easy baskets at the end of the half. Memphis struggles with that, so it was only a matter of time until Arizona exploited it. That explains the halftime margin.

Star Watch: It’s hard to get a feel for how good Williams is without watching him, but his numbers are numbing. He’s shooting 61.8% on his two-pointers, 60.3% on his threes, and drawing nearly eight fouls per 40 minutes. It’s no wonder he ranks in the top four nationally in effective field goal percentage and true shooting percentage, and frightening to consider that he adds over eight rebounds a game to his 19.1 points per contest. And if that’s frightening, it’s downright bone-chilling to learn that he doesn’t turn 20 until May.

Prediction: Williams explodes for something like 25 and 10 on the national stage and helps steady an Arizona team that tries to implode along with Memphis in a 75-65 win.