Derrick Williams, Arizona Complete Stunning 93-77 Upset Of Defending Champion Duke In Sweet 16

The stunning upset, and the stunning comeback, is now complete. After trailing by six points at halftime in a Sweet 16 matchup, Arizona outscored defending champion Duke 55-33 in the second half, running away with a 93-77 win and a date with UConn in the Elite 8. Derrick Williams scored a career-high 32 points, grabbed 13 rebounds and had three steals in a monster performance.

As good as Williams was, it was his supporting cast that stepped up in the second half. Williams had 25 first-half points, but only seven points after halftime. Instead, it was players like point guard Lamont “Momo” Jones, Solomon Hill and others who really came through. It was a complete team effort that was made possible because Williams willed Arizona to compete in the first half.

Duke had one last gasp to get back into this Sweet 16 game against Arizona, but it ended quickly. The Blue Devils forced two turnovers and had a chance to cut it to single digits, but Nolan Smith missed a point-blank layup on the break. Arizona turned that into a fast break of their own, and the rout was on.

Solomon Hill got the layup on the break on that play, and after a Kyrie Irving miss, Derrick Williams punctuated his incredible game with another three-pointer, his 33rd point of the game. After two Duke free throws, Lamont “Momo” Jones hit another pull-up jumper, pushing the lead back to 16. A putback by Solomon Hill then pushed the lead to 17 with under three minutes remaining.

The Arizona Wildcats have gone on a shocking run in the second half of their Sweet 16 game against Duke, and are on the verge of upsetting the defending champions. The Wildcats have outscored Duke 39-19 in the second half, with Derrick Williams punctuating the run with an emphatic tomahawk slam. Well, at least until Jamelle Horne put Miles Plumlee on a poster with a right-handed jam to give the Wildcats a 77-63 lead with 6:47 left.

Williams has 30 points, 11 rebounds and three steals, but it has been his supporting cast that has stepped up. Horme, Lamont “Momo” Jones and others have made huge plays, and Duke has completely wilted.

In the first half, it was Derrick Williams for Arizona. In the second half, it’s been everyone else. The Wildcats trailed by six points at halftime, but have rallied and now lead by 11. After 25 first-half points, Williams has just two points in the second half, but everyone else has stepped up.

The run was punctuated by two plays. Kevin Parrom scored a layup off a nice pass from Jordin Mayes, and Brendon Lavender got a steal and a dunk to push the lead to 66-55.

Arizona has started off well in this second half of its Sweet 16 game against Duke, as it finally gets other players involved other than Derrick Williams. Kyle Fogg hit a three-pointer, Solomon Hill hit a layup and two free throws and Jesse Perry scored as well, as the Wildcats have now rallied to tie the game at 53.

Williams, who starred in the first half, didn’t take a shot for Arizona’s first couple possessions. But while the Blue Devils have made a couple nice plays, it’s been Arizona’s supporting cast that stepped up. The Blue Devils responded initially after Arizona cut its lead to 48-47, but Lamont Jones punctuated another Arizona with a transition jumper to tie the game.

It’s essentially been Duke vs. Derrick Williams in this Sweet 16 showdown, and so far, Duke is winning. The Blue Devils have weathered 25 first-half points from Williams and lead Arizona, 44-38, at halftime.

Williams has been a one-man wrecking crew the entire half for the Wildcats. He has done it all, with putback dunks, layups and a three-point game he hasn’t shown all season. Williams has hit five of his six three-pointers, including an impossible shot from 27 feet away with Miles Plumlee in his face to close the first half.