Kevin Durant scored 33 points to lead the Oklahoma City Thunder
to a 104-100 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Monday
night.
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Durant nets 33, Thunder slip by T-wolves
Arizona Showing Signs of Resurgence
Filed under: Arizona, Washington, Pac-10
TUCSON, Ariz. – Even as his star player Derrick Williams, broken pinky and all, lay underneath a pile in celebration of a thrilling victory in front of him Saturday afternoon, University of Arizona coach Sean Miller was too preoccupied with his own emotions to deal with the dangers there.
Miller was still a bit out of sorts as he approached Washington coach Lorenzo Romar for the customary game-ending handshake following the Wildcats’ 87-86 win at their McKale Center. Not at all meaning to be a jerk, Miller looked Romar in the eye and with a straight face said “Good win.”
“I didn’t mean to say that,” Miller admitted later. “Really what I meant to say is what a game.”
Let’s chalk up the slip to Miller’s coming down from an edge-of-your-seat-ending in which Williams needed to make three incredible defensive plays to secure the win for the Pac-10 leading and 12th-ranked Wildcats. Let’s also chalk it up to the excitement Miller has to be feeling as the resurgence of the once-dominant Arizona program takes form in his second year on the job.
Miller came out here from Xavier for the challenge of returning the Wildcats to the prominence they enjoyed throughout most of the Lute Olson years. There is still plenty of work to be done to get Arizona back to the point where the program is in the national championship conversation each year, but Miller seems well on the way.
He has a stud of a player in Williams, who as a sophomore, may be the best player in the Pac-10 and he’s definitely the most underrated star player out West. Williams is blessed with the God-given instincts of a special player, whose basketball savvy just seems off the charts as we saw him score 26 points, grab 13 rebounds and come up with two blocks on a night that clearly wasn’t his best (6-of-13 shooting from the field and seven turnovers).
Arizona Withstands Late Run by Washington for Wild Win
Filed under: Arizona, Washington, Pac-10
TUCSON, Ariz. — The Washington Huskies made the second half interesting with a torrid comeback, but it was the 12th-ranked Arizona Wildcats who were able to hold on by the slimmest margins during Saturday night’s 87-86 victory at the McKale Center.
This was easily the Wildcats’ most signature win to date and the one that could have punched their stamp back into the NCAA Tournament and cemented their hold on the Pac-10 regular-season title.
But the Pac-10-leading Wildcats weren’t assured of their eighth straight win until they got a couple improbable deflections by star sophomore Derrick Williams inside the final second of the game. Williams came up with a huge block on a shot by Darnell Gant, and then Williams rejected an inbounds pass to Matthew Bryan-Amaning to end the game.
More Coverage: Wildcat Resurgence
Up until that point it appeared to be anybody’s game as the lead changed several times in the final minutes, which was in stark contrast to the first half and early second half when the Wildcats led by as many as 12 points. But due in large part to some careless turnovers by Arizona, combined with the dominance of Amaning inside during the second half, the Huskies (18-8, 10-5 Pac-10) took the lead late in the second half.
But the Wildcats (23-4, 12-2) regained the lead for good on a layup by Solomon Hill with :17.6 seconds remaining on the clock. But even then, Arizona needed three huge defensive plays from Williams, including a forced travel on Amaning, in order to secure the win.
Williams led the Wildcats with 26 points, 11 rebounds and two blocked shots. Lamont Jones (15), Jesse Perry (11) and reserve Kevin Parrom (11) also scored in double figures.
Amaning led the Huskies by scoring 18 of his team-high 24 points (12-of-19 shooting) in the second half.
How It Was Won: In a tight game where every shot counted this was won at the 3-point line where the Wildcats converted 11 of 18 treys for 33 of their points.
How It Was Lost: The Huskies had trouble taking advantage of numerous second half turnovers and that caught up with them in the end.
Key Stat: Arizona converted 16-of-18 shots from the free-throw line.
What we liked/Don’t like: Arizona could have easily folded in this game after giving up a big lead, but the Wildcats showed great resolve late in the game by fighting back and coming away with a critical win.
Derrick Williams, No. 12 Arizona Hold Off Klay Thompson, Washington State
Filed under: Arizona, Washington State, Pac-10
TUCSON, Ariz. (AP) — Derrick Williams had 26 points and eight rebounds, and No. 12 Arizona withstood a big night from Klay Thompson to hold off Washington State 79-70 Thursday night.
Williams had been relatively quiet the previous two games, scoring a combined 23 points as he tried to fight through collapsing defenses and the bulky bandage on his sore right pinky. The defense nor the still-bandaged pinky didn’t bother him this night.
Williams got to the rim and the line, hitting 7 of 10 shots and all 12 of his free throws. He also got some help from Solomon Hill, who scored all of his 12 points in the second half to give Arizona (22-4, 11-2 Pac-10) its 14th straight home win.
Thompson, the Pac-10′s leading scorer, tried to carry Washington State (17-9, 7-7) with 30 points, but a shaky start to the second half put the Cougars in too big of a deficit.
DeAngelo Casto added 14 points for Washington State.
Neither of the Pac-10′s two leading scorers shot particularly well in the teams’ first meeting, a 65-63 win by Arizona in Pullman. Arizona hounded Thompson all over the floor, holding him to nine points on 4-of-16 shooting in that first matchup. Williams was just 4 for 13 from the floor, but finished with 17 points and 19 rebounds.
Casto was a big reason for Williams’ off-shooting night and the Cougars got good news when he was able to play after spraining his ankle against Cal last week.
The 6-foot-8 junior made it hard on Williams early, even blocking one of his shots in the front row.
Thing is, it hasn’t mattered if teams have been able to keep Williams quiet lately. The rest of the Wildcats have picked up the slack.
Against California, it was Lamont Jones and Kevin Parrom each hitting career highs while combining for 52 points.
Kyle Fogg took his turn against rival Arizona State in Arizona’s previous game, hitting six 3-pointers to match his career high with 26 points.
Arizona needed everyone against Washington State.
The supporting cast carried the Wildcats while Williams was quiet early, then he scored 10 of his 12 first-half points in the final 7:14 to put Arizona up 41-33.
Hill took his turn at carrying the Wildcats to start the second half, scoring the first seven points, and Williams added an alley-oop off an inbound pass to put Arizona up 50-33.
The Cougars needed 4 1/2 minutes to get their first field goal of the second half, then rallied behind Thompson.
The lanky junior, who had 12 in the first half, scored 10 quick points midway through the second and added a layup that made it 64-59 with 6 1/2 minutes left as the game got chaotic and physical.
Turned out to be their last chance.
Casto got hung up on the rim to miss a dunk, Thompson threw a pass to the Cougars’ bench for a turnover on the next possession and the Wildcats pulled away for their seventh straight win.
Pac-10 at Halfway Point: Improving, Still Far From Great
Filed under: Arizona, Arizona State, California, Oregon, Stanford, UCLA, USC, Washington State, Pac-10, Oregon State
Halfway through the Pac-10 season and it’s fair and accurate to say that this is a better conference than last year’s dismal downer of a campaign.
Arizona and UCLA have done considerable work improving on last year’s uncharacteristic win-loss records. There are players in this league — such as Washington‘s Isaiah Thomas, Washington State‘s Klay Thompson and Arizona’s Derrick Williams — who are standouts of national caliber.
Two teams, Washington and Arizona, are ranked.
Still, strides are relative. The Pac-10 is No. 7 in the Sagarin Power Rankings, two spots behind the suddenly mighty Mountain West. And some of the most exciting hoops on the West Coast is being played in the West Coast Conference.
But for the Pac-10, better is better than the alternative.
The barometer: Arizona is better. When one of the stalwart programs in the Pac-10 went astray last year it impacted the perception of the entire conference. Now that the Wildcats are on the way back to the NCAA Tournament — at 18-4 and tied for first with Washington at 7-2 — people can begin to think better of the conference. It’s much better to have two ranked teams than merely one. When the Wildcats joined the ranks of the ranked a few weeks back, that was a big deal for conference watchers.
Pac-10 at Halfway Point: Improving, Still Far From Great
Filed under: Arizona, Arizona State, California, Oregon, Stanford, UCLA, USC, Washington State, Pac-10, Oregon State
Halfway through the Pac-10 season and it’s fair and accurate to say that this is a better conference than last year’s dismal downer of a campaign.
Arizona and UCLA have done considerable work improving on last year’s uncharacteristic win-loss records. There are players in this league — such as Washington‘s Isaiah Thomas, Washington State‘s Klay Thompson and Arizona’s Derrick Williams — who are standouts of national caliber.
Two teams, Washington and Arizona, are ranked.
Still, strides are relative. The Pac-10 is No. 7 in the Sagarin Power Rankings, two spots behind the suddenly mighty Mountain West. And some of the most exciting hoops on the West Coast is being played in the West Coast Conference.
But for the Pac-10, better is better than the alternative.
The barometer: Arizona is better. When one of the stalwart programs in the Pac-10 went astray last year it impacted the perception of the entire conference. Now that the Wildcats are on the way back to the NCAA Tournament — at 18-4 and tied for first with Washington at 7-2 — people can begin to think better of the conference. It’s much better to have two ranked teams than merely one. When the Wildcats joined the ranks of the ranked a few weeks back, that was a big deal for conference watchers.
Pac-10 at Halfway Point: Improving, Still Far From Great
Filed under: Arizona, Arizona State, California, Oregon, Stanford, UCLA, USC, Washington State, Pac-10, Oregon State
Halfway through the Pac-10 season and it’s fair and accurate to say that this is a better conference than last year’s dismal downer of a campaign.
Arizona and UCLA have done considerable work improving on last year’s uncharacteristic win-loss records. There are players in this league — such as Washington‘s Isaiah Thomas, Washington State‘s Klay Thompson and Arizona’s Derrick Williams — who are standouts of national caliber.
Two teams, Washington and Arizona, are ranked.
Still, strides are relative. The Pac-10 is No. 7 in the Sagarin Power Rankings, two spots behind the suddenly mighty Mountain West. And some of the most exciting hoops on the West Coast is being played in the West Coast Conference.
But for the Pac-10, better is better than the alternative.
The barometer: Arizona is better. When one of the stalwart programs in the Pac-10 went astray last year it impacted the perception of the entire conference. Now that the Wildcats are on the way back to the NCAA Tournament — at 18-4 and tied for first with Washington at 7-2 — people can begin to think better of the conference. It’s much better to have two ranked teams than merely one. When the Wildcats joined the ranks of the ranked a few weeks back, that was a big deal for conference watchers.
Pac-10′s Best Gather for Battle in Seattle
Filed under: Arizona, Washington, Pac-10
In a conference living light on the marquee these days, Thursday night’s matchup between 25th-ranked Arizona and No. 20 Washington in Seattle is likely the most interesting duel of the Pac-10 regular-season.
On paper, it’s the two best teams, with the two best players going head-to-head for an early claim on first place in the conference standings.
The Huskies and the Wildcats, at the top of the Pac-10 in scoring offense, scoring margin, rebounding margin, field-goal percentage, 3-point percentage and 3-point percentage defense.
Arizona’s Win Over Stanford a Welcome Respite for City, Community
Filed under: Arizona, Stanford, Pac-10
TUCSON, Ariz. — A banner hung from the facade of a small church on the edge of the University of Arizona campus. “Violence Solves Nothing,” it read.
A few blocks further away, the flag at the front of a baptist church flew at half-staff. Well, not flew really, but hung motionless from the flagpole on a windless winter day, adding to the feeling of heaviness in the heart of this city.
Five blocks away from the McKale Center, at University Medical Center, the national media had gathered – dozen of satellite trucks clogging the hospital entrance — to keep vigil after Saturday’s horrific mass shooting in front of a grocery story on the other side of town.
Six people were killed, 14 others were wounded, including Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, who was holding a constituents’ meet-and-greet on a brisk Saturday morning days after she was sworn-in for a third term.
Giffords is recovering from brain surgery and the news was positive on Sunday morning as doctors said she was able to communicate, though she remained critical.
Derrick Williams Speeds Up Arizona’s Rebuilding Effort
In the universe of Arizona basketball, a slow rebuild is simply not good enough.
The Wildcats are 9-2 heading into Sunday’s important road game at North Carolina State and if there is a serious challenge to Washington’s favorite status in the still-weakened Pac-10, it just might come from the team in Tucson.
After missing the NCAA tournament for the first time in 25 years last spring, the Wildcats are putting things back together as quickly as possible.
“There are high expectations because it’s Arizona basketball. Fans want us to be back where we were before,” said sophomore forward Derrick Williams. “We’re (9-2) and last year, we were 6-6. This year, I think everybody has come to play and we are all on the same page. Last year, we didn’t have too much of that.”
