Thursday, March 24, 2011

NCAA Basketball Tournament 2011: Arizona Upsets Defending Champion Duke 93-77




Kyle Singler's successful college career ended three games earlier than he hoped. Now he is left to prepare for the upcoming NBA Draft, and what he likely hopes will be a long NBA career.The chances of him having that long NBA career are certainly debatable.

The 6'8" forward has the shooting stroke and instincts that scouts love. He has a great feel for the game, which allows him to be a solid off the ball defender and excellent passer.Where the questions of his viability as a NBA come into play revolve around his athleticism.

He lacks the quickness to be able to stay in front of NBA small forwards and the size to keep power forwards away from the basket.


Arizona Wildcats have beaten the top seeded Duke Blue Devils, and it wasn’t close.
At halftime, Duke led by six points, and when the final buzzer sounded they were down by 16. The reigning champs could not keep pace with Arizona’s white hot shooting, and the performance of likely top draft pick Derrick Williams.

Williams, the sophomore sensation, had 32 points, 13 rebounds, three steals, two assists, and a block in Arizona’s victory. The big man was 5-6 from beyond the arc, and absolutely unstoppable all game long.

Jones' basket tied the game at 53 and the spurt ended with Arizona leading 66-55, its first double-digit lead of the game. Jones and Jamelle Horne had five points each, while Williams focused on rebounding.

"The second half was just complete nastiness, as coach would say," Kevin Parrom said. "We came out swinging. We didn't let up. We knew they were just going to focus on Derrick and that's when other guys came in and stepped up. It shows that it's not just Derrick Williams who is on this team."

Horne's dunk extended Arizona's lead to 77-63 as the Wildcats' fans roared, thrilled to see their team making a deep run in the tournament a season after the school's 25-year streak of consecutive appearances ended.

The Wildcats closed within one point earlier in the half, and Duke responded by outscoring them 14-7, including eight in a row, to take its largest lead, 31-20.

Irving didn't start the game, but he quickly had an impact once he got in. He scored seven points in the run that built Duke's biggest lead.

Share This Story to Your Friends ---

Share/Bookmark

No comments:

SHARE

Bookmark and Share