On Wednesday night, I took my position on the couch and turned on the Arizona vs. Duke game in the “Sweet Sixteen” of the NCAA Basketball Tournament.

At half-time, Duke looked to be in control of the game . . . and it was just Arizona’s “Superstar”, Derrick Williams, who kept the game within reach.

When the lead reached 11 at 31-20 on an Irving lay-up, it looked like Duke had answers for all of Arizona’s questions.

Arizona clawed back to six, with Williams hitting a 3-pointer just before halftime. It seemed big at the time.  Certainly, it sent the Wildcats into the locker room with some momentum.

I had been excited to see this game for days that seemed an eternity . . . and then . . . at half-time . . . I made like an air-traffic controller and fell asleep on the couch!

When I woke up, the game was over and the Internet was down . . . and I had no idea what had happened . . . but I went to bed, imagining that Duke had continued on to a win.

WHOA! I turned on ESPN in the morning . . . and OMG . . . Arizona not only beat Duke, they crushed them- 93 to 77!

Derrick William’s teammates came alive and demonstrated that Arizona is not a “one-player team”.

Now, in a few minutes, Arizona will face UConn. The “pundits” are no longer dismissing Arizona; indeed, the majority are looking for the Wildcats to win this one.

I hope they’re right. This one win and Arizona is in the “Final Four”!

No matter what happens in tonight’s game, I believe that Derrick Williams is the best forward in college basketball, if not simply the best player, period.

Derrick Williams

Williams is 6 feet 8 inches, a chiseled 241 pounds, and a certified bucking bronco in the low post.

He also shoots 60 percent on 3-pointers. He was, in fact, 5 for 6 from beyond the arc in the first half of Thursday night’s 93-77 conquest of Duke. The Wildcats trailed, 44-38, at intermission, and the only reason the plane wasn’t warming up on the runway to get them back to their Tucson campus was the fact that Williams had 25 of those 38, including a 3-point facial administered to Ryan Kelly that sent Arizona into the locker room, confidence restored!

The second half (that I slept through) was a clinic – the Wildcats outscoring Duke, 55-33, with Williams just a part of the whole with 7 more points. “But that second half might not have occurred if he had not had that first half,’’ Calhoun maintained.

Now, Mike Krzyzewski is known in the business for being exceedingly generous with the analysis of opponents, win or lose. But watching Williams send his team home made even Coach K raise his evaluation game to a very high level.

“He’s just a superb player,’’ lauded Krzyzewski. “He’s as good as anybody we’ve played, or, I should say, better than anybody we’ve played. I thought we played a little better than the score in the first half, but Williams getting 25 kept them in.’’

It’s always better to be lucky than good, and Miller was phenomenally blessed when Tim Floyd, who had recruited Williams, guard Lamont “MoMo’’ Jones, and forward Solomon Hill to Southern Cal, abruptly resigned in the wake of the O.J. Mayo mess. The three headed to Tucson instead.

Williams was a known high school commodity, but he was never considered an elite player. What we’re looking at now is the result of a lot of hard work. Since coming to Arizona, he has gained 25 pounds of muscle and has broadened his game, all while remaining a team-first guy. He says he was never motivated by any perceived ranking slights, as he was by the idea of improvement for its own sake.

“I think I made a big jump from that [2009-10] season to this season, and I plan on making that from this season to next season,’’ he said. “That’s just how I am. I just want to try to get better. As long as I keep getting better my teammates are going to keep getting better, too. A lot of my teammates feed off what I do.’’

Krzyzewski will back that up.

“Williams gives you confidence,’’ he said. “You always know that you have that guy on the court, even when he’s not scoring, he spreads you out. There is a physicality to his game. Clean, beautiful. He’s a beautiful player.’’

ON TO THE FINAL FOUR, CATS!

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