Chapter 188 Turn of Events

The University of Arizona made adjustments coming out of the timeout, replacing Perry and Johnson on the perimeter with two swingmen.

They paired Williams and Hill in the frontcourt, going with a small-ball lineup.

It was a risky move, but only a young coach like Miller would dare to do it at this time.

UConn also made substitutions, with Majok replacing Oriakhi, Smith replacing Tang Tian, and Napier replacing Walker.

One team used a seven-man rotation, the other an eight-man rotation, both normal in NCAA games.

In Arizona's offense, Hill spaced the floor, letting Williams single-handedly attack Majok inside.

Majok's one-on-one defense was average. With Olander drawn away from the basket, he couldn't keep up with Williams' rhythm.

Williams drove to the basket after a crossover and scored a tough layup.

Miller on the other side breathed a sigh of relief and wiped the sweat from his face.

This basket finally stabilized Arizona's situation temporarily.

With Walker off the court, Lamb naturally became UConn's primary offensive focus. Napier directed the offensive plays from the perimeter, delivering a precise pass when Lamb came open, the ball arriving exactly when he did.

Lamb took the catch and shoot.

"Clank!"

The shot was a bit off and missed.

Majok soared in the paint, preparing to grab the offensive rebound.

In the previous game against San Diego State, he had snatched four offensive rebounds over Wright's head.

But just as he took off, another figure rose into the air.

Williams!

Before Majok, Williams grabbed the ball into his arms.

This play fully demonstrated his physical advantage, eliciting a burst of exclamations from the crowd.

After securing the defensive rebound, Williams dribbled behind his back to get past Majok, and Arizona launched a fast break.

The small-ball lineup was indeed fast in transition. Williams dribbled past half-court, and two players on the wings had already pushed into UConn's backcourt three-point line.

It was a three-on-two situation in the frontcourt. Williams passed the ball to Hill, who then passed it back to Williams, who scored against Smith and drew a foul on the latter for a shooting foul.

Arizona's fans erupted in cheers. After the timeout, they scored on two consecutive possessions, indicating that the team was about to gain momentum.

Williams made the free throw, and Arizona went on a 5-0 run after the timeout, narrowing the deficit to 10 points.

On UConn's offensive end, Lamb drove to the basket and drew a shooting foul on Williams.

Arizona's small-ball lineup would inevitably reduce their defensive ability in the paint.

Lamb made one of two free throws, and UConn maintained an 11-point lead.

In Arizona's set offense, Olander ignored Hill and collapsed into the paint. Williams had no chance, and the ball went to Hill, whose three-pointer missed.

Majok jumped high to grab the defensive rebound.

Again, it was Williams. He jumped later than Majok, but he jumped higher, grabbing the offensive rebound directly. He landed and quickly attacked again for a second-chance basket.

Majok's talent was completely suppressed by Williams.

Williams scored seven consecutive points during this stretch. After being suppressed for nearly ten minutes, he finally caught fire.

In UConn's offense, Lamb was double-teamed, and the ball was passed out to Napier, who continued to attack the basket.

However, Hill's help defense arrived in the paint, successfully blocking Napier's shot.

Arizona immediately launched a fast break. Williams had already sprinted out beyond the three-point line.

After grabbing the ball in the backcourt, Fogg saw this and made a long pass across the court. Williams caught the ball, shook off the defender, and arrived at the frontcourt unguarded.

He took a deep breath, took off one step inside the free-throw line, and instead of dunking directly, he passed the ball under his crotch, performing a between-the-legs slam!

After the dunk, Williams roared at the sideline, his expression domineering.

The Arizona fans completely exploded.

"Oh! My God!" Terry was shocked by Williams' dunk.

This was the NCAA, and Williams not only completed it but also looked very relaxed. His physical talent was explosive.

"Haha, that's my style." Jefferson laughed, recalling his dunking days with the Nets.

During this stretch, Arizona started to fight back, and Williams scored in various ways.

The scouts on the sidelines nodded frequently. Based on his physical talent, Williams was definitely worthy of his status as a potential first overall pick.

Calhoun called a timeout. After this surge, Arizona had narrowed the deficit to seven points.

NCAA games had a slow pace and low scoring, so a comeback was always possible.

Tang Tian couldn't help but glance at Miller, who was drenched in sweat, on the other side of the court.

Arizona's small-ball lineup was proving surprisingly effective. This young coach had a bit of Tyronn Lue's tactical genius!

Coming out of the timeout, Calhoun substituted Oriakhi back into the game.

In UConn's offense, Lamb's three-pointer missed, but Oriakhi grabbed the offensive rebound before Williams.

The reason basketball is called a big man's game is that height has an absolute advantage in this sport. No matter how high you jump, you still need time to take off.

After grabbing the offensive rebound, Oriakhi passed the ball to Napier on the perimeter to reorganize.

Napier stopped on a dime after a crossover and made the shot.

The deficit returned to nine points.

In Arizona's frontcourt offense, Williams drew the defense in the paint and passed the ball to Hill on the perimeter, but Hill's three-pointer still missed.

Oriakhi boxed out and continued to secure the defensive rebound.

Ollie clenched his fist. Oriakhi's importance to UConn was evident in these two games. He could box out and had the height, completely eliminating Williams' opportunities to grab offensive rebounds.

The situation on the court became a stalemate.

In UConn's offense, Napier's three-point attempt missed, but this time, Williams backed into Oriakhi and pushed him out of the paint. Hill jumped up and secured the defensive rebound.

As soon as Hill got the rebound, Arizona launched a fast break.

Williams turned and shook off Oriakhi. It was a four-on-three situation in the frontcourt. Fogg passed the ball to Hill, who was open at the baseline.

Hill had missed two three-pointers in a row and was hesitant to shoot, but he quickly spotted Williams trailing towards the middle and tossed the ball towards the basket.

The two had excellent chemistry. Williams leaped up, his right hand reaching high to grab the ball in the air, and then slammed it down hard into the basket.