Derrick Williams Drank His Muscle Milk Before the Duke Game

This moment of madness brought to you by Muscle Milk®. It’s powerful protein. Drink. Evolve™

If there’s one player who has made a name for himself this NCAA Tournament, it would be Arizona forward Derrick Williams. The man his teammate Momo Jones once called a “skinny bum” muscled his way to 13 rebounds and 32 points against the vaunted Dukies, and helped ensure his team was in the game at halftime.

Williams had 25 points at halftime and tied a season-best performance by going 5-6 from the three-point line. Everything possible that a player could do in a game, Williams did. He played 35 minutes, went 11-17 from the field and 5-6 at the line while opening everyone’s eyes to the type of player he can be. All throughout the evening the television commentators and pundits on twitter were raving about his skills and ability. After his standout performance — the type that can happen in March and forever raise a player’s profile — people were saying Williams is a lock to be the top overall pick in the draft.

That’s not a joke either.

Just like most fans, NBA executives get carried away with player performances in March rather than November, December, or January. The deeper your team goes and the better one plays, the greater your chance is of getting drafted higher. Just ask guys like Tyrus Thomas and Joe Alexander about that. Williams is the latest example of an athlete playing his best at the most important time, and so is Arizona. They outscored Duke 55-33 in the second half and outrebounded them 25-9, using a 19-2 run to pull away.

After the game, Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski said “I can’t explain that. That’s what happens in sports. Sometimes one team gets more aggressive than the other. … Sometimes, when you get on a roll, you have more energy than the other guy who doesn’t get on a roll.”

Coach K may not have an explanation for Arizona’s stunning win, but I do. Like I said in the title of this post, Derrick Williams must have had his Muscle Milk before the game. Their delicious protein shakes help you become the best you can be, which is exactly what Derrick Williams was on Thursday. His stellar performance also made him uberfamous and uber rich. We’ll see if he follows the same formula Saturday in the Elite 8 against UConn.

Photo Credit: AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill