Freshman guard Ziaire Williams had a spectacular debut for Stanford Basketball en route to beating the Alabama Crimson Tide.
It’s been a wonderful week of college hoops. Numerous outstanding performances by key prospects forces all of our eyes to stay glued to the tv. There have been many freshmen in the NCAA that we have been anticipated since the November 25th announcement. With that being said, the world was watching what Stanford Basketball guard Ziaire Williams was going to produce in his first game against Alabama.
Williams got his flow going early in the game. The ball movement that Stanford showcased allowed him to get wide-open looks from the three-point line as he took advantage of the opportunity.
As Williams got in rhythm scoring the ball, it also opened up opportunities for his teammates as well. Williams had great feeds to his teammates for good quality shots. As the defense shifted to double team, he made the right decision by giving the ball up for a better shot selection.
As the second half rolled around, the Cardinal began to pull away from the Crimson Tide. They continued to swing the ball around to get quality looks and it resulted in terrific shots around the floor. The team shot 51% from the field and had all momentum flowing their way.
Although Williams had a rather quiet second half, he finished the game with 19 points and eight rebounds. With Alabama refusing to make any adjustments with their perimeter defense, Williams kept going to work with the ball in his hands which lead to a great shooting night.
Stanford’s 82-64 victory last night pushed a lot of momentum in today’s matchup against North Carolina. The Tar Heels grabbed a victory last night against UNLV, but they still haven’t seemed to hit their stride as a team.
Stanford could use that to their advantage going into the game by breaking down their defense and continuing to get good quality shots. It will be an interesting matchup to watch as the Maui Invitational continues.