Maryland's 89-77 victory over Houston was satisfying for Terps fans for a lot of reasons, but the continued growth of freshman Jordan Williams might be the best of all of them. It's been obvious the second half of the season that Williams was blossoming into a special player, but he controlled the game Friday night, owning the paint by blocking shots, sucking up rebounds, and bulldozing his way through Houston's defense for 21 points.
He also grabbed 17 rebounds, and you can bet Michigan State coach Tom Izzo was watching this one with sweat on his brow, wondering how he's going to slow down a 6-foot-10, 260-pound freshman whose game keeps getting better. Watching Williams now and comparing him to the player who began this season is night and day. He knows how to get position, how to seal his man, and how to make a move with force and intent. He's also shown a willingness to help on defense and intimidate opponents' shots, something he wasn't doing earlier this season.
Mike Gminski said it best during the broadcast: It's clear that Williams has become the best big man the Terps have had since Lonny Baxter, and it's probably not even close. We sort of assumed that the Terps would only go as far as Greivis Vasquez would take them, but Friday night, Maryland ran Gary Williams' flex offense as well as they have all year. Everyone got involved, but it all started on the inside with Williams swallowing up anything that came his way.
This kid is special, and it's going to be fun to watch him develop over the next couple years. It's funny to look back and see he was the 99th-ranked player in the country coming out of high school. Think you could find 98 players you'd rather have than him right now?
Certainly not in the second round of the NCAA tournament, which is where Maryland is for the second consecutive season thanks to Williams.