We can’t even go a single game now without Amari Williams reaching some sort of statistical achievement that hasn’t been done in however many decades.
Against Vanderbilt earlier this week, the seven-footer was about as perfect as possible in a basketball game: 17 points on 6-6 shooting including a 5-5 mark from the free throw line. He’s just the third Wildcat ever to reach those kinds of figures. He’s only a few games removed from the fourth-ever triple-double in Kentucky men’s basketball history.
Although it came in a 96-83 loss to No. 4 Alabama, Williams was even better on Saturday against the Crimson Tide. He dropped a stat line that is not only rare for a Kentucky player, but rare for any college basketball player in general. The Drexel transfer went for 17 points (5-9 FG; 7-10 FT), 11 rebounds, six assists, one steal, and one block in 27 minutes. It marked his ninth double-double of the season and seventh in SEC play.
But that’s hardly the most impressive part about his outing. According to UK, Williams is the first seven-footer in the SEC since 1996-97 to post that kind of stat line against a Top 25 opponent. The last non-SEC player to do so was, not so oddly enough, someone coached by Mark Pope. Akolda Manyang posted the same line for Utah Valley against Duke on Nov. 11, 2017. Williams is the first UK player to go for 17/11/6 since Jack “Goose” Givens back in Jan. 1977.
That’s not all though… With his six assists against the Crimson Tide, Williams is up to 81 dimes on the season, the most in program history for a seven-footer. Sam Bowie recorded 66 assists during the 1983-34 season. Williams also has three straight games of at least 17 points for the first time in his college career, which spans 132 games.
Williams wasn’t without some faults against Alabama. There were a handful of turnovers in the second half that he’d probably like to have back. But he’s being forced to do a ton on both ends of the floor for Kentucky while Lamont Butler and Jaxson Robinson remain on the mend. His free-throw shooting has been improved and he’s becoming a reliable back-to-the-basket scorer. To Williams’ credit, he’s handling the extra responsibilities — acting as a quasi-point guard — quite well.
We’re to the point now where we can comfortably include Williams in the All-SEC conversation. And considering the league likes to have more than five players on each All-SEC team, there’s a very good chance he ends up as a First-Team performer. Auburn’s Johni Broome, a top candidate for National Player of the Year, is the only other SEC center playing at a higher level than the native of England.
Williams continues to perform like Kentucky’s best player. He’s only gotten better as the season has gone alone. The biggest gripe with Williams right now is Pope won’t keep him on the floor for more than 30 minutes a game. But whenever he’s been on the last several weeks, Williams has been one of the best players in all of college basketball.
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