Amari Williams was a mismatch nightmare for the Arkansas bigs

It hasn’t been a fun night. Let’s speak some positivity into the air.

Amari Williams was brilliant against Arkansas on Saturday night. I don’t want to even think of how this game would have turned out had the seven-footer from England not been on the floor. In reality, he should have played even more. His 260-pound frame was a mismatch nightmare for 7-foot-2 Zvonimir Ivisic.

Pure strength and physicality overwhelming a much skinnier opponent. Even without a jumpshot, he was bordering on unguardable.

Kentucky came up short, 89-79, against the Razorbacks in what was John Calipari‘s first return to Rupp Arena. But the Wildcats’ losing effort certainly wasn’t due to Williams, who posted his sixth double-double this season. He finished with 22 points (9-13 FG), 11 rebounds, and three assists in 25 minutes of action. It marked his first 20-point, 10-rebound game of the season and the fourth of his five-year college career. His +4 mark in the plus/minus was the only positive figure of the night for the ‘Cats.

When head coach Mark Pope needed a bucket, it was — oddly enough — Williams who had to answer the call. With Kentucky’s offense going through several dry spells, the Drexel transfer bullied his way through Ivisic for clean looks at the time on multiple occassions. He wasn’t credited with any blocks (although he did have a steal), but his presence inside the paint deterred a handful of would-be Arkansas layups.

Amari Williams And-1 pic.twitter.com/Hf8Vube31F

— Rare Rookies #BBN (@rarerookies) February 2, 2025

If Pope could have this one back, he’d probably send a few more minutes Williams’ way. He scored seven straight points in the middle of the second half when nothing else was working for Kentucky. It got to the point where you almost wanted him to take control and be a bit of a ball hog. Arkansas had zero answers.

It didn’t matter if he was backing down in his defender in the post or sprinting the entire court for and-one slams. He was handing out buckets to whoever was in front of him.

“Be a little selfish out there,” Ansley Almonor said when asked what they were telling Williams throughout the course of the game. “Try to attack and see what you get after that.”

The game plan going in wasn’t to feed Williams on every offensive possession, that just ended up being what was working best as the game toiled along. Even with a limited bag of tricks around the rim, his pure size was far too much for anyone on Arkansas’ sideline. When he’s at his most aggressive, there aren’t many in college basketball who can slow him down.

“I feel like it just happened in the (flow) of the offense,” Williams said of his performance. “Sometimes I was in position and my teammates just trusted me and gave me the ball and I went out there and made a play.”

Williams continues to play well with every passing game. And yet, he’s averaging under 23 minutes per outing in the SEC. He’s hit 30 minutes just once in league play, a huge road win over a Top 15 Mississippi State squad. It might be time to see what he can do with a heavier load.

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