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Arizona’s not sweating Duke -- not with Superman in uniform

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Derrick Williams is Arizona’s Superman. The Pac-10 player of the year saved his team with timely blocks, clutch shots and incredibly efficient scoring.

But even Superman needed help from unexpected sources to reach the Sweet 16.

As the Arizona Daily Wildcat notes, backup point guard Jordin Mayes was huge when starting guard Momo Jones struggled and shooting guard Brendon Lavender stepped in for two crucial first-half 3-pointers. Without them, it might be Texas playing Duke.

“We all recognize Derrick (Williams) and his terrific season and what he brings to the table, but just like the other day, when he was out of the game, we played very well,” coach Sean Miller told the paper. “When he was in the game, different players have to play well around him.

“We’ve had that throughout the season, and I don’t know if we’ve gotten enough credit for having so many contributions from a lot of players. Sometimes we only have one double-figure scorer, but the other part is we have five or six guys on a given night that are capable of being a double-figure scorer.”

But if Arizona hopes to beat Duke, it’ll need Williams and his supporting cast to be super. One or the other won’t do.

Williams and four other Arizona players should be comfortable playing in Anaheim. They all grew up in Los Angeles or the surrounding areas. If that helps them focus against the region’s team to beat, even better.

“Our main focus is not being scared,” Kevin Parrom said. “Some people when they play they tend to get scared because they’re playing a big-name team. We respect Duke, but we just have to go out there and play.”

Who’s scared when Superman’s on your team?

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