He blocked three shots and affected several others, his 7-6 frame proving a significant barrier for the highly athletic Blue Devils. At the other end, he dropped 15 points on 7-of-10 shooting. He also hauled in six rebounds.
But despite Fall’s strong all-around game, Duke edged UCF 77-76 on Sunday to advance to the Sweet 16. In the final minute, Williamson finished through Fall for a clutch and-one score that fouled out the big man and helped the Blue Devils survive.
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Williamson shot 12 of 24 on the day, finishing with 32 points but falling short of his season field goal percentage of almost 70 percent.
On a couple of occasions, such as the play below, Williamson struggled to get his shot off against the much-taller Fall.
He had the last laugh, though, with the late finish through Fall.
Once Williamson reaches the NBA (likely as a No. 1 overall draft pick this year), he won’t face anyone with Fall’s size down low. The tallest regular in the league right now is Boban Marjanovic at 7-3.
Fall, a senior, likely has limited professional prospects due to the modernization of the NBA, which has emphasized smaller, more versatile players at the cost of traditional big men.
If this NCAA Tournament run — UCF’s first since 2004-05 — was in fact Fall’s final stint playing in front of casual basketball fans, at least it was a fantastic ride for him.
