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Texas Tech has advanced to the Sweet 16, thanks in large part to a senior who wasn’t on their roster last season. UTEP transfer Bryson Williams has been very instrumental in the Red Raiders’ success this year.
Texas Tech best player: PF Bryson Williams
Williams is averaging 13.9 points and 4.1 rebounds per game. According to KenPom, he had the second-best offensive rating of any player during Big 12 Conference play (120.4). He shined twice against Kansas this season. He first tallied 22 points and eight rebounds in a win over the Jayhawks in January and then contributed a season-high 33 points on 14-for-19 shooting during a double-overtime loss in February. Williams went 4-for-4 from 3-point range that day and is shooting 40.9 percent from beyond the arc this season.
Williams is a rangy 6-foot-8, 240-pound forward. He has raised his offensive game in his super-senior season — especially as a 3-point shooter — and has shown good rebounding skills. He’s also a key reason why the Red Raiders have the nation’s best defensive adjusted efficiency rating on KenPom.
Williams profiles as a tweener at the next level. He’s a good scorer, not a great one. He’s a good rebounder, not a great one. He probably won’t be able to keep up defensively against smaller forwards and will be overwhelmed physically by bigger ones. He’s definitely more of a scorer than a playmaker, so maybe he finds a role as a guy who can offer instant offense off the bench while also playing competent defense.