Williams the conquerer, Williams the conquered

CHICAGO - The point guard battle everyone expected didn't materialize.

At least not for the first 30 minutes last night, not while Frank Williams wasted away on the Illinois bench and his Duke counterpart Jason Williams put on a show for the few Duke fans interspersed in a sea of orange at the United Center.

This was supposed to be Williams vs. Williams, a showdown of two of the country's most talented freshman floor generals.

For Jason Williams, it was a do-over, a second chance to make a splash on the national scene and prove that an ugly debut at Madison Square Garden three weeks ago was merely a false start.

For Frank Williams, it was also going to be a coming-out party, a critical test after poor games against Western Illinois and Bradley.

It was going to be a duel, but Lon Kruger spoiled the fun.

Wary of Williams' sloppy play and hoping to throw Duke a curveball, Kruger inserted sophomore Lucas Johnson into the starting lineup instead.

"We were a little surprised with their lineup," Krzyzewski said. "We were so geared up for Jason to guard Williams and Carrawell to guard [Cory] Bradford.

When he did get in, Williams shot at every opportunity, putting up six field goals in 11 first-half minutes. But his only basket was a three-pointer, and the showdown was looking decidedly uneven.

That's because Jason Williams was busy putting together his finest game as a Blue Devil, posting 17 points, seven rebounds and seven assists in 39 minutes of action.

Even a game-high six turnovers, including a pair of offensive fouls in the closing minutes, could not darken Wiliams' stellar night.

"I thought Jason Williams played really well, even though he had a couple of turnovers down the stretch," Krzyzewski said. "The last one, he did charge and he had an open man.

"But our younger guys don't always call for the ball, and if they had called for it, Jason would have hit him with the ball."

The matchup that should have started with the opening tip finally cranked up with 10 minutes to play.

Unsatisfied with Johnson's performance (two points in 25 minutes), Kruger went back to Frank Williams, and the redshirt freshman responded.

Williams hit a free throw and then a circus shot from the baseline to draw the Illini within four at 57-53.

He missed his next four shots but kept on firing, and a pair of three-pointers brought Illinois to 68-63 just after a Duke three threatened to put the game away.

"Frank doesn't mind taking the big shot," Kruger said.

Williams underscored Kruger's point in the game's final two minutes, missing a pair of 23-footers that displayed confidence in his own abilities-but not enough faith in his teammates'.

With the game on the line, Frank Williams took things upon himself, shooting a long three over the other Williams. The shot was long, and Jason Williams sealed the Duke victory with the rebound.

"He has to learn what it's like to play the point guard of a Big Ten club," Kruger said. "[That's] learning how to make the players around him better. He has to learn when it is a good shot for him or a good shot for the team."

Jason Williams, on the other hand, seemed to understand those subtleties better last night than at any point in this young season.

He controlled the pace of play and prevented Illinois from using any full-court defensive pressure. His seven assists matched a career-high and would have been higher if his teammates had converted on several open looks.

In a play that typified Williams' growing confidence, the Metuchen, N.J., native pushed the ball up the floor in a two-on-three break, drew a pair of defenders and zipped a chest pass that could be heard in the third row as it smacked into Chris Carrawell's hands under the hoop for an easy layup.