Former University of Maryland head coach Gary Williams told ESPN 980 yesterday that he believes the Kentucky Wildcats could beat the Washington Wizards.

As transcribed by the Washington Post:

“I’ll tell you, you walk into some gyms — and that would be one of them, Rupp Arena — and you better be tough,” Williams said. “Regardless of how good you are, you can get taken right out of the game with the crowd. You just don’t feel right, you can’t play your game.

“I think one game — Kentucky couldn’t play in the NBA or anything like that — but one game at Rupp Arena, I wouldn’t be surprised to see Kentucky win one game. Because you’re gonna have five players off that team playing in the NBA, and probably playing significant roles in the NBA. And that’s why I say that, for one game.”

Last week, television analyst and former NBA legend Charles Barkley said that he thought Kentucky could beat the Charlotte Bobcats or the Toronto Raptors. The Wildcats recently earned a bid to the Final Four, and have lost just two games this season.

Currently the Wizards have the second worst record in the NBA, at 11-38. Their best player, John Wall, played for Kentucky two years ago before being drafted No. 1 overall by the Wizards.

After 22 years at the helm of the University of Maryland men’s basketball program, Gary Williams was honored tonight as the Comcast Center floor was officially renamed “Gary Williams Court.”

Williams took over as the Terrapins’ coach in 1989, leading the program to a 461-252 record and also winning the 2002 national championship. He retired in May 2011 and now works as a special assistant to athletic director Kevin Anderson.

Williams’ signature is now featured prominently in front of both benches. The Terps held a ceremony prior to tonight’s Duke game to dedicate the floor to their longtime leader.

The decision to name the floor after Williams was not met with unanimous support. Most notably, former Maryland coach Lefty Driesell told the Washington Post that the decision was an insult to the earlier Terrapins stars who put Maryland basketball on the map.

The Maryland Terrapins will honor former head coach Gary Williams in a pregame court-naming ceremony prior to tonight’s game against the No. 6 ranked Duke Blue Devils, according to ESPN.

The Terps will honor Williams be renaming the Comcast Center court after the 22-year former Maryland head coach.  William’s replacement, Coach Mark Turgeon, expressed his respect for the legendary coach saying “We all know how Gary got up for the Duke game, so it’s an appropriate night for us to unveil his name on the floor.”

“We have to play for Coach [Gary] Williams,” guard Sean Mosley told reporters. “We don’t want to let him down on this big night.”

Williams coached Maryland from 1989-2011. In Williams’ 22 seasons, the Terps went 461-252 winning the NCAA title in 2002.  Williams retired after a 19-14 finish last season.

The pregame ceremony is scheduled to begin approximately 20 minutes before the 9 p.m. tip on ESPN.