Rodney Williams came to the Gophers with a world of potential. Only recently, though, has he consistently harnessed it -- a turnaround that can be measured in Williams' actions and Tubby Smith's words:
Chart: A look at Rodney Williams' turnaround
• In the six games since Trevor Mbakwe's injury -- all Gophers victories -- Williams has scored in double figures five times. He only hit that mark twice in the Gophers' first seven games. He is also averaging 7.2 rebounds in that recent six-game stretch as opposed to 2.7 in the first seven games.
• Smith at Gophers media day before the start of the season: "He's just waiting for his offense to [come around]. It may not ever happen for him."
• Smith after the second game of the season: "Rodney is still not shooting as well as we would like, but he's doing the other things extremely well."
• Smith on Nov. 29, before the first game without Ralph Sampson III and Mbakwe: "Rodney's role might change a little bit. But it might help him get a rebound."
• Smith after a victory over USC earlier this month: "Rodney's been playing outstanding. Moving him back to that 4 spot where he can use his athleticism and his quickness, it's been good for him. And he's really been doing an outstanding job rebounding the ball."
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The Gophers had lost their previous three games and their past seven meetings with the Hoosiers. Guard Amaya Battle helped change all that by scoring a game-high 16 points to surpass 1,000 in her career.