Chapter 3 Crazy March is hot, and NBA stars are watching the game!
"Chen! Honestly, are you sneaking away to practice football in the middle of the night every day?"
"Your progress is so exaggerated, a crossover would almost knock Damian off the earth!"
"Hahaha! Did you see Damian's expression after the training match? Those who didn't know better thought he had just eaten a pound of shit!"
After the team's training, Durant still looked like he was still unsatisfied. While eating the crispy noodles in his hand, he recalled every detail of Chen Yan's training match.
"kd, don't get excited, these are just basic operations..."
"Chen, you will definitely shine in the next March Madness!" Durant said and handed his crispy bread bag to Chen Yan: "Want some?"
"It smells pretty good." Chen Yan sniffed his nose.
"Then I'll pour you some, hold out your hand."
It's time for school to end now. The black girl and the white girl who have just finished class are talking and laughing. The fragrant grass and the bright sunshine.
All this made Chen Yan sigh that the campus is so beautiful!
Along the way, Chen Yan heard a lot of comments about Durant.
The teachers and students of the school are full of enthusiasm for the upcoming March Madness. Discussions about the game can be heard in every corner of the campus. As the top star of the Texas Longhorns, Durant is naturally the focus of everyone's attention.
Chen Yan, standing next to Durant, is like an invisible man, but he believes that everything will change when March Madness officially starts...
Soon, the two returned to the dormitory.
The accommodation conditions for Chen Yan and Durant are good, with two bedrooms and one living room, an open balcony, an independent bathroom, and a kitchen. This configuration is considered luxurious in the university.
"Crash!"
After returning to the dormitory, Chen Yan immediately took a shower, while Durant opened his laptop.
Du Xiaoshuai's hobby on weekdays is surfing the Internet, especially browsing news related to himself.
"Chen, I feel that I have no room for improvement."
As soon as Chen Yan came out of the bathroom after taking a shower, Durant's voice came over.
"What should I say?" Chen Yan stepped forward and asked.
"Look, the draft predictions on major websites now either rank me as the first or second pick. How can I improve?"
Chen Yan glanced at Durant. It was obvious that the young coach was in Versailles this time.
"Kevin, what are you going to do with your first income after entering the NBA?"
"I will give most of the money to my mother." Durant said, touching his chin.
Du Xiaoshuai comes from a single-parent family, and his conditions were not very good since he was a child. His mother had to work two jobs every day to support him in studying and playing basketball, and his life was very hard.
Chen Yan nodded after listening. Just when he was moved by Xiao Shuai's filial piety, Durant suddenly changed the subject:
"In addition, I will buy a lot of dried noodles and fill the whole room. I eat one pack and throw another pack away every day!"
Chen Yan: "..."
No wonder fans in previous lives said Durant was the richest loser. Now Chen Yan finally understands why.
...
...
The start of March Madness is getting closer and closer.
The Longhorns, who finished 25-10 this year, will compete as the No. 4 seed in the South Division.
Their first opponent is No. 13 seed New Mexico State.
The NCAA tournament is divided into four divisions: East, Central and West, South and West.
Starting from the top 64, the 16 teams in each conference will be ranked from 1st to 16th according to their conference record.
No. 1 vs. No. 16 seed.
No. 2 vs. No. 15 seed.
And so on...
The winner of each round advances to the next round.
The 16 teams that advance after the third round are called the Sweet Sixteen.
The eight teams that advance after the fourth round are called the Elite Eight.
In the end, each of the four major divisions will determine a championship team to form the final four.
In the end, the top four will fight against each other again, and the winner will enter the finals to compete for the championship!
All games are single elimination, very exciting!
It can be said that March Madness maximizes the uncertainty of sports, and this is precisely the charm of sports.
March 18.
7:30 pm.
Fans finally get to watch the University of Texas vs. New Mexico State University game!
In order to ensure the fairness of the game, the NCAA usually selects a neutral court for the game when entering the knockout stage.
The venue for today's match between the two sides is the home of the Phoenix Suns - America's West Arena!
The American West Arena, which originally could only accommodate 19,000 people, was flooded with 25,000 fans tonight!
The whole arena was packed to the rafters!
You can imagine how enthusiastic the fans are!
"Go! Texas Longhorns! go!!!"
"Don't give your opponent a chance!"
"Kill them! Come on New Mexico State University!!"
"Kick their ass and bring victory back to Texas!"
Before the game even started, the cheers and cheers of fans from both sides could be heard from the stands.
The basketball atmosphere was very strong, and Chen Yan could already smell the gunpowder before the game even started.
In this environment, he can't wait to show off his talent!
In addition to the enthusiastic fans, many NBA players also came to watch the game.
The Suns' Nash, Stoudemire and Grant Hill were talking and laughing off the court at this time.
Fans are already used to this.
As March Madness attracts national attention, it is normal to attract some celebrities and NBA players to watch the game.
The faces of the three people were full of comfort. They were all players running on this field on weekdays, and it was rare for them to be spectators.
"Amare, which team do you think will win tonight?"
During the players' warm-up period, Nash, who was idle, asked Stoudemire next to him.
"I don't know, I don't know either of these teams." Stoudemire spread his hands and said straightforwardly.
Stoudemire has little interest in this game or even the entire NCAA. If he hadn't had a fight with his wife today and was kicked out, he probably wouldn't have appeared at this game.
"Grant, which team do you favor?" Nash turned to Hill and asked.
Hill smiled: "The Texas Longhorns have a better winning percentage."
"Because they're the No. 4 seed?" Nash asked.
"No, because they have Kevin Durant."
After listening to Hill's words, Nash turned his attention to the tall and thin boy on the court.
He has also read a lot of reports about Durant. To be honest, Nash is also looking forward to Durant's performance tonight.
Although there is no business operation like the NBA, the NCAA also has a star effect. As the current number one small forward in the NCAA and a strong contender for this year's No. 1 pick, Durant's appearance always attracts a lot of attention.
At this time, Chen Yan was like a little transparent shooting warm-up next to Durant, and no one paid attention to him, a nobody.
After a while, the fans' cheers increased by several dozen decibels.
The entrance ceremony has begun!
"How can this college basketball atmosphere be better than the NBA?"
After feeling the warm atmosphere at the scene, Stoudemire couldn't help but sigh.
Stoudemire, like Kobe Bryant, Garnett and other stars, has never gone to college although he has attended many college students. Naturally, he has not had the opportunity to experience the NCAA game atmosphere in person.
“This is March Madness!”
Nash looked at these young players with some fascination, seeing how he looked when he was competing in the NCAA.
After the pregame ceremony, all the Texas Longhorns players gathered around head coach Rick Barnes.
Pregame training is part of the Texas Longhorns' repertoire.
"Boys! After a season of hard work, we are finally here, the stage we all dream of!"
"Cheer up! Don't be distracted by the outside world, stay focused, and enjoy your March Madness!"
"Fight for our families, fight for the fans who support us, and fight for the school badge on our chests!
Head coach Rick Barnes' words immediately aroused the players' emotions!
"Win the game!"
"Send them back to their hometown!"
"One! Two! Three! The Texas Longhorns must win!"
All members of the Texas Longhorns put their hands together and shouted victory slogans.
Chen Yan also shouted along with his teammates.
Although the game hasn't started yet, the team's high emotions and the warm atmosphere at the scene have already made his blood boil!
After the pre-match mobilization, Chen Yan returned to the bench with all the substitutes.
Although Chen Yan's performance on the training field in the past few days has amazed the coaching staff, head coach Rick Barnes decided to put him on the bench.
At this stage of the schedule, no coach will easily change his main roster. Changes in the main players are very likely to destroy the team's tacit understanding and chemical reaction accumulated throughout the season.
All Chen Yan can do now is wait.
"Beep!"
As the referee blows the whistle, the game officially begins!
Texas Longhorns starting lineup: DJ Augustin, Justin Mason, AJ Abrams, Durant, Damien James
This is a typical small lineup, and the tallest player on the team is Durant, who plays the small forward position.
New Mexico State University starting lineup: Doug Brown, Noah Richardson, Branson, Sutton, Marcus Gill
Unlike the Texas Longhorns, New Mexico State University does not have an NBA-level player. Their ability to reach March Madness depends entirely on teamwork.
At the beginning of the game, the Texas Longhorns took the lead in jumping to the basketball.
On the first attack, DJ Augustin handed the ball to Durant.
At the beginning, the Texas Longhorns used the team's most stable tactic: giving the ball to Durant.
With a simple shake of the ball, Durant directly pulled up and shot Branson in the face.
"Whoa!"
The goal was scored very easily. Branson took off half a beat late and did not interfere much with the handsome shot.
Looking back, New Mexico State responded with a completely different offense than the Longhorns.
Noah Richardson passed the screen and went around to the top of the key. After receiving the ball, he handed the ball to Sutton who ran back to the free throw line.
Sutton took advantage of the situation and made a ground pass to find Marcus Gill inside. The latter easily hit the board and hit two points.
New Mexico State University's players do not have outstanding individual abilities, but they have a good sense of teamwork and strong tactical execution.
Texas Longhorns offensive possession.
DJ-Augustin used the pick-and-roll to get to the basket. Seeing that there was no chance, he came out and handed the ball to Durant near the free throw line.
After three threats, Xiaoshuai found a shooting opportunity, another mid-range shot!
"Whoa!"
The rhythm of this ball is perfect, and the opponent can only look at the ball and sigh.
Hit two consecutive mid-range shots in the opening game!
Everyone thought that Xiaoshuai was going to go berserk in this game, but no one thought that this was Durant's only score in a sports game in 10 minutes!
New Mexico State University obviously studied the Texas Longhorns' offensive style and took special care of Durant in subsequent rounds.
Constantly using double teams and forward defense to cut off the connection between Durant and his teammates.
Offensively, New Mexico State will shoot whenever it gets the chance.
This style of play seems to have no offensive core, but in fact every player is the offensive core.
About ten minutes into the game, New Mexico State University had already taken a 5-point lead.
DJ Augustin had a very poor start, scoring only 2 points on 1-of-4 shooting, and did not link up the team's offense very well.
Faced with this situation, Durant could only retreat to a deep position to get the ball.
Durant's style of play played right into the hands of the State University of Mexico.
State University of Mexico put pressure on Durant to defend, not allowing him to shoot, and asked the big man Marcus Gill inside to block shots, interfering with Durant's layup rate.
This defensive system is a bit like the 2004 Detroit Pistons.
According to the scouting report, mid- and long-range shots are Durant's main offensive method, accounting for more than 70% of his shots. Therefore, New Mexico State University's defensive strategy made the coach uncomfortable.
The output of sports battles is blocked, and Durant can only continue to kill his opponents by drawing fouls.
Scoring is like constipation, and the Texas Longhorns' offense looks to be struggling.
Rick Barnes was not idle either and made continuous substitution adjustments, but the effect was average.
The Texas Longhorns' second unit does not have players who can help Durant open up the offensive space.
Only in the last 5 minutes of the first half did DJ Augustin hit his first three-pointer of the game.
Rick Barnes continued to make substitution arrangements, replacing Dexter Pittman and Martin Hill one after another to ensure the team's defensive rebounds.
On the offensive end, Rick Barnes still relies on the outside combination of Durant and Augustin.
The score difference between the two sides has always remained around 5 points.
After a dead ball, Rick Barnes glanced at Chen Yan, but in the end he was not replaced.
Chen Yan has yet to prove himself in official games, and Rick Barnes does not fully trust him.