Chapter 10: Earning While Standing!
The Southeast Regional Finals, to many people's surprise, saw University of Connecticut display its strength as the top seed, completely overwhelming its opponent in the first half.
At 29:43, by halftime, the lead had already extended to 14 points.
In the slow-paced games of the NCAA Championship, it's not an easy task to come back from such a deficit.
Most importantly, University of Connecticut had a balanced offense, with every player who stepped onto the court scoring, while Cincinnati collectively missed their shots, leaving the game with virtually no suspense.
Li You played 8 minutes and 42 seconds in the first half, making 4 of 4 shots, scoring 8 points, 1 rebound, and 4 assists.
With an advantage in the paint, he focused more on attacking near the basket, and Coach Calhoun was very satisfied with this; throughout the half, the opponent failed to execute a single effective fast break.
During halftime, Cincinnati fans who had specifically flown to Rupp Arena looked very disappointed; watching the game live, they could better feel the opponent's talent, and they were completely overwhelmed.
“It seems there will be new faces in the Final Four this year. University of Connecticut truly lives up to its top seed status; perhaps they have a chance to win the championship!”
Jim Nantz started his ‘poisonous milk’ again; this veteran sports reporter always favors talented teams, and Cincinnati was already out in his mind.
Billy Packer just smiled; he had always favored Kentucky University, as they had consistently dominated their opponents in the NCAA Championship:
“Winning the championship is not an easy task, but in a single-elimination game, anything is possible, and that’s the charm of the NCAA Championship.”
“.”
After the second half began, Cincinnati didn't give up, still trying to catch up and attempting to speed up their offense.
However, their continuous outside shots missed, and University of Connecticut, playing steadily, easily scored in return.
The big man, Nate, completely dominated the paint in this game, and with his consistent two-pointers, the lead was extended to 20 points in less than 5 minutes of play.
In Rupp Arena, University of Connecticut fans were jumping and cheering loudly; everyone had already started celebrating their team making history by reaching the Final Four!
Coach Calhoun was very cautious; despite the huge lead, he still didn't expand the rotation.
Li You's playing time did increase, but once he was on the court, he was mostly responsible for orchestrating the offense, slowing down the pace, and getting the ball into the paint.
One side desperately sped up, while the other played slower and slower, and game time flew by; many Cincinnati fans in the arena were already covering their faces and crying.
As the final buzzer sounded, everyone from University of Connecticut screamed and rushed to the center of the court, embracing each other and happily cheering with the fans.
60:77, in the Southeast Regional Finals, University of Connecticut decisively defeated Cincinnati, successfully advancing to the Final Four!
Danny Fortson, the core player for Cincinnati, cried sadly; he only scored 12 points in this game, making 5 of 17 shots.
Moreover, most of his points were scored in the second half; the deficit in the first half was largely due to his extremely poor shooting.
The entire American Airlines Arena was filled with the excited shouts of University of Connecticut fans.
Li You smiled and hugged Coach Calhoun; this veteran coach, who had coached at University of Connecticut for 10 years, was also crying tears of joy at this moment:
“We will win the championship! The Final Four is just the beginning!”
Patting this good-natured old man on the shoulder, Li You could understand Coach Calhoun's feelings at this moment.
University of Connecticut had always struggled to recruit talented players, and their best previous achievement was only reaching the Elite Eight. Coach Calhoun, who had been working tirelessly for the team for many years, was finally getting his reward this year.
“Thanks to your performance, Li, you will become a big star!”
Coach Calhoun composed himself and patted Li You vigorously on the shoulder. These players were all personally recruited and nurtured by him, and he sincerely hoped that everyone could succeed.
On March 24th, all four teams for the NCAA Championship Final Four were determined:
In the East Region, University of Massachusetts decisively defeated Georgetown 86:62, successfully advancing as the number one seed.
Marcus Camby of University of Massachusetts played 28 minutes, making 9 of 19 shots, scoring 22 points, 7 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal, and 3 blocks.
The highly anticipated Allen Iverson played 36 minutes, making 6 of 21 shots, with a shooting percentage of less than 30%, scoring 23 points, 2 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 steals, and 5 turnovers.
Despite the disappointing stats, most media still praised Allen Iverson's fighting spirit on the court.
In the Midwest Regional Finals, Kentucky University defeated Wake Forest by 20 points, 63:83!
The highly anticipated Tim Duncan played 39 minutes, making 2 of 7 shots, scoring 14 points, 16 rebounds, 6 assists, 2 steals, 4 blocks, and 5 turnovers.
Another star player, Antoine Walker, made 3 of 11 shots, performing poorly, only scoring 9 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists, and 1 steal.
The two star players failed to deliver the highly anticipated matchup, while Kentucky University's guard, Tony Delk, performed exceptionally well:
He made 9 of 13 shots, including 5 of 7 from beyond the arc, efficiently scoring 25 points and stealing the spotlight from the two.
In the West Regional Finals, Syracuse University pulled off an upset, narrowly defeating their opponent 60:57, marking the third time in the team's history they reached the Final Four.
Adding University of Connecticut, who decisively defeated their opponent in the Southeast Regional, this year's Final Four features two new faces!
Both University of Massachusetts and University of Connecticut have achieved their best team records in history. For the Final Four, the four teams will fly to New Jersey.
The National Semifinals and Finals will be held at American Airlines Arena.
University of Connecticut's opponent in the semifinals will be Syracuse University. There is still some time until the 30th, so Coach Calhoun also gave the players a day off.
Due to NCAA regulations, players are not allowed to accept any gifts in any form, so even Ray Allen, who is about to become a millionaire, doesn't have much money on him.
His agent, Mark Bartelstein, naturally followed him throughout and has been staying in Rupp Arena for the past few days.
Seeing University of Connecticut make it to the Final Four, he was overjoyed.
Li You made 6 of 7 shots in the Regional Finals, including 1 of 2 from beyond the arc, and 2 of 2 from the free-throw line, efficiently scoring 15 points, 3 rebounds, 6 assists, 2 steals, and 1 turnover.
Such a performance has already surpassed many highly-touted star players in the draft, and Mark Bartelstein was very satisfied with this.
Even if it was against a weaker opponent, being able to perform like this also showed Li You's strength.
However, the exercises across the ocean two days ago gave this agent a bad premonition.
At lunchtime on the 24th, Mark Bartelstein specifically invited Li You. Looking at the young man eating meat heartily in front of him, he said pointedly:
“Li, have you been following the news these past two days? You know, as you guys make it to the Final Four, not only sports media, but you might also encounter some social issues.”
Without waiting for him to finish, Li You raised an eyebrow and immediately said:
“The Taiwan issue? No one is going to come and ask me for my opinion on this, right? I'm just a college player. Would it be my turn to express an opinion on something like this?”
Mark Bartelstein didn't expect Li You to actually know about it, feeling a bit surprised, and then smiled and reminded him:
“Better safe than sorry, Li, you should understand your situation!”
Li You continued to eat meat heartily without raising his head, responding:
“Taiwan Province belongs to China, and there is only one China in the world. This is a matter of principle!”
Noticing Mark Bartelstein's helpless expression, Li You secretly muttered to himself:
“The ABCs who ‘run over’ here aren't even human; I just want to earn money while standing!”
Happy Dragon Boat Festival ~
(﹃) Please collect ~