After defeating the University of Memphis, Arizona State University successfully advanced to the regional finals.

At this point, they only have one last opponent left to reach their previously set goal of reaching the semi-finals, and of course, their strongest opponent in the division, the University of Connecticut Huskies.

Connecticut is a team with a very long history. Even their head coach Jim Calhoun has been with the team for 39 years.

Ray Allen, Rudy Gay, Richard Hamilton, Caron Butler, Emeka Okafor...

These resounding names are also the best witnesses of the history of this team.

They have won two NCAA championships in school history and are also the favorite to win the championship this year.

They were ranked fourth in the poll at the beginning of the season and never fell out of the top five throughout the season.

So when the divisional rankings came out, they were the most indignant.

The soul of the team, this year's top pick Hasheem Thabeet even said directly in front of the media: "That (first place in the division) should have belonged to us."

Then they took out all that anger on their opponents.

In the first round, they beat California State University, Northridge by 58 points.

Then they beat the University of Maryland by 30 points in the second round and advanced all the way to the finals.

Now they finally have the chance to play against Arizona State University, which "stole" their spot. This is bound to be a very interesting game.

There was a two-day interval between the regional semifinals and the finals. In order to relieve the pressure on the players, Sandek organized an intra-team table tennis match after training.

It turned out that this method was very effective. Amidst the laughter and joy, the team members felt much more relaxed.

After the extra practice in the evening, Xu Yong, Harden and DeRozan sat on the balcony on the top floor of the stadium, enjoying the moonlight and chatting.

"It's going to be difficult to play against them with that big guy in the inside," Harden said, shaking his legs.

The guy he was talking about was Tabit.

When playing against Stanford University last season, they were impressed by the restricted area guarded by the Lopez brothers, but compared with Thabeet, they were like Howard standing in front of Yao Ming and suddenly became shrunken.

Thabeet is 2.21 meters tall, has a wingspan of 2.29 meters, and weighs 121 kilograms. He is simply a giant inside the NCAA and a mountain of a Huskies.

He averaged 6.2 points, 6.4 rebounds and 3.8 blocks per game in his freshman year, showing his potential.

As a sophomore, he averaged 10.5 points, 7.9 rebounds and 4.5 blocks per game, making a name for himself;

In his junior year, which is this season, he averaged 13.6 points, 10.8 rebounds and 4.2 blocks per game, showing his potential.

DeRozan nodded when he heard this. If a guy like this stands inside, you can forget about breaking through.

You have to know that the NCAA does not have a defensive three-second rule like the NBA, so Thabeet can stay under the basket all the time.

"He won't be our problem." Xu Yong said at this time.

Harden and DeRozan turned their heads in confusion when they heard this.

"That guy's offensive skills are as crude as a dollar's worth of toilet paper. He has no offensive threat in positional warfare. We only need to play fast, so his role will be very limited. I believe the coach will make that choice as well." Xu Yong continued.

Both of them nodded one after another. Xu Yong's analysis was very insightful.

If this giant-level player fails to pose a threat on the offensive end, he will inevitably become a burden on the defensive end because of his slow movement.

The Devils are the kind of team that can play fast.

"Then we are sure to win?" Harden couldn't help but ask with anticipation. The final four, just thinking about it makes people excited.

Xu Yong shook his head and continued, "I'm worried about Kemba Walker."

"That first-year guy?" Harden was a little confused.

"He's just a substitute, right?" DeRozan echoed.

What they said was all right. Walker, a freshman, was not only a substitute in this Connecticut team, but his points in the previous few games were less than ten points. How could Xu Yong be worried about such a player?

"Do you remember Derrick Rose last season and Isaiah Thomas this season? We have never had much to do with guards like these who are good at breaking through," Xu Yong continued.

It's not just a problem that their perimeter players are too tall this season, but they don't have an inside player who can guard the restricted area, the legendary black, thick and tough.

Ayres is not that type of player, and neither is Boateng on the bench.

Harden and DeRozan still didn't care too much. Whether it was Rose or Thomas, Walker was still far behind them.

"But DeMar is right, he is just a substitute, and our chances are still greater than theirs." Xu Yong didn't want to make them worry too much, and said with a smile.

He had the impression that Kangda would win the NCAA championship two years later, in 2011.

The current Connecticut team probably hasn't realized Walker's true power yet. They are like a boss that has not yet developed, so their chances are naturally great.

Hearing this, Harden and DeRozan's eyes showed anticipation again.

If we really make it to the semi-finals, will the championship be far away?

…

The next day, the University of Phoenix Stadium, with a capacity of more than 60,000 people, was packed, and just like the previous game, the number of Arizona fans on the scene still reached 40,000.

Arizona State University's "home field advantage" continues.

In addition, scouts from teams near the top of the lottery were also present in the audience seats for this game.

Although Thabeet is already a junior this year, such a giant player would be a favorite for the No. 1 pick in any draft.

"Once Thabeet has the ball, double-team him. We need to play with speed, play transition with them, pay attention to details, and believe in yourselves." Before the game, Sandek once again emphasized the strategic deployment.

Just as Xu Yong expected, a coach of Sandek's level would not fall behind at critical moments.

"Devil Team! Come on!"

After one final chant, the Devils' starting players took the field first amid the cheers of 40,000 Arizona fans.

For the Devils, Sandek used the regular starting lineup, with Harden and DeRozan on the outside, Cooksix and Xu Yong on the front, and Ayers in the inside.

The starting lineup of the Huskies team also soon appeared: 1.88-meter point guard No. 12 AJ Price, 1.90-meter shooting guard No. 24 Craig Ostry, 2.01-meter small forward No. 4 Jeff Adrian, 2.06-meter power forward No. 21 Stanley Robinson, and center No. 34 Thabeet.

Among the five starters on the Connecticut team, three are quasi-NBA players, and they are not lacking in talent at all.

However, Kemba Walker, like in previous games, did not appear in the starting lineup.

It is also worth mentioning that their team's second-leading scorer, Jerome Dyson, who also has NBA prospects, was injured in February of this year, which is the main reason why the NCAA organizing committee did not list them as the top seed.

With a light leap, Thabeet pushed the ball over Ayers' head back to half court, giving the Huskies a chance to attack first.

In the frontcourt, Thabeet pinned Ayers down with his back and reached out for the ball.

When your team has a giant like Thabeet, and faces an opponent like the Devils whose center is no taller than 2.1 meters, it would be inappropriate not to dig into the inside.

Price has solid passing skills and he seized the opportunity to lob the ball high to Thabeet.

Tabit received the ball, glanced at the positions of other defenders, made sure there was no double-teaming, dribbled the ball, turned around and shot the ball.

But just when he was about to shoot the ball, he suddenly felt his hand lighten, and when he looked down, the ball was gone!

The coach lays out the tactics, but the tactics depend on the players to execute them.

In this round, Xu Yonggang can be said to have perfectly executed Sandek's pincer attack strategy.

Because he did not double-team immediately, but waited until Tabit turned around before moving in to double-team, which directly fooled Tabit.

Of course, this is also related to his speed. Although he plays the power forward position, his speed is at the level of a forward-guard swingman.

After completing the steal, Xu Yong once again perfectly executed Sandek's fast play strategy, dribbling the ball directly from the backcourt for a fast break!

The cheers from the Arizona fans at the scene could no longer be stopped.

When the power forward of your team can dribble the ball and run all the way down the court, the only emotion left is excitement!

Price kept defending Xu Yong, and he didn't lose his position or take the risk of stealing the ball, doing a very good job.

However, when both sides entered the penalty area, he found that what he had done before was useless.

Because Xu Yong ignored him and jumped up in front of him like a spring.

“Bang!”

In the fans' view, Xu Yong flew directly over Price's face and slammed the ball into the basket with one hand through the opponent!

The University of Phoenix Stadium instantly exploded.

What a violent style of play!

On the bench, Kahn couldn't help but cough with his fists clenched.

This time Ma Wei slapped him directly in the face.

On the Huskies’ offense, Thabeet was more determined to get the ball in the low post.

As the player with the highest status and seniority in the team, and the player who had been holding back the most in this game, it was too embarrassing for him to be intercepted at the beginning.

Price continued to feed the ball in. This time, after holding the ball, Tabit observed Xu Yong's double-teaming and quickly completed the shot before Xu Yong could do so.

But his skills were really bad, and the shot that was so close to him bounced out of the frame!

Fortunately, he was tall and had long arms, so he grabbed the rebound into his arms and continued with a hook shot.

Although Ayers was right below him, the height difference made him feel like he was air.

Oh no, it is the more than 70 centimeters distance between him and the basket that is his personal exclusive dessert area.

If you don’t score the first time, try the second time. If you still can’t score the third time and the fourth time, it’s just a matter of trying a few more times!

He thought so, but the moment he made his move, someone broke into his exclusive area.

"Bang!"

Before he could react, a slam dunk was thrown at him.

Slow, too slow!

During last year's Olympics, Xu Yong trained with Yao Ming in the national team, and played offense and defense as a substitute with Yao Ming's main team.

Even Yao Ming, who gained weight and suffered from a leg injury, was much faster than Thabeet.

This is the difference in pure talent.

No wonder this guy didn't do anything after entering the NBA. With that speed and those butter hands, he can't play in the NBA at all!

In the fight for the floor ball, Cooksix dived to grab the ball and then passed it to Harden.

The Devils made another fast break, and this time DeRozan followed up with the ball and made a layup to score two points.

0 to 4.

The Devils' opening performance deserves at least nine points out of ten.

The live camera quickly cut to Kahun.

The Devils played very targeted at the start, and if the Huskies really continued to play so hard in the low post, they would probably be swept at the start.

In the camera, Kahun stood up and made a new tactical gesture to Price.

As a living fossil-level coach, Kahn's reaction speed is not slow.

After the Huskies advanced to the frontcourt, Price held the ball and set up a pick-and-roll with Thabeet on the strong side.

This ball really reflects Thabeet's physique, and Harden was basically blocked and unable to move.

Moreover, Thabeet has a good sense of breaking up the ball and can quickly cut into the basket.

Price quickly passed the ball, and when Tabit saw Xu Yong coming to assist in defense again, he chose to shoot early.

There was nothing wrong with this choice, but everyone was stunned the next second.

Because after the shot...it didn't even touch the rim or the backboard, it went straight over the bridge!

Xu Yong stretched out his hand and inexplicably got a steal.

The Arizona fans in the stands were delighted.

The scouts also looked thoughtful.

There were three attacks at the beginning, one was blocked, one was missed, and one was passed over the bridge.

It can’t be said that Thabeet’s ability on the offensive end is not good, it’s simply nonexistent!

This also made them doubt the possibility of Thabeet becoming the No. 1 pick, after all, Thabeet is a junior.

At this time on the court, Harden, who received the pass from Xu Yong and completed a fast break dunk, pointed at Xu Yong with a smile.

What Xu Yong said last night was a little wrong. To say that Tabit's offensive skills were equivalent to one-dollar toilet paper is disrespectful to toilet paper!