The next day, when Paul, another Best Newcomer recipient of the ACC league this season, woke up from his sleep, he found himself lying naked in the hotel bathtub... (Note ①)
And beside him, Qin Yue and Gray were grinning mischievously, ready to pour two buckets of ice water onto his head.
The scene scared him so much that even during the team's breakfast in the morning, he was still feeling shaken.
"How did you guys get into my room?"
To Paul's question, Qin Yue and Gray didn't answer directly.
But Paul quickly guessed the answer, "Guys, even if the coach asked you to wake me up, you didn't have to go that far, right?"
Even now, feeble Paul couldn't forget how helpless he felt lying naked in the bathtub.
Facing two strong men like Qin Yue and Gray, it's lucky he chose to plead for mercy; otherwise...
The star point guard of the Devil's Deacon Team might have died from "murder" by teammates before March Madness even officially started.
However, after experiencing this in the morning, Paul, who couldn't sleep last night, found that his previously tense heart had gradually calmed down.
Even the future God of Point Guards would inevitably be too tense to sleep when attending March Madness for the first time.
That afternoon, after a casual shooting practice at the training gym arranged by the event committee...
The Devil's Deacon team returned to the hotel to watch this year's warm-up match, which was the entry match between Lehigh University and Florida A&M University.
As usual, this game was held at the University of Dayton's stadium.
From the game's process, as both teams were mediocre, the match was naturally not thrilling.
But on the court, the players from both teams fought for every ball, using their sweat and even blood to remind every spectator:
In March Madness, where the winner takes all, no one willingly hands over victory.
After the match, the winning players of Florida A&M University and the losing players of Lehigh University formed a stark contrast.
The victors wept for making it into the NCAA Top 64.
The losers choked with sobs for missing the chance to make history.
This is March Madness.
To the victor belongs the spoils, to the vanquished belongs disgrace.
Regardless of whether you're a powerhouse or an underdog, you only have one shot.
According to the schedule, as the third seed of the Phoenix Region, the Devil's Deacon Team will face the region's fourteenth seed, the Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns, in the first round. (Note ②)
The star player of this team is Orien Greene, a 193 cm tall, 93 kg guard-forward known for his defense in college basketball.
This season, he averages 10.4 points, 4.6 rebounds, 3.0 assists for the Cajuns.
Admittedly, Greene had locked down many blue-chip prospects scouted by talent scouts in past games.
But overall, the Cajuns don't have the strength to challenge the Devil's Deacon Team.
The team's starting average height isn't even two meters; their style mainly relies on defensive scrapping and winning with threes.
While it sounds advanced tactically...
On the night of the 18th, when Qin Yue scored again and again for the Devil's Deacon Team under the Cajuns' basket amid the boos of the crowd...
In the game, the Cajuns' players created less pressure for the Devil's Deacon Team than their supporters did.
As an ACC league team exiled to the Phoenix Region, in fact, even before their expedition to Phoenix, the Devil's Deacon Team had already done a thorough mental preparation.
In Phoenix, they couldn't expect the usual cheers and applause.
So, since that's the case, let's silence the whole city of Phoenix!
On the court, after a pick-and-roll with Paul, Qin Yue, confronted with the Cajuns' center, Chris Cameron, took the pass and suddenly made a powerful move after dribbling.
At that moment, he was like Amare Stoudemire of the Phoenix Suns, heaven and earth broke open, and the sun and moon shone anew!
"Wow! Spectacular connection from the Wake Forest Twins, Qin slammed it over 6-foot-11 Chris Cameron!" (Note ③)
"It seems the boos from the audience have upset these two ACC league Best Newcomers. Let me count, how many times has this been a connection between Chris and Qin tonight?"
After a year of cooperation, Paul and Qin Yue now don't even need eye hints to predict each other's next move.
This game against the Cajuns completely turned into a pick-and-roll show by Paul and Qin Yue.
Moreover, the Cajuns, known for their threes, didn't show their specialties in the game.
Instead, led by Gray, Wake Forest's shooters bombarded the Cajuns' defense after Qin Yue and Paul alternated air raids.
Whole game: 57 to 98.
Wake Forest celebrated a grand victory, winning by 41 points and marking a triumphant start in March Madness.
In the game, Qin Yue racked up a total of 27 points, 11 rebounds, 3 assists, and 3 blocks.
Paul contributed 20 points, 12 assists, 4 rebounds, and 3 steals.
Gray made 7 out of 13 shots, all three-pointers, scoring the second-highest on the team with 21 points.
After the game, Cajuns' head coach Jessie Evans said in an interview: "They completely destroyed us in the game.
Qin and Chris, this pair of Best Newcomer partners, is the best inside-outside combination I've ever seen."
The next day, several U.S. media outlets called Wake Forest's big victory a brutal massacre.