After the halftime break, the Spartans Team proactively benched Maurice Ager, who was 1 for 7 in the first half.
"Tom, wouldn’t this hurt him too much?"
On the Spartans Team’s bench, looking at Ager, who appeared to have lost all spirit and confidence, assistant coach Jonathan said to head coach Izzo.
Upon hearing this, after taking a glance at Maurice’s infuriating demeanor...
Izzo’s expression at the moment was exactly like that of the Young Master in "Ming Dynasty 1566."
While throwing the tactical board towards Jonathan, Izzo roared, "Damn it, I hurt your mom’s head!"
This is the damn final four!
As the team’s main star, I’ve already given him half the game to prove himself, what else does he want me to do?
In the basketball world, it’s survival of the fittest.
If you’re up to it, then so be it, if not...
Even if you are the ’Chosen Grandson,’ you’ll have to start from the G League.
On the court, the irritable old man Izzo proved with this substitution just how much harm Ager did to the team tonight.
However, with the main star not living up to expectations...
Even though the other Spartans Team players, who were scolded plenty during halftime, demonstrated with their second-half performance the worth of their breakout from the Austin Region, they were unable to stop Wake Forest from making further progress this night.
In the second half, Qin Yue and Paul, who didn’t get complacent despite a significant lead, together scored 25 points in the last 10 minutes.
In the end, 90 to 77.
Amidst the cheers resonating throughout the venue, Wake Forest smoothly advanced to the Final Four championship.
As a team that has never won the NCAA Championship in its history, this year, led by Qin Yue and Paul, Wake Forest continuously surpassed the team’s history.
From the season’s start, they progressed with one victory after another, and now, they are just one game away...
They are one game away from an undefeated championship.
On April 5th, at the Edward Jones Dome, they will face off in the Final Four championship against the Illinois Warriors, who scraped by the North Carolina Tar Heels with a narrow 81 to 78 victory in the other final four match.
The North Carolina Tar Heels, "possessed" by Wake Forest, were affected by their previous long journey to the Albuquerque Region.
In the game, despite leading Illinois by 10 points once, they encountered a "black three minutes" at the critical moment, leaving even Michael Jordan and all North Carolina supporters heartbroken.
Hyde, Deron, and Brown took turns firing in the last three minutes of the game and, under the gaze of the God of Basketball, collectively shot down the Tar Heels.
The New York Times’ Ira Borko published a photo titled "Heaven and Hell" in his report the following day.
The left side of the photo showed North Carolina fans holding their heads and crying, while the right side depicted the jubilant Illinois supporters celebrating their victory.
This is the heaven and hell of March Madness.
North Carolina’s hell is Illinois’ heaven.
Historically, the Illinois Warriors have also never lifted the NCAA Championship trophy, so this year, regardless of the outcome of the championship, it will mean the emergence of a new NCAA king.
"Will it be Wake Forest... winning the trophy with an undefeated record towering over the nation?
Or will Illinois continue to write their thrilling miracle?"
A day later, on the 5th night, the Edward Jones Dome officially welcomed this annual drama.
Because during the Final Four championship, even the NBA had to make way, so this night, both James and Anthony came to the scene to cheer for Qin Yue and Paul.
As for the VIP box...
You could barely throw a stone without hitting a Superstar.
Jordan, who had witnessed North Carolina’s reversal, was not in a good mood tonight.
Barkley, who lost the bet and was unable to say Qin Yue is his successor in front of Jordan, was equally dejected.
On the contrary, Duncan, Qin Yue, and Paul’s senior, was happily providing a shoulder massage to Yao Ming, sitting in front of him.
In the midst of a honeymoon phase with Wade, O’Neal, before the game started, put an arm around the former’s shoulder and complained, "Only players like us who’ve been to college can truly understand the fun of college basketball."
At this moment, O’Neal clearly had a deeper implication.
This February, with Kobe reaching a settlement with the plaintiff, the Eagle County incident was settled. To help Kobe gradually dispel the negative impact of the Eagle County incident, and also to divert attention, Jerry Buss, during an interview, once again talked about O’Neal’s weight.
According to old Buss, O’Neal lost about 60 pounds of fat during the off-season after joining the Heat.
In response, O’Neal said, "Weight and obesity have always been the Lakers’ way of pressuring me. Asking me to lose weight is fake, their real intention is to lower the price."
Furthermore, O’Neal also stated in his response, "Did weight really matter? Before this, didn’t I lead the Lakers to the finals and win the championship? Since Jerry West left, not a single member of the Lakers’ management dares to speak the truth. That guy (Kobe) could have come out and said a few fair words for me, but he didn’t say a word."
Obviously, for a long time to come, the feud between O’Neal and Kobe will continue.
And on the court, after the player introduction ceremony, Qin Yue and Paul, who will both participate in this year’s NBA draft, formally embarked on what will be their last college game.
At the center circle, the starters from both teams took their positions.
Wake Forest continued the starting lineup from their previous game: Ellis, Qin Yue, Reeve, Gray, Paul.