Illinois also chose to trust the lineup that defeated the Tar Heels: Augustine, Powell, Brown, Head, Deron.
In the jump ball session, Qin Yue overwhelmingly won the opening possession for Wake Forest.
Paul dribbled past half-court, preparing to execute the Flex tactic as planned before the game.
But Deron actively engaged in physical confrontation, nearly causing Paul to make a mistake.
Standing at 6 feet 3 inches and weighing 210 pounds, Deron was a formidable presence.
In front of him, Paul, reportedly 6 feet tall, seemed like a little brother next door.
Down low, seeing this, Qin Yue decisively halted the Flex tactic and stepped up to the high post, providing Paul with a sense of security with his solid shoulders.
Next, with Qin Yue setting the pick, Paul transformed as if he became a new person, dribbling past Deron’s defense.
Standing 6 feet 10 inches, Augustine is an offensive-oriented inside player with average defensive awareness and failed to help Deron in time to delay.
Moreover, during this defensive pick-and-roll, Augustine obviously didn’t communicate his defense clearly.
In the middle, seizing the opportunity, Qin Yue cut down the lane, soared near the three-second area, received Paul’s pass, and slammed it from long range!
In the stands, witnessing this, the previously downcast Jordan instantly transformed into Loki from Thor 3, shouting: "That’s how you play!"
Beside him, Barkley intended to quip that Larry Bird couldn’t complete such a forceful dunk.
Just thinking about the six rings Jordan brought to the game tonight made Barkley dismiss that thought.
Who the hell brings six rings to an NCAA final?
Be a person, Michael!
On the court, Qin Yue’s opening attack successfully ignited the entire arena.
However, coming back, Illinois quickly responded with their trademark pick-and-roll.
Augustine received a pass from Deron after the pick and hit a steady mid-range shot.
Augustine is known for his smooth shooting touch and holds the reputation of a mid-range god in the Big Ten Conference.
Just now, Qin Yue executed a quick delay, but after completing the delay, no matter how fast Qin Yue could retreat on defense, he couldn’t outrun a pass.
Deron found Augustine with an exceptionally well-hidden assist.
It’s undeniable that this initial offense and defense made Paul break into a cold sweat.
Even though both he and Deron had completed an assist each...
But... if it weren’t for Qin Yue, Paul couldn’t imagine how passive he would be in this offense and defense.
Next, it was Wake Forest’s turn to attack.
Powell actively switched defense with Augustine, successfully cracking Wake Forest’s Flex tactic in the low post.
Reeve’s screen quality is limited, and it’s impossible for him to help Qin Yue consistently screen two opponents in the low post every time.
However, noticing the Flex tactic failed, Qin Yue immediately sat in the low post.
This was a perfect judgment.
The only shortcoming is that tonight Paul couldn’t pass the ball to Qin Yue like usual.
Under Deron’s strong physical resistance, Paul could only pass the ball to Gray, who then passed it to Qin Yue.
But due to the inevitable delay in transition, the moment Qin Yue received the ball, he was almost instantly double-teamed by Augustine and Powell.
The best way for Qin Yue to handle this situation was to pass the ball back to Gray, who would then look for an open passing lane.
But that method was too conventional.
With Illinois’ tactical literacy, they could easily reorganize their defense during Qin Yue’s pass-back interval.
So, Qin Yue chose a bolder way to handle it:
Under Illinois’ double-team, Qin Yue suddenly dribbled the ball through Augustine’s legs with a bounce pass.
Under the basket, the unguarded Reeve caught the ball and jumped immediately.
"That pass..." Jordan’s eyes widened on the stands.
Beside him, Barkley muttered quietly: "I’ve also given plenty of those kinds of passes to teammates before."
On the court, Qin Yue exchanged fist bumps with Reeve after connecting with him before turning his gaze to Paul.
Due to Paul having issues tonight, Wake Forest had to rely on him to take on more responsibilities.
Coming back, it was Illinois’ turn to attack.
This time, Deron didn’t apply for a pick-and-roll.
Because he simply outpaced Paul.
No skills, no emotions.
On the court, the emotionless overpowering by Deron succeeded in drawing Gray’s help defense.
Then, receiving the penetration and kick-out pass from Deron, Head made his first three-point shot of the night.
In the stands, Yao Ming, unaware of what the future held, commented in his mind: "He truly is a great shooter."
Calm and possessing a commander’s demeanor.
His releases were quick, never sluggish.
This was Luther Head during his college years.
Even in the history of the Big Ten, he ranked as one of the top-tier shooters.
Then it was Wake Forest’s possession.
Qin Yue moved to the high post to call for the ball, preparing to execute a hand-off play with his teammates.
After circling back to the top of the key, Paul finally played a somewhat effective role.
Fearing that Paul would drive directly to the basket after receiving Qin Yue’s hand-off pass, Augustine intentionally shifted his feet, leaving room to block Paul.
But Wake Forest’s hand-off play was strong precisely here.
At the top of the key, using the effective restraint created by Paul, Qin Yue directly accelerated, taking three large strides into the Illinois basket.
Powell, who retraced on defense, was helpless and attempted to disrupt the attack with a foul.
As a result, Qin Yue pushed through the short, strong power forward, forcing the ball into the hoop.
Moreover, there was an additional free throw.
Qin Yue’s three-point play ignited excitement among the Wake Forest fans on site.
In the stands, cheers of "MOP, MOP" instantly resounded through the dome. (Note①)
"Tonight, Wake Forest still relies on Qin to establish their victory..." the CBS commentator explained.
And on the sideline, Anthony, who also played in the Madness Finals, saw something was wrong, "Playing isn’t okay; Qin will be exhausted later."
Beside him, James immediately acted like he was contemplating something.
Yet, before James could voice his thoughts, Anthony pointed out Wake Forest’s problem: "In their previous games, they did establish the tone through Qin at the start.
But in their past games, Qin’s offense wasn’t this laborious."
At this moment, a suddenly enlightened James said: "You make a good point, Melo."
Continuing, James frowned: "Doesn’t Wake Forest’s coach know playing isn’t viable?"
During the team’s second offensive round, Prose already showed a look of concern.
Illinois’ head coach Bruce Weber adopted an open stratagem.
"Stop Qin? No, no, no, I never thought college basketball had players who could match Qin in his current form."
On Illinois’ bench, looking at Paul barely making waves in front of Deron, Coach Weber immediately revealed a proud expression.
Coach Weber was well aware that Illinois’ inside players turning into toys in front of Qin Yue was an inevitable fact.
Why should Illinois find ways to guard Qin Yue?
Tonight, Illinois’ strategy was very clear.
That is, to find ways to exhaust Qin Yue’s physical energy while aggressively attacking Wake Forest’s perimeter.
On the court, after Qin Yue made his free throw...
Dee Brown, one of Illinois’ backcourt trios, also hit his first three-point shot of the night in the following offensive possession.
This season, Illinois takes nearly 23 three-point shots on average per game.
In the relatively fewer-possession NCAA games, this shot count accounted for 40% of their total field goals.
Actually, even before the NBA entered the three-point era, securing a more cost-effective score through more threes had already become a consensus among many college teams.
Qin Yue and his teammates, who wished to crown themselves with the NCAA tournament championship, already faced their greatest crisis in this March Madness.
Because just as Qin Yue previously thought, Illinois’s style, which precisely countered Wake Forest, was indeed their "serious threat."
"Indeed, to reach the pinnacle, there isn’t any step that’s easy."
On the court, after taking a deep breath and bearing a smile that reassured all teammates, Qin Yue stepped toward Illinois’s half...
Note①: MOP, the highest individual award of the NCAA finals. It’s the Most Outstanding Player of the Final Four.
PS: New book earnestly seeks collections, monthly tickets, and recommendation votes!