"Carl, you need to play a bit calmer." Coach Calipari immediately said.
If it wasn't Towns who made the mistake, Calipari's temper might not be so good.
"It's my responsibility." Towns quickly admitted his mistake; he indeed rushed earlier.
"No need to rush on the court. Their strength is not as good as yours, you just need to play at your pace."
"Start with defense and organize the offense well."
After criticizing Towns, Calipari began to rearrange the tactics.
Calipari has experienced many big games, so trailing at the start doesn't make him flustered.
He continued to make personnel adjustments according to his rhythm.
Booker was replaced by Zeng Xingyang, Koulistan was replaced by Dakari Johnson.
Calipari took Zeng Xingyang aside for a quick talk: "Zeng, do you have the confidence to mainly defend Terry Rozier?"
Zeng Xingyang immediately responded loudly: "Of course!"
Zeng Xingyang was thinking about how to showcase his Level 3 defense.
Calipari patted Zeng Xingyang on the shoulder and said, "Good, the team needs this attitude now, go and take him on."
Zeng Xingyang could see that compared to defensive skills and talent, Calipari now wanted a change in the team's attitude.
Calipari wasn't relying on him to stop Rozier, but wanted him to lift the team spirit by entering when they were being overpowered on the outside.
Zeng Xingyang, when on the court, would exert his full effort; that is his attitude.
Whether in offense or defense, he would give it his all.
"Hey, isn't that Zeng Xingyang? His defense is even worse, he can't stop Rozier, what's Calipari doing?"
"They need to improve defense now; Rozier has torn apart the Wildcats' defense."
"Does Calipari really expect Zeng Xingyang to limit Rozier?"
"I think Coach Calipari might want Zeng Xingyang to change the rhythm and momentum, as the Wildcats' morale is a bit low now."
"Zeng Xingyang plays with such determination; I like his style."
With Zeng Xingyang's appearance, discussions arose among Kentucky's fan group.
Through the first three games, Zeng Xingyang was identified as a player with mediocre defense but a pure shooter.
With Rozier playing so wildly, sending him up to face Rozier would make the team's defense worse, wouldn't it?
Many fans couldn't understand Calipari's arrangement.
As for the Wildcats bringing on Zeng Xingyang, the University of Louisville side didn't have any special reaction; to them, a player like Zeng Xingyang with a single-role was actually easy to limit, just don't give him open shots.
And his defense? They weren't worried about that; he would be blown away by Rozier!
The game quickly continued.
The Wildcats' offense.
Tyler Ulis quickly dribbled over and passed to Zeng Xingyang on the right side.
Although Zeng Xingyang's dribbling had improved, he still didn't have the ability to initiate an offense with the ball. He lobbed the ball to Towns positioned low in the paint, then moved to the other side to create space.
Towns leaned on Harrell in the low post, and Harrell lowered his center of gravity to hold Towns.
Towns' error in handling the ball today was partly due to his condition; he couldn't create a good opportunity bumping against Harrell continuously, so Towns passed the ball to Lyles on the perimeter.
Lyles received the ball and made a fake, then took a big step to break through.
Lyles' breakthrough was different from Booker's; while Booker could often completely shake off his man, Lyles relied more on positioning to gain an advantage.
With Towns and Harrell both crowded in the paint, Lyles couldn't find a good opportunity after entering, so he swung the ball out.
Zeng Xingyang caught the ball beyond the three-point line at a 45-degree angle on the right and made a quick fake.
Rozier, at 185cm tall, was still too short and had to leap with all his might to have a chance to disrupt Zeng Xingyang.
But Zeng Xingyang's first move was a fake; he then took a step inward and made a quick stop for a mid-range jump shot.
Rozier's recovery speed in defense was quick, but this time he couldn't jump, and when he couldn't jump, he got close to Zeng Xingyang.
Zeng Xingyang utilized his high release advantage for the shot, and then got knocked down by Rozier, with the referee decisively calling a foul for a free throw.
Seeing the ball go in, Zeng Xingyang, lying on the ground, also yelled out.
Towns and Lyles quickly came over to pull Zeng Xingyang up; Towns excitedly said, "Well done."
Lyles also patted Zeng Xingyang on the butt in respect.
Even Dakari Johnson on the side began to admire Zeng Xingyang.
Previously, Dakari Johnson didn't think much of Zeng Xingyang, but over time, he grew to appreciate Zeng Xingyang more and more.
After all, there was no fundamental conflict of interest between them.
"Okay, I apologize for ranting about him being on the court."
"That offense was beautiful."
"Chinese Zeng truly plays smart basketball, aware of his matchup advantages against Rozier."
The fans questioning Calipari's substitution were silent.
Zeng Xingyang contributed just as always once on court.
If there's a contribution every time he's on, it's no longer a coincidence; it shows Zeng Xingyang's preparation is excellent.
Zeng Xingyang stepped up to the free throw line, took a deep breath, adjusted slightly, then released the ball.
Zeng Xingyang's free throw accuracy on the court is as high as 87%, quite steady.
Zeng Xingyang knows that he won't get too many chances at the free throw line, so he makes sure to seize every opportunity to score.
The University of Louisville's offense.
Onuaku's baseline pass was to point guard Chris Jones for a fast advance.
After crossing half-court, Chris Jones decisively handed the ball to Rozier.
In this game, Rozier already scored 8 points, teaming with Harrell to suppress the University of Kentucky significantly.
Seeing Rozier with the ball, Zeng Xingyang immediately assumed a defensive stance.
Harrell wanted to come up for a screen, but Rozier waved him away.
In Rozier's view, getting past Zeng Xingyang was a step thing; Harrell coming up would just bring more defense.
Without any fancy moves, Rozier simply lowered his center of gravity after dribbling to the right and rushed through.
Zeng Xingyang caught up with the defensive awareness this time, only a bit slower physically, but with his long arms, he stuck close behind Rozier as he passed him, reaching out for a steal.
Zeng Xingyang's hand shot out like lightning, accurately slapping Rozier's ball.
Rozier was momentarily delighted when passing Zeng Xingyang, but suddenly realized the ball was gone.
Rozier continued forward with his inertia, but without the layup motion.
Zeng Xingyang swiftly gained control of the ball and cautiously passed it to Lyles.
"Who said his defense was poor?"
"I apologize for my earlier offense."
Zeng Xingyang's direct steal sparked cheers from the audience again.
At this moment, Calipari also showed a smile and clapped his hands, clearly very satisfied with Zeng Xingyang's defense.
With a two-plus-one and a steal since coming on, Zeng Xingyang played exceptionally well compared to the players in the first ten minutes.