Harrell never imagined that this Chinese player in front of him played so intelligently.
The University of Louisville's offense came again.
Rozier did not insist on a one-on-one against Zeng Xingyang; instead, he called for a pick-and-roll.
Harrell came up to block Zeng Xingyang, and Towns switched to defend Rozier.
After encountering Towns' defense, Rozier's pressure suddenly eased. After a rhythm change, he drove the right side and executed a layup to send the ball in, flying for a layup.
After the halftime break, the University of Louisville's offense was adjusted; it was no longer stagnant.
The University of Kentucky's offense came again.
Tyler Ulis and Towns' pick-and-roll, after which he broke through and then passed the ball to Zeng Xingyang.
As soon as Zeng Xingyang got the ball, Rozier came up tight.
Rozier was considered to lower his stance to defend, not giving Zeng Xingyang any space.
Zeng Xingyang passed the ball to Lyles cutting in from the wing.
Lyles stepped up for a layup, confronting Harrell and scoring.
Kentucky also changed its defensive tactic afterward, starting with frontcourt pressing right away.
Such a defensive tactic maximally leveraged the players' individual defensive skills to create turnovers and maximally showcased the University of Kentucky's talent advantage.
The University of Louisville is also considered a strong team in the NCAA Division I league, so they weren't being stripped of the ball.
Though they weren't directly stripped leading to a fast break by Kentucky, their rhythm was disrupted.
All five players on Kentucky had good defense, all capable of switching duties. As long as it wasn't a center guarding a point guard, they could handle a mismatch at any other position.
This made it very uncomfortable for the University of Louisville to play.
No matter where the ball transitioned, there was no assurance of easy scoring.
Underneath, Harrell was indeed stable, but it wasn't possible to feed him in the sweet spot every time.
The Kentucky players had very quick defensive footwork, and once Harrell stopped inside, he would get double-teamed, and he wasn't good at passing out.
The University of Louisville's offense soon stagnated.
As for Kentucky's offense, Zeng Xingyang continued to use his movement as a decoy, while Towns and Lyles continued charging the inside.
Harrell and Onuaku themselves had foul crises, which also made them not dare to exert full effort on defense.
This made scoring easier for Kentucky, and the point difference not only didn't narrow, but widened further.
After 7 minutes into the second half, Zeng Xingyang was substituted, and Booker came on.
Everyone knew that at this point, Zeng Xingyang probably wouldn't come back on.
As Zeng Xingyang was replaced, the fans in the audience erupted in warm applause.
Zeng Xingyang's performance on both offense and defense conquered the fans here, especially his defense. After being subbed in, he directly held down the opposing star Rozier, making their offense stall. The fans didn't hold back their praises for Zeng Xingyang.
Zeng Xingyang also smiled and raised his hand to wave to the fans, feeling great to earn respect on the court.
The fans cheering his exit showed they truly recognized him.
Compared to the previous few games, Zeng Xingyang scored 15 points, 3 assists, 2 rebounds, 2 steals, and 2 blocks. His points were about the same as before, but his steals and blocks had both reached two. On defense, he was instrumental for the team.
"Zeng, your performance was outstanding." Assistant coach Kenny Paine came over to high-five him, eyes full of appreciation for Zeng Xingyang: "If you can maintain such a defensive level, playing in the NBA won't be difficult."
Kenny Paine didn't hide his optimism about Zeng Xingyang's future prospects at all.
"Yeah, I'll keep working hard." Zeng Xingyang high-fived and bumped chests with Kenny Paine.
After Zeng Xingyang sat down, head coach Calipari also came over to pat his shoulder and then gave a thumbs-up, saying: "Defense has improved."
"Thank you, coach, for the opportunity." Zeng Xingyang thanked formally.
Calipari's coaching was indeed quite fair, and Zeng Xingyang understood that if he went to another coach, even with ability, it wouldn't immediately manifest.
There were too many people here questioning whether an Asian guy could play.
The heavens may always provide opportunities, but a talent scout is rare.
Although Calipari rarely guided him on training details, he gave Zeng Xingyang what he needed most in the NCAA.
A fair platform for competition!
As long as you have the skill, you can stay on the court to play, not sitting on the sidelines due to other factors.
"It's what you've fought for yourself," Calipari said indifferently.
In Calipari's eyes, these were just everyday tasks.
Zeng Xingyang sat on the bench, observing the game seriously and reading and summarizing after coming off the court.
At this time, the game on the court was still ongoing, and Booker, who replaced Zeng Xingyang, was playing well.
Booker didn't attack inside when he came up; he continued to fire from the outside.
Booker also felt good shooting after coming on, which made Louisville's inside and outside defense fail simultaneously, lifting Kentucky's morale more and more.
Ultimately, the game's score froze at 61 to 87, giving the University of Kentucky another 27-point comeback victory.
University of Kentucky: Towns with 23 points, 15 rebounds, 5 assists, 3 blocks; Lyles with 16 points, 5 rebounds; Booker with 18 points, 6 assists.
University of Louisville: Harrell with 22 points, 12 rebounds; Rozier with 16 points, 6 assists, 5 rebounds.
Rozier's stats didn't look bad, but his shooting rate was only 32%. It couldn't compare to the previous game where he scored over 30. His efficiency dropped significantly after Zeng Xingyang came on, which halted the team's offense.
Seeing the game ended, Zeng Xingyang stood up from the bench, ready to head to the locker room with Towns.
But soon, Zeng Xingyang was stopped.
An ESPN full-figured female reporter, along with a cameraman, handed a microphone to Zeng Xingyang.
From being unknown to now being stopped for an interview, Zeng Xingyang's reputation rose rapidly.
Zeng Xingyang quickly put on a smile; it was his first time being interviewed by a reporter.
The female reporter asked, "Zeng, you had quite a performance in this game. How do you feel now?"
"I feel great; it's the moment to showcase the results of hard training," said Zeng Xingyang, shrugging his shoulders. "I really enjoy playing on the court."
The ESPN female reporter nodded, then continued holding the microphone to Zeng Xingyang, "What is your goal this season? Is it to enter the draft?"
Zeng Xingyang thought for a moment, then with a smile replied: "My goal is to help the school win the championship. As for whether to enter the draft, I think when the time comes, it will be clear."
The ESPN female reporter continued to ask, "How many points do you think you'll average this season?"
Zeng Xingyang considered it and then said, "I hope to average over 15 points; of course, more important than personal stats is the team's continuous victories."
The ESPN female reporter pursued, "Your 3D style is getting to be known by opponents, do you feel scoring will get harder?"
Zeng Xingyang said with a smile, "Playing basketball isn't just about knowing the opponent's style and stopping them. Just wait and see, you'll find my uniqueness."
In his tone, there was a confidence and spiritedness.