The pace of the game was extremely fast, with both teams continuing to fiercely exchange blows.
While on the court, Zeng Xingyang occasionally would receive the ball and attack; his touch was good, and his scoring kept rising.
"This guy plays not a bit worse than Carl and Devin."
"I’ve been thoroughly impressed by him."
"All-around player, is he announcing to everyone his ability to enter the NBA?"
Numerous scouts on the sidelines were analyzing Zeng Xingyang’s situation.
In terms of influence in the game, Zeng Xingyang seemed not much inferior to Booker and Towns.
Players on the North Carolina side felt immense pressure, with the shadow of losing looming over each of them.
With 10 minutes left in the game, North Carolina’s defense against Zeng Xingyang slackened, but Zeng Xingyang seized the opportunity.
Outside the left three-point line.
Zeng Xingyang made consecutive three-pointers.
Zeng Xingyang used a decisive three-point rain to inform them of his current prowess.
North Carolina kept giving Zeng Xingyang open shots, allowing him to make a continuous impact.
"Oh my, this is Zeng’s seventh three-pointer tonight."
"OMG, again, the eighth one."
"Is this Chinese player going to shoot himself into the NBA with this game?"
"What on earth is North Carolina’s defense doing?"
The announcer in the arena was shouting hoarsely.
On the Kentucky coaching bench.
Anyone who knows Coach Calipari is aware that he is a very cultured and refined coach.
No matter the situation, Calipari always appears calm and composed.
Kenny Payne has worked with Calipari for many years, but at this moment, for the first time, he saw Calipari so emotionally excited during an ordinary invitational match.
Calipari had already taken off his suit, rolled up his shirt sleeves, and then loudly shouted, "Zeng, well done."
Kenny Payne could tell Calipari was overwhelmed with emotion.
On the North Carolina side, their morale was completely suppressed.
Zeng Xingyang, this freshman, shocked everyone with his debut starting performance.
In the final ten minutes, Zeng Xingyang used a series of three-point shows to completely push North Carolina into the abyss.
North Carolina’s defense was no match for Zeng Xingyang.
The outcome of the game had ceased to be in doubt early on.
No one could have imagined this game would be so crazy.
"This guy’s three-point shooting has reached NBA shooter level."
"If he enters the NBA, I don’t think anyone would be surprised."
Scouts from the Knicks and the Pacers were exchanging notes.
Zeng Xingyang’s hot shooting streak helped the University of Kentucky quickly stretch the lead to 30 points.
With 2 minutes and 11 seconds left as North Carolina completely conceded, Calipari took the opportunity to sub out Zeng Xingyang.
Returning to the bench.
Booker, Towns, Koulistan, and others were all a bit taken aback by Zeng Xingyang, and Lyles showed a wry smile.
Lyles felt his starting position might be lost after this game.
This game was too crazy, the chemistry Zeng Xingyang showcased starting was too cool.
If he were the head coach, he might also have started Zeng Xingyang.
The game ultimately ended with the score fixed at 101 to 70, with the University of Kentucky winning by 31 points.
Zeng Xingyang stood up from the bench, high-fiving his teammates as they came off the court in celebration.
Zeng Xingyang put all his effort into this game.
Bursting through with 9 three-pointers, scoring 34 points, along with 4 rebounds, 6 assists, 2 steals, and 2 blocks — an all-around performance.
"Click, click, click!!"
Even in this star-studded game, Zeng Xingyang still stood out exceptionally.
After tonight, Zeng Xingyang’s name is bound to enter the radar of NBA teams focusing on the draft.
Compared to Towns, Booker, and Koulistan, Zeng Xingyang was a bit late reaching this point, but he still managed to catch the last train.
Presti and Richardson stood up.
Presti kept his eyes on Zeng Xingyang’s back; if not for the wrong time and place, he would have wanted to chat with Zeng Xingyang.
He feels this player is very suitable for the Thunder.
In Presti’s view, Zeng Xingyang’s potential isn’t massive, unable to become a superstar, but his style is very mature and he is a ready-now player.
With stable shooting skills to create space for Durant and Westbrook, and a clever style of play.
Imagine, when Westbrook and Durant are drawing double teams, with this guy waiting on the wings for open threes, that would be wonderful.
"Kentucky defeated North Carolina, this may be just an invitational match, but this game showed us Kentucky’s absolute dominance now."
"The best performer for the Kentucky Wildcats was undoubtedly that young man from China, Zeng Xingyang, surpassing other popular rookies to become the best on court."
"More and more NBA teams will focus on him; many scouts are also evaluating Zeng Xingyang’s future. If he enters the draft next year, he will be picked."
"In the latest draft rankings, Zeng Xingyang has climbed to the 43rd position, projected to be selected in the middle of the second round."
Major media outlets following the NCAA began spreading news of this game online. If previously only professional scouts knew Zeng Xingyang, now even ordinary fans could hear of him.
Calipari didn’t even know how to describe Zeng Xingyang’s performance tonight.
A game against North Carolina, hitting nine three-pointers, broke the University of Kentucky’s road three-point shooting record.
Although he shot a lot, it doesn’t mean Zeng Xing was selfish. He had numerous assists on the court, making team operations smoother.
Apart from three-point shooting, Zeng Xing also showcased incredibly strong individual defense — what was originally a defensive weakness had now become a strength.
After the game against North Carolina, Zeng Xingyang’s fame surged, but it didn’t have much impact on his college life.
Zeng Xingyang continued to invest in training.
Just grind his teammates to death.
Zeng Xingyang almost made Towns and Booker tear up from the grind.
Towns and Booker realized that if they didn’t keep up with Zeng Xingyang’s training pace, their playing time might get taken by him.
No choice, now Calipari was looking at Zeng Xingyang differently.
He loved Zeng Xingyang’s attitude to death.
Zeng Xingyang became the kind of student others envy, frequently praised.
Zeng Xingyang’s grind made everyone feel the pressure; the training atmosphere among Kentucky players became increasingly great.
The invitational tournament ended, followed by the Southeastern Conference internal championship.
During the internal championship, Zeng Xingyang occasionally replaced Lyles as a starter.
Calipari was preparing for March Madness by continuously testing the lineup.
Zeng Xingyang’s role on court was 3-D, handling three-point shooting and defense.
This play style was very popular within the Kentucky Wildcats because whether it was Booker or Towns, they were players who liked playing with the ball.
Ball distribution was a bit tricky, and in such a situation, Zeng Xingyang’s off-ball style made teaming up with them very fitting.
Zeng Xingyang also firmly walked the 3-D path.
After all, if he enters the NBA later, a 3-D player can guarantee a certain floor, and there’s no small development space.
In training, Zeng Xingyang continued to focus on improving shooting and defensive attributes.
With more playing time, Zeng Xingyang’s average game stats stabilized at 15 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal, 1 block, 55% from three-point range, and 50% from two-point range.
Soon, a month passed.
The internal championship of the conference concluded, and the Kentucky Wildcats won the championship smoothly.
Thus far, Kentucky hasn’t lost a single game; they displayed a kind of overwhelming momentum in the NCAA.
The Wildcats had pulled away significantly from other teams; sometimes, during games, Zeng Xingyang didn’t feel much resistance, so he would choose to do extra training afterward.
In such crazy grinding circumstances, Zeng Xingyang’s various attributes continued to noticeably improve.