Soon, after all the ceremonies were completed and amidst the cheers of the fans, the referee signaled for the starting players of both teams to stay.
The starting five of Ohio State University were eager to take down the No. 1 seed, Kentucky.
The starting five of the University of Kentucky, however, looked quite calm, as they were used to every opponent wanting to beat them.
They were all young college students full of ambition, and if you’re not convinced, they’d play until you were.
It’s all about seeing you work hard, yet still unable to beat us.
The arena, with over 30,000 people, was packed, and there were quite a few celebrities in the front row watching the game.
Jeff Schwartz sat in the third row watching, eagerly anticipating Zeng Xingyang’s performance tonight.
Schwartz felt that if Zeng could maintain the performance from the last game for a few more, helping him get into the lottery pick wasn’t out of the question.
3D players, although their development is limited, are in demand by many teams.
They may not be developed as a championship core, but they can be part of the championship puzzle.
Kentucky’s starting lineup remained unchanged, still the same five from the last game.
Ohio State University’s starting lineup: Russell (191CM), Jessean Tate (193CM), Sam Thompson (201CM), Mark Loving (203CM), Amir Williams (208CM)
Ohio State University’s lineup was smaller, aiming to expand their shooting range.
As the referee blew the whistle, Towns and Amir Williams jumped simultaneously.
Towns easily out-jumped his opponent, tipping the ball to Booker.
Booker chose to advance the ball quickly, with Jessean Tate sent out to chase Zeng Xingyang.
Zeng Xingyang knew that Tate was that undrafted player who later played for the Rockets.
His style and experience were similar to P.J. Tucker.
In the past life, after going undrafted in the NBA, he roamed overseas before being signed by the Rockets and proving himself.
This guy was short but had the weight of an inside player and was quite fierce in defense.
Zeng Xingyang tried to move without the ball but failed, so he quickly called Koulistan for an off-ball screen,
Tate anticipated Koulistan’s screen, stepped around it, and continued to pursue Zeng Xingyang.
Zeng Xingyang stopped to draw attention.
Seeing him stop, Booker didn’t look to pass to him, but instead started a pick-and-roll with Towns.
"So? Besides these positioning moves, you got anything else? That’s all for a first-round pick?"
Tate quickly initiated trash-talking mode.
All the news was discussing whether Zeng Xingyang could defend Russell, which made Tate furious.
He also planned to enter the NBA draft, but the media didn’t give him any attention.
Even mock draft sites predicted him as undrafted, which he found unacceptable.
And this Chinese guy is predicted to be a first-round pick?
Tate was very hostile towards Zeng Xingyang, and his actions were quite aggressive.
But Zeng Xingyang ignored him, stopped for a moment, then started running again.
Booker and Towns executed a very sharp pick-and-roll, with Booker successfully penetrating deeply into the paint.
Booker made a shot fake, drawing the defense’s attention, and then swung the ball to the corner to Zeng Xingyang.
When Zeng Xingyang received the ball, Tate’s defense was still in position.
Tate smirked, up close with a raised hand, "Let’s see how you shoot this time?"
Tate’s 193CM height was a bit short before Zeng Xingyang.
After a jab step, Zeng Xingyang decisively jumped and shot over the defense.
The defending side was passive; Tate stretched out his hand hard to interfere with the shot, but he was a beat too slow.
Zeng Xingyang’s wingspan was long, and he released the ball from a high point.
The basketball was gently flicked off the fingertips.
The rhythm was incredibly smooth.
The sound of the basketball brushing through the net was very pleasant.
Zeng Xingyang’s first three-point shot tonight went in.
After scoring, Zeng Xingyang gestured low with his hand, making a "you’re too short" provoking action, and shouted at him, "Where’s your defense? Where’s your defense? You should join the Ohio State Women’s Basketball Team."
This was a response to Tate’s trash talk.
Upon hearing such trash talk, Tate’s face quickly showed displeasure, the intensity in his already dark complexion grew, though it was hard to tell because of his expression.
As a player selling himself as a defensive asset, he got shot over on national TV.
"Whoa, whoa, there it is, Zeng hit his first three-pointer of the night, and it was over a defender." The on-site commentator shouted, noting that Tate’s defense wasn’t particularly faulty; he just couldn’t stop it.
Zeng Xingyang hadn’t shown his shooting for the first time, but every time he took a shot, there was a refreshing feeling like a spring breeze.
The rhythm, the shooting form, you just knew it would go in.
After reaching the frontcourt, Tate looked for an opportunity to respond, also positioning himself, but the one defending him wasn’t Zeng Xingyang; it was Tyler Ulis.
Tate’s offense was quite straightforward; he didn’t need Zeng Xingyang to defend him one-on-one.
Zeng Xingyang was assigned by Calipari to guard Russell.
Facing Zeng Xingyang, Russell attempted to burst through with a crossover, but Zeng Xingyang quickly sidestepped to block him.
Just when Zeng Xingyang stopped him, Russell quickly performed a behind-the-back dribble to the left side and accelerated again.
Zeng Xingyang’s sidestep wasn’t as fast, and this time he got past him.
After getting past, Russell drove straight into the paint.
Towns was entangled with the opponent inside and couldn’t help, and Russell, with a smile on his lips, quickly cradled the basketball for a one-handed layup.
However, Zeng Xingyang kept chasing Russell and didn’t give up after being beaten.
Zeng Xingyang anticipated Russell’s attacking move, jumped up, and extended his long arms.
Russell noticed Zeng Xingyang might block him from behind and shifted the ball to the left for a layup.
This move was slick, with some concealment; if it were an average guard, Russell might have gotten past, but Zeng Xingyang’s wingspan was very long, so Russell didn’t escape even on the other side.
As Russell threw the ball out, a big hand like a giant shadow loomed over.
The basketball was pinned to the backboard.
"Block! Zeng Xingyang’s defensive coverage is enormous, and Russell’s layup couldn’t shake his defense."
"So tight, this blocking capability would be a nightmare for guards."
The cheers from the crowd erupted instantly as Schwartz applauded. It was his first time watching Zeng Xingyang play, and he hadn’t expected to witness Zeng’s value right at the start of the game.
Russell had misjudged Zeng Xingyang’s defense; he never expected Zeng to block him like that.
Today’s rejection, DeAngelo, is on you!
The basketball was blocked away, hitting the ground and flying towards out-of-bounds.
Seeing the ball’s trajectory seemingly heading towards the opponent’s cheerleaders, Towns dashed after it without hesitation.
Towns, in his full-speed save attempt, got the ball to Koulistan, then lost his balance and crashed into the exuberant Ohio State cheerleaders.
Watching Towns charge like a beast,
The cheerleaders scattered, all moving out of the way.
Towns crashed into a male fan behind, causing chaos on the sidelines.
Zeng Xingyang and Booker, seeing the scene, were both speechless.
They exchanged glances, both knowing Towns did it intentionally.
They knew Towns too well; with his talent, the best on the team, such a save wouldn’t cause him to lose balance.
He just wanted to take advantage, but the girls were already prepared for this move.
They saw Towns running like that and thought he resembled O’Neal.