Time flies, and it has been a month since the NCAA started.
Durant and Lin Ying's defensive abilities have improved rapidly.
As Springman said, defensive skills and physical talents determine the defensive ceiling.
They are learning skills, and as for talent, the most important defensive talent is wingspan, which they all have.
And the interesting thing is that since Durant started practicing defense, one thing he must do after every game is to ask Springman how his defense is, even on the nights when he scored 30+ points.
Sometimes Springman was made to laugh and cry by him.
But this also illustrates Durant's character. When Barnes criticized him for his poor defense, he focused on studying defense.
On this day, the University of Texas will host the Iowa State University Cyclones at home.
Barnes announced in the training session that DJ Augustine and Lin Ying would start in the game!
After he made the announcement, his teammates congratulated Lin Ying and Augustine.
In the past month, the University of Texas has played a total of 8 games with a record of 4 wins and 4 losses.
Including the 1 win and 2 losses at the start of the season, their subsequent record was 3 wins and 2 losses.
After gradually adapting to the intensity of college games, the freshmen of the University of Texas began to gradually show their talents and the team's record improved.
In addition to Durant's visible defensive improvement, Lin Ying and Augustine also performed well.
Lin Ying is improving steadily, getting more and more playing time and performing better and better.
Augustine's surgical breakthroughs, accurate three-pointers, and outstanding passing abilities are also beginning to show their potential.
However, the University of Texas' performance so far is only okay.
Because the Big12 itself is not a major league, winning the championship is almost the only way to enter the Crazy Three.
And according to the rules, the Big 12 teams only play 22 games in the regular season, and after 8 games, one-third of the season has passed.
Their record is now ranked 7th in the Big12 League.
If they fail to improve their ranking in the remaining games , they will most likely face Kansas early in the playoffs.
Once you are eliminated early, your chances of winning the championship, or even getting a wild card, are slim.
This is also the reason why Barnes adjusted the starting lineup earlier than expected, and adjusted two people at once.
Every game from now on will be crucial for the University of Texas.
Let’s talk about Barnes’ timing.
The Iowa State University Cyclones are named after an NFL game in the 1950s.
At that time, there was a whirlwind in Iowa State, and the team defeated their opponents 36-0 in the game that night, hence the name Cyclones.
From this history, you can tell that this university's strong sport is football.
As for basketball, it is much weaker in comparison.
To put it in one sentence, this family was poorer than the Texas Tech team they played against in the opening game.
The only one who can be mentioned is Jeff Hornacek, whose future daughter is more famous than his father.
To this day, Hornacek still holds eight major records for the Cyclones, which further proves the mediocrity of this university.
Even in Lin Ying's memory, this university has never produced an All-Star level player in the future.
Even now, the only player he remembered from Iowa State University was a point guard named Mike Taylor, who was a late second-round pick.
So Barnes' choice is reasonable.
There were no classes on the day of the game, so Lin Ying and Durant stayed in the training hall for the whole day.
Even the security guards at the door have become accustomed to them, and sometimes they will give them the keys so that they can practice opening the door in advance.
“It’s your first start. Are you nervous?”
After the training, the two men sat on the ground against the wall to rest. Durant wiped the sweat off his face and turned to look at Lin Ying.
Lin Ying nodded.
Although his overall performance in previous games was improving, there is a difference between starting and being a substitute.
The biggest difference is that the opponent is likely to have studied him before the game, which will leave him with much less room to play.
"It's okay, just play a few more games."
Durant said this and bumped Lin Ying's shoulder. This had become a habitual action between him and Lin Ying.
But he was telling the truth. In the first game, he played as a power forward and his first shot almost missed.
But now, his performance on the court can be considered to be quite comfortable.
"And it will be much easier for me to score with you here."
Durant said and laughed.
Although Randy Williams, the previous starter, is a good player, his passing vision and ability are too poor.
But Lin Ying is different. In addition to his personal abilities, the tacit understanding they developed in the training ground and high school is unmatched by anyone.
"Then help me get a triple-double."
Lin Ying took over the conversation.
Durant's smile suddenly stopped, and then he stared at Lin Ying blankly.
Lin Ying felt a little strange being looked at by him and touched the corner of her mouth.
"What's wrong?"
"nothing."
Durant smiled and said nothing.
Lin Ying is becoming more and more different from when she was in high school.
…
There are only about two hours left until the game starts.
Lin Ying and Durant had a simple meal, rested for a while, and then went to the basketball court.
The main venue for the University of Texas games is called the Frank Erwin Special Events Center, which can accommodate up to 16,755 people.
This is not a unique case for the University of Texas. The venues used by NCAA Division I teams are basically of this level.
This is also an important reason why many people say that NCAA games are comparable to the NBA.
When they arrived, there was still about an hour before the game started, but most of the fans had already arrived.
There were also two to three thousand Iowa State University fans at the scene, sitting in the area facing the basket.
Although it was not their first home game, when they scored in the stadium, adrenaline was still uncontrollably secreted along with the atmosphere.
It’s not that they are young, well, they are actually still young!
However, this kind of atmosphere on the scene would make everyone excited, not to mention that they are the ones who are about to perform.
"Be patient, careful and determined to defend your home turf!"
After the warm-up, Barnes shouted at the top of his voice.
His voice was loud and full of energy, and the team members felt their whole bodies tremble when they heard it.
"Longhorn!"
The players put their hands together, then pressed down together and shouted the team slogan.
Next, it’s the opening ceremony!
Somewhat different from the NBA, the NCAA opening ceremony introduces the entire team, with the starting five taking the stage last.
The visiting team plays first, and the lights on the field are on.
After the home team, the lights dimmed and only the home team's half was on with spotlights.
The players came out one by one, and finally the starting five.
"1.80 meters tall, from Missouri High School in New Orleans, DJ~Augustine!"
When the first starting name was read out, the home fans were a little surprised, but they still cheered immediately.
"2.01 meters tall, from Montrose Christian School in Washington, Lin~~ Ying!"
Then, when Lin Ying's name came out, there was more surprise in the eyes of the home fans, but the cheers were equally louder!
With his tough defense, unique playing style, and distinctive skin color, Lin Ying already has quite a few fans in Austin!
Augustine, James, Durant, Lin Ying, Wendell.
When the University of Texas' starting lineup came out, the coaching staff at Iowa State University was very surprised.
As mentioned earlier, the NCAA is not like the NBA, with not as much media and journalist attention. Iowa State University was not aware of this adjustment before the game.
Moreover, Lin Ying's previous worries were proved to be unnecessary, because the head coach turned around and asked the assistant coach beside him for his information.
Augustine's starting role seemed to be a natural progression. Although he was not as talented as Durant, he was also a five-star high school student and was selected for the McDonald's High School All-Star Game.
He played as a substitute before, and Barnes, for safety reasons, allowed him to have a gradual process.
But Lin Ying's high school rating is only three stars, the same star rating as UCLA's Westbrook.
This is also the reason why Augustine was not very impressed with Lin Ying's attitude when he first joined the team.
Although the basketball system in the United States is very complete, just like the imperial examination in ancient China, if you want to advance to the next step, you must be the best among your peers.
A three-star high school student obviously doesn't have the qualifications.
But at this stage, this is not a bad thing for Lin Ying.
Because at least he won't be targeted tonight!
After the players were introduced, the head coaches of both teams came next.
Lin Ying didn't know the head coach of Iowa State University, but he found a familiar face among the assistant coaches.
Fred Hoiberg.
A lot of information related to Hoiberg also popped up in Lin Ying's mind.
He retired from the NBA in 2006, became the head coach of Iowa State University in 2010, became the head coach of the NBA Bulls in 2015 and briefly coached Derrick Rose. He was fired in 2018.
The timeline just matched.
After the opening ceremony, the head coaches of both sides made the final tactical deployment and the starting players came on the field one after another.
Lin Ying took a deep breath before going on stage.
Durant saw this and bumped him on the shoulder.
Their eyes met and Lin Ying nodded.
At the beginning of the game, Wendell had a jump ball with the opposing center.
Accompanied by the cheers of the home fans, Wendell jumped high and pushed the ball back to half court. Augustine controlled the ball and the University of Texas got the first offensive opportunity!
Lin Ying took position at the top of the arc, and Augustine passed the ball to him after advancing to the frontcourt.
After Barnes adopted Springman's suggestion to let Lin Ying start, he clarified his position as the tactical core.
Games over the past month have proven that Lin Ying is more threatening when he has the ball.
So now think back to what Abrams said at the beginning. Although Barnes has a bad temper, he is indeed a good coach who knows how to use people.
Lin Ying held the ball at the top of the arc, observing the movement of his teammates on the court.
There is a huge difference in playing style between starting and coming off the bench.
When he plays as a substitute, he is more of an initiator of pick-and-roll tactics and a tool to create space on the court.
But if he starts, he will have more responsibility to connect and organize the team.
Because it was his first time as a starter, Lin Ying didn’t have a long training time with the starting players, so at this time it would depend more on his personal performance.
His "CPU" started burning up again.
The running positions of teammates on the field and the defense of opponents are invisibly transformed into a series of data.
He quickly came to a conclusion and set his sights on Augustine.
Iowa State started the game playing man-to-man defense, with the focus on Durant.
At this time, Augustine had already shot a three-pointer to the bottom corner with the help of James' screen.
Iowa State's defensive rotation was much worse than Kansas', and the switching players were noticeably slower.
Lin Ying passed the ball immediately.
With that position and that opportunity, Augustine has at least a 50% chance of success!
The ball came to Augustine like a cannonball.
Like three-pointers, passing can also be trained. Thousands of passing exercises can continuously improve the accuracy of passing.
Lin Ying's current passing ability is still B in his own rating, which is not excellent, but it is more than enough to pass this kind of ball.
Augustine reacted quickly. He raised his hand and shot after receiving the ball, giving the opponent no chance to defend.
"when!"
It's just a pity that the ball hit the edge of the basket and bounced out.
He failed to hit the three-pointer.
When I first came on stage, my hands were still a little cold.
Iowa State University secured the defensive rebound and immediately launched a defensive counterattack.
After receiving the ball, Taylor accelerated past James' defense and made a layup in the frontcourt...
"boom!"
James directly blocked the shot!
The University of Texas counterattacked with a fast break, but Iowa State University retreated in time and the fast break was not successful and they switched to position.
Augustine and Wendel played a pick-and-roll and then broke through and passed the ball.
Augustine passed the ball a little low, and Wendel failed to catch the ball and it dropped out of bounds.
Then, Iowa State still couldn't score the ball after a wave of possessions...
The two teams played for more than a minute, but there was no score yet!
The University of Texas is in the process of getting used to its new lineup, while Iowa State has limited strength, and it feels like a fight between two rookies!
Iowa State is not in a hurry, but the University of Texas, playing at home, is starting to get a little anxious.
The fans on the sidelines were getting agitated; it was obvious that the team's performance at the start was not what they expected!
Barnes shifted unconsciously at this moment.
As the head coach, he also shouldered enormous pressure due to the major adjustments to the starting lineup.
On the court, Augustine tried to break through once but knew it was not going to be easy, so he passed the ball to Lin Ying again.
Lin Ying continued to hold the ball at the top of the arc.
At this time, the Iowa State fans behind the basket began to boo.
Although there are big men who play outside in this era, the most famous one this season is Ryan Anderson from the University of California, Berkeley.
With a three-point shooting rate of nearly 40%, Anderson averaged 17+ points per game in the past January and is the star player of the Berkeley University.
However, players who play in this style are not popular among fans of this era, and those who play in this way are generally labeled as "soft".
NBA's Nowitzki is the most typical example.
Not to mention the issue of Lin Ying's skin color.
Lin Ying, this time he shot directly from outside the three-point line!
Introverted people generally tend to have low self-esteem and care a lot about what others think.
The reaction of Iowa State University fans gave him a strong urge to prove himself.
Of course, there is nothing wrong with this choice on the court.
As mentioned before, the people at Iowa State University didn't know Lin Ying well, and the people guarding him were at least two meters away from him.
It's basically just one big empty space.
After the ball was shot, Lin Ying's heart accelerated uncontrollably, and the "bang bang" sound seemed to explode in his ears.
Although this was not his first time taking a three-pointer in an official game, it is not like he has never made a three-pointer.
But this ball is still very important to him!
When he decided to train three-pointers and passing in high school, he had already defined himself as a space inside player.
If he can't make a three-pointer, then there is no point in talking about his "space".
To put it simply, it's just a ball.
But in a broader sense, this determined the way the University of Texas played at the beginning of the game!
The crazy training showed its significance at this time. Lin Ying's shot was almost perfect in both strength and angle.
After the ball was shot, it drew a beautiful parabola in the air with backspin.
This ball looks like it can go in!
“Swish!”
A crisp sound.
Lin Ying scored the first open play goal of the night!
Moreover, it was a three point!!
The booing of Iowa State University fans was instantly drowned out by the louder cheers of University of Texas fans.
The decibel level was as high as the sonic boom of a fighter jet, causing pain in the eardrums.
NCAA atmosphere! Home atmosphere!!
Lin Ying also clenched his fists unconsciously.
At this time, Durant ran to Lin Ying and shouted excitedly.
He looked more excited than Lin Ying.
This three-pointer broke the scoring drought on the court, which was really exciting!
On Iowa State's offense, Taylor broke through to the basket with the help of the center's pick-and-roll.
Judging from the two consecutive attacks at the beginning of the game, due to limited talent, the ball was basically in Taylor's hands at Iowa State University.
However, Taylor's ability is indeed outstanding, and his combat effectiveness and experience can be ranked at the bottom of the first-class level in the NCAA.
At this moment, he broke through and changed direction to get past Wendel, and made a beautiful low layup.
"boom!"
However, his shot was blocked again!
This time the person who blocked the shot was not James, but Lin Ying!
Lin Ying had already returned to defense when Taylor broke through, and then used Wendel's body to cover and kill him by surprise!
The fact that this ball was able to hit the target was just as shown at the beginning of the game, Iowa State University knew too little about Lin Ying!
Anyone who has watched the University of Texas game videos will know that Lin Ying moves frequently on the defensive end, so you must pay attention to him.
Poor Taylor, the star guard of the Big12, was blocked twice by James at the beginning of the game.
He was also confused: Are you two playing whack-a-mole?
After Lin Ying hit the rebound, he took the defensive rebound and turned around to pass the ball to Augustine.
Augustine had already left the three-point line.
He and Lin Ying played as substitutes before, and after a month of games, they have established a good understanding.
When the ball was given to him, he accelerated and shook off the opponent's defender, ran to the frontcourt and scored a fast break layup.
5 to 0!
The University of Texas took the lead in attacking!
The cheers from the University of Texas fans at the scene also continued.
They can also see the team's progress!
In Iowa State University's offense, Taylor finally learned his lesson after being blocked twice, and this time he chose a mid-range shot after a screen.
This time he finally found an opportunity to show his scoring ability, and the ball hit the basket and fell into the net.
Iowa State also broke its scoring drought.
The ball was exchanged and Lin Ying continued to hold the ball at the top of the front arc.
After he hit that three-pointer, Iowa State University knew that he had three-point shooting ability, which would cause the power forward defending him to follow him to the three-point line.
Then, the sense of space on the court emerged, just like the scene before against Kansas.
A very important point is that although the NCAA court is not as big as the NBA, if the inside players are pulled to the outside, their protection of the basket will be significantly weakened.
Unless there is a dominant center who can radiate the entire basket, it will be difficult to defend against the opponent's open cuts.
that's the truth.
Wendell blocked the opponent's center, and Durant came out with the help of James' screen.
His movement tied down most of the defenders, and when James cut back to the basket from the other side, no one cared about him.
Lin Ying made an alley-oop pass directly to the basket!
James showed off his top physical fitness, being led into the air by the ball, and his head was level with the basket the moment he grabbed the ball in the air.
“Bang!”
He grabbed the ball with one hand, then changed from one hand to two hands, and the ball was slammed into the basket!
To paraphrase the classic description of Future Rain:
This ball is quite explosive!
The Frank Erwin Center is totally on fire!
Even on the bench, Barnes couldn't help but stand up and pump his fist excitedly.
Although the team did not play well at the beginning, its performance in the past few rounds completely exceeded his expectations!
It felt like... they only needed the first few rounds to get the new lineup running in!