Central Connecticut State University is also a university from Connecticut. It is a century-old institution with a long history.
But in terms of basketball level, it is a bit behind the University of Connecticut.
Therefore, the possibility of an upset in this game is not high, and they are mainly focusing on Oden.
Durant had already ordered takeout before the game started, and the pizza and Coke were already on hand.
It’s a pity that this is in the United States, otherwise Lin Ying would order some eight-treasure porridge with melon seeds and peanuts…
All in all, this day was the most pleasant day for the two since they entered the University of Texas.
The game started soon. In addition to watching Oden, Lin Ying was also observing the playing style of Ohio State University.
He quickly discovered that Ohio State's offense was very similar to Princeton's low-post tactics.
Oden takes position in the paint and then tries to feed the ball in from the outside.
If the ball cannot be fed in, the player with the ball on the outside will break through to the basket, or pass the ball to the wing player.
After the ball is fed in, Oden holds the ball and plays one-on-one if there is an opportunity. If he is double-teamed, he will attack the player who cuts in from the weak side or the top of the arc.
Or, after holding the ball, his teammates can go directly through the back door to receive his pass and attack the basket.
It was during this process that Lin Ying discovered that Oden in the NCAA was completely different from the “rough guy” he had imagined.
In addition to being used to demonstrate strength, the NCAA invitational system also has a key function of helping you understand your opponents.
Because in this era, there are very limited ways to learn about NCAA teams.
It’s a pity that given the level of the University of Texas, it has never had the opportunity to play in an invitational tournament with an opponent of the level of Ohio State University.
So this was the first time he got to know Oden so closely.
Low-post footwork, turnaround hook, pick-and-roll, hand-to-hand pass...
Except for his lack of mid-range shooting, Oden's skills can be completely described as a "low-post kaleidoscope"!
It turns out that there are still big differences between the NCAA and the NBA.
Many players are good at the skills in the NCAA, but they can't display them at all in the NBA.
That's the difference between a confrontational and defensive environment.
Of course, now in the NCAA, Oden's dominance is there.
Based on the strength of Oden we have seen so far, Wendell will definitely be beaten, and Lin Ying will basically have no way to defend him.
If the same thing happened to the University of Texas later, the scene would be very sad.
There was no suspense on Ohio State's side, as they cut to other games halfway through the game.
There was basically no suspense in the games between the University of Florida, the University of Kansas, and the University of North Carolina.
Although upsets are likely to occur in the Crazy Three, the strength gap between the teams in the first round is relatively large.
Especially for those popular teams, as long as they play steadily, the chances are not high.
But when they cut to Georgia Tech, what was coming finally came!
Georgia Tech is a traditional NCAA powerhouse and has produced many NBA players, with Chris Bosh being its representative.
Other players who are more familiar to fans include Matt Harpring (familiar to Jazz fans) and Jarrett Jack (the legendary Jack who makes the starting point guard of the team tremble).
Especially in recent years, it has been mass-produced.
In 2005 alone, they exported three players to the NBA: Jack, Will Bynum and Luke Schinchel.
This year, four players on the team have the opportunity to enter the NBA: Thaddeus Young, Anthony Morrow, Javaris Christian, and Mario West.
Moreover, Morrow is a third-year player, and they are also a team that combines talent and experience.
This can be seen from the fact that they beat Georgetown University and the University of North Carolina to become the No. 3 seed in the Midwest Region.
Their first-round opponent is the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV).
UNLV is also a traditional powerhouse in the NCAA. "Auntie" Larry Johnson and "The Hacker" Marion both came from here.
It’s just that their strength was only in the last decade.
Now they are only considered a second-tier team, ranked lower than the University of Texas.
No. 3 VS No. 14, it seems that there should be no suspense just like the previous teams.
But the fact is that UNLV, led by star player Joel Anthony, has been keeping close with Georgia Tech.
Then at the last minute of the second half, relying on an excellent defense, they directly overtook and created an upset!
Durant screamed while watching this game, and Lin Ying couldn't contain his excitement.
No upset, no “crazy three”!
As a fan, it is very exciting to see an upset.
And this game is more meaningful than all the previous games.
The most direct one is self-confidence!
In terms of lineup and strength, UNLV is worse than the University of Texas, but now it has directly defeated the No. 3 seed.
The Georgetown University they will play tomorrow is the No. 4 seed, so they also have a chance!
After tossing and turning all night, they had some basic training the next morning, and then at 1 p.m. they took a bus to the stadium.
The game was at 3pm, so they had to go to the stadium early to prepare.
There were already crowds of people outside the Georgia Dome.
There were nearly 60,000 people on both sides watching the game, and it would take a long time just to get in.
When the bus arrived outside the stadium, the windows were already crowded with people.
Although they are not wearing uniform T-shirts like the big12 before due to the number of people, you can still tell which team they are from their style.
The one wearing the cowboy hat and the red and blue Lone Star clothes is obviously from Texas.
And those who walk like politicians must be from Washington...
Just kidding, you recognize the fans from Texas, the rest are from Washington who came over to support Georgetown.
Of course, in addition to their clothing, what makes it easier to distinguish them are the signs they hold and some waving team flags.
As the bus passed through the crowd, Texas fans kept cheering for them.
As the only Texas team to enter the "Mad Three", they are now the hope of all Texas fans!
Feeling the atmosphere outside the bus, the University of Texas players are eager to try.
When they arrived at the locker room, Barnes first mobilized the players.
“Winning is our goal, but I want you to give your best regardless of whether we win or lose.
A lot of things can happen, but not another one.
Give it your all and leave no regrets! "
The most direct message conveyed by his mobilization is: We have no way out tonight!
This is also the mentality they must have. There is never a way out in the "Crazy Three" game.
After Barnes finished his mobilization, the players walked out of the locker room shouting all the way and then rushed out of the player tunnel.
Tonight, they are the gladiators who are ready to fight to the death!
Then, after they went out, they were all stunned.
Although they had prepared themselves mentally in advance, they were still shocked when they saw the endless crowds of fans outside.
Most of them do watch college football.
But standing on the top of the mountain and looking at the valley bottom, and standing at the valley bottom and looking at the top of the mountain, are two completely different feelings!
Not to mention Lin Ying, his body was shaking uncontrollably.
He had never seen such a scene before.
If this group of people create such noise, it would be able to pierce people's eardrums directly, right?
It's really stressful to perform at a high level in such an environment!
It wasn't until Springman called out to them that they recovered from their shock and prepared to warm up.
"They don't seem to have experienced such scenes before?"
Georgetown University arrived earlier than the University of Texas and was already warming up on the other side.
After seeing the reaction of the University of Texas players, Hibbert said jokingly to Green on the side.
Green said nothing.
Although both are junior players, their mentalities are completely on a different level.
If Hibbert is still a child, then Green is already a very mature man.
So unlike Hibbert, he did not feel any contempt for the University of Texas's actions.
On the contrary, because Durant is on the opposite side, he knows that the first round will definitely not be easy.
Especially after Georgia Tech's failure yesterday.
You have to know that Georgia Tech is an Atlanta team and they are playing in Atlanta right now, it's impossible not to notice.
Seeing that Green still had a serious expression on his face, Hibbert suddenly felt a little bored.
Green's gentle and low-key temperament is exactly the same as Grant Hill, which is not like them black people at all.
However, he still recognized Green's strength, so he was not angry.
"Relax, I'll teach them a lesson in the paint."
Hibbert continued.
He didn't know anyone at the University of Texas except Durant.
Although the head coach also emphasized an inside player named Lin on the opposing team during the pre-match arrangements.
But a Chinese player?
It’s a pity that he is not playing against me, otherwise he will definitely make the opponent regret coming to the United States to play basketball.
"Roy, don't underestimate your opponent."
Green spoke at this time.
Although Hibbert has few rivals in the NCAA, he is not inferior to Oden even when competing against him.
However, the opponents encountered on the "Crazy Three" stage are all unknown. If they underestimate the enemy, they will be the next to be upset.
Hibbert chuckled and didn't pay attention to what Green said.
Both teams were doing their final warm-ups before the game, and the camera was turned to the audience seats.
Both sides have fanatical fans. In the eyes of the fans, there is no distinction between strong and weak as they have already reached the stage of "Crazy Three".
In a game, the probability of both sides winning is 50%.
Among these spectators, there were quite a few scouts.
This year is a rare year for the draft. Tonight's game brings together two lottery or even top five rookies, Durant and Green. Teams that have the opportunity to select them are naturally eager to try.
You have to know that in terms of strength, the University of Texas and Georgetown University are too far apart and are likely to be eliminated in the first round.
In other words, this may be their only chance to see Durant's strength on the "Crazy Three" stage.
Scouts from the Celtics, Grizzlies and Bucks are all eager to try.
This year's lottery will not take place until late May.
Although the rankings have not been determined and the season has not ended yet, these three teams have basically been confirmed to be the ones with the worst records.
The only uncertainty is who of them will perform more thoroughly in the end and who will have a higher chance of drawing the No. 1 pick.
Then naturally, they are also the team with the best chance of getting Durant.
Even if they don't get into the top three, they still have a good chance of picking Green.
In addition to these three, there are three other teams that are also paying attention to tonight's game.
Spurs, Rockets and Mavericks.
Texas Three.
Of course, they couldn't be coming for Durant or Green.
They have basically secured a playoff spot this year, and their first-round draft pick is among the last few.
So their targets are some other players tonight, such as Hibbert and Lin Ying.
If you knew how much the Thunder wanted Griffin in 2009, it would not be surprising that the Texas Big Three would be interested in Lin Ying.
Because they are in the same state, they have access to the most player information.
If there are good players, they will naturally be the first to pay attention.
First of all, the rocket.
Because they have Yao Ming, they are the most popular in China now.
If we can select another Chinese player, it will definitely be icing on the cake.
Moreover, Lin Ying's playing style can create space for Yao Ming and help Yao Ming with defense, which is also very suitable.
Although we don’t know Lin Ying’s draft stock yet because he hasn’t announced his candidacy, it’s estimated that he’ll be in the middle of the second round.
Even if this pick doesn't play well in the end, it won't be a big loss to the team.
Next is the Mavericks.
One thing that is easily overlooked is that the Mavericks have always been very committed to developing the Chinese market.
From the earliest Wang Zhizhi to the later "Silver Fox" Harris, these are the most direct examples.
So it is very normal for them to be interested in Lin Ying.
Finally, the Spurs.
If we talk about the NBA team that likes to steal in the low post the most, it must be the Spurs.
Moreover, their draft pick estimate for Lin Ying is higher than that of the Mavericks and Rockets.
They have the confidence and experience to train a player like Lin Ying who has both obvious strengths and weaknesses.
On the field, both sides' warm-ups were almost complete and the opening ceremony began.
There is no home and away distinction in neutral stadium games, but the team with the worse record will play first.
In other words, the University of Texas will play first.
Augustine, James, Durant, Lin Ying, Wendell.
Barnes, as he had said in his previous conversation with Springman, chose a more stable starting lineup.
After the University of Texas, Georgetown University is next.
Jonathan Wallace, Jesse Sapp, Jeff Green, DaJuan Summers, Roy Hibbert!
When both teams came out, the fans cheered at their loudest to support their own team.
When Georgetown University came on the field, the decibel level was noticeably louder.
They say they have the same chance of winning, but everyone knows that the University of Texas is the 13th seed and they are the 4th seed!
Hibbert was the last to come out, and he raised his hands high to greet the cheers of his fans.
Come on, let these guys from Texas have a taste of his power!