NCAA final, Connecticut Huskies vs. Oklahoma State Cowboys.
Before March Madness began, ESPN organized an event to collect predicted matchups for this year's March Madness finals from across the country.
The current matchup results make the 17.5 million predicted matchup schedules received by ESPN meaningless.
Because not even one of them is predicted accurately.
In fact, many people had guessed that Connecticut would make it to the finals.
After all, with Okafor, Ben Gordon and Villanueva, they were considered the favorites to win the championship from the beginning.
But the emergence of the Cowboys was indeed unexpected.
There is no rivalry between Connecticut and Duke, no Illinois Big Three, and no North Carolina led by Roy Williams.
Wayne brought out his dark-faced characteristics to the fullest.
It's not just that you're in a mess when you're unboxing a box, it's also that you're in a mess when you're playing a game .
Dark horse vs. traditional powerhouse, such a finals showdown has whetted the appetite of fans.
And this year, it's not just American fans who are looking forward to the finals.
The Rabbit family on the other side of the ocean is paying unprecedented attention to this year's NCAA finals.
This year's NCAA finals will be held in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Of course, if you thought the NCAA finals would be played at the Timberwolves' home court, Target Center, you would be wrong.
Because of the size of the Target Center...it simply can't accommodate an event like the NCAA March Madness Finals!
The venue for this year's NCAA finals is the Hemfree Metrodome, which can accommodate 64,121 people!
The target center can accommodate less than 20,000 people.
The Helmsfield Metrodome was originally the home stadium of the Minnesota Vikings football team.
Because of the NCAA finals, this place will be temporarily converted into a basketball stadium.
It has become a routine practice for NCAA finals to hold stadium events with the specifications of a stadium.
If the audience sitting in the back row does not want to just stare at the big screen on the scene, they must bring their own binoculars to see what is happening on the field.
Even so, tickets for the final are still hard to come by!
This is the NCAA finals, the event that the NBA has to give way to.
Therefore, when Coach Zhang led the CCTV reporter team into this super large multi-functional gymnasium, he couldn't help but open his mouth wide.
"Oh my goodness, playing basketball in this place is really grand."
"This... the fans sitting on the upper floors may not be able to see the big screen very clearly?" A young reporter next to Coach Zhang was also very surprised.
Once upon a time, he thought that the NBA was the most luxurious basketball tournament in the world.
When Coach Zhang told him that the NCAA March Madness games were more popular in the United States than the NBA, he didn't believe it.
Can a few college students playing basketball be as interesting as the NBA?
But now, he not only believed it, but also admired it wholeheartedly.
This stadium doesn't have the conditions even for the NBA Finals.
Apart from anything else, the set of large screens hanging in the middle of the scene is almost as big as the basketball court below!
This super-large screen is composed of 760 LED screens, which eventually form a ring shape with a diameter of 24 meters, which is only 4 meters shorter than the length of the stadium.
Since the big screen in the football field was not hung in the middle, it took nearly a week to install this screen specially prepared for the NCAA finals.
To be honest, if you watch a game in a stadium like this, unless you have enough money to buy front-row tickets, there will be no viewing experience at all.
But most American fans come here not just to watch the game, but to feel the fanatical atmosphere with their friends.
Tens of thousands of people wore the same T-shirts, shouted the same slogans, and performed the same actions.
The scene was quite shocking.
"Don't even mention playing basketball. I feel a little nervous just standing here. Tomorrow night when the stands are full, do you think Wei will be nervous?"
"Look at what you said. Do you think he is the same as you? He was not nervous at the critical moment last time when he played against North Carolina. That kid is born to face big situations. Don't you think so, Coach Zhang?"
"Well," Coach Zhang nodded affirmatively, "Wayne's performance won't be affected by nervousness.
But facing the No. 1 pick candidate Okafor is not as easy as the last game against Luol Deng. "
While Coach Zhang and his team were still marveling at the magnificence of the stadium, several men in suits were chatting leisurely in the stands of the Hemfree Metrodome.
"Are they crazy? Does anyone really think Dwight Howard can be a combination of Kevin Garnett and Tim Duncan? I mean, the kid didn't even prove himself in college.
His physical talent is indeed very strong, but in terms of outstanding skills... facing those high school students, it would be strange if Dwight couldn't score. "
A bald man held Howard's scouting report, which said: "Because he played point guard in his freshman year of high school , and later had to play inside due to his height, he has delicate ball-handling skills, a very soft shooting touch, and an excellent overall view and basketball intelligence."
He really couldn't say this. Physical talent is indeed visible to the naked eye, but the so-called skills cannot be seen at all without playing high-intensity games!
Just because Howard can make shots in high school games doesn't mean he can make shots in college or the NBA.
"You also said that Dwight's physical talent is excellent, so excellent that this alone is enough for him to compete for the top pick. In any case, that kid will definitely be the favorite." A white man who looked quite kind next to the bald man echoed.
"Do you think Emeka can win tomorrow? Ohio State is really strong this season. If Emeka can win the championship and then win the MOP in the semi-finals, the No. 1 pick should be secure, right?" The bald man did not continue talking about Howard, but shifted the topic to Okafor.
“Whether Emeka can become the No. 1 pick is not about championships and MOP, but about who can draw the No. 1 pick.
But I'm not worried about him. No matter what, I won't let him fall out of the top three. No, never out of the top two!"
The middle-aged man smiled, and there was always a calmness on his face.
Jeff Schwartz is the founder of Excellence Sports Management, and he is also the number one agent of this agency.
As early as the beginning of this season, Jeff Schwartz had reached a verbal agreement with Okafor.
As soon as the season ends, he will officially become Okafor's agent and take care of his off-court affairs.
Although the NCAA stipulates that players participating in the draft must sign with an agent after the season ends, there is no explicit prohibition on players meeting with agents in advance.
Usually, it is the team coaches who prevent players from contacting agents in advance in order to allow them to concentrate on playing.
But it's clear that Schwartz has gotten past Huskies coach Jim Calhoun.
Therefore, although there is no formal contract, Okafor is already considered a player under Schwartz.
To show his sincerity, Schwartz did a lot of things for Okafor before officially signing him.
If it weren't for Schwartz's help in packaging, Okafor's image as "Mr. Perfect" would not have been so deeply rooted in people's hearts.
"Not worried? I thought you came here specially to see Emeka's performance." The bald man looked at Schwartz. Could it be that this guy didn't come here for Okafor, his biggest client?
“Hahaha, who said I came to see Emeka Okafor.
I came here this time to talk to that Chinese man." Schwartz said, winking at the bald male agent of his company.
"Chinese? Wayne? You don't want to recruit him as well?"
"Why not? Don't you see how huge the Chinese market is that Yao Ming brings? If I take Wayne, I think I have a chance to send him to the lottery!
The Trail Blazers kept clamoring for Telfair, but do you believe they were lying? "
"You mean...the one they want is actually Wayne?"
"Well, a Pacers scout named Sweet gave me this information.
He said the Trail Blazers scouts had been watching Wayne for a whole season. Besides, Wayne had defeated Rasheed in front of the Trail Blazers' general manager. "
Schwartz was quite proud of this.
Being a professional sports agent requires more than just legal knowledge. Sometimes, connections are many times more important than legal knowledge.
In this era when the Internet is not well developed, it is impossible to get a lot of information without connections.
Schwartz met Sweet when he was an assistant at IMG, and the two have maintained a good relationship ever since.
After founding his own company, Schwartz also carried out low-key cooperation with Sweet.
So, he was sure that the Trail Blazers were actually playing tricks.
"Tell me the truth, how long have you been observing that kid?"
"It wasn't long before I started paying attention to him when he won the Big 12 regular season MVP award. Otherwise, I wouldn't have gotten him yet."
"However, Bill Duffy, who has already tasted the sweetness of Chinese players, will not let Wayne go."
"Well, Bill will definitely contact Wayne. That's why I came here to strike first."
Schwartz smiled. In fact, he wanted to sign Wayne not only because of his current commercial value.
In his mind, a very bold but feasible plan was emerging.
If this plan works, he guarantees that he can expand the Chinese market several times!
Of course, it can also increase Wayne's influence several times.
Bill Duffy?
Well, he's a good agent, a good guy, but he has no such ambitions.
If we just give Wayne to him like this, it would be such a waste of talent!
"Okay, let's go back. Tomorrow night's game will definitely not disappoint us."
Schwartz said as he stood up from his seat and prepared to return to his hotel.
As for the championship...
Although he is already Okafor's quasi-agent, it must be admitted that the championship is not necessarily in Okafor's pocket.
Schwartz felt as if he was looking forward to a Cinderella-style fairy tale that could be carried through to the end.