After entering the finals, Kentucky has obviously become more cautious.
After the opening, Antoine Walker frequently caught the ball, not only attacking in the low post, but sometimes also receiving the ball at the elbow area on the left and right of the free throw line.
It was just a combination of high and low posts, but it was never possible to penetrate Connecticut's inside line.
The big man Knight's height advantage was fully utilized. Although Walter McCarty was very flexible, he missed several finishes at the basket.
This time Walter McCarty's layup under the basket missed the frame again, but Antoine Walker overwhelmed Connecticut's big man Rudy, rushed to grab the offensive rebound, and then put the layup up!
University of Kentucky fans screamed happily. After 5 minutes and 21 seconds of the game, they finally took the lead.
At 8:12, Connecticut trailed by 4 points.
Coach Calhoun made a downward gesture and stood on the sidelines loudly reminding his players not to panic.
But in the following round, big man Knight made a mistake when he was double-teamed in the low post. After his opponent successfully cut the ball, Tony Delk, who received the ball, rushed forward.
The small black guard seized the opportunity to switch offense and succeeded in a layup from the entire court!
"oh!!"
The score difference widened to 6 points, and the stadium was filled with cheers from University of Kentucky fans.
The opponent suddenly changed their defensive strategy, and the big man Knight had difficulty getting out of the ball in the face of fierce double-teams.
Fortunately, before the shot clock ran out, Ray Allen broke through the basket and caused the opponent's thug to foul.
"I have to praise Antoine Walker for his rebounding and defensive awareness, which makes up for his lack of height!"
Commentator Jim Nantz saw Antoine Walker's comfortable performance on the court and immediately praised him.
"The University of Kentucky's victory over its opponents is really inseparable from Antoine Walker's rebounding and defense."
"Connecticut is in trouble inside, oh! Coach Calhoun actually got Lee in advance!"
Commentator Billy Parker noticed that Li You had replaced the starting point guard Marshall, and let out a little surprise.
"Speed up the attacking tempo and let the opponent run with us!"
Head coach Calhoun briefly warned Li You that the current point difference is already a bit dangerous!
Kentucky beat its opponents by at least 7 points in every game. The coaching staff naturally made plans, and Li You was their first choice to change the rhythm of the game.
Ray Allen made two free throws, making the score 10:14.
Li You looked calm after coming on the court. After making tactical gestures, he immediately led the defense against the opponent's point guard Anthony Epps.
Coach Pitino stood nearby and loudly reminded his players to control the rhythm of the game. Whenever they take the lead, they will wait for their opponents to make mistakes!
The ball was handed over after halftime, and then quickly passed from the outside. At this time, Antoine Walker no longer attacked in the low post, but came to the free throw line to catch the ball.
After two laps, I noticed that Connecticut's defense was still very tight. Antoine Walker, who caught the ball again, broke inside at the right elbow area, causing Rudy's hitter to foul.
Smiling proudly, Antoine Walker seemed to feel that they had controlled the rhythm of the game. When he walked to the free throw line, he raised his hands in the air to signal for louder cheers.
"Shhh!!"
The fans of the University of Connecticut booed wildly. This kind of three- and four-number swing, the forward with exquisite skills made them feel cold.
Perhaps the boos played a role. The second free throw missed the basket. Antoine Walker cursed secretly. Knight grabbed the rebound and immediately passed the ball to Li You.
Immediately after receiving the ball, Li You accelerated. He released the ball with his right hand and circled the ball behind his back. He dodged Anthony Epps' cutting ball. He kept accelerating with the ball in his left hand and quickly crossed the center line.
Anthony Epps, who was out of position on defense, chased after Li You again. The two entangled and came to the three-point line on the left flank.
Li You did not slow down and continued to break through the opponent's defense. He marched to the left block and suddenly dribbled the ball with his hips. Anthony Epps immediately lost his center of gravity after the sudden stop.
Without waiting for the opponent to react defensively, Li You immediately combined the ball and made a quick jump shot!
"Whoa!" A solid hit from mid-range!
12:15, less than 10 seconds, Li You has completed the attack.
Antoine Walker just retreated to the paint area, and then served from the baseline...
"Damn it! Guard him, don't lose your defensive position easily!"
After an ineffective turnaround, Antoine Walker was not in a good mood and loudly reminded his teammates.
Anthony Epps couldn't express his suffering, so he could only raise his hands to indicate that it was his problem...
"Defense! Defense! Defense!"
UConn fans were energized after cheering, and the defensive cheers overwhelmed the noise.
Continuing to run tactics, Tony Delk tried several times to get rid of Ray Allen's pursuit with the help of teammates' off-ball screens but failed.
With 8 seconds left in the attack time, Tony Delk used Antoine Walker's hand-to-hand pass at the top of the arc to briefly get rid of the defense. Facing Rudy who came up on defense, he held the ball with his left hand and went straight to the basket.
Under the interference of the big man Knight, Tony Delk twisted his body and shot with his right hand and hit the frame.
Everyone at the University of Kentucky didn't want offensive rebounds and hurriedly retreated. Ray Allen at the top of the arc received the pass and quickly dribbled across the half court.
Anthony Epps chased after him in time. Ray Allen at the top of the arc decelerated and immediately gave the ball to Li You who was following up.
At the same time, big man Knight also stopped outside the three-point line and took advantage of the situation to create a high pick-and-roll for Li You.
The moment he received the cross pass, Li You, who released the ball with his right hand, dribbled the ball behind his back twice very quickly. While lowering his center of gravity, he grabbed the ball again with his right hand and jumped forward.
Tony Delk, who was pursuing the defense, was delayed by the big man Knight, and Walter McCarty, who was forced to switch defense, stepped on the three-point line and spread his arms in an attempt to delay Li You.
In just the blink of an eye, Li You quickly changed direction in front of his body while traveling, and instantly passed the big man who delayed his defense.
Walter McCarty froze in place, without any reaction, watching Li You, who grabbed the ball with his left hand, rush into the paint area.
Li You passed two people, and the audience all exclaimed and rushed to the inside. Facing Antoine Walker, who came up to help defend, Li You jumped on both feet and took the initiative to lean towards his opponent.
The two collided in the air. Li You grabbed the ball with one hand with his left hand, leaned forward to avoid the block, and when he heard the referee's whistle, he threw the ball on the backboard!
"Bang...swish!"
Li You, who lost his center of gravity, slipped and fell to the floor. When he saw the ball hitting the board high and into the frame, he raised his upper body, roared and pumped his fist in celebration!
"oh!!"
The wonderful goal restored the energy of the University of Connecticut fans present, and everyone jumped up and shouted happily.
"OH——! What a show!"
Commentator Jim Nantz was still immersed in Li You's wonderful passing. He yelled several times in succession and still felt it was not enough.
"Lee's appearance really changed the rhythm of the game on the court. Kentucky was in trouble."
When Billy Parker saw Li You hit the free throw, he suddenly felt that the University of Kentucky was about to lose...
At 15:15, both sides returned to the same starting line.
Coach Pitino only felt that the pace of the game at the University of Connecticut was getting faster and faster. The opponent seemed not to care about missed shots at all, and the offense was completely dominated by the outside.
Tony Delk, a small guard who had performed very well in the previous series, became hesitant on the offensive end.
Ray Allen was constantly pursuing the defense, and missed several breakthroughs to the basket. This time, Rudy did not change defense in time outside the three-point line. Tony Delk hesitated and his shot was interfered by Ray Allen, who was pursuing him. .
"Bang..." Hit the iron again!
The long rebound popped up and was picked up by Li You on the right wing outside the three-point line, and the offense resumed.
Antoine Walker kept following the turnaround for several consecutive rounds, angrily shouting at his teammates to defend.
On the left wing outside the three-point line, Li You suddenly stopped suddenly, quickly circled the ball behind his back with his left hand, switched to his right hand and broke through the paint again against the defense.
When everyone returned to defend the University of Kentucky, everyone's attention was attracted. As a result, Li You took advantage of the situation and circled inside, and then suddenly swung the ball hard.
Using the cover of his teammates, he ran to the right corner. Ray Allen caught the ball and there was no one in front of him. After a slight adjustment, he calmly made a jump shot!
"Whoa!" The three-pointer hit the net.
The two sides missed several rounds, and Connecticut's three-pointer broke the deadlock.
The cheers started again, and in the next few minutes, Li You continued to speed up the offensive rhythm, taking advantage of the opponent's declining shooting percentage to directly hit a 9:2 climax.
At 24:17, head coach Pitino couldn't hold himself any longer and immediately requested a timeout.
There may have been some tension in the previous few minutes, but under the leadership of Li You, the teammates had no time to hesitate and just threw the ball when the opportunity arose.
"We will definitely win! We will definitely win the game!"
Ray Allen, who rarely showed excitement, returned to his seat and kept shouting loudly.
Coach Calhoun was so excited that he patted Li You on the shoulder. He made the right bet!
In the following games, the University of Kentucky gradually lost its offensive rhythm. Players on the field were not unified in their thinking. Some wanted to slow down, while others wanted to run...
Antoine Walker couldn't even catch the ball in several rounds and could only follow his teammates and run back.
At 32:39 of the half, Connecticut completely controlled the game.
After the start of the second half, the University of Kentucky fans continued to shout, but Tony Delk failed to find his touch and missed three consecutive shots.
The three-pointer came out of the frame. Li You once again received a long rebound, and Ron Mercer, who came on the rotation, immediately chased after him.
Using strikers to counter Li You was an adjustment made by the University of Kentucky in the second half.
Li You, who held the ball in his right hand, kept accelerating, while Ron Mercer on his side slid quickly and did not cut the ball easily.
Approaching the right wing outside the three-point line, Li You immediately slowed down, stepped on the three-point line to complete the dribble under his hips, and while raising his head, he pretended to join the ball with his right hand.
A simple fake act of worshiping Buddha, but Ron Mercer reacted and jumped subconsciously!
Pushing the ball to change direction, Li You easily swayed away from the defense. After grabbing the ball with his right hand, he took two big steps forward and made a quick jump shot from mid-range without being guarded!
"Whoa!" Another two-point goal!
The UConn fans were going crazy and everyone was cheering.
"What a damn game!"
Coach Pitino next to him could no longer maintain his calm appearance. He cursed twice and loudly reminded his players to pay attention to defense again.
At 38:51, Kentucky scored only free throws and piecemeal inside play...
Antoine Walker loudly signaled to his teammates to slow down, but Tony Delk felt that there was not enough game time and subconsciously followed suit.
After a rare mid-range shot from the free throw line, Antoine Walker tried his best to retreat. In less than ten seconds, Ray Allen, who received a cross pass from Li You, blocked Tony Delk's shot. A strong shot from the right wing outside the three-point line was successful!
The completely unreasonable attack made the atmosphere explode, and all the spectators exclaimed.
Coach Pitino asked for a timeout with some annoyance. He knew that his players were already panicking...
At 38:54, Connecticut, which led by 16 points, began to slow down.
The University of Kentucky did defend Li You in a targeted manner, and even guarded against three-pointers.
But Li You not only had three-pointers, but also several clean mid-range pull-up jumpers, which were equally impressive.
As the final time gets closer, Kentucky's offense becomes more and more urgent.
Eager to complete the defense, Li You easily assisted the big man Knight who passed down to complete the alley-oop when faced with a double defense!
Eager to complete the offense, Tony Delk made another three-pointer. In transition, Ray Allen got two more free throws.
Coach Pitino called the last timeout, but the miracle did not happen.
At the last moment, Tony Delk finally found his touch and hit two consecutive three-pointers, but the University of Kentucky fans at the scene looked at the 10-point difference and made no sound.
No one cared about their score anymore. On the bench of the University of Connecticut, everyone stood up, raised their hands in the air, and started jumping up and down to celebrate the victory!
There were only 30 seconds left in the game. Li Youyun stopped attacking after halftime and waited for the end of the game with a smile.
When the final buzzer sounded, Li You threw the ball into the air. He laughed and hugged his teammates who rushed to the center of the field.
Head coach Calhoun and his coaching staff also rushed to the center of the field, and the media at the scene also rushed up carrying bulky cameras. They wanted to record this historical moment.
The young people from the University of Connecticut in the audience also hugged each other and shouted happily together.
On the other side of the court, Antoine Walker put his hands on his hips, showing a disappointed look.
This game lasted not a minute, with a lot of back and forth running, which almost paralyzed him from exhaustion...
At 57:68, the University of Connecticut, which had a low shooting percentage, finally won the finals!
"Congratulations to the University of Connecticut for creating history and winning the first championship in team history. They fully realized their talent this year!"
Commentator Jim Nantz had a hard time describing this game. It was very different from the NCAA in his past impressions.
Ray Allen made 7 of 19 shots, 4 of 10 from behind the three-point line, 6 of 6 free throws, 24 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assist and 1 turnover.
Li You made 6 of 15, 1 of 3 from beyond the three-point line, 3 of 3 free throws, 16 points, 3 rebounds, 6 assists and 2 turnovers.
Looking at the technical statistics, commentator Billy Parker smiled, shook his head, and sighed:
"In a game that is determined, hesitation leads to defeat. Hitting percentage doesn't matter. Congratulations to the boys from Connecticut!"
