In the end, Arizona State University defeated the University of Arizona 58-42 on the road and won the derby. This was the first time they did this after two seasons.
The two best performers for the Devils in this campaign are Harden, who sent out 11 assists, and Xu Yong, who made 7 three-pointers.
Not only did he set a new NCAA single-game scoring record, but he also set a new school record for the number of three-pointers made by the Devils!
As a non-rich team, Arizona State University's ancestors are not very rich, but Xu Yong can be regarded as recording himself in school history in just one game.
At the end of the game, the players on the Wildcats bench stood up one after another, and they had to shake hands with the Devils players after the game.
Bayless subconsciously looked up at the score on the electronic scoreboard on the wall and the statistics of the players under the score.
Xu Yong's 28 points and 5 rebounds stood out from the crowd.
He couldn't help but take a deep breath.
They were humiliated once again, this time on their home court!
This is really... I shouldn't be in the car, I should be under the car.
Is there luck in Xu Yong's seven three-pointers?
There definitely is. Even if you find Stephen Curry, the best shooter in the NCAA this season, he may not be able to guarantee that many three-pointers.
But apart from the one against Bayless, Xu Yong's other shots were actually not too difficult.
This is the biggest difference between Xu Yong and Curry. He is not a shooter in the true sense, so you can't guard his perimeter like you can guard Curry.
Because you did that, Xu Yong's dunk on Hill was another punishment.
In essence, Xu Yong is now a dunker who can shoot from the outside, which is the same style as Budinger.
But unlike Budinger, he moves faster, has better body flexibility and coordination, and has more delicate skills. 【Note 3】
So it was Bayless's misjudgment that allowed Xu Yong to score so many three-pointers, but even without this, Xu Yong could still score points. The only difference is that he might score more points in the penalty area.
In other words, the threat Xu Yongneng brings to the Wildcats is not necessarily lower than Harden, and Arizona State University is not weaker than the University of Arizona now.
O'Neal actually knew this, so after the game, he did not blame Bayless as he did during the game, but reached out and patted the latter on the shoulder.
The two looked at each other, and there was no longer any frustration in their eyes.
Although they had made sufficient preparations before the game, they still despised the Devils psychologically. However, after this battle, they will take it seriously and win back the next time they play against each other.
…
After the game, the Devils players got on the bus back to Tempe.
It was already past ten o'clock at night, but the team members were having fun in the car.
At this time, Sandek stood up to signal for silence, and then announced something: "Xu will serve as the team captain during the season."
After Sandek finished his announcement, there was a burst of cheers in the car.
The captain plays a vital role in the team. When the coach is absent, he has the obligation to supervise the team's training and handle the relationship between the players.
Because it requires team status, it is usually not the strongest player in the team, but the spiritual leader of the team.
Xu Yong is already the leader of the locker room. Coupled with his outstanding performance since the new season, and of course in Sandek's eyes, as well as his timely encouragement and reminders to his teammates during games, he deserves the title of captain.
Especially after such a heroic game, this opportunity was well chosen.
After Sandek finished speaking, he continued to sit down, and the team members continued to chat.
"Captain Devil." Shipp in the front row suddenly turned his head and said with a smile.
Xu Yong smiled when he heard this. Originally, the captain was an inherent role in the team, but when Shipp said this, he suddenly felt like Captain America or Captain Dragonfly.
"Satan." Harden said next.
The meaning of this nickname is actually similar to that of Captain Devil, but it is much more powerful.
Devils Man is the Chinese name, and its English name is "Devils.man", which literally means the devil's people, and the devil, the king of devils, is Satan.
The captain of the devil team is actually the leader of the devil, which is Satan.
"Bar." Then Harden pointed at himself and said.
Barr, also called Baal, is one of the three demons and is known as the "King of Destruction". This is also very similar to Harden's current playing style.
Then, Harden couldn't stop and started calling the whole team devilish names.
For example, Glaser was given the nickname "Duma", which is the name of the king of hell, the most knowledgeable person among the demons;
Another example is giving Ayers the name "Azazel". Azazel is the original sin demon, symbolizing original sin and redemption;
After a while, everyone on the Devils team was nicknamed Devil by Harden.
Xu Yong was happy when he heard the end. Back then, the "Bad Boy Legion" Pistons were called "all villains" by fans. Now, they are truly evil.
…
"Shock! Arizona State University wins the intra-city derby! 》
The next day, a report about the derby came out in Arizona Sports Weekly.
An NCAA regular season game is obviously not going to attract national attention, especially since neither team has ranked among the top 15 in the polls for the new season.
But the impact across Arizona is huge.
You must know that this is an NCAA Division I derby, and the side that has always been the underdog actually won. This is really an old virgin who finally lost his virginity, which is big news.
"Did you see the news this morning? The Devils actually beat the Wildcats!" Marion said happily to Stoudemire in the Suns locker room.
He is the oldest player on this Suns team and has been with the team since 1999. He is the most familiar and concerned about the team from the same city next door.
"Really?" Stoudemire was also surprised. He came three years later than Marion, but he also lived in Phoenix for four years and knew something about the Devils.
"A Chinese player named Xu Yong scored seven three-pointers, which is very interesting." Marion said with a smile.
"Chinese player?" Stoudemire was a little surprised. The past when he competed with Yao Ming for the Rookie of the Year is still fresh in his mind.
At this time, Nash, who was resting next to him, also turned his head and asked: "Guard?"
"A forward of 2.03 meters." Marion nodded and replied.
Nash's eyes lit up after hearing this.
A forward who can shoot three-pointers is a professional counterpart to the Suns.
"When do you have time to go and see the scene?" Nash continued.
They may not have time to go to other places, but it is still very convenient to watch a game in the same city.
"Okay." Marion nodded immediately.
Stoudemire on the side also nodded. The team is not playing well this season, so he should relax and go to the NCAA games.
…
While Nash and others were discussing when to go to watch the Devils game, basketball reports about Xu Yong were also rapidly fermenting in China.
That day happened to be Thursday, and in the latest "Basketball Pioneer", the poster in the newspaper was neither Yao Ming nor Yi Jianlian, but a scene of Xu Yong facing Bayless and hitting a three-pointer!
"Xu Yong scored 28 points in the NCAA opener, aiming to be the 2008 NBA lottery pick!" 》
And the eye-catching headline on the front page of the newspaper also makes people's eyes brighter.
This is not the first time Chinese players have competed in the NCAA. The earliest pioneer was Ma Jian, but that was more than ten years ago, and the dissemination of media information at that time was far less smooth than it is now.
Now, the news of yesterday's game has spread to the country, and the media people worked overtime overnight to produce it.
In this article written by Yang Yi, an exaggerated description makes people think.
"This is a small forward that has not been produced in Chinese basketball for 50 years. When he hit seven three-pointers against the top American university team, when he completed a dunk against a seven-foot black American center, he was It is announcing to the world that China also has world-class small forwards!"
"James Harden and the new rising guard stars in the United States are assisting Xu Yong. Xu Yong is now the absolute core of Arizona State University. This is the first time a Chinese player has done this. His future is immeasurable."
"According to well-known American media sources, in the latest draft prediction, Xu Yong has entered the lottery scope and is likely to be the top eight picks. Xu Yong will be the next NBA player after Yi Jianlian!"
…
