The next night, the game between the Arizona State University Devils and the University of Memphis Tigers officially started at Rilant Stadium.
Rilant Stadium is a football stadium that can accommodate more than 70,000 people to watch the game.
During the NCAA tournament, it is very common for this kind of football stadium to be temporarily converted into a basketball court. More than 50,000 seats were released for this game.
More than 50,000 people watched the game. The moment he stepped into the stadium, Xu Yong felt what it means to have thin oxygen.
This is much more suffocating than Denver's so-called "plateau home court" before.
Looking from afar at nearly half of the fans holding Devils signs and flags high, they discovered for the first time that there were so many fans supporting them.
This is not Phoenix, but Houston thousands of miles away!
"From now on, every game is the last for us, give your best, guys!" Xu Yong said to his teammates before taking the field.
Even if they are only 40 to 50 percent sure, they still have to put in a lot of fighting spirit!
The game will start soon.
The lineups of both sides, Devils: Glaser, Harden, Cooksix, Xu Yong, Ayers;
Tigers: No. 23 Derrick Rose at 1.90 meters, No. 5 Antonio Anderson at 1.98 meters, No. 14 Chris Douglas Roberts at 2.01 meters, No. 2 Robert Dozier at 2.06 meters, 2 No. 3 Joey Dorsey of Mi 03.
Ayers jumped to get the ball for the Devils. Harden and Xu Yong played a pick-and-roll. Xu Yong received Harden's pass and soared directly into the air towards Anderson.
"Bang!"
He hit the ball directly into the basket through Anderson!
This flat muffled thunder ignited the emotions of the audience right from the beginning.
Although the Devils are the "underdog" tonight, what they have been pursuing this season is counterattack!
The Tigers responded quickly. Rose passed Glasser like he was crossing the road in the early morning, and then ripped open the Devils' second line of defense like a scalpel, and finally jumped in the air towards Ayers. Ballet, send the ball steadily into the basket with your right hand.
The members of the Devils were stunned.
Speed, explosive power, core strength, staying in the air, and finishing ability, Rose showed all the top abilities in one round, which is far more shocking than the video gives people the feeling!
Xu Yong was also shocked.
Before the rebirth, when the Fengcheng rose withered in the long river of time, too many new fans took excel sheets and said that Rose was the most popular MVP in NBA history, that Rose had snatched away the MVP that should belong to James, and that Rose was placed under The future league is just an ordinary star.
However, it's just like some people in later generations think Jordan is not the GOAT. You can't say such crazy things when watching football.
Moreover, this is Rose during the NCAA period.
Harden missed a three-pointer in the frontcourt, and Dorsey protected the defensive rebound.
Looking back, Rose is still attacking with the ball from the outside.
During the regular season, as a third-year player, Roberts was the core of the Tigers' offense, and more tactics revolved around him.
But since entering the league playoffs, especially after the championship, Rose has become the Tigers' first core.
These will not be reflected in conventional statistics, but they will be truly displayed in front of the opponent.
This time Glasser took a big step back to give Rose room to shoot, and Dorsey stepped up to provide Rose with a pick-and-roll.
The Devils chose to directly flank Rose, which was Sandek's pre-game tactical arrangement. Rose's three-pointers were unstable, and Dorsey's offensive ability was very weak.
But at the moment when the pincer attack was formed, Ross was like a rocket that was ejected, and he slipped through the gap between the people in a "whoosh"!
There was really only a small gap, and it was closed in the next second, but Rose was able to seize that moment of opportunity and push through!
Xu Yong quickly helped defend after seeing it.
But Rose broke through without slowing down and directly changed direction and forcibly passed the defense!
Burning knees.
Xu Yong turned around and chased to block the shot.
After Rose felt it, he made a big pull in the air and switched to the left side to score!
The audience at the scene was already excited, this is simply invincible!
Sandek looked serious on the sidelines.
Although he has made many responses, those responses are as vulnerable to Rose's personal abilities as the dam built by the Indians.
Facts have proved that the only way to stop Rose is to mobilize the entire team's defense.
Harden also chose to attack the Tigers' interior, but Dorsey's tough defense successfully interfered with him.
Because of his appearance, Dorsey was nicknamed Howard's West after joining the Rockets in history.
However, there is a big gap in strength between the two. The most fundamental reason is that there is a big difference in height between the two. Dorsey's height of 2.03 meters is the water content of wearing shoes. His actual bare feet may only be about 2 meters, which also leads to his survival in the NBA. The space is limited. After all, there are only a few inside players with this height such as Ben Wallace and Barkley.
But that does not hinder his intimidation in the NCAA. With bodybuilder-level muscles and bull-like strength, he is the Tigers' sword, and one man can block it.
In the transition between offense and defense, under Sandek's shout, the Devils deployed a 2-3 zone defense.
This is to protect the team's penalty area and prevent Rose from breaking through to the basket as easily as before.
Rose's choice when facing a zone defense is to break through directly.
The 2-3 zone defense originally had two people on the outside, but this time the two people on the outside were activated and passed by him.
One step inside the free throw line, Rose rose into the air, and the three people inside quickly helped defend.
The reason why the 2-3 zone defense can protect the penalty area well is that it is like a pocket formation. No matter how powerful the breakthrough is, anyone who comes in will be trapped.
Rose didn't have a good shot, but the next second, he stopped the ball in the air to find someone, then twisted his body into a twist, and passed the ball to Dozier, who was cutting from the baseline. The latter caught the ball and took a step forward with both hands. Dunk!
Rose is actually a player who is very willing to share the ball.
This does not mean how good his organizational talent is, but that when he tears apart the opponent's defense and attracts the defense, he is willing to pass the ball to his teammates.
This is the reason why the University of Memphis obviously has Roberts and Rose, but there are 8 people on the team averaging more than 5 points per game. Of course, it is also the reason why they can always investigate the leaderboard.
Other teams may be led by stars, like Kansas State led by Michael Beasley, or they may be teamwork, like the University of Michigan that Arizona State University has played against before, but the University of Memphis is an established team. Stars lead the team, and then it’s team play!
The most critical reason here is Rose. His ball holding rate is very high, but he is not the kind who holds the ball for 20 seconds and dumps the blame on his teammates in the last few seconds. Instead, he really uses his personal ability to create opportunities for his teammates.
Of course, the most important thing is that Rose has this ability. When you use four people or even the entire team to deal with him alone, you simply cannot take care of his teammates.
Xu Yong knew at this moment why Rose was able to counterattack Beasley and become the No. 1 pick.
Because scouts don't just look at excel, they also look at football.
