Just as Xu Yong was making final preparations for the new season with the Devils, the first NCAA poll of the new season had been released.
NCAA team lineups change greatly every year. For example, last year's champion University of Kansas announced their participation in almost the entire starting lineup after winning the championship. This meant that the talent that had been accumulated for several years was wiped out. Although the Morris brothers and others also joined, But the strength has declined significantly compared with last year.
Similarly, with the departure of Rose, the University of Memphis has recruited top 3 high school students like Tyreke Evans, but its strength is not as good as last year.
In this issue of the list, the University of North Carolina ranks first.
They had completed the accumulation of talent last season, but lost to the University of Memphis in the semifinals. This season they have added two five-stars in Ed Davis (9th) and Tyler Zeller (18th). high school student, and a potential five-star high school student with Larry Drew (No. 44).
As Jordan's alma mater, this is also unmatched.
Ranked second is Duke University, which has 12 four-star high school students, including 7 five-stars, even more than North Carolina.
Ranked third is UCLA. Although Love and Westbrook left, Darren Collison chose to stay. At the same time, they also recruited the 2008 class, including No. 2 Jrue Holiday. There are 3 five-stars and 2 quasi-five-stars. In addition to their lack of experience, their talents are still very strong.
Ranked fourth is the University of Connecticut. They recruited the 18th-ranked five-star high school student Kemba Walker. Although there are only 6 four-star high school students, because there are insiders like Hasheem Thabeet in the team, They are favored for the new season.
Also favored is Arizona State University, which is ranked 9th on this list!
Last year they were nowhere on the list, but this year they are already in the top ten!
Such changes gave the Devils players a shot in the arm, and also gave Sandek greater confidence and voice.
When it comes to arranging opponents for the invitational tournament, his thinking cannot be said to be different from last year, it can only be said to be completely different.
This time, their opponents are basically on the survey list.
And it is worth mentioning that their opponent in the opening game is the University of Memphis, which is ranked 12th and eliminated them in the championship last season.
Sandeck's arrangement is obviously very meaningful. In addition to the close rankings of the two sides, it is also more about letting the players overcome their psychological barriers.
Of course, this arrangement also puts pressure on the players. After all, if the Devils lose, the blow will be double.
However, as the saying goes, wealth can be found in danger. After a whole summer of training, Sandek is obviously very confident in his players.
Equally confident are Devils fans.
The opening game of the invitational tournament was played at home. One hour before the game started, there were already crowds of people outside the arena.
If last season they still relied on derby games to gain popularity, in the new season they have completely suppressed the University of Arizona.
By the way, because Bayless chose to enter the NBA, it is the University of Arizona's turn to be missing from the list this year.
In the locker room before the game, the Devils players were already eager to try.
As the captain, Xu Yong delivered a mobilization speech before the game.
"The Wells Fargo Arena floor will remember all the sweat we put in this past summer, so let's get on it and start the new season, Devils!"
"come on!"
After the players raised their hands and shouted in unison, they trotted out of the locker room together.
When they exited the tunnel, they were greeted by overwhelming cheers.
Xu Yong looked up and saw the fans excitedly waving the KT board in their hands with enthusiasm.
And in the center of the audience, he also spotted some scouts in suits and ties.
This time is not the other time, because he and Harden will have first-round prospects last season, plus Tyreke Evans from the University of Memphis, this game is enough to attract their attention even if it is only an invitational game. .
Or to put it another way, starting from today, every game they play will have an impact on their ranking!
The scene entered the opening ceremony. The University of Memphis Tigers took the lead as the visiting team, and the starting lineup was also announced: No. 1 Willie Kemp, who is 1.88 meters tall, No. 20 Doniel Mack, who is 1.96 meters tall, Antonio Anderson, Robert ·Dozier and No. 0 Sean Taggart at 2.08 meters.
Roberts and Dorsey joined Rose in the draft, leaving only Anderson and Dozier in the starting lineup.
And after the opening ceremony, the live cameras kept focusing on Evans on the bench.
As the third-ranked high school student in the class of 2008, Evans' performance in his high school career can be described as "horrible".
In his senior year, he averaged 32.1 points, 8.8 rebounds, 5.7 assists and 4.3 steals per game, including two 50+ points. He also scored 21 points, 10 rebounds and 4 assists in the McDonald's National High School All-Star Game and was elected MVP; in the Jordan Classic In the game, he scored 23 points, 7 rebounds, 4 assists and 3 steals, sharing the MVP with Brandon Jennings, the first high school student in the class of 2008; the first team of the All-American high school students in the class of 2008, and the best high school player of the year in Pennsylvania...
If it weren't for Stern's 19-year-old rule, Evans would have entered last year and was basically a lock for the lottery.
Then, the University of Memphis didn't even arrange for him to start!
I don’t know if the head coach is being cautious or if Evans has any physical issues.
The Arizona State Devils came on the scene as the home team, and when they came on the field there was a roar of cheers.
Fans are looking forward to the team's starting lineup and even their style of play in the new season.
After the opening ceremony, the Devils' starting lineup was announced: Harden, DeRozan, Cooksix, Xu Yong, and Ayers.
Sandeck did not let DeRozan come off the bench like Memphis did, but moved Harden to the No. 1 position.
Moreover, the average height of this lineup reaches 2 meters, and it is really average. There is no one in the team who is less than 1.95 meters tall!
Let's not talk about how they played. As soon as these five people stood on the court, there was an immediate sense of oppression.
Of course, this arrangement also made those scouts confused and curious.
Harden is said to be a combo guard, but he plays most of the time as a shooting guard, and his assist-to-turnover ratio last season was very high. It is questionable whether he is qualified as a point guard.
And his defense is very poor. If you include DeRozan, who is also criticized for his defense, this outside line will directly miss him.
In their mood, Ayers was the first to give them a surprise. He jumped high and moved the ball back to the Devils half.
This "veteran" who is the oldest but least talented in the Devils team seems to be "reborn" at this rate?
Of course, that's impossible. It's more that the hard training in the summer has kept Ayers in a very high level.
Harden advanced with the ball, and the Devils' first show of the new season began.
