At 9 o'clock in the morning, Li Ao and the team came to the San Jose Arena again for preparation training.
By noon, the Pac10 League announced something that made the Trojans players very happy and excited.
As usual, the PAC10 League Headquarters University announces the candidates for each award in the division on the last competition day of the division stage.
The headquarters university is rotated by the four founding schools of the pac10 alliance, namely the University of California, Berkeley, the University of Washington, the University of Oregon, and Oregon State University. This year, the headquarters university is the University of Berkeley.
The list of candidates for individual awards has been announced, and the Trojans have multiple nominees!
The most valuable player is also the MVP candidate. White Mamba and Granville were selected. Granville was also selected as the Most Improved Player candidate list. Both of them also became best team candidates.
But the one with the most candidates on the list is Li Ao!
His name is on the four candidate lists for Best Rookie, Best Sixth Man, Best Defensive Player, and Best Defensive Team.
Also on the list of candidates for Defensive Player of the Year is Shelby Jordan.
Brusenthal also made the list of Sixth Man of the Year candidates.
Henry Bibby has become the number one favorite for the best coach.
In this regard, Li Ao gave an evaluation-winner takes all.
Everyone in the Trojans is very excited. As a team that plays as a team, the outside world also says that they are a model and dark horse of team basketball. They feel that the team's victory and honor belong to everyone.
It’s an honor for a teammate to win an award!
The last time someone from the Trojans won the Rookie of the Year award was in 1965. Former Lakers player Bill Hewitt won the Pac10 Rookie of the Year award in the 1964-65 season.
MVP dates back to the late 1940s. Celtics legend Bill Sharman won the Pac10 League MVP for two consecutive years in 1949 and 1950.
Although only the shortlist has been announced now, everyone feels that they can get at least three or five trophies.
Compared with the NBA, college basketball pays more attention to performance. Generally speaking, the team that ranks first in the division will always win many awards.
Li Ao estimates that he may not be able to make the first three, but he can still look forward to the best defensive lineup.
And unlike the NBA, even if the NCAA is just a 'finalist', it can be written on the resume.
After lunch, Li Ao returned to the hotel for a lunch break and browsed the Internet on the laptop brought by Liam. He was quite satisfied.
With this wave of award shortlists, his personal reputation has increased a lot.
Thanks to the Huskies cheerleader, in order to get rid of the pursuit of Huskies star Dion Luton, this hot cheerleader said that she and her team members played multi-player sports with Li Ao, which made people pay attention to his My first impression is that he is a playboy.
Plus I often send small cards to Liam...
The Trojans are on fire, this team is on fire.
At this time, many people discovered that this guy seemed to be really good at basketball!
Li Ao was shortlisted for four awards, which made many people break their guard.
One of Li Ao's favorite posts - Why does he get all the good things?
…
The area around the San Jose Arena was already buzzing with activity in the afternoon.
Countless Trojans supporters and Cardinals supporters gathered in the small plaza in front of the San Jose Arena.
The Cardinals, sitting at home, suffered a loss in this matter.
Although there are many Cardinals fans in San Jose, they are in the next city after all, and the fan base is not that wide.
Countless ardent Trojans fans came from Los Angeles. It was obviously an away game, and there were more Trojans fans outside the stadium than the Cardinals!
Those who didn’t know better thought this was Memorial Stadium.
At 6:30 in the evening, after the pre-match preparations were completed, Li Ao entered the stadium with his teammates.
There is a reason why Stanford University chose this place as the venue for two popular events, basketball and ice hockey.
With more than 18,000 seats and an NBA-level stadium, it is obviously more profitable to choose here than to choose those small venues in Palo Alto. San Jose is a metropolitan city that is consistently ranked among the top 20 or even top 10 in the United States. No, Talking about the number of seats, the ticket prices for the teams in both cities are different.
After entering the stadium, Li Ao understood why Crazy San's income was higher than the NBA playoffs and even the NFL playoffs.
During away games, he actually saw swarms of fans wearing their Trojans jerseys or T-shirts!
The spending power of college fans is so strong!
He heard that the price of tickets for this game has risen sharply. If they Trojans fans come to stir things up, the ticket prices are bound to be even higher.
No wonder the NCAA officials went out to hype this game, and everything was green and beautiful.
When they entered the stadium, the cheers erupted from the away fans were no less than the boos from the home team fans who were more than twice their number!
Withdrawing his attention, Li Ao looked at the opponent's player evaluation report.
Of the seven players who average more than seven points per game, five of them average more than two assists per game, seven of them average more than one assist per game, but only two of them average more than three assists per game.
The Cardinals currently have a record of 13 wins and 4 losses. Although they have lost to the Wildcats, Sun Devils, and Bruins, they have also defeated these three teams once and tied.
Stable and powerful!
Li Ao took a deep breath, it was another tough battle!
Fortunately, he has these teammates...
Seeing his teammates howling with excitement because of the thousands of fans present, he also felt confident and walked onto the court to shoot hot shots.
At 7 p.m., the Trojans' away game against the Cardinals begins!
The Trojans' starting lineup is still the same, and the Cardinals' starting lineup is also still stable, with David Morris, Jacobson, Mendes, Mark Madsen, and Jalen Collins.
After the game started, the Cardinals launched a wave of iron-blooded defensive play as always, trying to put the Trojans out of shape from the beginning.
Take a beating and remember it, the Cardinals were targeting the White Mamba tonight.
Montgomery is not just trying to cure a headache, but making such a decision based on his team's strong comprehensive team defensive capabilities, that is, he has confidence in his team.
Their playing style has destined that their players' personal performance will not be very good, and few players have outstanding personal abilities. At this time, top-to-bottom confidence in their team's playing style is extremely important to them.
The Cardinals defend the White Mamba and adjust their defense to a 3-2 zone defense, which can also be said to be a 1-2-2 zone defense. There is one person in the top arc, one person on each side of the free throw line, and two people in the low area to defend the two wings. Cover the bottom corner.
Relying on a 3-2 zone defense, the Cardinals did a very good job defending the White Mamba in the early stages.
However, the Trojans are not a single-core team, they are also a team offensive team.
Granville seized the opportunity, using the White Mamba's off-ball cover on the wing to attract the defense on the free throw line, and made a crazy attack from the center.
Both are strong teams in zone defense, but the Cardinals and the Dukes are completely different. The Dukes have mostly small players and are good at defending mid-range and long-range shots, while the Cardinals' starting lineup even has 193 centimeters at the point guard, and they defend a 3-2 zone. It is equivalent to giving the middle to Granville.
Granville started with 6 points and 2 assists, and the Trojans beat the Cardinals 10-5!
Granville's two assists were given to Trey Pagannier. One was Trey Pagannier's follow-up catch and throw in the middle, and the other was his hit mid-range shot from the free throw line.
However, after such a disadvantageous start, the Cardinals did not mess up their formation, showing the strong psychological quality of a top team-playing team.
They insist on blocking the perimeter, replacing Jalen Collins with Jason Collins, guarding the basket and not leaving the three-second zone.
Relying on Mark Madsen's excellent mobility, Mark Madsen is solely responsible for the defense work on both sides of the line.
Although the performance of flank defense and assisting defense has been affected as a result, the protection of the center has been greatly improved.
There are gains and losses to this choice, but the gains outweigh the losses. After the Cardinals adjusted their lineup, they formed a wonderful balance on the defensive end. While continuing to maintain the Mamba strangulation defense, they also restricted the Trojans' two-gun backcourt. .
Although this also gave Shelby Jordan and Charles the opportunity to cut from the wing, it overall successfully limited the Trojans' offensive efficiency.
The defensive efficiency has improved, and another effect of the 3-2 zone defense has begun to appear - the increase in defensive counterattacks!
3-2 zone defense, with the three outsiders standing outside, is extremely beneficial for counterattacks!
Montgomery's excellent on-the-spot command, the Cardinals took advantage of the situation.
If they continue to play like this, the Cardinals will surely succeed in making the White Mamba feel cold, and they can gradually adjust the 3-2 zone defense to a 2-3 zone defense to protect the basket.
Seeing that the situation was not going well, Henry Bibby replaced Li Ao and Brusenthal in advance, plus Granville, Trey Paganier, and White Mamba, and the strongest offensive lineup was launched!
He wanted to use Li Ao's mid-range shot and Brusenthal's inside attack to liberate White Mamba.
However, there is always a gap between ideals and reality. After Li Ao came on the field, he tried to use the "perfect warm-up" to open up the situation with the first pitcher's hot feeling. As a result, he missed the baseline shot against Mark Madsen's defense, followed by another long two. Points, a hook shot from the left side of the three-second area with his back turned to the backboard.
The Cardinals seized the opportunity and went on a 4-0 run to overtake the Trojans 19-18!
Fortunately, the Trojans are not a vegetarian. The Cardinals have absolute confidence in their strength. The Trojans have won so many games in a row. The players also have strong confidence in themselves and their teammates. .
It was time for the Trojans to attack again, and the Cardinals began to release Li Ao, who hit three irons in a row, to suppress the double guns of Granville and Trey Paganier.
Li Ao's fourth consecutive catch-and-shoot shot... still missed. The shot was a little too weak. His shot from the left side of the free throw line hit the rim to the right of the neck of the basket.
but!
Brusenthal made a tip-in!
20 to 19, the Trojans immediately took the lead!
The Cardinals attacked and fell into a positional battle. White Mamba, who had never had a chance to perform offensively, made a contribution this time. Mendez's cut-in throw was slapped down by White Mamba.
David Mosley, Jacobson, and Mark Madsen retreated quickly. After receiving the ball, Granville did not rush to counterattack. The opponent's 3-2 zone defense retreat pattern was unable to beat.
Once again falling into a positional battle, the opportunity still lies with Li Ao.
The Trojans' main focus is trust. Trey Paganier, who was stuck in zone defense, passed the ball to Li Ao without hesitation.
Li Ao took action for the fifth time in a row...
This time, I got in!
The angle he shot last time was already accurate, but the force was just a little stronger.
22 to 19, the Trojans lead by 3 points!
The Cardinals played really resolutely. When they were preparing for the game, they determined that Li Ao was the point they wanted to focus on.
Granville is strong in breakthrough points, Trey Pagnier has comprehensive offensive skills and can play horizontally, White Mamba's shooting ability is second only to Eddie House in the Pac10 League, and Brusenthal's inside attack ability this season He has already made a name for himself.
Only Li Ao is the weakest.
They must stick to this kind of defense. If Li Ao really supports the attack and White Mamba misses, they will have no chance to fight.
Previous losses to the Trojans, Bruins, Sun Devils, and Wildcats were all due to the opponent's top pitchers missing shots. Kapono made them suffer their first defeat, followed by the White Mamba and Eddie Howe. S, Arenas and Gardner.
The opponent insisted on such a defense, and the teammates also chose to continue to believe in their talented little handsome guy.
In the rest of the first half, Li Ao scored 3 goals in 5 shots!
He made 2 of 4 field goals and 1 of 1 counter layup. After the Cardinals had committed 7 fouls, he was hit by the opponent when trying to grab an offensive rebound. He decisively chose to jump on the street to score 1+1 and made both free throws. Get 8 points in the next 8 minutes!
Persistence has its limits. Li Ao scored consecutive goals in the open space. The Cardinals' defense, which originally planned to sink down the line, was forced to return to the high position. In the last few minutes of the first half, Sam Clancy replaced Trepagle. After Neil came on the court, he continuously cut inside to attack.
Facing the charging Sam Clancy, Jason Collins was also unable to stand up. At the last moment of the first half, Montgomery chose to replace Jalen Collins to strengthen the offense. .
While the offensive end was open, Li Ao also did a good job defensively.
After he came on the field, he did a good job in defending Jacobson. When he was overtaken by the score, it was mainly because the opponent counterattacked well. In the positional battle, Li Ao's defense was always online, which greatly restricted Jacobson. He also does a good job of shrinking the wings and switching defenses. After many games, he has grown from a functional defensive player in single defense and marking to a wing defender trusted by his teammates.
With the defense unfavorable, the Cardinals could only start from the offensive end. If Jacobson had a bad opportunity, he could only let Mendes and Jalen Collins, who was back on the court, go to the basket to seize the situation.
With 11 seconds left in the first half, the Trojans led 42-38 by 4 points. The Cardinals attacked, trying to narrow the point difference to 2 points or even 1 point, so that they would not have too many points at the beginning of the second half. Obvious disadvantages, both in terms of score and psychological level, can be regrouped and started again.
At this time, Sam Clancy made a meritorious service!
(End of chapter)
