So he chose to practice the hook a little more.
As the saying goes, if you don't sharpen your weapon in battle, it will be useless.
Even if I can't achieve any qualitative improvement through practice now, I can at least become more familiar with the feeling of shooting inside.
And his eyes are not just on the game on the 20th, but also on Indianapolis on April 4th...
In the afternoon, Li Ao conducted preparation training with the team.
Henry Bibby wanted to grab the coaches and players of the Dukes and Cardinals to say thank you one by one.
These two teams provided him with too much material for his preparations. Both teams are strong in zone defense and have their own characteristics. One is good at 3-2 zone defense and the other is good at 2-3 zone defense. From a tactical level, Generally speaking, the two teams have their next opponents covered.
This afternoon's preparations mainly focused on meetings and discussions, watching video clips and editing. In terms of training, only two sets of 20 minutes of targeted tactical movement training were conducted.
During the second group training, Li Ao found Kevin Henderson, who was leading the team, and asked the other party to help him arrange some attack and movement training to find a sense of cooperation with his teammates.
For this request, Kevin Henderson chose to ask the head coach first.
After Henry Bibby heard whose request it was, he first said, "Do you think it is right for the players to interfere with the coaching staff's arrangements?", and then agreed.
The rebuttal was due to attitude, and the reason for agreeing was because the suggestion was reliable and worthy of being played occasionally, and it might be possible to score at some point.
That night, after Li Ao returned to his apartment for physical therapy, he went online to check the complete progress of the first round.
At 8:55, after the University of Kansas Predators narrowly defeated the DePaul University Chicago Blue Devils 82-77 in overtime, the first round of this year's Crazy Three was over.
Li Ao saw that all four teams in their pac10 league, except the Sun Devils, advanced to the top 32!
It is true that he underestimated these opponents in the same league, and maybe he underestimated himself.
The Cardinals defeated the New Britain Blue Demons of the University of Central Connecticut State in the Northeastern Conference with a score of 74 to 45.
Li Ao saw the media commenting that the dominance shown by the Cardinals in this game was at the level of a seeded team.
He wasn't surprised. The Cardinals crushed their opponents in every three games.
It's the name Blue Devils. Why are there so many teams called Blue Devils, more than the Broncos...
The Wildcats played the Northern Arizona State University Lumberjacks, another university in Arizona, and the score difference was also huge, 74 to 58. There was no suspense.
The Bruins were awesome, defeating the Kentucky Wildcats with Keith Bogans, Tayshaun Prince, and Jamal Magloire 52-50.
The Kentucky Wildcats were the 1998 national champions. They also reached the Elite Eight last season, but lost to the Spartans by 7 points in overtime. This season they had three top players and were sure to win the championship... but the Bruins The team's sixth man, Jerome Moiso, scored 27 points, more than half of the team's points, and single-handedly helped the Bruins win the game.
Looking at the comments about the Bruins' game after the game, Li Ao felt that there is a high probability that Moiso will participate in the draft early this year.
This game raised Moiso's draft stock from the end of the first round to the lottery.
An interesting situation has emerged. The Bruins have crossed the mountain of the Kentucky Wildcats and may reach the top 16, while the Cardinals' season may be over. Their next opponent is the Spartans!
Li Ao feels that March Madness is really magical and powerful, but it cannot be compared to the rankings.
…
…
"Sweet Top 16!"
"Sweet Top 16!"
"Sweet Top 16!"
On March 20, game day arrived when the Trojans competed with the Academy Badgers for a spot in the top 16.
Outside Memorial Stadium, fans of both teams chanted the same slogan.
Reaching the top 32, the Academy Badgers' reputation as a dark horse is getting better and better.
Many people even think that the Academy Badgers are the real dark horses. With 11 wins and 11 losses, they are only ranked 6th in the division. Now they have reached the top 32, which is really incredible.
After the Trojans passed the first round, their title has begun to transition from 'super civilian dark horse' to 'super civilian team'.
However, in tonight's game, according to the media's promotion, the Trojans are still the dark horses for the title.
Because the publicity point of tonight's game is - the meeting of two super dark horses!
Six months ago, no one would have connected these two teams to the Sweet 16, but now, one of the two teams will occupy a spot in the Sweet 16!
Driven by the media, the fans of the two teams, who were already in high spirits, became even more crazy.
When Li Ao arrived at the Memorial Stadium at 8:30 in the morning, there were no less than a thousand people outside shouting "Sweet Top 16!"
From morning to afternoon, it almost never stops.
After the lunch break, at 4 p.m., the Trojans players had all gathered.
After eating something to replenish their strength, everyone gathered in front of the glass curtain wall on the second floor above the gate.
Watching the crowd of fans blocking the street competing with the opposing fans to see who was louder... This scene made the Trojans players filled with emotion.
Trey Paganier lamented: "Like Shelby said, I never thought it would be today. Seeing them working so hard to cheer for us is really..."
Li Ao answered: "It's really hard on them. If they yell like this for a day, won't their voices become hoarse? If so many people want to treat their throats, will the Los Angeles Hospital have enough doctors?"
"..."
((-_-)-_-)-_-)
The teammates were collectively speechless.
When Trepagnier saw this scene, he thought of emotion and responsibility. What was he thinking?
But everyone was freed from that stressful mood.
Feelings of emotion and responsibility are not bad emotions.
But along with emotion comes pressure.
This is Li Ao's first college competition, so he will be very concerned about it, but he should be open-minded and have a good attitude.
The teammates are different. Their emotions can be interpreted as fear of loss.
The teammates were no longer interested in watching and sighing. They greeted each other and left collectively to prepare for the game.
Li Ao followed in confusion. It was not even five o'clock. Why were these people in such a hurry to go to the training ground?
Oh...Must be so eager to compete!
I can understand. I understand.
…
At 6:30 in the evening, players from the Trojans and Academy Badgers entered the court.
Outside the arena, there were far more College Badgers fans than there were Tigers fans on the 17th.
But there weren’t many Academy Badgers fans in sight.
This is the advantage of seeded teams! Home field advantage before the Sweet 16!
College Badgers fans, apart from the tickets they bought through 'blind buying' before the start of March 3 Madness, they couldn't buy them at all after the first round and they were sold out.
'Blind buying' refers to the pre-sale of tickets after the Mad Three schedule is announced, without knowing which two teams will score 32-16 on that day.
After the matchup was determined, in addition to adding more tickets, almost all the remaining tickets were sent to local universities and local communities by Memorial Stadium, the organizer.
Is this operation illegal... Didn't they leave hundreds of tickets for sale at the stadium? They just started selling them at 9pm on the 17th, and they were all bought up by Trojans fans who were outside the stadium at the time.
Enjoying the cheers of the fans at the scene, Li Ao looked at the players on the opposite side.
The offensive end is simply crappy!
Five starts, point guard Mike Kelly, 191cm, averaged 5 points, 2.3 rebounds, 3.9 assists and 1.3 steals per game;
Shooting guard Roy Boone, 191cm tall, averaged 6.1 points, 3.1 rebounds, 1.9 assists and 0.9 steals per game;
Small forward Dundun... no, it's Duan Duan, 196 centimeters tall, averaging 5.7 points, 7.4 rebounds, 0.9 steals and 1.1 blocks per game;
Power forward Andy Koski, 203cm tall, averaged 9.2 points, 6.6 rebounds, 1.1 steals and 1.4 blocks per game;
Center Mark Shawver, 206 centimeters tall, averaged 12 points, 6.3 rebounds, 3.3 assists, 1 steal and 1.6 blocks per game.
Just looking at the scores, one would never have imagined that this is a starting lineup composed of three players with a comprehensive evaluation of 78, one with a comprehensive evaluation of 82, and one with a comprehensive evaluation of 87.
But looking at the defensive data, Li Ao called me "屮艸芔茻".
Average manpower is 1 steal per game!
The Dukes are not even that outrageous!
Although the skill points of this group of people are not as crooked as his, they are already very crooked.
Eh? Li Ao found that he seemed to regard the Dukes as a unit of measurement. When he encountered teams that played good zone defense, he would compare them with the Dukes.
This should be a compliment, right?
The Dukes players would be happy to know that the 32-strong man thinks of them often.
The most eye-catching thing about the opposite team that caught Li Ao's attention was the last name of their sixth man...
The backup shooting guard named Jon Bryant stared at him when he came in. He was far less friendly than that afternoon on the 17th, and even gave him his seat at that time.
Legend has it that the American shooting guard named Bryant has an elusive personality, and that's true.
Li Ao took a look at Bryant's player evaluation.
188 cm, 91 kg, so strong!
With a comprehensive evaluation of 80, his data is only 8.4 points, 4.4 rebounds, 2.2 assists and 1.2 steals per game. His defensive performance is absolutely good.
Add in a sixth man, and the Academy Badgers have a zone defensive meat grinder lineup.
Li Ao has memorized the playing style characteristics of each opponent's player in the past two days, but there is a systematic evaluation report before the start of the game, and he will refer to it again.
After a while, the cheerleading performance was over, and Li Ao could still feel the gaze that seemed to want to become a kaleidoscope.
That guy named Bryant seems to be targeting him!
Li Ao curled his lips disdainfully, he didn't bother to take it seriously when he was just a substitute.
He walked onto the court and did not go to the hot shot. Instead, he walked directly to the opposite bench and gave Dean Teng, Liam and the old man a gentle hug on the sidelines.
Then he looked at the bench opposite, and the guy was still staring at him. Then he hugged the hospital assistant's aunt heavily, and the hug lasted longer than the first three people combined.
The hospital assistant's auntie jumped up and down with excitement after the hug.
Li Ao turned his head and raised his chin towards the substitute who was gritting his teeth. Without waiting for the opponent to respond, he turned around and practiced shooting.
Jon Bryant is heartbroken!
He once heard a saying - love at first sight.
He used to disdain this sentence. Love at first sight, isn't it just lusting after someone else's body?
But after seeing the beautiful woman opposite him last time, he seemed to understand what love at first sight meant.
I like it very much, but I don't dare to blaspheme, I don't even dare to step forward and speak actively, I only dare to silently give up my seat.
As for the scene he saw later, he chose to forget it.
Originally, he thought he would never see the beautiful woman again, so he regarded that glimpse as a beautiful memory.
Unexpectedly, I saw that beauty again today, right in the first row opposite!
He still didn't dare to go over and strike up a conversation, but the bastard who grabbed the spot that day actually ran over and desecrated his memory!
Looking at the guy shooting in the opposite half, Bryant wanted to grit his teeth. He wanted to let this guy know who was the best substitute...Eh?
Bryant heard the sudden cheers from the scene, looked up at the big screen, and was stunned...
Their team's starting lineup has not changed, with Mike Kelly, Roy Boone, Dundun, Andy Koski, and Mark Shawver.
But the opponent's starter was different from what they expected when preparing for the game!
The opposing team's starting lineup has continued for 28 games, but it changed tonight!
Glanville, Trey Pagnier, Scalabrine, Charles...and that guy on the other side who's running and catching and shooting!
…
At 6:58, Li Ao came to the court with his teammates.
Yesterday, before preparing for training, Henry Bibby said that there were changes in the starting lineup. He replaced Shelby Jordan as the starting small forward.
He was actually quite calm at the time, thinking that it would be a matter of time. Even if he is not a starter this season, he will be after 'Little Laimbeer' graduates.
And he has already played more minutes than Shelby Jordan, so it doesn't matter whether he starts or not.
If he made rash lineup adjustments, he was worried about affecting teamwork.
But since he has been assigned to start, he will naturally not refuse.
But when it came time to step onto the court as a starter, emotions surged inexplicably.
At this time, a task reminder came to divert his attention.
"The host is about to compete with the strongest defensive team of the year. The Academy Badgers are trying to strangle all opponents. Charge forward, face the difficulties, and defeat the opponent... Mission: I am the vanguard trigger."
Best defensive team of the year?
This title carries so much weight!
But indeed, whether he was watching the game live that day, or looking at scouting reports or systematic player evaluations, the opponent's defense was astonishingly impressive.
"I am the pioneer:
Goal 1: Score in double figures.
Reward: 1000 achievement points. After exceeding 10 points, 100 achievement points will be awarded for every 1 point.
Goal 2: The total score of opposing players is less than 10 points.
Reward: 1000 achievement points, for every 1 point lower than 10 points, 300 achievement points will be awarded.
Completing all goals will reward you with a random defensive skill. "
Goal 2 looks outrageous. He estimates that he will play for 25 to 30 minutes. During this period, he cannot lose more than 10 points. This is too exaggerated.
But after watching the opponent's game with his own eyes, he felt that this goal was easier.
It will be more difficult to score more than 10 points on this opponent!
The Bulldogs have such a good offense, averaging 90+ points per game this season. On the 17th, the team only scored 49 points combined...
At 7pm, the referee blew the whistle to start the game and threw the ball into the air.
Charles won the jump ball over Mark Schauffer and the Trojans scored first!
Granville held the ball and broke through Mike Kelly. The latter was more than 10 centimeters taller and could not keep up. However, Duan on the wing shrank and defended in place. Mike Kelly was passed by and switched to defense early. Li Aogang was released by Duan. Mike Kelly has already cut off the passing line between Granville and Li Ao!
The announcers let out a series of OMGs, exclaiming over the Academy Badgers' amazing team defense.
However, when Du En released Li Ao, Li Ao did not run to the receiving point. He turned directly to help White Mamba block Andy Koski.
Granville's prejudgment goal! 45 degree angle on the right!
Mike Kelly reacted quickly, switching defenses and then switching defenses. As soon as White Mamba received the ball, he was stuck by Mike Kelly.
The white Mamba who was stuck still raised the ball and took off during the confrontation...jumping and passing the ball!
Li Ao came to the bottom line after breaking up, and faced Mark Shawver who was diving from the basket, and took a long two-point shot...
The mid-range shot that was temporarily increased to 85 + feels hot. Li Ao's picturesque mid-range shot is silky and smooth, and he hits a long two-pointer!
Henry Bibby on the sidelines raised his chin.
His starting adjustment worked!
(End of chapter)
