Chapter 132 Sweet Sixteen, Here We Come

The game between the University of Arizona and UConn was just a day away, but the game between North Carolina and Duke on another court had already started.

North Carolina was strong, and they should win easily against Duke, just like in the first round.

But after the real game started, the process was beyond everyone's expectations.

Duke was average in talent, but they played quite tenaciously. The score between the two teams had never been far apart. Even at the end of the first half, Duke led North Carolina by 43 to 42, a one-point lead.

The North Carolina fans at the scene were quite anxious, because this momentum had not reversed in the second half. Even ten minutes into the second half, they were already 51 to 58, trailing their opponents by as many as seven points.

North Carolina was obviously not in good shape.

Seeing that the biggest upset of the season was about to be born, Duke's defense was too aggressive, leading to physical problems in the last ten minutes. After the defense collapsed, the momentum was gradually pulled back by North Carolina.

In the end, North Carolina still won the game with a score of 71 to 65, advancing to the Sweet Sixteen with a narrow escape.

The UConn players watched the live broadcast of the entire game.

"I told you, North Carolina is not as strong as you think." Tang Tian smiled and said to Walker after watching.

This North Carolina team, seemingly possessing a group of NBA-talented players such as Harrison Barnes, Kendall Marshall, John Henson, Tyler Zeller, and Reggie Bullock, were actually mostly freshmen, including core player Barnes. They lacked experience and their performance fluctuated greatly.

In terms of the lower limit of performance, it might not even be as good as the fully integrated UConn.

"Yes, we have a great chance." Walker's confidence also increased after watching the game.

Not only Walker, but other UConn players were also eager to play against North Carolina.

Of course, the premise was that they had to defeat the University of Arizona first.

On the day of the game, Calhoun only arranged routine training in the morning, and let the players rest in the afternoon.

It was foreseeable that the evening would be a tough battle, and it was quite necessary to maintain sufficient physical strength and energy before the game.

Tang Tian went and bought a game console and the 2k10 game disc, and directly started playing 2k with Walker in the room.

"Kemba, your Parker isn't very good, is it?"

Tang Tian had already used his classic Yao-McGrady Rockets to beat Walker's classic Spurs for many games. It was obvious that there was a big gap between the two in terms of skill, but Walker seemed to like using Parker.

"Wooh! Watch my little spinning top under the basket." Walker didn't care at all. After pressing the game controller randomly, he really managed to get Parker to score a spinning layup.

"Yeah! Yeah!" After succeeding, Walker threw the game controller on the bed and danced excitedly.

Tang Tian shook his head with a wry smile. He was about to win by 30 points without even trying.

"Is Parker your idol?" Tang Tian turned his head and asked.

"Of course! Don't you like Parker? His breakthroughs are so cool, and he has a first-class floater. He really is the most perfect player among point guards." Walker didn't hide his love for Parker at all.

Tang Tian nodded with a smile. Walker's current style of play was indeed a bit like Parker's. Both were very good at finishing after a breakthrough.

"Tang, who is your idol?" After the excitement passed, Walker sat down again and asked.

"Me?" Tang Tian was suddenly stumped by Walker's question.

Unlike Walker, he was a godfather in his previous life, and there was no such thing as a player idol.

"You're not going to tell me you don't have an idol, are you?" Walker couldn't help but say in surprise when he saw that Tang Tian hadn't spoken for a long time.

"I guess so." Tang Tian nodded.

"Okay, but I think you're a lot like Dennis Rodman." Walker said.

"Uh, who?" Tang Tian thought he had heard wrong.

If Walker said he was like Tony Allen, he could accept it, even Bruce Bowen would do, or Battier or something, but Rodman? That didn't seem to fit at all, did it?

"You and him are both very smart when you play, and you can infect your teammates through defense and hard work. You are that kind of player." Walker continued.

Tang Tian couldn't help but be stunned after Walker finished speaking.

Speaking of which, he had been at UConn for so long, and he really hadn't realized his own changes. As the game progressed, the passion in his bones was gradually being stimulated, and he was slowly transforming from a basketball godfather into a true basketball player.

"Then it should also be Ron Artest, right? How could it be Rodman? I can score more points than him." Tang Tian said with a smile.

"Looks like it, haha, but it's all about the same, that's the idea." Walker said with a laugh.

Tang Tian also laughed along with him. Speaking of which, he was a little curious. When it came time for the draft, he wondered which player's name would be written in the template column.

The two switched to a super weak team. Tang Tian used the Warriors team led by Ellis, Maggette, and rookie Curry, but still easily beat Walker's Spurs.

Walker was still having a great time playing Parker.

When they finished playing, the two were also tired and lay on the bed to rest.

Before long, Tang Tian's phone rang. It was Olsen calling, saying that she had arrived downstairs.

"Do you want me to book a new room?" Walker said with a smile.

"Don't talk nonsense, she's just here to get a ticket." Tang Tian waved his hand.

"Just that? Haha, but that's fine too. This hotel is too average. You have to find a better one." Walker continued.

Tang Tian rolled his eyes at him.

"It doesn't matter if you don't come back in the afternoon. I'll help you deal with the old man. Just take it easy, you still have a game tonight..."

Tang Tian heard Walker's shout before closing the door. He was speechless. He would definitely have to find a chance to break his cherry in the future.

Olsen came by car, not the Maserati from last time, but a red Lamborghini Gallardo.

This was completely reasonable, as it was far from New Haven.

Tang Tian opened the passenger door.

Olsen's curly hair had been straightened again, and she was wearing a white suit, looking particularly casual.

Tang Tian handed her the ticket.

"Thank you." Olsen took the ticket with a smile.

"I haven't thanked you yet. It's so far from New Haven, and you made a special trip to watch my game." Tang Tian said.

Just coming to watch his game was a form of support, and it was already very rare for friends to do that.

"Want to have lunch together?" Olsen extended an invitation.

Tang Tian shook his head and pointed in the direction of the hotel: "I'm sharing a room with my teammates, and I have a game tonight, so I can't eat too much."

Seeing Tang Tian reject her, Olsen looked a little disappointed.

"Oh right, I brought you something to eat." Olsen suddenly unbuckled her seat belt and picked up something from the back seat.

Tang Tian looked puzzled. He didn't expect Olsen to bring him food.