28th, about the same as LaVoy Allen's ranking. This was actually Fox giving him some face, considering there were 68 teams in the tournament, meaning they thought Tang Tian was among the top 30 power forwards in those teams.

"Jeremy's in even worse shape than we are." Walker laughed along.

Lamb's performance had been steadily improving this season, but Fox Sports didn't seem to buy it, ranking him close to 40th among shooting guards.

The two of them burst into laughter.

But after laughing for a while, they stopped simultaneously.

This ranking showed that UConn wasn't favored by them!

They didn't speak, but both felt a sense of motivation in each other's eyes.

Many people would complain and grumble when they saw rankings like these, especially when their own ranking was low. But they were different. UConn wasn't favored at the start of the season, so it was normal for them to continue to be underestimated.

This lack of faith was motivation for them. The feeling of proving others wrong through your actions was the best.

They had experienced it for the first time in the conference championship and wanted to experience it again.

"Extra practice!" Walker said, jumping up.

Tang Tian stood up as well.

Providence College's opponent was UC Santa Barbara.

After the game started, Marshon Brooks quickly became the absolute focus on the court. No one at UC Santa Barbara could stop this "Little Kobe." On the court, he didn't just look like Kobe, he was practically Michael Jordan.

With Brooks on fire, Providence College's run-and-gun offense was as turbulent as a tide.

In the end, Brooks scored 41 points, helping Providence College crush their opponent 91-63 and successfully advance to the final 64.

"Fuck!" Walker couldn't help but curse after watching the game.

"I just realized this guy's scoring ability is so explosive. No, I just realized your defense is so good."

"Are you praising Brooks or praising me?" Tang Tian said with a smile.

"Both, but more you." Walker said seriously.

After the game, Brooks raised his hands and applauded the audience.

The entire audience cheered for Providence College, making it almost like they were playing at home.

Providence College's big win was also good news for UConn. It showed that although only five teams from the Big East Conference advanced this year, fewer than in previous years, the strength of the advancing teams was still among the best.

In two days, the final 64 were determined, and the first round of March Madness was about to begin.

To ensure the progress of the tournament, each region would have eight host cities. These cities had been decided a year in advance, and to ensure fairness, they were all neutral cities without a local university.

For example, the game between UConn and San Diego State was scheduled to be held at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey.

This was originally the home of the Newark Bears of the American Professional Baseball League, and the venue could accommodate up to 40,000 spectators.

Before the game, tickets had already been snapped up by fans of both sides.

In the tournament, where a single game determined the winner, fans of both sides would definitely not miss it.

The day before the game, the players from both teams arrived in this port city.

UConn was the 4th seed, and San Diego State was the 13th seed. In theory, UConn had an absolute advantage. But there was no such thing as absolute in a single-elimination tournament. In a single-game showdown, good performance trumped strong strength.

Because of this, the UConn players, mainly freshmen, were more or less nervous.

To relieve the pressure on the players, Calhoun's approach was to train as usual, without deliberately adjusting the team's routine.

It was during this day's training session that Calhoun made a decision: he appointed Tang Tian as the team captain for the tournament.

Generally, the captain was the strongest player on the team, but not always. Some teams would choose a spiritual leader to take on the role. Tang Tian was playing this role.

Including Walker, no one had any objections to Calhoun's decision.

Tang Tian's past performance, both on and off the court, had earned the trust of the coaching staff and his teammates. Having him as captain would also help Walker share the pressure of the game.

After training, the players returned to the hotel one after another.

Tang Tian took a shower and lay in bed, feeling restless.

It had been more than half a year since he transmigrated, and these six months had changed him a lot.

With the clear goal of winning the championship, growing together with Walker, Lamb, and the others, experiencing ups and downs with them, and playing until now, with big wins, crushing defeats, and comebacks, his love for basketball had been rekindled little by little.

In his previous life, as a coach, he had always stood at a high point and couldn't experience the feeling of being a player. Now, after experiencing it once, he could feel that in addition to love, there was also a lot of something called passion mixed in.

Tomorrow was the tournament, and with Calhoun having just appointed him as captain, he was tossing and turning.

"Tang, are you asleep?" Walker was lying in the bed next to Tang Tian, and suddenly spoke.

"Not yet, why aren't you asleep? Weren't you snoring just now?" Tang Tian asked.

"I was trying to make myself fall asleep, and I didn't want you to find out I couldn't sleep." Walker said.

"What a coincidence, I didn't want you to find out either, so I haven't moved." Tang Tian continued.

After saying that, they both couldn't help but laugh.

"Are you confident you can defend Leonard?" After laughing, Walker asked.

"Are you confident you can break through Leonard's defense?" Tang Tian asked in return.

"Honestly, no, but I believe in you and Jeremy. We're different from them, we have more scoring options." Walker replied.

Tang Tian couldn't help but smile after hearing that. Although Walker really wanted to win, he hadn't lost his way because of it. He was still very clear about what UConn's advantages were.

"I'll defend Leonard well, and Franklin too. I'll leave the offense to you and Jeremy." Tang Tian added.

"Well, then we have no reason to lose."

"That's right."

"Then let's sleep."

"Okay."

...

"Tang, are you asleep?"

"Not yet."

"Sleep."

"Okay."

...

"Tang, are you asleep?"

"Not yet, if you really can't sleep, go find Jeremy. That guy definitely isn't asleep either."

"No, let's sleep."

...

The two of them talked every now and then, and no one knew when they actually fell asleep.

The next day, as soon as it dawned, they both woke up early.

They hadn't slept for long, but they were still full of energy. At this time, the amount of sleep was no longer that important.

They took the bus to the training hall and did some simple warm-up exercises in the morning.

On the bus, they also received news that North Carolina had easily defeated their opponent by 20 points in last night's game and advanced to the Round of 32, showing great form.

"We have to work hard." Walker turned to Tang Tian when he heard the news.

"Yes, it's our turn." Tang Tian nodded.