Chapter 178 Offense and Defense Upgrade

Lamb and Tang Tian crisscrossed, and Oriakhi and Smith ran a high-low pick-and-roll.

Lamb's movement tied up most of Duke's defensive attention on the court. After all, he was UConn's second-leading scorer.

Just then, Tang Tian quietly slipped to the right corner.

Walker saw it and flicked a pass.

Tang Tian didn't hesitate after receiving the ball, shooting directly.

"Swish!"

The ball spun in the air, drawing an arc before falling steadily into the net.

Tang Tian hit a three-pointer right at the start of the second half!

The UConn fans in the arena cheered non-stop. This three-pointer was extremely satisfying!

"Ryan, don't worry about the others, stick to your man." Coach K's reaction was quick. He immediately realized UConn's tactical change and shouted a reminder to Kelly.

Tang Tian's average score isn't high, but he's the player with the highest three-point percentage in the tournament so far.

Many coaches didn't realize this, but Coach K had prepared thoroughly before the game.

Duke's offense saw Irving bring the ball to the frontcourt and give it to Smith before running the play. He didn't attack as aggressively as he did in the first half.

Duke's tactical cooperation saw Smith pass the ball to Singler, who leaned on Tang Tian and went for a layup on the side.

"Bang!"

But just as the ball was released, a hand came out from the side, swatting his shot out of bounds.

Oriakhi!

Singler's face was full of surprise. Oriakhi was still under the basket a second ago, so how did he get out of the restricted area in the next second?

When did he have such fast movement speed?

Duke's baseline ball saw Smith break through, and Kelly cut to the basket, having already shaken off Roscoe Smith.

Smith raised his hand to pass the ball inside.

"Pa!"

But just as the ball was released, Lamb intercepted it!

After stealing the ball, Lamb sprinted towards the frontcourt, drawing a shooting foul on Irving after a confrontation.

Whistles sounded constantly in the arena. After UConn came up in the second half, their offense and defense had obviously improved!

Coach K frowned at this moment.

His insight was very strong. In the two consecutive waves of defense just now, the UConn players seemed to have taken stimulants. Oriakhi's movement speed and Lamb's focus weren't abilities they usually possessed.

It felt like they were performing at 120% of their potential.

What exactly happened to these guys during halftime?

Lamb made both free throws, and UConn started the second half with a 5-0 run against Duke.

"Kyrie." Coach K made a tactical gesture to Irving at this time.

Irving nodded and, after reaching the frontcourt, signaled his teammates to spread out.

UConn's defensive focus was too high right now. Duke would suffer if they ran tactics. Coach K was repeating his old trick, letting Irving go one-on-one as he did in the first half.

Effort has its limits. In the face of absolute talent difference, the improvement won't be too significant. Once Irving scores a few consecutive times, UConn's morale will drop, and this defensive state will naturally disappear.

Irving made consecutive early crossovers, and Walker stuck close, not giving him any space to break through.

Irving did a behind-the-back dribble, creating a sliver of space, followed by a between-the-legs crossover.

The series of dribbles was dazzling. Although Walker tried his best to keep up, Irving still seized the space and broke through.

Irving drove to the inside and, facing Oriakhi, made a small pull-up, drawing a foul on the latter.

A cheer rang out from the Duke fans in the arena. Irving was Duke's simplest and most effective nuclear weapon.

Irving made both free throws, and Duke still led by 17 points.

UConn's offense saw Tang Tian's movement fail to create an opportunity. Whether it was Kelly or the switch after the pick-and-roll, Tang Tian was closely guarded.

Duke wouldn't give him the same open looks as before.

Seeing this, Tang Tian took the initiative to set a pick-and-roll for Walker. After the screen, Walker drove inside with the ball.

He broke through fiercely, looking somewhat provoked by Irving's previous play.

Duke's defense contracted inward at Coach K's loud shouts. Just then, Smith ran to the outside and set a screen for Tang Tian.

Walker didn't shoot after breaking into the restricted area, but after circling around, he flicked the ball outward.

Tang Tian received the ball, and it just so happened that Smith had screened out space for him. The opportunity was fleeting, and he didn't hesitate, decisively shooting.

"Swish!"

As soon as he raised his hand, the knife fell. Tang Tian hit two consecutive three-pointers!

The cheers of UConn fans in the arena exploded.

They remembered Tang Tian's 21 points on 7 three-pointers against Georgetown in the regular season, and they remembered the three-pointer that Tang Tian hit to beat North Carolina in the Sweet Sixteen!

Their three-point shooter was online!

Coach K was clearly stunned at this moment.

He knew that Tang Tian would be UConn's offensive focal point in the second half, but judging from this posture, he was not only an offensive point but also the main offensive point? Even Walker's offense was a screen for him?

He didn't wait for Irving to dribble past half-court before reaching out and calling a timeout.

"Mason protect the restricted area, and the others keep a close eye on that Tang. Don't, don't give him any more three-point opportunities!" Coach K's voice was noticeably louder this time than before.

Back from the timeout, Duke's offense saw Irving continue to go one-on-one against Walker, with consecutive crossovers followed by an early crossover, then a sudden shammgod.

Walker still couldn't keep up with Irving, who this time directly rushed to the basket for a quick layup before Oriakhi's defense could arrive.

The point difference returned to 16 points again.

Walker dribbled the ball to the frontcourt and continued to run tactics.

This time, Tang Tian was really being marked to death. No matter how he used screens to move, Duke didn't give him a chance.

This was the limitation of open three-pointers, and it was also the biggest difference between Novak and Ray Allen and Thompson. Most of the latter two's offenses relied on catch-and-shoot three-pointers after tactical movement, while Novak had to run to a good position and wait for the ball to be passed for the shot.

It seemed like a subtle difference, but open three-pointers and catch-and-shoot three-pointers were completely two different concepts.

However, Tang Tian's movement attracted Duke's defensive attention on the court, and Lamb's cut saw him receive a pass from Walker for a layup.

UConn had scored on 4 consecutive possessions since returning for the second half!

The point difference was immediately narrowed to 14 points!

"Defense! Defense!"

Continuous scoring ignited the passion of UConn fans.

"Go, Blue Devils!"

But at this moment, the Duke fans on the other side also began to shout slogans, and the advantage in numbers allowed their decibels to drown out the UConn fans.

Irving continued to go one-on-one against Walker in the frontcourt, scoring twice in a row. He was full of confidence now.

Crossover, behind-the-back dribble followed by a crossover, between the legs followed by inside-out, Irving's dribbling was still flashy.

At the moment when he spotted a change in Walker's center of gravity, Irving made a hesitation dribble and prepared to break through on the left.

"Pa!"

But just as the ball left his hand, Walker suddenly stole it!

Although Walker had been scored on by Irving consecutively, he didn't lose heart. Instead, he kept observing. In his 120% state, he finally defended successfully once!

Irving chased closely behind Walker, who rushed to the frontcourt but didn't force a shot. Instead, he flicked the ball to the weak-side three-point line.

Tang Tian, who had been fast-breaking, was already in position.