Chapter 1 The Opening

After pre-game warmups, both teams returned to their respective halves, and the pre-game opening ceremony began.

First up was UConn, with fans chanting "Connecticut Huskies" at the top of their lungs.

Then came North Carolina.

This was definitely the most passionate opening ceremony Tang Tian had ever seen, more impressive than any previous game, or even NBA opening ceremonies.

It began with a sea of over 30,000 people, a scene usually only seen at the FIFA World Cup. The fans were well-coordinated, everyone wearing blue or blue-themed T-shirts, some even with their skin dyed blue. As the audience stood and sat, it really looked like the ocean was waving.

When the sea of people settled, the lights dimmed, and a 3D projection was cast onto the court. The rousing music and the rolling three-dimensional patterns on the court highlighted the team’s lavish resources.

When the abbreviation "UNC" finally appeared on the court, the cheers from the crowd were unstoppable.

The North Carolina fans chanted their team's slogan, their momentum overwhelming.

After the opening ceremony, the North Carolina players were already full of energy.

"Guys," Tang Tian said, gathering his teammates together.

In previous games, the fans and the atmosphere had been evenly matched, with UConn even having a slight edge. But this time, they were almost playing an away game, and as captain, he had to do something.

"We're the underdogs, yes, we are.

Our fans are the weaker side, yes, that's the reality.

Everything is against us.

But!

This is the opportunity! The best opportunity!

We defeat opponents stronger than us to prove that we deserve to compete for this championship more than they do.

Defeat them and suppress the cheers!

Take the victory and recreate the glory of the Connecticut Huskies!"

Tang Tian had given his players plenty of pep talks in his previous life, and he could come up with one easily at this moment.

The UConn players were also energized, and they all put their hands together.

"Let's go!"

"Connecticut Huskies!"

As the players forcefully swung their hands down together, the Huskies' momentum reached its peak.

"Toot!"

The long whistle signaling the start of the game sounded from the sidelines, and both teams' starters confidently entered the court, ready for a high-profile battle.

For UConn, to counter North Carolina's twin towers in the paint, the interior players were still Oriakhi and Olander, the guards were Walker and Napier playing as dual point guards, Tang Tian was the small forward, and Lamb didn't start in this game.

After Tang Tian entered the court, he looked at the North Carolina side, all five NBA-level players were on the court.

Center: Tyler Zeller, 2.13 meters tall, a mobile face-up big man, excellent help defender, accurate mid-range shooter, 17th overall pick in the first round of the 2012 draft.

Power Forward: John Henson, 2.11 meters tall, with a freakish wingspan and excellent athleticism, strong finisher, 14th overall pick in the first round of the 2012 draft.

Small Forward: Harrison Barnes, 2.03 meters tall, an all-around star small forward, with no technical weaknesses, definitely a top-three pick this year, 7th overall pick in the 2012 draft.

Shooting Guard: Reggie Bullock, 2.01 meters tall, a swingman, a tall and athletic wing player, capable on both offense and defense, 25th overall pick in the first round of the 2013 draft.

Point Guard: Kendall Marshall, a 1.93-meter-tall point guard, the Rajon Rondo of the NCAA, an incredibly accurate passer, 13th overall pick in the first round of the 2012 draft.

All five of these players were first-round picks in Tang Tian's previous life, with explosive talent.

This was why so many people were optimistic about North Carolina this year. You couldn't even compete with them on paper, let alone their tactical literacy as a super-elite school.

Their only disadvantage might be that they were relatively young, and their stability in games still needed to be improved.

But UConn was even younger than them!

Just like the smile on Jordan's face, the fans in the arena were absolutely confident that North Carolina would advance to the Elite Eight.

Oriakhi and Henson jumped for the ball, and Henson, amid the cheers of the fans, tipped the ball back to his team's half. North Carolina had the first chance to attack.

Marshall dribbled the ball to the frontcourt, and Barnes and Bullock ran around screens.

Unlike the University of Arizona, although they had strong points, North Carolina had always played team basketball, with tactics as king.

Tang Tian closely followed Barnes, not giving him an easy chance to catch the ball, but Bullock on the other side ran out an opportunity, caught the ball, faked a shot, and passed it to Zeller under the basket. Zeller accelerated past Oriakhi and shot, his speed on full display.

The cheers of the North Carolina fans were about to erupt.

"Bang!"

But with a swat, Oriakhi directly blocked Zeller with a chase-down block!

Walker saw this and dove to the ground to grab the ball, fighting with Bullock. The referee finally called a jump ball.

The jump ball rules in the NCAA were different from those in the NBA. If a jump ball was called, possession would be switched. Because North Carolina won the tip-off, possession of the ball would be switched to UConn.

Walker was helped up by Tang Tian and Napier, and the UConn fans in the arena suddenly erupted in cheers.

North Carolina had better talent, but UConn's fighting spirit was beyond imagination!

Walker dribbled the ball, without any tactical plays. The teammates all spread out, letting Walker go one-on-one against Marshall.

A change of direction, then another change of direction, a crossover followed by a between-the-legs dribble, lowering his center of gravity, and then a sudden step to start, Marshall couldn't keep up with Walker's rhythm at all.

Walker dribbled into the paint, and Zeller rushed over to help defend. Walker glanced at Oriakhi under the basket, and taking advantage of Zeller's hesitation, he directly leaned on him for a tough layup.

"Bang!"

The ball hit the backboard and fell into the net, Walker scored the first points for UConn!

The cheers of the UConn fans didn't diminish.

Just like what Tang Tian had said in the supermarket, Walker could completely blow by Marshall one-on-one. Calhoun knew this very well. If he could blow by him, why bother running plays and wasting energy!

North Carolina's offense, the same tactical plays.

But with Ollie's shouts from the sidelines, UConn defended very tightly this time, not giving North Carolina the same opportunity as in the previous possession.

The ball finally ended up in Barnes' hands, and Barnes dribbled and posted up against Tang Tian, his teammates all spreading out.

If the tactics didn't create an opportunity, they could only rely on the players' individual abilities.

Barnes posted up twice but couldn't move Tang Tian.

Although he was two centimeters taller than Tang Tian, he weighed five kilograms less than Tang Tian. He couldn't move him at all.

He switched from facing the basket to facing the basket, dribbled with a crossover step, and accelerated inside, but Tang Tian stayed close, not giving him a chance.

Actually, for Tang Tian, defending Barnes was much easier than defending Williams. Barnes seemed all-around, but unlike Williams, he didn't have an absolute advantage, and he could completely shut down his opponent.

Barnes didn't have a chance to break through, so he switched to a turnaround fadeaway, but Tang Tian had good positioning and reached out to interfere.

"Bang!"

Barnes' fadeaway shot missed.

North Carolina's consecutive attacks after the start failed!