CHAPTER 45: CHAPTER 45, THE INTENSITY OF MARCH MADNESS!

On the court, McConnell kept signaling his teammates to settle down.

The team is in trouble now and can’t take unnecessary risks.

Kentucky’s momentum to chase points is too strong.

The University of Arizona is on the offense again.

McConnell dribbles to the frontcourt. After a series of passes on the outside, there’s no opportunity.

The ball quickly returns to him, and he goes for a pick-and-roll with the two inside players again.

This time, McConnell finds a mismatch against Towns, drills into the left side, and makes a floater.

Towns’ block lands on the backboard; this play was a bit late.

to 24.

The University of Arizona slightly eases the situation.

The University of Kentucky’s offense comes back.

After Tyler Ulis crosses the half-court, he hands the ball to Booker.

Booker takes the ball and dribbles while observing.

Booker is Kentucky’s ball handler in crucial moments; whenever there’s a key shot, the ball is in his hands.

Booker’s threat while holding the ball is immense. Zeng Xingyang is on the other side, constantly moving to stretch the defense.

Unlike when he just got on the court earlier, Zeng Xingyang is now clearly receiving more attention. Staley Johnson refuses to let Zeng Xingyang get another open shot.

Booker and Koulistan run a pick-and-roll. Post pick-and-roll, Booker shifts and changes direction, driving in to attract defense.

Zeng Xingyang has moved to the free-throw line at this moment.

Booker passes the ball to Zeng Xingyang; the pass is slightly high.

Zeng Xingyang jumps to catch the ball, and at that moment, Staley Johnson closes in again.

Staley Johnson has prepared to block Zeng Xingyang’s shot; he’s not worried about Zeng Xingyang attacking with the ball.

However, Zeng Xingyang’s move surprised everyone.

Zeng Xingyang caught the ball without waiting to land, passing it high to the right side still in mid-air.

Only then did Arizona’s defense shift their attention to the other side where Towns was.

It was too late; Towns received Zeng Xingyang’s pass, took a big stride into the paint, grabbed the ball with one hand, and slammed it down over an unprepared Kable.

"Swish!"

"Bang!"

"Beep!"

The slam was completed as the whistle blew.

This is a 2+1 play.

The basket made a loud noise.

Kable also crashed heavily to the ground.

"Ah!!!"

Towns roared towards the camera, flexing his arm muscles.

Zeng Xingyang’s pass was perfectly timed, allowing Towns to fully showcase his physical gifts.

Lying on the ground, Kable was somewhat stunned. He began to understand why Towns’ draft position was so high, while he went undrafted.

To play in the NBA, talent is truly crucial.

The height Towns reached when he jumped seemed like he was really flying.

Towns and Zeng Xingyang celebrated with a high-five, then went to the free-throw line.

Calipari excitedly pumped his fist on the sidelines, while Zeng Xingyang continued to show his value.

This guy should start in the next game.

This assist without landing let Towns fully take off; Lyles couldn’t make such a pass.

Towns calmly hit the free throw.

to 24.

The point gap between the teams is almost negligible now.

The University of Kentucky has overcome the most troublesome phase of the opening.

...

The University of Kentucky got on track, yet the University of Arizona never gave up easily and kept resisting tenaciously.

But Kentucky showed their strong talent advantage, constantly increasing the defensive intensity, and finally, three minutes into the second half, with Booker’s counterattack three-pointer, Kentucky successfully overtook the score.

The atmosphere on both sides became increasingly intense, but March Madness games obviously won’t be this simple.

The University of Arizona won’t concede easily. In a subsequent offensive play,

Arizona’s center Kable posts up against Towns to demand the ball.

Towns aggressively defends closely, only to receive an elbow from Kable.

"Bang!"

Towns took the hard elbow, grimacing in pain, then gave up on defense.

That’s Towns’ character: occasionally tough, but it’s unrealistic for him to stay strong continuously.

Kable turned to score, and Arizona took the lead again.

After scoring, Kable glared at Towns, then continuously patted his chest.

Towns gestured to the referee that there was an elbow action on the play, but the referee ignored it.

Towns frustratedly ran over, intending to post up but before Booker could pass the ball, Towns received another elbow from Kable.

Kable’s moves were too discreet, and the referee still didn’t notice, making Towns give up on posting up entirely.

Booker passed the ball to Tyler Ulis, then ran out to call for the ball again.

Zeng Xingyang tried to shake off Staley Johnson on the right side but couldn’t manage it.

Zeng Xingyang waved his hand, shouting to Towns, "Come for the pick-and-roll."

Even though Towns was feeling frustrated at this moment, he knew what was more important; he quickly ran over to screen Staley Johnson.

The instant Towns screened, Zeng Xingyang accelerated and slipped past Staley Johnson.

Staley Johnson couldn’t get around Towns’ screen, so Kable switched to defend Zeng Xingyang.

Tyler Ulis bounced the ball to Zeng Xingyang.

Zeng Xingyang received the ball, took a step, and elevated for a layup.

Kable’s defensive talent wasn’t great, and he couldn’t interfere much with this driving attack.

After banking the basketball off the board and into the hoop, Zeng Xingyang turned and high-fived Towns in celebration.

The University of Kentucky didn’t expand their lead, rather they got into a battle of attrition with the University of Arizona.

Almost the entire second half, Towns and Booker were intensely targeted, Arizona kept pushing and stepping under.

Although the referee called some flagrant fouls, Kentucky’s momentum was still suppressed.

Zeng Xingyang tied up Staley Johnson, greatly exhausting him, and Arizona’s offense became inconsistent.

Both sides played like their lives depended on the defense.

Neither team could establish an offensive surge; it was a drawn-out fight, possession after possession.

When there was 1 minute and 20 seconds left in the game, the score was 58 to 58.

Both coaches were too nervous to sit, standing anxiously on the sideline.

This is a do-or-die elimination game.

Whoever loses is out.

On the court, Staley Johnson was panting heavily. He couldn’t believe that after that number 8 from Kentucky came in, his shots just kept clanking, and his stamina was greatly drained.

Zeng Xingyang’s defensive pressure left him struggling for breath.

Zeng Xingyang was also gasping for air. In this game, he fought desperately on both offense and defense every possession; he definitely doesn’t want the team to stop here.

The ball was in Arizona’s possession,

The University of Kentucky increased the defensive intensity, and McConnell couldn’t find a good passing opportunity immediately.

Staley Johnson couldn’t shake off Zeng Xingyang’s defense to receive the ball.

Time was ticking away as Arizona University kept passing on the perimeter but found no good offensive opportunities.

McConnell was forced to take a rushed three-pointer.

"Clank!"

The ball rattled off the rim and bounced up.

Towns secured the rebound.

Calipari decided to call a timeout to stabilize the situation.

The game had reached the critical moment.