Where the noise did not reach

Chapter 34 Sweet Top Sixteen

John Wooden, the ultimate winner in the NCAA, once said: "Failure is not a momentary event, failure is a subconscious collective behavior."

Duke University's taut string snapped at the start of the second half.

They tried and struggled, but the ultimate reward was an increasingly fierce counterattack from their opponents.

At times like these, endurance and willpower come into play, but these two things don't seem like innate talents. They are more like a temporary mental strength, especially willpower. How strong can a person's willpower be, and how bad can a situation be endured? If you've heard about how steadfast those with iron wills are, you'll naturally know that some people's will simply can't withstand challenges.

This year's Duke team happens to be just that kind of team.

Josh McRoberts, once the nation's number one high school player, revealed his true nature during his freshman season. Even though he realized some of his talent in his sophomore season, scouts no longer viewed him as a future star.

Duke's core players collapsed, and TTU quickly widened the gap to 21 points.

At their worst, they were down by 25 points. Mike Krzyzewski had had enough of being slaughtered, so he substituted all his starters, making it seem like he was giving up on the season, but the result was even more ironic.

Duke's roster was packed with top 100 high school players from all levels of the US, all of whom were once considered rising stars. But when a bunch of big fish from different schools crowd into the same pool, it becomes a battleground. Those with higher talent and stronger immediate impact enter the rotation, while those who fall behind are relegated to the bench with little future. Their abilities are still there; if they went to a less competitive school, they might become the core of the team. Playing in a situation where the outcome was already decided actually made them feel more relaxed, and they played better and better. With five minutes left in the game, the point difference was narrowed to 16 points. The Blue Devils saw a glimmer of light in the darkness.

Then, while giving the poorly performing substitutes a blowjob, Knight brought Xu Ling, who had been resting, back onto the court. Xu Ling's first possession was an unreasonable perimeter isolation play, dribbling continuously, changing direction, faking, and then his signature left and right step-back three-pointer.

"Shh!"

Xu Ling's score reached 30 points. The camera focused on Coach K, who said helplessly to those around him, "That kid is the real deal!" With that, Duke breathed his last.

86比68，全场比赛结束，德州理工大学红色袭击者以18分的优势战胜杜克大学蓝魔队，时隔两年再次追平队史最佳成绩，进入了甜蜜十六强。徐凌全场砍下32分11篮板7助攻2抢断2盖帽的全面数据。

Xu Ling was unimpressed about his performance. "I just did what Coach Knight asked me to do."

"What does Coach Knight want you to do?"

Xu Ling smiled and said, "I can't say."

"We noticed that you spoke to Coach K several times on the court. Can you tell us what you said?"

Xu Ling maintained her smile: "I can't say."

“Okay, Eli, it seems you have a lot of secrets!” The blonde reporter winked. “Well, you have to tell me why you never interact with the fans on the court? That’s unusual for one of the most popular players in college basketball.”

Considering the other person's large bust size, Xu Ling didn't mind sharing a secret: "This fully demonstrates that players and fans are from two different worlds."

"Oh, why do you say that?" the reporter said naively. "We all need to sleep and eat, we absolutely live in the same world."

Xu Ling explained, "But they don't understand that the way I communicate with them is through my performance on the court—constantly becoming stronger and better." This was the first time he had explained to the outside world why he appeared so "cold" on the court, and this was just the beginning—in the years to come, he would repeat this answer again and again, facing countless similar questions.

Then there's tonight's opponent. It seems Mike Krzyzewski, who was publicly disrespected by Xu Ling on the court, didn't hold the young man's rudeness against him. For some reason, Coach K praised Xu Ling to the skies: "In my opinion, Eli's performance has surpassed Carmelo Anthony's in 2003. He takes on more responsibility on a shallower team, and I don't think I've ever seen a better freshman."

So, the reporter also wanted to know what Xu Ling had said to him on the field. Krzyzewski's answer was exactly the same as Xu Ling's: "It's a secret." Always adept at dealing with the media, he smiled and said, "I have the right to keep it to myself."

Bob Knight was asked more questions, but his answers were always inaccurate.

Especially regarding Mike Krzyzewski, the media wanted to know how their relationship was, and he said it was fine; the media wanted to know if defeating Duke to enter the Sweet Sixteen was a special feeling, and he thought there was no difference.

Finally, the media had had enough. Since you're unwilling to share your secrets, then say something you can say.

"Coach, where do you rank Eli among the great college players you've encountered in your career?"

This might seem like a thorn in Knight's side, reminding him of how he missed out on coaching Larry Bird. But it could also evoke nostalgia, given that he has indeed coached many memorable and outstanding players.

Knight pondered for a moment, then uttered a phrase that would later be repeatedly used to describe Xu Ling: "Quinn Buckner invented basketball, Randy Wittman perfected basketball, Steve Alford interpreted basketball, Damon Bailey redefined basketball—and Eli, he is the future of basketball."

Some are happy and some are sad.

While Xu Ling led his team to a sweep of Duke and advanced to the next round, many future stars had already played their final college games. Among them was Kevin Durant, who carried even higher expectations than Xu Ling.

Led by Kevin Durant, the University of Texas advanced to the second round of the Terminus Madness tournament, facing USC, led by Nick Young. It then became a game about being better and greater, but not tonight, nor a night of college disappointment. Durant led all scorers with 30 points, 8 rebounds, and 2 blocks, but he fell short against USC, whose five starters all scored in double figures. The Longhorns lost by 15 points, ending their Terminus Madness journey.

Durant became the first of the "Big Three" to prepare for the 2007 NBA Draft.

The boy carrying the Bible looked dejected; he looked like he was definitely having nightmares about not scoring 50 points in the game. If he had scored 50, the Longhorn would have advanced. Why couldn't he?

"I'm not thinking about the future right now," Durant said somberly. "I let my teammates down, I didn't do my best, and this game will stay on my mind for a long time."

How long? Two or three months? Until the NBA's multi-million dollar rookie contract pulls him out of the nightmare? Nobody knows. But one thing is certain: he's not coming back for a second season.

Durant's elimination is somewhat detrimental to him.

This means that he will no longer have the opportunity to demonstrate his abilities in actual combat, while Xu Ling, who has always been compared to him, will still have matches to play.

Moreover, Xu Ling's current performance is clearly better than Durant's.

虽然杜兰特两场疯三比赛下来场均有28分8篮板，但徐凌胜在全面，他在疯三的场均数据达到28分11篮板6助攻2抢断2盖帽，俨然就是单核超巨的表现。

Xu Ling's influence on the game is more comprehensive and efficient. Moreover, TTU's talent is clearly inferior to that of the University of Texas.

However, on the other hand, when it comes to talent, that's what the NBA management loves most. While Durant's talent may not be considered a once-in-a-decade phenomenon, in the past decade, considering only freshmen or younger players, there are no more than three who could outshine him in terms of talent at the draft.

Therefore, in terms of talent, Durant has already surpassed expectations. This is also why Xu Ling, despite his superstar performances, is only a likely top-five pick rather than a guaranteed top-five. He also has talent, but his talent is at the elite level of the draft, while this year's class has several monster-level players. The NBA loves this kind of explosive potential.

In the locker room, the Red Raiders players were still celebrating.

After all, they tied the school's best record. A Sweet Sixteen finish—a result that even powerhouses like Duke and UNC wouldn't consider a threat—is Texas Tech's all-time peak.

Even if they stop here a few days later, they will be sports heroes who go down in the school's history, and this resume will be enough to give them a pass when looking for a job in Lubbock.

But is that enough? Knight walked in heavily, closed the locker room door, and said, “Another great game, kids. You can celebrate, but don’t party. Don’t get too excited, because when you wake up tomorrow, you’ll realize we still have four games to win!”

"JJ, your performance in the second half truly lived up to the captain's name!"

“DD (Dora), you should know that the real challenge is yet to come, but you performed exceptionally well tonight.”

Knight praised everyone he could, finally fixing his gaze on Xu Ling. Xu Ling was certain he was hallucinating, because Knight now looked like a kind, benevolent old man. Even the way he spoke was like that: "Eli," he said sincerely, "I hate getting angry at you, I really hate it, but I really want you to know how grateful I am for everything you've brought us. Without you, none of this would exist. You played the best basketball game I've ever seen tonight. You buried Duke, but that's not enough. There are still four teams' asses waiting for you to kick. We have to keep fighting. We still need your strength. The Sweet Sixteen is just the beginning. We're going to create a new history for TTU!"

Xu Ling swore that as a fifth-year student, he would never indulge in any motivational platitudes, but if Bob Knight was doing it, that was a different story! Xu Ling wanted to say something cheesy to thank Knight. But the sweet words that were about to come out of his mouth turned into: "You're not saying this because I kicked Duke's ass so hard, are you?"

Knight tried his best to maintain a friendly demeanor, but the demon within him was about to take over. He forced a smile and said, "Damn it, Eli, don't make me angry at a time like this!"

The teammates cheered excitedly. The atmosphere in the locker room became cheerful again.

Knight looked at these happy college students and was filled with mixed emotions.

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Report from CCV-5

"Good evening, viewers, and welcome to Sports News. First, let's turn our attention to a news item from the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament. This morning Beijing time, the Texas Tech University team, played by Xu Ling from Hong Kong, defeated the traditionally strong Duke University team 86-68 in the second round of the tournament, successfully advancing to the round of 16."

"Xu Ling from China delivered an outstanding performance in this game, racking up a well-rounded stat line of 32 points, 11 rebounds, and 7 assists. Facing Duke University, a powerhouse in the ACC conference, Xu Ling displayed overwhelming dominance on both ends of the court. In the second half, it was Xu Ling's consecutive crucial three-pointers that helped his team extend their lead to over 20 points, ultimately securing the victory."

"Xu Ling, 19, is from Hong Kong, China. He is 2.01 meters tall and plays small forward. He joined Texas Tech University last year as an international student and has become the team's absolute core player this season. After the game, Duke University head coach Coach K praised Xu Ling as one of the best freshmen he has ever seen."

"This victory secured Texas Tech's place in the NCAA Tournament's Round of 16, marking the school's best-ever men's basketball performance. Xu Ling's outstanding performance has already attracted the attention of NBA scouts."

"Okay, that concludes this sports news story. Now, please enjoy other sports news."

(End of this chapter)