Where the noise did not reach

Chapter 35 was ultimately futile.
After defeating Duke, the March Madness Tournament had a six-day break.

Six days later, TTU will make their run for the Elite Eight. Their opponent in this round is the University of Pittsburgh, a defensively-minded team built around seven-foot center Aaron Gray. However, they are not a team overflowing with talent like Duke.

A similarly intense atmosphere permeated the Texas Tech campus. When students learned that the school team had made it to the top 16, the red lights of the campus clock tower remained lit all night, and thousands of students spontaneously gathered at the fountain square in front of the administration building, chanting "TTU! TTU!"

The principal's office hung a huge banner along the main road of the campus overnight: "Pride belongs to the Red Raiders!"

Students covered Alumni Avenue with celebratory slogans painted in red, and some even spray-painted the school team's mascot—a red horse—on the steps of the library's main entrance. The student cafeteria launched a special "Sweet Top 16" red cake, which sold out in less than two hours.

As the school team players became stars, Xu Ling experienced particularly severe interference in her life.

Almost all of his classmates bought his jerseys and asked him to sign them. Whether it was out of admiration or not, as long as he made a name for himself in the NBA, the value of these signed jerseys would increase many times over.

Since they were classmates, Xu Ling naturally had no choice but to accept, especially since he was a friendly person offstage.

But the harassment outside the classroom started to get a bit out of hand.

The Texas media all wanted to contact him, but Knight turned them all away.

The sponsors approached the school, offering a high price in exchange for Xu Ling's permission to publicly use their products.

Xu Ling naturally disagreed, because it was no different from working for the school for free.

What's most frustrating is the possibility of being approached by strangers at any time.

Three girls who "bumped into" Xu Ling three times outside the stadium asked him to sign their collarbones.

The student activity center became a disaster zone. Whenever Xu Ling ate there, girls would "accidentally" spill their drinks or "just happen" to buy an extra cup of coffee. Anna from the psychology department even meticulously planned an "academic help request"—asking for questions using a basketball tactics whiteboard that was completely outside her area of ​​expertise.

Such things had been brewing since he first became famous, and now that he's a sports hero at school, they've intensified.

This fervor even spilled over into the classroom. When an economics professor was discussing "celebrity effect and brand value," he directly used Xu Ling as an example and jokingly asked the whole class to assess the potential commercial value of the name "Eli Xu," which caused a burst of laughter. Xu Ling, sitting in the back row, could only helplessly lower his head and pretend to take notes.

Even more outrageous, the school bookstore quickly launched limited-edition T-shirts printed with "From Lubbock to Glory!" and Xu Ling's personal number "1," which sold out as soon as they hit the shelves. The campus was practically a sea of ​​red.

Whenever he talks about his troubles, his teammates laugh at him for being unromantic.

"Come on, Eli!" Daryl Dora said with a grin after training, putting his arm around Eli's neck. "Do you know how many people dream of having this kind of 'trouble'? Those are hot girls! If you can't handle it, I'd be happy to help you out!"

"And then we'll both be on the front page of the tabloids the next day?" Xu Ling pushed him away irritably. "The headline is 'TTU Twins' Late Night Party, March Madness's Prospects Are Worrying'? Thanks, I'll handle it myself."

Even the usually serious Jarius Jackson spoke up, saying, "Eli, this might be God's test for you. He has given you unparalleled talent, and he will inevitably subject you to corresponding attention. Learning to handle it is part of growing up."

"I wish his method of testing wasn't so... enthusiastic," Xu Ling sighed.

The commotion outside eventually reached Knight's ears. Before one training session began, he called Xu Ling aside.

“Listen, kid,” Knight said. “I’ve seen countless geniuses ruined by their reputations. They were surrounded by cheers, flattery, and women, and then, like flies with sugar on their skin, they could never fly again. Now, all that mess has come your way.”

He stared intently into Xu Ling's eyes: "Autographs, women, TV cameras... they'll desperately try to turn you into another 'star,' not a 'winner.' But let me tell you, in this stadium, only one identity matters, and that's 'player.' If your mind is occupied by those things even an inch, your steps will slow down by a second, and that second is enough to send you plummeting from heaven to hell!"

"Keep all those things out of your sight! If I see even the slightest daze in your eyes, or the slightest slackening in training, I'll be the first to throw you into a bucket of cold water to wake you up! Understand?"

"I understand completely."

There can only be one jerk in TTU, and that's the coach himself. It's so easy to understand.

“That had better!” Knight glared at him, then turned and blew the assembly whistle.

After dealing with these off-field disturbances, Xu Ling focused all his attention back on the court.

The next day, Texas Tech University students flew to California.

The third round of the national championships was held at the HP exhibition hall in San Jose, a multi-purpose venue that can accommodate 20,000 people. A massive influx of spectators filled the venue that day.

"It might not be fair to the University of Pittsburgh to say this, but I must say that at least 15,000 people were there for TTU's number 1," the commentator said.

“That’s right, Eli has become one of the brightest stars in college basketball!” another commentator chimed in.

Aaron Gray, the star center for the University of Pittsburgh, took a few steps on the court.

Xu Ling's first impression was that the person's name sounded familiar, but he was sure that the person hadn't made a name for himself; he was probably one of those players who had played in the NBA for a few years.

Then, as the coaching staff said before the game, Gray's athleticism looked very limited.

Even just watching him practice on the sidelines reveals some clues.

It's rare to encounter a team with such limited roster depth in the Sweet Sixteen stage, and TTU is determined to overcome them and achieve its best result in school history. "Today, we're going to run like Forrest Gump!" Knight said. "Run, guys, as long as you can run, you'll leave your opponents far behind!"

After the start of the match, the momentum did not shift in TTU's favor.

The University of Pittsburgh knew they needed to speed things up.

Every opponent they faced played like this, and they knew how to deal with it.

It's simply a matter of remaining calm, composed, and waiting for the other party to make a mistake.

Like other teams that lost to the University of Pittsburgh, the Red Raiders made the mistake of being too eager for success. They were too focused on finding openings on the perimeter and too concerned about Gray's threat in the paint, which allowed the opponent to capitalize on missed shots and launch a series of fast breaks.

Xu Ling's hot streak cooled down, missing his first two shots in a row. The star player's poor shooting performance spread to the others.

The University of Pittsburgh started with a 10-3 lead.

TTU called a pause.

Knight pointed his pen at the opponent's paint: "Charge in and take him down! Don't keep thinking you can solve them once and for all with three-pointers, that's unrealistic! If they were such a fragile team, they wouldn't have made it this far! Eli, take the ball and attack him. Don't tell me he's too tall. If you guys can't even handle Aaron Gray, how can I expect you to deal with Greg Oden!"

Even if Knight hadn't said anything, Xu Ling would have tried to dribble and drive to the basket after missing several shots in a row.

The "small-ball era" and its "small-ball, big-ball" training is an essential part of the experience.

Now that Knight had given the order, Xu Ling was naturally ready to go all out and cause trouble for Aaron Gray.

After the timeout ended, the game took a turn for the better.

When Xu Ling observed Gray's training before the game, he noticed that this guy was a relatively slow-moving inside player. He wasn't clumsy; for his height, his technique and playmaking ability were quite good, but his physical abilities couldn't keep up with his reaction speed.

Xu Ling held the ball at the top of the arc, facing the defender. His series of crossovers threw the opponent off balance. Just as the defender tried to catch up, he suddenly accelerated to the left, then quickly stopped, switching the ball from between his legs to his right hand and taking a step back to the right.

It all happened so fast that Gray, who was responsible for help defense, was a beat too slow. His massive body was like a wall, but the wall was too slow to move. Xu Ling seized this fleeting opening, brushed past Gray, and rushed towards the basket. Gray stretched out his long arms, trying to block, but only missed. Xu Ling soared into the air, executing a beautiful reverse layup, and banked the ball into the basket.

The University of Pittsburgh wanted to fight back, but their eagerness to attack resulted in missed shots, which led to a counterattack.

Xu Ling received a pass from his teammate and launched a counterattack. He has made great progress in his ability to find opportunities on the counterattack. He passed the ball to Jarius Jackson just past half-court.

Jackson drove into the paint and scored a layup.

As they retreated on defense, Knight stood on the sidelines and gave Xu Ling a high-five, saying, "Not enough, Eli, this is far from enough!"

Upon hearing this, Xu Ling could only give Aaron Gray a thorough dressing-down.

As TTU regained their form, the audience could easily see the issue of style restraint between the two teams.

TTU was probably the team that most dominated the University of Pittsburgh during the entire March Madness season.

Besides Daryl Dorra, four of their starting five can pull out and shoot three-pointers, forming a rare four-shooter lineup in modern times.

Xu Ling also plays the role of a sweeper on the defensive end, filling the biggest gap in TTU.

Once Pittsburgh loses its offensive stability, they will be met with a fierce counterattack.

Even if they manage to score in half-court sets using their inside advantage, Aaron Gray will still face a test on the defensive end.

Xu Ling called for a pick-and-roll, and the University of Pittsburgh tried to protect Gray with their power forward. However, after switching positions, Xu Ling continued to call for a pick-and-roll in the paint. Gray had nowhere to hide and could only gamble on Xu Ling's poor shooting and risk retreating into the paint.

Xu Ling dribbled to the free-throw line and scored with a jump shot over Gray.

That was the goal that helped TTU take the lead.

This also marked the beginning of TTU's complete dominance in the competition.

After Xu Ling got into the game, TTU's outside shooters were gradually activated. Jarius Jackson hit the first three-pointer of the game, Martin Zeno followed with the second, and then Xu Ling hit a three-pointer during the fast break.

The point difference widened rapidly.

The University of Pittsburgh only occasionally struggles.

"The University of Pittsburgh's efforts have ultimately been in vain!" ESPN's college basketball expert, Andy Katz, scribbled furiously in his sideline memo. "Texas Tech is like the Phoenix Suns of the NCAA, but they don't have an alien point guard like Steve Nash. This is a Suns team built around Kobe Bryant, and their dynamic offense has shattered yet another March Madness powerhouse. Who can stop them? North Carolina? Does Brandon Wright remember what he told Eli? Does Eli remember? How will we ultimately remember this year's TTU? Has Bob Knight already prepared a whole playbook for Roy Williams? All the answers will be revealed in 48 hours."

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(End of this chapter)