Where the noise did not reach

Chapter 38 I mean, it's all over.

Ty Lawson's performance began to fluctuate, so North Carolina opted to drive the ball inside.

It's one thing if Brandon Wright can't beat Xu Ling, but surely he can't beat Daryl Dora, right? This assessment is perfectly correct, provided Wright is in a normal state.

However, Wright's condition was not normal; the lingering effects of Xu Ling's actions continued to trouble him.

Dora just kept pushing against him, and Wright found it difficult to push her away, so he opted for a casual turnaround jump shot.

This is probably what Dora would most like to see.

If Wright is determined to drive inside, Dora will have a hard time stopping him, but if he chooses to shoot, it's all up to luck.

Wright had a terrible run of luck today.

The shot missed, the rebound was secured by TTU, and a counterattack ensued.

After several rounds, Wright's presence became increasingly insignificant, and North Carolina was forced to rely solely on Hansbrough's barbaric style of play to attack the paint.

North Carolina's head coach Roy Williams could no longer remain calm and wait, so he quickly stopped the game and substituted Danny Green for Brandon Wright.

Green played as the power forward in a small lineup, and as a well-known filler in college basketball, this task was not a problem for him.

The match thus entered into a tense back-and-forth struggle.

TTU, with Xu Ling as its core, fully utilized its perimeter firepower, using the outside to drive the inside game. On the North Carolina side, Lawson's impact on the game was greatly reduced because he couldn't perform freely against Xu Ling. However, the Tar Heels, overflowing with talent, were able to keep the game close even without reliable tactics, relying on the individual abilities of their players.

As the soul of North Carolina, Tyler Hansbrough stepped up when the team needed him most.

Tyler Hansbrough charged into the penalty area like an enraged bull. His blond hair, soaked with sweat, gleamed fiercely under the lights, and every time he positioned himself, it was as if he wanted to nail TTU's white center, Jon Plevka, to the floor.

"Come again!"

Hansbrough roared as he took position, his back pressing against Plevka's chest, forcefully pushing the white pitcher, whose physical strength was far inferior to his own, back.

Lawson's pass was perfectly timed to lob into the paint, and Hansbrough caught the ball and immediately spun around fiercely, his shoulder slamming into Plevka's ribs. With a thud and the referee's silence, he rolled into the basket like a rusty tractor, slamming the ball into the hoop with his right hand.

Plevka rubbed her reddened chest, her eyes filled with despair as she looked at the scoreboard.

This North Carolina number 4 has scored over him several times in a row—once with a back-to-the-basket hook shot, once with an offensive rebound putback, and now with this brutal overpowering.

Hansbrough didn't even bother with feints; every attack he made it clear: I'm going to run you over!
"This is the power of the All-American team!" Dan Shulman yelled. "When North Carolina needs a tough break, they can always trust Hansbrough's muscle basketball!"

On the sidelines, Knight felt helpless. Plevka was a tough inside player, but unfortunately, Hansbrough on the other side was a super-deluxe version of him.

Moreover, they cannot hand Hansbrough to Xu Ling on the defensive end, as there is a difference in their positions and sizes. This means that TTU's interior players have to deal with this beast on their own.

When Hansbrough once again positioned himself in the low post, Xu Ling had to abandon his defender and come over to help—but this played right into North Carolina's hands. Hansbrough, as if anticipating this move, passed the ball to Lawson, who was cutting to the basket, and Lawson easily scored a layup.

"See that, rookie?" Hansbrough trash-talked Xu Ling as he got back on defense. "That's what basketball is all about. I'd never throw darts from outside!"

This scene thrilled Jordan in the audience.

He couldn't help but imagine that if Hansbrough were to participate in the draft this year, he would definitely want to sign this guy. A warrior with that kind of ferocious, maniacal fighting spirit is never a mistake.

For the first time, Xu Ling experienced what it meant to be constantly running around.

In the past, when facing other teams, he usually only needed to deal with one or two players to lay the foundation for victory, but North Carolina had too many cards to play: a super rookie, an ace guard, a dominant center, and all-around role players.
Forget it, whoever dares to show their face will be dealt with severely.

With this in mind, Xu Ling suddenly made a move, calling for Plevka to set a screen. Hansbrough excitedly yelled and took the initiative to switch on defense.

The two most influential players of the game faced off as the first half was about to end.

"That piece of trash can't stop me at all!" Hansbrough taunted excitedly. "And you're no different!"

Xu Ling suddenly accelerated, his left hand dribbling the ball like a whip past Hansbrough's side. As the opponent staggered back to chase, he suddenly stopped at the free-throw line, his backward jump shot arcing ridiculously high—the moment the basketball swished through the net, Hansbrough's slap finally landed on his wrist.

"Beep!!!!!"

The referee's whistle rang out sharply.

"Shh!"

"And one!!!"

Xu Ling casually remarked, "ACC's best inside player? He looks like an idiot."

This marks the beginning of a full-scale war between Xu Ling and Hansbrough.

Hansbrough relentlessly attacked the paint, and every time he scored, Xu Ling would respond in the next possession.

The star players' energy was like a raging fire, quickly raising the atmosphere in the HP booth in San Jose, but like Nietzsche's timeless saying that has been used to some extent:
You gaze into the abyss, and the abyss gazes into you.

So, who will ultimately fall?
In the first half, both sides played their best and held nothing back, essentially revealing their winning strategies.

TTU's chances of winning lie in their outside shooting and whether Xu Ling can maintain his first-half form in the second half, while North Carolina needs to find a stable way to attack in half-court situations.

North Carolina is completely unable to break down the zone defense. So far, most of their offense has come from the individual abilities of their star players. Ty Lawson and Hansbrough have taken over the game one after another, but individual strength can not ultimately determine everything.

TTU, with its stronger teamwork, entered the second half with a 45-40 lead.

Aside from Jordan's biased supporters, the NBA executives present at the scene had reached a consensus on Xu Ling's views.

Before facing North Carolina, they considered Xu Ling a strong contender for a top-five pick. However, if the team holding the top five pick doesn't urgently need a perimeter player, a classic scenario of "the old ways cannot be abandoned" might occur—perhaps Xu Ling is better, but the NBA will always choose a center over a perimeter player, and this year's draft has the most interior talent in a decade.

But now, despite being sieged by North Carolina, Xu Ling still delivered an amazing performance, scoring 20 points, grabbing 8 rebounds, and dishing out 4 assists in the first half. This performance not only overshadowed Durant, who had already been eliminated, but even eclipsed the brilliance of Greg Oden from Ohio State University.

SuperSonics general manager Sam Presti could almost tell his colleagues that if they were to get the third pick soon, Xu Ling would be selected without hesitation as long as he completed a decent workout in Seattle.

However, this is just an immediate thought. College performances have a momentary impact and are deceptive. NBA executives often calm down at the draft a few months later and become obsessed with those beautiful but extremely difficult-to-realize talents again.

"Eli".

Knight's voice sounded exceptionally deep in the cramped locker room, instantly silencing all other noises. He didn't look at anyone else.

“You’re the only reason we’re still standing here.” Knight paused, then took a small step forward, lowering his voice even further. “Now, tell me. Can I trust you? When they’re tearing you apart in the second half, can you still lead this team?”

Xu Ling felt that all of his teammates' eyes were focused on him, and the heavy expectations were almost tangible.

"If needed..."

"That's it!"

Knight's voice suddenly rose, interrupting Xu Ling, but this time it wasn't a roar, but a rebuttal mixed with anxiety and urgency, as if trying to stop him from falling into a trap.

“If you’re thinking, ‘I need 20 points to win,’ then we’re fucking doomed! They’re just waiting for you to think that!”

Xu Ling froze, swallowing back the words he was about to say. He looked at Knight, realizing that the coach saw much deeper than he did.

Knight took a deep breath, stepped forward, and almost faced Xu Ling: "That old fox Roy Williams, he may not have any new tricks, but he's not stupid! He'll use two, three, or even four people to surround you! Because he knows better than anyone else—killing you is the same as killing us."

The air in the locker room seemed to freeze; only heavy breathing could be heard.

In the suffocating silence, Xu Ling's gaze slowly swept over each of his teammates—seeing the trust, anxiety, and a certain urgent fighting spirit in their eyes.

He looked at Knight again, knowing it was time to show his resolve; he knew what Knight wanted him to say.

“Then let them come,” Xu Ling said without room for argument. “Perfect, we can remind them of one of the oldest truths since the birth of basketball—this sport has always been a team sport.”

After the second half began, things happened exactly as Knight had predicted.

Whenever Xu Ling receives the ball on the perimeter, Danny Green, who is guarding him, will double-team him along with the nearby North Carolina player.

Xu Ling, who was well-prepared, always passed the ball to his open teammates just as the double-team was about to be completed.

Tar Heels believe in talent, because their first national championship in the Roy Williams era relied on unstoppable talent.

That was North Carolina in 2005, a team so talented that Marvin Williams, the second overall pick in that year's NBA draft, was relegated to the bench. Roy Williams put in a tremendous amount of work to orchestrate such a brilliant team; their belief in talent trumped all basketball theory.

This led them to believe that as long as Xu Ling stopped scoring, TTU would be doomed.

Then, Alan Voskull stepped up and hit a three-pointer.

Hansbrough called for the ball in the low post and backed down Plefka. The dull thud of muscles colliding echoed through the noise, and Plefka was forced back several steps, but managed to hold his position at the last moment. Xu Ling provided timely help defense, forcing Hansbrough to take a fadeaway shot—the ball bounced off the back of the rim.

Jackson grabbed the rebound, and Xu Ling had already started his run. North Carolina's defense was a beat too slow, and Jackson made a long pass to Xu Ling, who was cutting off the defender. Xu Ling faked out Green and easily scored a layup.

The tar heel team became increasingly agitated.

They knew the situation was bad. If locking down Xu Ling would mean unleashing the full firepower of the rest of the TTU, then what was the point of locking him down?
Roy Williams remained on the sidelines, clearly believing the situation wasn't dire enough to stop the game, and that North Carolina could still score using their talent.

Hansbrough scored with a turnaround jump shot.

Lawson then capitalized on TTU's missed outside shot to complete a fast break, and then Xu Ling drew the defense and assisted Jarius Jackson to hit a three-pointer.

North Carolina grew increasingly impatient, escalating their defensive intensity dramatically. Danny Green quickly accumulated fouls due to overly aggressive defensive moves.

Ten minutes into the second half, Green had already accumulated four fouls, and he began to hesitate, while Xu Ling decisively seized this opportunity to launch a fierce attack with the ball.

Green was beaten because he was afraid to make a move.

Brandon Wright, who was completely marginalized in the second half, blocked Xu Ling's path to break through.

He was swept aside by Xu Ling and did nothing.

Xu Ling leaped up, drawing Hansbrough's help defense, and then assisted Plevka for a mid-range jump shot.

This goal extended TTU's lead to 11 points.

Xu Ling seized the opportunity when North Carolina's defense was not double-teamed in just one round, which made North Carolina's defense even more frantic.

Wayne Ellington responded with a three-pointer, a shot that acted like a shot of adrenaline, igniting the cheers of the North Carolina fans...

Xu Ling has already made a move.

Danny Green's center of gravity seemed to be nailed to the floor; before he could even reach out, Xu Ling had already run over him. Hansbrough hastily came to his aid, but it was too late.

"Damn Chinese!"

Hansbrough's roar mingled with the noise of the crowd.

In the instant of the aerial confrontation, Xu Ling's body resembled a fully drawn bow. His right hand firmly protected the ball, but at the highest point, he suddenly pulled back, sending the ball arcing along his waist to his left hand. Hansbrough's arm swung in vain, only able to watch helplessly as the orange-red shadow swept past his fingertips.

"Uh-huh!"

"OMG!" Dan Shulman exclaimed excitedly from the commentary booth, "Eli has replicated MJ's mid-air hand switch from the 1991 Finals!"

As the scoreboard ticked, the North Carolina bench fell into a deathly silence. Green stood rooted to the spot, staring down at his trembling hands, while Hansbrough's mind went completely blank.

Until Xu Ling's words came like a cold wind: "You defend like an idiot, and you talk like an idiot, but don't let that fool you. You are a genuine idiot."

Jordan stared in disbelief at the replay on the big screen.

He has recounted that 1991 reverse layup on countless different occasions, but he doesn't really care about it, because he can find at least twenty layups that are more difficult than that one in his career.

But at this moment, when Xu Ling replicated this move on North Carolina's home court, Jordan smelled a familiar scent of blood—the despair that permeated the air when a hunter delivers a fatal blow to its prey. Hansbrough's dazed gaze, Green's trembling hands, and the sudden freeze in the atmosphere of the entire arena all reminded him of the fleeting look of astonishment on Magic Johnson's face back then.

Are they doomed?
No, Michael, not yet, at least not now.

North Carolina's counterattack came weakly and hastily. Their three-pointer slammed into the rim like a kite with a broken string. The moment Xu Ling leaped up to grab the rebound, North Carolina's entire defense seemed to be put on pause. Like a sword drawn from its sheath, he dribbled straight into the opponent's heart of the defense, drawing a triple team before flicking the ball to the trailing Jackson.

"Uh-huh!"

A three-pointer was hit, bringing the point difference to 13 points.

With less than six minutes remaining in the game, Roy Williams called a timeout and abandoned the strategy of double-teaming Xu Ling, ordering his players to apply full-court pressure on the opponent. Time was running out, and this was their last stand.

After the timeout, North Carolina tried to launch a counterattack.

Wright stepped up to set a screen and then spread out to receive the ball. Despite not having made a single shot tonight, Wright believed he had a great responsibility and took the shot decisively, but his teammates dared not have any expectations.

boom!
This seemed like a scene destined to happen: Xu Ling nimbly retreated to the basket and firmly grabbed the defensive rebound, but as soon as he turned around, three North Carolina players blocked all his way like a blue tide - Lawson in front, Green on the left, and Ellington on the right. North Carolina's full-court press instantly surrounded him, trapping him in the corner of the baseline.

The honed fast-break training and the tacit understanding Jackson had built up over the past year now replaced all thought. Xu Ling didn't hesitate—he didn't even look up to check, relying entirely on intuition and trust—and launched the ball forward like a cannonball!
There was no one there, but he was sure Jackson was running.

The basketball tore through North Carolina's defense, spanning most of the court. And the instant the ball was released, Xu Ling himself also started with full force, sprinting out like a bullet train.

Jackson didn't disappoint. He sprinted to his position, scooped up the ball just before it went out of bounds, and passed it back to Xu Ling, who had already sprinted to the center circle. North Carolina's defense completely collapsed during these two cross-court passes, with only Brandon Wright holding firm in the paint, trying to protect the last line of defense.

Xu Ling transformed into a streak of red lightning, slashing straight towards the basket. Wright stood in the center of the paint, his feet seemingly nailed to the spot, forced to watch helplessly as the figure hurtled towards him.

He was in the best defensive position, but he felt like he was standing on the tracks facing a train rushing towards him.

Xu Ling covered the distance from the center line to the free-throw line in just three steps. His dribbling rhythm was like a war drum, each beat striking Wright's taut nerves. When Xu Ling gathered the ball and started to move, Wright reflexively jumped, but regretted it the moment he took off; his body was not fully prepared, and his jump height was far from sufficient.

The championship banners hanging on Cathedral Hill, the legendary jerseys retired from the arena's dome—all these became the final straw that broke Wright's back. His defensive arm limply rose, like a white flag of surrender. In the instant the two bodies collided in mid-air, the stronger one utterly crushed the weaker one.

A deafening boom!!!
The basketball was slammed into the basket by Xu Ling like a shooting star.

With a creaking sound from the basket, Wright fell backward like a puppet with its strings cut. The last thing he saw as his back hit the floor was Xu Ling's figure hanging from the rim.

“OH MY GOD!!! Eli Xu destroyed North Carolina! He ran over Brandon Wright! Look at that dunk! Look at Wright falling to the ground! Ladies and gentlemen, this is a massacre!”

“That’s brutal!” Dick Vitale yelled. “Brandon Wright shouldn’t have jumped at all! He was like a terrified rookie! Eli completely destroyed his defensive will! Look at the replay, who remembers what Wright said before the game? Eli was overrated? He’ll destroy Eli? TTU is the only non-elite team in the quarterfinals?”

"Is there any trash talk more disastrous than this in the history of college basketball?"

"ended."

“I mean,” Jordan muttered to himself, his face expressionless, “it’s really over.”

Because these people are ultimately just a group of students. They are very strong and full of talent, but they are not winners. They don't have a winning mentality, and they don't know how to recover from this situation.

Look at Tyler Hansbrough, and then look at Ty Lawson, do they still have any fighting spirit left?

Who caused this mess?
Jordan looked at Brandon Wright with disgust.

However, now that the outcome is decided, it's time to set aside our support for our alma mater and take a good look at this legendary TTU Jordan.

The Bobcats are a tanking team. Although they have developed versatile players like Gerald Wallace over the years, their gamble on Adam Morrison a year ago can almost be declared a failure. They still haven't been able to get a reliable core player in the draft.

Jordan sensed a familiar aura about Xu Ling.

Thinking of this, Jordan glanced at the NBA executives in the front row.

It's likely that Xu Ling's popularity will rise again after tonight, and he may very well secure a spot in the top five.

Thinking about this, an even deeper sense of irritation welled up inside me.

Unfortunately, his Bobcats team is in the most awkward position this year: they're not good enough, they're a bit far from the playoffs; they're not bad enough, their chances of getting a top-five pick are extremely slim.

Jordan couldn't help but spit out his own saliva.

GOAT suddenly realized that nothing had gone smoothly for him since he flew here to watch the game.

The morale of the tar-heeled team collapsed.

Although Roy Williams eventually broke his bad habit of not calling timeouts, a collapsing team cannot be brought back on track simply by calling timeouts.

Texas Tech, riding this wave of momentum, played even better, hitting every three-pointer. This terrifying outside shooting accuracy extinguished North Carolina's last hope.

The most anticipated match in the finals of the four divisions of the Third Madness series ended with the most shocking result: 101 to 76.

The Texas Tech Red Raiders, who were not favored before the game, defeated the ACC champions, the University of North Carolina, by a large margin to become the Western Conference champions of the NCAA Tournament and reach the Final Four for the first time in team history.

Post-match interview
Brandon Wright was taken to the hospital with an ankle injury and was unable to give an interview.

Taylor Hansbrough bluntly stated: "I congratulate TTU, Elibi is better than rumored. We learned a lesson tonight, and an important one. No matter who you are, always keep an apprentice's mind. Otherwise, the master will knock you down until you can never get up again."

Roy Williams declined to comment on his timeouts and decision-making errors, playing it safe in front of reporters—it's never wrong to compliment your opponent: "I think Eli is the NCAA's Rookie of the Year. I genuinely believe that Oden and Durant couldn't have played like he did tonight in front of us."

Bob Knight was relatively calm about his return to the Final Four after 20 years: "It's not that I'm not excited, I just know our journey isn't over yet. What I want is the national championship, after all, no one judges excellence by the number of times they've made it to the Final Four."

Knight became much more excited when talking about Xu Ling.

"When we evaluate a good player, we always like to say that we shouldn't judge his value by his stats. But if we're talking about Eli tonight, you can't ignore the stats. He played the whole game and got 34 points, 12 rebounds, and 10 assists. I've been coaching college games for 40 years. I really don't think I've ever seen a better performance."

ESPN Post-Game Interview Transcript
The reporter smiled and handed over the microphone: "Eli, this is the first time in your college career that you've played a full 40 minutes. How does it feel?"

Xu Ling remained expressionless: "Yeah, right."

Slight laughter rippled through the room.

The reporter pressed further: "We noticed that you and Hansbrough had a lot of 'interactions' on the field. Can you reveal what you were talking about?"

Xu Ling's lips curled slightly upward: "It's a secret."

The reporter persisted: "You can't say a single thing?"

Xu Ling shook his head: "I'm afraid that won't work."

Reporter: "Let's talk about Brandon Wright. What's your opinion on his performance tonight?"

Xu Ling suddenly looked directly at the camera, his eyes bright: "There are 24 hours in a day, and 60 minutes in an hour. If I wanted to, I could crush him anytime, anywhere. Nevertheless, I still admire his effort tonight—though not particularly hard. But honestly, I don't want to waste too much breath discussing 'the only non-elite player in the top eight.'"

But he did talk a lot, didn't he?

(End of this chapter)