NBA: A collection of super busts

He didn't want his players to be nervous.

A little atmosphere adjustment is necessary, too!

Then, Klein looked at Wade: "Come on, Dwyane, tell me exactly what you put in that guy's... and then tell me what the characteristics of the guy you're guarding are."

Judging from the atmosphere at Marquette University, they didn't take their opponents seriously at all, which was to be expected. They had two top stars who were projected to be lottery picks in 03, a year known as an "epic draft year." Although these two were not quite up to the standards of a high school student who had already read the preface of Martin Luther King Jr.'s autobiography and a freshman from Syracuse University, they were definitely among the top contenders in the NCAA.

They have absolute confidence in a team like Pittsburgh that focuses on teamwork and working with ordinary players.

This confidence reached its peak after the players entered the Mets Arena.

The Metropolitan Arena, which can hold 64000 people, is packed with people. Compared to this, the NBA arenas, which generally only hold 1.8 to 1.9 people, are not even big enough to be considered children.

It's important to know that during the March Madness knockout stage, starting with the Round of 64, every arena is a massive stadium that can hold at least 6 people, with some even approaching 10! Whether it's a match between well-known powerhouses, a rivalry between prestigious universities, or a clash between underdog teams, every game at March Madness is guaranteed to be packed!

This is why people often say that the NCAA is the most popular basketball league in the United States.

Tonight, as soon as the Marquette Golden Eagles players entered the arena, the enthusiastic fans erupted in a frenzy of cheers and shouts. Judging from the volume of the noise, at least 6% of the fans in this so-called neutral arena were Marquette University stalwarts.

As for the remaining 4% of fans, they are not Pittsburgh supporters; they are just local neutral fans who came to watch the game. However, considering the gap between the two teams' rosters and Marquette's explosive playing style, once the game starts, the vast majority of fans will immediately become Marquette University supporters.

"64000 people?" Wade said, "I think there are at least 8 people here! We played here last time, and they also claimed to have 64000 people, but there were far fewer than tonight."

"There are probably a lot of people sneaking in without tickets," Ye Feng said. "When you entered just now, did you see anyone checking or verifying tickets?"

"Really, there isn't!" Wade clapped his hands and exclaimed, "Minnesota's security measures are absolutely terrible!"

"Dwayne, wake up!" Edwards couldn't help but say. "We came out through the players' tunnel; there's no way there would be ticket checkers there!"

"FUXX!" Realizing he had been tricked, Wade turned around to seek revenge on Ye Feng, but he didn't expect that the guy had already rushed to the basket and slammed the ball in with a 360-degree spin dunk. After the dunk went in, the crowd immediately erupted in a crazy cheer.

This is what the fans came here for!

This kind of explosive dunk is what gets fans' blood pumping and their adrenaline soaring.

This is also why neutral fans will definitely support Marquette University once the game starts.

Their playing style is very captivating!

"You're a coquettish guy." Wade grumbled, "You just like to be in the limelight. Aren't you afraid of being beaten for being such a coquettish person?"

"Dwyane, give me one." Edwards picked up a basketball from the side and passed it to Wade.

"Hey, I'm not that showy." Wade muttered to himself while holding the ball, and then suddenly unleashed a series of flashy and complicated behind-the-back and between-the-legs dribbles. He then tossed the ball toward the basket and ran after it.

He jumped, caught the ball with one hand in mid-air, and stretched his entire body into a reverse bow shape. After a noticeable pause in the air, Wade unleashed his full power and slammed the ball into the basket with explosive force!

"Dwayne! Dwayne! Dwayne! Dwayne!"

The crowd erupted in wild and enthusiastic cheers. Even before the match had officially started, the fans showed no restraint and gave their all in cheering.

After those two dunks, the number of fans willing to make noise at the stadium increased even more.

Unlike Ye Feng, who waved and interacted with fans after dunking, Wade stood still, pretending to be deep, and started dribbling the basketball again. Then, he dribbled in a rather pretentious manner, struck a pose, and shot the ball.

If this kind of behavior happened on a local basketball court in China, it would be considered a classic act of showing off.

At this moment, the University of Pittsburgh players also entered the arena. The cheers that greeted them were much quieter. Only a small group of people on the left side of the court cheered excitedly when they saw the Pittsburgh players. Needless to say, these hundreds of people were die-hard fans who came from Pittsburgh.

After the players from both sides arrived, they began a proper warm-up. Then, the starting players from both sides came to the center of the stadium to prepare for the crucial round of 16 match.

The craziest thing about March Madness is that every match is a life-or-death battle, a decisive battle, a fight to win or go home.

That's what makes them so appealing!

Especially since the players are all college students around 20 years old, their performance in the game is bound to fluctuate. This makes March Madness one of the competitions in the world with the highest rate of upsets, and the most likely to see various dark horse comebacks, strong teams upset, and underdogs defeating their opponents.

This is why many famous superstars have never won an NCAA championship, while many players who have won the Most Outstanding Player award still can't even make it to the NBA. The Most Outstanding Player award is the most glorious moment of their careers.

This is a magical league, so even though Marquette University has an absolute advantage on paper and they are absolutely confident, they do not underestimate their opponents and their pre-match preparations are also extremely thorough.

Wade, Ye Feng, and others know every player in Pittsburgh intimately, and their knowledge of their upcoming opponents is even more profound, perhaps even more so than that of some of the girls they've faced.

As the match time approached, the ten starting players from both sides took to the field.

Marquette University:

Point guard and team's top scorer, Travis Diena.

Shooting guard, before he developed STDs and his jawline expanded, the team's star player, Dwyane Wade.

Small Forward & Excellent Role Player Scott Merritt

Power Forward, Child of Another Dimension, Transcendent Star, Cheat Code User, Stormborn, Dwyane Wade's Father, Marquette School's Most Handsome Man in History, Mysterious War God from the East, East Asian Destructive Dragon, Imperial Ferocious Tiger, Devilish Muscle Man, Heavy Shotgunner, Time Controller, Ye Feng

Center: Excellent role player Todd Townsend

In addition, Marquette has another top shooter on the bench who will be recognized by many people in the future: Steve Novak, a sophomore!

It's easy to see from the introductions of the Marquette University players that their starting lineup includes a father and son.