Kahoun certainly had the confidence.

The Big East Conference is now the most popular conference in the NCAA. Since 2006, the conference has created a record of having 8 teams entering the tournament every year!

8 out of 16 teams, that's a pretty terrifying advancement rate.

The Pac-10 Conference, to which Washington State University belongs, is obviously much weaker, especially this new season. With the departure of their respective star players from last season, they are considered to be one of the weaker teams in all conferences.

Of course, what made Kahoun hesitate was that Washington State University happened to be the top team in this conference.

And there was also this Klay Thompson he emphasized.

Tang Tian was a little excited when he heard Thompson's name.

This was Thompson, the Klay who would later form the Splash Brothers with Curry.

Speaking of which, he didn't have much contact with the NCAA in his previous life, and he only knew that Thompson and Curry's college teams weren't very strong.

But now it seems that the situation is different from what he imagined.

Their teams weren't very good before these two went, but after they went, it probably wouldn't be the case. Although not the strongest, it certainly wasn't bad.

"This Thompson is very accurate with his three-pointers, and his style is a bit like Ray, like Richard, especially good at off-ball movement, it will be a bit troublesome to deal with." Kahoun was afraid that Tang Tian didn't know Thompson, so he added.

Of course, Tang Tian knew this. Thompson's off-ball movement was indeed very similar to Ray Allen and Hamilton, both of whom could play with unlimited stamina.

"I think we can play." Tang Tian thought for a while and gave his opinion.

"Tell me your reasons." Kahoun continued.

"First of all, I think UConn needs a tough battle to regain its reputation. The opponent is the top team in the Pac-10 Conference, and we are playing away. If we win, it will definitely achieve this effect."

Kahoun nodded.

"Secondly, as you said just now, the other side doesn't have any other stable scoring points besides Klay Thompson, and I can defend Thompson."

Kahoun couldn't help laughing when he heard that.

Tang Tian actually had high aspirations.

This was a good thing. In addition to strength, tenacity, endurance, and fighting spirit are very important for defense. Players without ambition may not do well even if they have talent.

"I will remember what you said." Kahoun listened, but of course he wouldn't make a final decision because of Tang Tian's few words.

Tang Tian didn't care. Anyway, he said what he had to say. For him, the next game was an opportunity to show off his three-pointers. It would be great if he could match up with Thompson, but it wouldn't have much impact if he couldn't.

In the next day's training session, Kahoun announced a piece of news.

The team would fly to Washington tomorrow to play an invitational game against Washington State University.

The players reacted differently after the news was announced, but most of them showed excitement on their faces.

Washington State University is the top team in the Pac-10 Conference. The team is on a three-game winning streak and has a lot of momentum. Playing against such a strong team is both a test and an opportunity.

Bloodthirstiness is the thing that is most abundant in a team dominated by freshmen and sophomores.

"The opponent proposed to play an invitational game with us at this time because they saw that our performance this season was not good and wanted to use us to improve the team's popularity, so this is destined to be not an easy game, but I hope you will show 120% of your state and win this game." Kahoun saw the bloodthirstiness on the faces of the players and immediately seized the opportunity to strike while the iron was hot.

"We will win."

"We will win!"

…

The bloodthirstiness was spreading, and until the end, the players shouted slogans in unison.

Kahoun nodded with satisfaction. Since everyone was ready to fight this tough road game, he no longer had any concerns.

The news that UConn was going to Washington quickly spread among the fans, and the fans were also particularly excited.

The team's performance was sluggish at the beginning of the season, but now it has recovered. It would be great to use such an opponent to sacrifice the flag.

Some hardcore fans even managed to get thousands of tickets on the spot and prepared to go to the scene as a group to cheer for the team.

Even this game has attracted a lot of attention from other NCAA teams.

The old powerhouse is facing the top of the league. Such a match-up is attractive enough, not to mention the duel between the two geniuses.

(Note: Walker is currently averaging 22.6 points, 5.3 rebounds and 4.6 assists this season. Klay Thompson is averaging 24.6 points and 5.6 rebounds, with a three-point shooting percentage as high as 49% and an average of 4+ three-pointers per game.)

Invitational Tournament, Washington State University naturally also did enough publicity before the game.

The day before the game, this match-up went directly to the front page of the NCAA, which can be described as highly anticipated.

Washington State University also attached great importance to this game. They did not use their campus basketball stadium, but used the Martin Stadium that they would only use in the elimination stage.

Martin Stadium is usually used for football games. After the seats are arranged, it can accommodate more than 35,000 people, which is more than all NBA arenas can accommodate.

But this is the NCAA.

You must know that for the final final, the venue generally selected has a capacity of basically 60,000 to 80,000 people, and the atmosphere on the scene is much hotter than the NBA.

The arena with more than 30,000 people was basically full that night. Except for a corner with nearly a thousand UConn fans sitting, all of them were home team fans, including students, middle-aged uncles, and even some old men. The feeling was even more lively than the NBA All-Star Game.

There was also an opening ceremony, and the players from both teams were introduced one after another.

Walker's appearance was greeted with cheers, but when Thompson appeared, the scene was completely ignited.

Thompson is now among the top scorers in the Pac-10 Conference and is one of the most popular stars in the league.

Tang Tian also saw Thompson, wearing a number 1 jersey. Unlike the Thompson who was later called the "Buddha" by fans, he didn't have a beard at this time, and his face was full of youthfulness. However, his hooked nose was as conspicuous as in the future.

After the opening ceremony, the players from both teams conducted their final warm-up training before the game.

At this moment, a reporter interviewed Tony Bennett, the head coach of Washington State University.

Bennett is only about 35 years old, and even in the NCAA, he is one of the youngest coaches.

He looked high-spirited and radiant.

Washington State University had never advanced to the Sweet Sixteen before, and was not favored before the season, but now it is at the top of the Pac-10 Conference and has invited UConn to play, which can be described as the peak of the school's history.

"Coach, what kind of opponent do you think the University of Connecticut is?"

"They are a great team. They have won two NCAA championships and reached the Elite Eight the year before last. Fighting against such a strong opponent is a very challenging thing." Bennett praised UConn in front of the reporter.