Chapter 120 NCAA Finals

The game between Kentucky and Butler University was on the following night, also at Reliant Stadium.

The stadium held over 70,000 people, with 40,000 Kentucky fans and 30,000 Butler fans, similar to the previous night.

The UConn players watched the game from the sidelines.

Kentucky this year was led by Brandon Knight and Terrence Jones. Compared to last year's Super Five Tigers (Wall, Cousins, Patrick Patterson, Eric Bledsoe, Daniel Orton), the roster strength was significantly weaker, but their schedule was good, and entering the Final Four was relatively easy.

Their opponent, Butler University, was last year's super dark horse, and this year they basically retained their roster, so it was expected that they would reach the Final Four.

In fact, this year several strong teams were placed in the West and Southwest regions, and the competition in the East and Southeast regions was naturally less intense.

Butler University is a small school and does not have many advantages in recruiting students, so they play complete team basketball, with very high execution in both offense and defense.

Kentucky's tactical style is a bit like Duke's, giving their star players freedom on the court.

After the game started, Knight and Jones fired from the inside and outside, quickly helping Kentucky take the initiative on the court.

But soon, Butler University's team play caused trouble for Kentucky's twin stars. Each of their scores consumed a lot of energy. By the end of the first half, they were only 32-36, trailing Kentucky by 4 points.

After watching half the game, Tang Tian quickly understood the key to Butler University's ability to become a strong team: attrition.

Through confrontation and physical contact, they would wear down the opponent's core players' stamina, forcibly pulling them down to a similar level.

Therefore, the scores of teams that play against Butler University are usually very low.

This seems simple, and every university can do it, but it's different in a real game, because in order to really achieve attrition and restriction, there must be enough tacit understanding on both offense and defense. Otherwise, with the talent of ordinary players, they can easily be blown up by their opponents.

This is what makes Butler University different.

You can see this from the composition of the team. Their core members are basically juniors and seniors.

The rhythm of the second half was almost exactly the same as the first half. Kentucky quickly widened the score to double digits at the beginning, but in the second half, Knight and Jones were defended so well that they repeatedly missed shots, and Butler University took the opportunity to catch up.

In the end, Knight and Jones were a little mentally broken, and they made mistakes one after another.

Butler University seized the opportunity and a small run directly sealed the game.

55 to 50, Butler University finally defeated Kentucky with a 5-point advantage, entering the NCAA finals for the second consecutive year.

"The finals will be difficult, but we will still win." Unlike when he watched the North Carolina game before, Walker was unprecedentedly confident at this moment.

"Well, cherish it, this is our last game." Tang Tian said with a smile.

Butler University's style of play is to fight physically, mentally, and to grit your teeth to the end. If you can hold on, the chances of winning are great.

Knight and Jones' mental breakdown at the end led to Kentucky's loss, but UConn wouldn't. Whether it was him or Walker, or even the entire team, their mental attributes were maxed out after defeating Duke.

After a day of rest, on April 4th, US time, the NCAA final between UConn and Butler University kicked off at Reliant Stadium.

This time, the number of fans on both sides was evenly matched, and the famous alumni of both teams were basically there. Ray Allen and Hamilton were on the scene for UConn, and although Butler University was a little shabby, last year's core player Gordon Hayward also came to the scene.

Like the semi-final, the two teams were very anxious after the game started.

At the end of the first half, the score on the field was 34 to 33, with UConn leading by only 1 point.

This stalemate lasted until the last five minutes of the game.

Walker repeatedly forced his way to the basket, either scoring or drawing fouls to get to the free throw line, directly opening up the score.

The score on the field finally stopped at 60 to 50, and UConn defeated Butler University by 10 points, successfully winning the 2010-2011 season's NCAA championship.

At the moment when the final whistle sounded, although he was confident and knew he would win, when the ribbons fell and the scene was boiling, Walker couldn't help but shed tears. He and Tang Tian hugged each other tightly.

This 1.85-meter guard finally got what he wanted after three years.

The cheers of "Connecticut Huskies" continued to resound through Reliant Stadium, and unlike the previous game, this time it was accompanied by the excited tears of many fans.

UConn's hell-mode championship road was really extremely difficult, and if it were written into a biography, it would be an absolute bestseller.

Calhoun took the championship trophy from the league chairman, and the UConn players held the championship trophy and stood on the podium for more than ten minutes before coming down.

Their faces were more excited than the other. This was a championship moment for each of them, and it was also the most colorful and brilliant stroke in their lives.

Walker contributed 20 points, 4 rebounds and 8 assists in the semi-final, and scored 24 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists in this game, successfully being elected as the final MOP (Most Outstanding Player).

Walker's eyes were red, and he gave his acceptance speech.

He thanked many people, including his high school coach. From his words, you could feel that he had been holding back for this moment for a long, long time.

"I finally need to thank one person. He is very special to me. Maybe he doesn't even feel it himself, but whether it's after I'm injured or when I don't perform well in the game, he's helping me. Maybe you think it's crazy, but I think he's a different kind of mentor in my life."

Walker's words aroused curiosity from everyone on the sidelines.

This description was very similar to Calhoun, but Walker had already thanked Calhoun separately before.

"Tang, thank you, this is the best ending." Walker said from the bottom of his heart.

As soon as Walker said this, whistles rang out at the scene.

Tang Tian was only 18 years old, 2 years younger than Walker, but Walker regarded him as a mentor in life, which was really quite rare.

However, the performance of the UConn players confirmed what Walker said. They did not show surprise, and even head coach Calhoun was applauding for Tang Tian.

The outside world may not know, but everyone in this UConn team is very clear about the changes and contributions Tang Tian has brought to this team.

The reporter quickly gave the microphone to Tang Tian, which gave him an extra opportunity to make a speech.

The fans at the scene were also cheering. The UConn fans knew Tang Tian for his repeated defense and three-pointers in the game. Even the two game-winning shots against North Carolina and Duke made Tang Tian a very important figure in UConn's history.

"No, Kemba, this is not the end, it's just the beginning. Our NBA journey has just begun." Tang Tian only said one sentence.