Chapter 128 Final Four

While UConn took the Western Conference Championship, the other divisional champions were also decided. Butler University continued its dark horse form from last year and became the Southeast champion. Kentucky and Duke lived up to expectations, defeating their opponents to become champions of the East and Southwest, respectively.

That meant the Final Four of the tournament were set: UConn, Duke, Kentucky, and Butler.

With the champions decided, so were the semifinal matchups. Butler would face Kentucky, while UConn would face defending champion Duke University.

First Arizona, then North Carolina, and now Duke. If the University of Texas hadn't unexpectedly knocked out Kansas, UConn would truly be experiencing the most hellish gauntlet imaginable.

But from another perspective, this was also UConn's good fortune.

NCAA champions come and go every year, but few leave a lasting impression. If UConn could win the championship under these hellish circumstances, they would surely be remembered in history, becoming a topic of conversation for fans for years to come.

As the defending champion, Duke University was not only the No. 1 seed in the Southwest region but also the No. 1 seed in the entire NCAA tournament. They boasted Kyrie Irving, last year's tournament MOP (Most Outstanding Player), Kyle Singler, Nolan Smith, Miles Plumlee, Mason Plumlee, Ryan Kelly, Seth Curry, and a host of other NBA-caliber players.

It was no exaggeration to say that even Curry on the bench could be the absolute core player at a normal school.

This was a ridiculously stacked roster, but that's Duke for you!

And Duke had a man named Mike Krzyzewski!

The famous Coach K!

The biggest difference between the NCAA and the NBA is the power of the head coach. Because there is no management, the head coach is basically all-powerful.

Your future, your basketball career, is basically all decided by the head coach.

A good coach can take players to a bigger stage, provide them with more exposure opportunities, and lead to a better future and life.

It's a mutually beneficial relationship.

The reason Duke can have so many top players is because they have Coach K, a legendary coach who can be compared to Dean Smith!

That's why all the top high school players in the country are squeezing their heads to get into Duke's doors.

Reaching the Final Four stage, the tournament's attention soared, and the venues were further upgraded.

The Final Four includes two semi-final games and one final game, for a total of three games.

The location for these three games had already been decided: Reliant Stadium in Houston.

As the first professional American football stadium with a retractable roof in the United States, this old stadium is well-known. Its roof is made of highly transparent fiberglass, which gives the feeling of being completely open even when closed.

Of course, the stadium's seating capacity is also considerable, accommodating 72,000 spectators at the same time, which fully meets the requirements of the NCAA Final Four.

More than 70,000 people watching a basketball game at the same time is a truly unique scene worldwide, and that's the charm of the NCAA.

Even the NBA will choose to suspend games to give way to it for the final.

The Final Four teams arrived in Houston one after another the day before the game.

Tang Tian was particularly familiar with Houston. Chinese giant Yao Ming spent his entire career here, and in his previous life, as a coach, he also lived in this city.

UConn and Duke's game would be the first to be played. To relax his players, Calhoun didn't schedule any routine training that day.

"Are you nervous? Guarding Singler," Walker asked while playing 2K with Tang Tian in the hotel.

Kyle Singler is a legendary figure in the NCAA. In his freshman season, he averaged 13.3 points and 5.9 rebounds, becoming the Atlantic Coast Conference Rookie of the Year. Last season, as a junior, he was named MOP, scoring 19 points, 9 rebounds, 2 assists, and 3 blocks in the final against Butler University, helping Duke win the championship.

"Not nervous, have you ever seen me nervous?" Tang Tian said with a smile. He wasn't worried about Singler. Putting aside his past life experience, even in the past few games of the tournament, he could handle Derrick Williams and Barnes, so why would he be afraid of Singler?

"You don't need to be nervous. Irving just recovered from his injury not long ago. He can't beat you," Tang Tian said, knowing that Walker was worried about his game.

"Yeah." Walker nodded this time without explaining anything.

Having ambition is a good thing, but being too ambitious is arrogance. Walker was clearly not that kind of person.

The only guard in this year's class that Walker worried about, or at least recognized in his heart, was Irving.

How good was Irving's talent?

As a freshman, Irving basically didn't play much due to a toe injury. In 11 games, he averaged 17.5 points, 3.4 rebounds, and 4.3 assists, with a 59% field goal percentage and a 45% three-point percentage.

A rookie with an injury can put up these kinds of numbers, especially after returning from injury to lead the team to the Final Four and becoming a top draft pick, which speaks volumes.

While UConn didn't schedule training, Duke University did.

Coach K held a basic training session in the training hall, focusing on warm-up and shooting to help the players get in shape before the game.

As the favorite to win this year's tournament, Duke's training attracted a lot of media attention, including media giants like ESPN and TNT.

It is worth mentioning that the Final Four will be broadcast live nationwide. TNT's star commentators Charles Barkley and Kenny Smith, and ESPN's top commentators Mike Breen and Reggie Miller will all be present to commentate.

Irving was constantly communicating with Coach K, and the reporters didn't have the opportunity to interview him. However, they did manage to catch Kyle Singler.

Singler was much more famous than Irving in the NCAA, so they weren't at a complete loss.

"Kyle, the University of Connecticut defeated North Carolina this year and has a strong team. What do you think of this opponent?"

"That's a sad thing." Singler's answer was somewhat unexpected.

"Playing against North Carolina is something every Duke player wants to do. When the brackets came out, I was a little excited. You know this is my last year of college, and I wanted to complete the last thing I wanted to do as a Duke player, but it didn't happen," Singler said with regret.

What he said was perfectly fine. He had already won an NCAA championship and was named MOP. Beating North Carolina was indeed the only thing he hadn't accomplished.

The reporter was obviously stunned for a moment. What he said was true, but it seemed like he hadn't answered the question!

"What do you think of the University of Connecticut, your opponent in the semifinals?" He could only ask again.