Where the noise did not reach

Chapter 17 The Road to 880
This season's Big 12 conference is hailed as the most competitive, not because it has behemoths like the University of Kansas, but because the entire conference has many strong schools besides the University of Kansas, making it a well-balanced competition.

Therefore, almost every round of the competition is as intense as 3rd Crazy.

After defeating Texas A&M University, Texas Tech University didn't even have time to catch their breath before facing their second tournament opponent, the Kansas State University Wildcats.

While the Wildcats may not have a nationally top player like Asi Law like the A&M University, their core player, Cartier Martin SG, is undoubtedly a first-rate player.

In some ways, he is another "similar in physique" challenger that Xu Ling has encountered in this tournament. Both are 6-foot-7 shooting guards with outstanding physiques at the college level, but their technical characteristics and playing styles are completely different.

As usual, Knight said to Xu Ling before the game, "If you can stop Asi Law, you can also deal with Cartier Martin. I don't care what method you use, I only care about the result!"

"Isn't this a bit unreasonable?" Xu Ling asked.

Knight raised an eyebrow: "Aren't you aiming to be the college Jordan? What's this challenge? If that's all the ambition you have, how are you going to face Kevin Durant next week?"

What he said made a lot of sense, making Xu Ling want to slap himself, and also want to emulate Knight's secret technique—locking the throats of everyone he didn't like—but then he thought better of it; there was no need for him to get angry with an old man who was ready to retire at any time.

Moreover, Xu Ling believed that this arrangement was beneficial to him.

It's clear that he possesses the basic qualities to be an excellent defender, but his talent in his previous life was too poor, so even his efforts were in vain. Successfully limiting Asi Law boosted his confidence, and he longed to face opponents with different styles.

Unlike Assy Law, Cartier Martin reminded Xu Ling of someone—Chris Middleton. Of course, only at the university level.

They all have outstanding physiques, are skilled at positioning, have poor ball handling, and have an alarmingly low open shot percentage.

Once upon a time, Middleton's outstanding performance against the Celtics in the playoffs made modern Celtics fans feel like the Celtics fans of the 80s were given PTSD by Andrew Tony, and they respectfully called him "that man". Cartier was no less impressive in college basketball.

Xu Ling was severely punished with shots for not being decisive enough when he squeezed screens in certain rounds.

Having witnessed his opponent's accuracy, Xu Ling decided to use close-range defense against him.

Faced with intense, close marking, Cartier Martin's fastidious offensive habits became apparent.

He really doesn't like being closely guarded, and in the Big 12 league, few players can provide such boundless, close defense as Xu Ling.

This feeling made Martin momentarily mistakenly believe that he was playing Madness 3 against Corey Brewer from the University of Florida.

This illusion struck Martin as absurd. Who was Brewer? The top 3-and-D player in college basketball, one of the core players in Florida's championship run. What did this rookie from TTU have to offer?
As he thought this, his accuracy plummeted.

"Eli's defense is getting better and better!" Pat Knight exclaimed in surprise. "He can come up with different strategies against different styles of opponents, and his maturity on the defensive end is unbelievable for a freshman!"

The TTU coaching staff couldn't understand why a center in a low-level, relatively easy high school in Hong Kong would possess such strong offensive and defensive fundamentals on the perimeter. Unable to comprehend it, they ultimately attributed it to the low level of competition in those schools, preventing him from fully utilizing his abilities.

"His offense still relies heavily on shooting percentage, but that won't be a fatal flaw in college basketball," Knight said earnestly, discussing Xu Ling's current offensive and defensive structure. "He's physically strong, he's fast, and his athleticism is elite. All of this contributes to his defensive aggression. I don't know which media outlet is spreading rumors that his defense is like Hondo's—that's utter nonsense! This guy's defense is like that jerk Gary Payton! They're practically cut from the same cloth!"

Knight humbly asked, "Is it because of Eli's defensive intensity?"

"No, Pat, what are you thinking?" Knight rarely joked about Xu Ling. "It's because of his damn mouth, of course!"

If Xu Ling knew that his dedicated defense had only earned him slander from Old Deng, he might be discouraged.

But honestly, he didn't say anything trash to Cartier Martin tonight.

He's not the kind of person who likes to spout nonsense for no reason.

In this respect, he is passive.

He would respond to his opponent's style of play.

In other words, Martin's quiet playing style spared him from the additional mental anguish that often follows athletic setbacks.

As the game progressed into the second half, Xu Ling realized that Martin only had a reliable chance of scoring when he caught the ball in an open position, so his defense became more targeted.

Martin's efficiency plummeted, missing five consecutive shots in the second half, allowing TTU to capitalize on the opportunity and launch a fierce counterattack, completely collapsing the situation.

Although Xu Ling didn't score many points tonight, his defense was outstanding. He played 31 minutes, recording 14 points, 11 rebounds, 4 assists, 3 blocks, and 1 steal. Notably, all three blocks were against Martin. Ultimately, Texas Tech defeated the Wildcats by 34 points, securing their second tournament victory.

At the end of the match, Cartier Martin said bitterly, "Our scouting report had huge flaws; they didn't tell me you were a damn defensive monster!"

Xu Ling responded, "Maybe you should blame your teammates; their cover was too poor."

Martin glanced at Xu Ling's physique. That build, those muscles—it was fucking ridiculous. Was this the kind of strength a freshman could have? With that build, how many college centers could actually hold him off? Oden? Noah? Was there a third?

"There's nothing to say, we have absolutely no chance of winning!" Martin sincerely hoped he would never have to face an opponent like Xu Ling again.

Xu Ling shook hands with him and then walked away.

This game may not have improved Xu Ling's draft prospects as significantly as the first game, but his consistently outstanding performance has made every game of Texas Tech a must-see for NBA scouts.

Interestingly, ESPN's draft website has a ranking of the top 100 draft picks for 2007, which is dynamic and changes based on the actual performance of the players on the list.

After the first two matches, Xu Ling's ranking has risen from 29th to 10th.

This also means that when ESPN updates its draft predictions next time, Xu Ling will be among the lottery picks.

Moreover, due to Xu Ling's outstanding performance on the defensive end, his draft comparison has changed from Glen Rice to Ron Harper.

Xu Ling was not only unhappy about this amusing incident, but also wanted to ask who they were.

The victory in the second tournament was even more significant for Bob Knight.

This brings his total number of wins in college to 879, tying Dean Smith for the most wins among coaches in NCAA history.

With Bob Knight still coaching and there's no indication he'll stop winning—the next game could very well be a historic milestone. He'll officially surpass everyone to become the all-time leading college basketball coach. That will be Knight's coronation—he might not loudly proclaim himself the GOAT, but rest assured, he certainly thinks so; and in countless interviews to come, he won't forget to take a jab at John Wooden.

Why? It's simple.

Knight believes he won these games in a truly competitive era—not in a “mini tournament” with only twenty-odd teams that automatically sent UCLA to the national finals; his opponents were not unknown small school teams, but national powerhouses roaming the map, a recruitment war between four- and five-star teams, and a pressure cooker under media scrutiny.

Moreover, he doesn't rely on any Los Angeles shady sponsors, nor does he have those money laundering businessmen around him who are "supposedly just friends." He didn't use money, cars, or bounced checks to acquire a room full of future NBA number one draft picks. His players are developed through training and discipline, not through stockpiling players in some underground "player market."

In Knight's mind, Wooden's championships were marked with asterisks. In his view, Wooden never won a "real" championship as he defined it—always remember, a real title. Those trophies were plated with gold, but in his eyes, they were nothing more than nicer tin foil.

If you were to ask Xu Ling for his opinion, he would say that Knight is right. However, even if your gold medal were converted into three gold medals during the Wooden era, it would still be 10 > 9. Moreover, although your recruitment record is clean, Wooden is a flawless white lotus in terms of character, speech, and the accusations he has made due to various degrading behaviors.

So, is this really such a big controversy?
A few days later, facing Baylor University, one of the weaker teams in the Big 12 conference, Xu Ling scored 32 points and led his team to dominate the opponent from start to finish, achieving a three-game winning streak. This also gave Knight his 880th career win, officially surpassing all college coaches and becoming the all-time leader in the history of the game.

While Knight used humble language like "it's just a number," Xu Ling was also asked a similar question.

He smiled and didn't repeat the polite phrases like "it's an honor to serve him."

“I think this victory makes Coach Knight the greatest coach of all time,” Xu Ling emphasized. “He is better than John Wooden.”

At this moment, Knight's old friend should have set up a camera—this veteran, known for his iron-fisted nature and who claimed to "never blush," was blushing from his granite chin all the way to the tips of his ears, like a college student caught cheating. Finally, all the embarrassment culminated in a roar: "What nonsense are you spouting?!"

Unexpectedly, Xu Ling looked at him with disappointment: "Coach, don't you think so?"

The freshman's face was full of silent defiance, as if to say, "Admit it, you are the GOAT."

A familiar chill ran down Knight's spine, as intense as the heat of his chair scraping against the Purdue University gymnasium floor on that disastrous night in 1985. For decades, he had struggled to control himself—until now. Facing Xu Ling's angelic, innocent gaze and devilishly blatant trap, he suddenly realized: the reporter's microphone was pointed directly at him.

"That's right!" Knight grabbed the microphone, glaring at Xu Ling. "I'm the greatest coach of all time!!!"

From that day forward, Texas Tech University not only had a freshman who claimed to be the "College Jordan," but also a head coach who shamelessly proclaimed himself the greatest of all time.

(End of this chapter)