NBA: Be the GOAT starting today!

The NCAA's March Madness rule stipulates that two consecutive rounds of games will be held in the same city's arena.

This also means that the Wildcats will have to stay in North Carolina, where RBC Arena is located, for several days. Fortunately, all related expenses during this period will be covered by the NCAA.

Early in the morning, Zhou Yi was woken up by his alarm clock.

After a quick wash and dressing, Zhou Yi routinely opened the system.

In the system tasks section, a task in progress was displayed.

[Season Mission: Advance in Madman III. The system will award different levels of exchange points based on the host's final Madman III score.]

First round: 100 exchange points

Second round: 200 exchange points

Sweet Top 16: 300 Exchange Points

Top 8 Elite Team: 500 Exchange Points

Final Four: 700 Exchange Points

Crazy Three Runner-up: 800 Exchange Points

Madness 3 Champion: 1000 Exchange Points

This Madman III advancement task was issued after Zhou Yi won the Southern League Championship and automatically obtained a Madman III spot.

When Zhou Yi saw the system issue this task, he was overjoyed, as he was worried about not having enough exchange points.

If we can do our best to reach the quarterfinals or semifinals, then we can do so during the offseason after the third season ends.

In addition to training Hamilton's already selected endurance talent, the I Ching can also train another talent or skill.

If you can reach the runner-up or even the champion, you can even exchange for two talents and skills that suit you.

This is a significant improvement for Zhou Yi, who will be participating in the talent show this year.

Today, in addition to the seasonal tasks, the system issued another random task.

[Random Mission: Defeat the Arizona State Sun Demons in the second round]

[Mission Reward: Obtain a random talent ability from James Harden, the star player of the Phoenix Suns]

James Harden? Second round? Winning a game grants Harden's random talent ability?

Upon seeing the system's random task, Zhou Yi quickly opened the laptop he had left at the hotel.

The second-round matchups have been released on the NCAA March Madness website.

The Davidson Wildcats' second-round opponent is none other than the Arizona State Sun Devils, who defeated Temple University 66-57 last night.

The NCAA website also released a report on last night's game.

James Harden scored 24 points, grabbed 7 rebounds, and dished out 4 assists, leading his team to victory over Temple University.

Looking at the news photos, Harden appears handsome and refined.

Zhou Yi found it hard to adapt; Harden didn't have a beard during his college years and even looked a bit goofy.

As a fellow draft pick from 09, Zhou Yi was already prepared to meet Harden, but he didn't expect it to be so soon.

In his next game, he will face off against James Harden, a future NBA legend known for his large physique.

After shutting down the system, leaving his room, and having breakfast, Zhou Yi arrived at the team's meeting room at the hotel.

The first and second rounds of the NCAA are only one day apart.

Therefore, on the day of rest, the team will not train, but will instead study the next opponent under the guidance of the coaching staff.

The Wildcats players, gathered together, were already discussing their next opponent in the meeting room—the Sun Demons, led by Harden.

Harden's college experience is somewhat similar to Curry's; both attended schools that weren't particularly strong in basketball.

However, the reasons for their rejections differed. Curry was not selected by top basketball schools in high school because he was too thin.

James Harden, a five-star high school player who was famous throughout the United States, actively declined invitations from basketball powerhouses such as North Carolina and Duke.

Harden chose Arizona State University, which gave him more ball possession and a greater role on the team, partly due to his high school coach, Pera.

Harden's choice, in retrospect, was the right one, judging from the next two college seasons.

At Arizona State University, Harden became the absolute core player, with unlimited shooting rights.

As a freshman, Harden averaged 17.8 points, 5.3 rebounds, 3.2 assists, and 1.8 steals per game, earning him a spot on the cover of Sports Illustrated.

Harden's stats improved again in his sophomore year, averaging 20.1 points, 5.6 rebounds, 4.2 assists, and 1.7 steals per game.

In the powerful Pac-10 league, Harden became the face of the team and won the scoring title and steals title.

Harden's outstanding performance in his two years of college earned him a top-five pick in the 09 draft class according to media predictions.

The Wildcats' discussion about Arizona State University mainly focused on Harden.

After all, facing such a high-level college star in the second round, the Wildcats were really unlucky.

The meeting room door opened, and veteran coach McGillop walked in. The players quickly stopped their chattering discussion.

Behind him, Lopdale followed in and sat down next to Zhou Yi.

The people in the conference room stared at Lopdale with curiosity. Shouldn't this captain, who had sprained his ankle, be resting at the moment?

"Wildcats, welcome back Captain Lopdale. After discussions and considerations with the coaching staff, Lopdale will travel with the team for the next game."

After McGillop finished speaking, the Wildcats' teammates looked surprised, but no one said anything.

Lopdale did not mention this to any of his teammates.

After hearing McGillop's words, Zhou Yi instantly understood that the Wildcats' captain planned to play despite his injury.

Looking at Lopdale, who was sitting calmly to the side, Zhou Yi nudged his friend with his elbow.

"Your injury hasn't even fully healed yet, are you sure you want to force a comeback?"

"That's about enough, Zhou. I'm the captain, and I should be standing on the court with everyone."

Lopdale spoke in a gentle tone, his voice conveying a sense of certainty and responsibility.

......

Meanwhile, in the Oklahoma City Thunder's general manager's office.

Presti is currently in a difficult situation, facing a choice that could determine the fate of the team.

Presti has been keeping an eye on the young man ever since scouting director Hennigan recommended Zhou Yi of the Davidson Wildcats.

He watched as Zhou Yi and Curry won the Southern Conference Championship and advanced to the first round of the "Mad Men's World Championship".

He initially shared the same opinion as everyone else: the Wildcats, having lost their star center, would be eliminated by the Bulldogs.

But Zhou, this amazing kid, actually led the Wildcats with Curry to defeat the Bulldogs, who were their natural enemies.

At that moment, Presti seemed to have already decided that in the future, Zhou would wear the Thunder's draft cap and step onto the stage.

However, the coaching staff, led by Scott Brooks, has been strongly recommending James Harden, the chubby guard from the Phoenix Suns.

Their reasoning was simple: the Thunder already had the talented rookie Durant, so they didn't need another small forward.

However, on the team's bench, they need a player who has both ball-handling talent and immediate impact.

In the Pac-10 conference, where the average strength is strong, Harden is able to lead Arizona State University to outstanding results as the main player.

Although Zhou Yi scored higher, he was playing in the Southern Conference, where the average strength of teams was low, and he had Curry, a top player in his class, as his teammate.

Zhou Yi's ability to develop his own offense is not as good as Harden's, which is what Brooks emphasized.

Presti was having a headache. There were two different options within the Thunder regarding the 09 draft. He clutched his dwindling hair.

Until he saw the news about the Davidson Wildcats playing against the Arizona State Sun Demons.

He summoned his secretary.

"Jenny, book a flight to Raleigh. I want to watch Zhou and Harden play tomorrow in person."