This striker is not serious

Time flies, and in the blink of an eye it has been a month since the NCAA started.

Durant and Lin Ying's defensive abilities have improved rapidly.

As Springman said, defensive skills and physical talent determine the upper limit of defense.

They are learning skills. In terms of talent, the most important defensive talent is wingspan, which is exactly what they all have.

And the interesting thing is that since Durant started practicing defense, one thing he must do after every game is to ask Springman how his defense is, even on nights when he scores 30+ points.

Springman was sometimes made dumbfounded by him.

However, this also exactly illustrates Durant's character. Barnes criticized him for not being good at defense, so he just focused on studying defense.

On this day, the University of Texas will face the Iowa State University Cyclones at home.

Barnes announced during the training session that Dj Augustin and Lin Ying would be the starters in the game!

After his announcement, his teammates congratulated Lin Ying and Augustin.

In the past month, the University of Texas played a total of 8 games with a record of 4 wins and 4 losses.

Counting the 1 win and 2 losses at the start of the game, their subsequent record is 3 wins and 2 losses.

After gradually adapting to the intensity of college competition, the freshmen at the University of Texas began to gradually show their talents, and the team's record improved.

In addition to Durant's visible defensive improvement, Lin Ying and Augustin also performed very well.

Lin Ying is steadily improving, getting more and more playing time and performing better and better.

And Augustin's scalpel-like breakthroughs, precise three-pointers, and excellent breakout ability have also begun to show their prowess.

However, the University of Texas' performance so far can only be considered okay.

Because the Big12 itself is not a major league, winning the championship is almost the only way to enter the top three.

And according to the rules, Big12 teams only play a total of 22 games in the official regular season. After playing 8 games, it means that one-third of the season has passed.

Their record now ranks 7th in the Big12 League.

If they cannot improve their ranking in the following games, they are likely to encounter Kansas early in the playoffs.

Once eliminated early, let alone winning the championship, the chances of getting a wild card are slim.

This is also the reason why Barnes adjusted the starting lineup earlier than expected, and adjusted two people at once.

Every next game will be crucial for the University of Texas.

Let’s talk about the timing of Barnes’ choice.

The Iowa State University Cyclones were named after an NFL game in the 1950s.

At that time, there was a tornado in Iowa, and the team also beat their opponents 36-0 in that night's game, hence the name of the Tornadoes.

From this history, you know that the strongest sport in this university is rugby.

As for basketball, it is much weaker in comparison.

To describe it in one sentence, this team is poorer than the Texas Tech team they played in the opening game.

The only one who can do it is Jeff Hornacek, whose future daughter will be more famous than his father.

So far, Hornacek still holds the Cyclones' top eight records, which further proves the mediocrity of this college.

Even in Lin Ying's memory, this university has never produced an All-Star player in the future.

Even now, the only point guard he remembers from Iowa State University is Mike Taylor, a late second-round pick.

So Barnes's choice is reasonable.

There was no class on the game day, so Lin Ying and Durant spent the whole day in the training gym.

Even the security guards at the door have become accustomed to them and sometimes give them keys to train them to open the door in advance.

"It's your first time starting, are you nervous?"

After training, the two of them sat on the ground against the wall to rest. Durant wiped his sweat and turned to look at Lin Ying.

Lin Ying nodded.

Although his overall performance in previous games was improving, starting and coming off the bench are different.

The biggest difference is that the opponent is likely to have studied him before the game, which will give him much less space to play.

"It's okay, just play a few more games and it will be fine."

Durant said and bumped Lin Ying's shoulder. This has become a habitual move between him and Lin Ying.

But he was also telling the truth. In the first game he played power forward, and he almost failed in his first shot.

But now, his performance on the court is already considered to be very comfortable.

"And with you here, it will be much easier for me to score."

Durant said and laughed.

Although Randy Williams, the previous starter, was good, his passing vision and ability were too poor.

But Lin Ying is different. In addition to his personal abilities, no one can compare to the tacit understanding they cultivated in the training ground and high school.

"Then help me get a triple-double."

Lin Ying took the words.

Durant's smile suddenly stopped, and then he looked at Lin Ying blankly.

Lin Ying looked a little strange at him and touched the corner of his mouth.

"What's wrong?"

"nothing."

Durant smiled and said nothing.

Lin Ying is becoming more and more different from when she was in high school.

…

There are only about two hours left before the game starts.

Lin Ying and Durant simply ate something and rested for a while before going to the basketball gym.

The main venue for the University of Texas game is called the Frank Owen Special Event Center, which can accommodate up to 16,755 people to watch the game.

This is not a special case of the University of Texas. The competition venues used by NCAA Division I teams are basically of this level.

This is also an important reason why many people say that NCAA games are comparable to the NBA.

When they arrived, there was still about an hour before the game started, but the fans had already arrived.

Two to three thousand Iowa State University fans came to the scene and sat in the area directly opposite the basket.

Although this was not their first home game, when they entered the stadium, adrenaline was still secreted uncontrollably along with the atmosphere.

It’s not that they are young, well, they are actually still young!

However, the atmosphere at the scene will make everyone excited, not to mention they are the ones who are going to play.

"Patience, care, and determination, defend your home court!"

After the warm-up, Barnes shouted at the top of his voice.

His voice was loud and full of energy, and the team members felt their whole bodies tremble when they heard it.

"Longhorn!"

The players folded their hands together and shouted the team slogan together.

Then, comes the opening ceremony!

What is a little different from the NBA is that the entire team is introduced during the NCAA's opening ceremony, with the starting five appearing last.

The away team comes first, and the lights on the field are on when the away team is playing.

After the home team, the lights dimmed, and only the home team had their spotlights on during the half.

The players came on stage one after another, and finally the starting five were the starting five.

"1.80 meters, from Missouri Towers High School in New Orleans, DJ~Augustin!"

When the first starting name was read out, although the home fans were a little surprised, they cheered immediately.

"2.01 meters, from Montrose Christian School in Washington, Lin~~ying!"

Then, when Lin Ying's name came out, the home fans were even more surprised, but the cheers were also louder!

With his tough defense and unique playing style, coupled with his unique skin color, Lin Ying already has many fans in Austin!

Augustine, James, Durant, Lin Ying, Wendell.

When the University of Texas' starting lineup came out, the Iowa State University coaching staff was surprised.

As mentioned earlier, the NCAA is not like the NBA and does not attract as many media and reporters attention. Iowa State University was not aware of this adjustment before the game.

Moreover, Lin Ying's previous worries proved to be misplaced, because the head coach turned to the assistant coach next to him to ask for his information.

Augustin's starting position seems to come naturally. Although he is not as talented as Durant, he is still a five-star high school student, and he was also selected for the McDonald's High School All-Star Game.

He was playing as a substitute earlier, and out of caution, Barnes allowed him to go through a step-by-step process.

But Lin Ying's high school rating was only three stars, the same as UCLA's Westbrook.

This is also the reason why Augustin didn't take kindly to Lin Ying's attitude when he first joined the team.

Although the basketball system in the United States is very complete, it is just like the imperial examination in ancient China. If you want to advance to the next step, you must be the best among your peers.

A three-star high school student obviously does not have this qualification.

But at this stage, this is not a bad thing for Lin Ying.

Because at least he won't be targeted tonight!

After the player introductions, the head coaches of both teams followed.

Lin Ying didn't recognize Iowa State University's head coach, but he found a familiar face on the assistant coach's side.

Fred Hoiberg.

Lin Ying also had a lot of information related to Hoiberg popping up in his mind.

Retired from the NBA in 2006, became the head coach of Iowa State University in 2010, became the head coach of the NBA Bulls in 2015 and briefly coached Derrick Rose, and was fired in 2018.

The timeline just happened to match up.

After the opening ceremony, the head coaches of both sides made their final tactical arrangements, and the starters all came on stage one after another.

Lin Ying took a deep breath before going on stage.

Durant bumped his shoulder after seeing it.

Their eyes met and Lin Ying nodded.

A jump ball between Wendell and the opposing center in the opening game.

Accompanied by the cheers of the home fans, Wendell jumped high and moved the ball back to half court. Augustin controlled the ball and the University of Texas got the first opportunity to attack!

Lin Ying was positioned at the top of the arc, and Augustin handed the ball to him after advancing to the frontcourt.

After Barnes adopted Springman's suggestion to let Lin Ying start, he made it clear that he was the core of the tactics.

The games over the past month or so have proven that Lin Ying is more of a threat with the ball.

So now I think back to what Abrams said back then. Although Barnes has a bad temper, he is indeed a good coach who knows people well and makes good use of them.

Lin Ying holds the ball at the top of the arc and observes the movements of his teammates on the field.

There is a big difference between playing as a starter and as a substitute.

When playing as a substitute, he is more of an initiator of pick-and-roll tactics and a tool to open up space.

But if he starts, he will be more responsible for connecting and organizing the team.

Because it was his first time playing as a starter, Lin Ying's training time with this group of starting players was not very long, so now it depends more on his personal performance.

His "cpu" started burning again.

The movement of teammates and the defense of opponents on the field have become a series of data invisibly.

Soon, he came to a conclusion and set his sights on Augustine.

Iowa State started the game man-to-man, and the focus of defense was on Durant.

At this time, Augustin had already used James's screen to bounce to the bottom corner for a three-pointer.

Iowa State's defensive rotation is much worse than Kansas, and the players who switch defenses are obviously slower.

Lin Ying passed the ball immediately.

That position, that kind of opportunity, Augustin's grasp is at least 50%!

The ball passed to Augustin like a cannonball.

Like three-pointers, passing can also be trained. Thousands of passing exercises can continuously improve the accuracy of passing.

Lin Ying's current passing ability is still B in his own rating, not excellent, but he is more than enough to pass this kind of ball.

Augustin reacted quickly. After catching the ball, he raised his hand and shot, without giving his opponent a chance to defend.

"Dang!"

It was a pity that the ball hit the edge of the basket and bounced out.

He failed to hit a three-pointer.

As soon as I started playing, my hands were still a little cold.

Iowa State protected the defensive rebound and immediately launched a defensive counterattack.

After receiving the ball, Taylor accelerated past James' defense and quickly broke into the frontcourt for a flying layup...

"boom!"

He was directly chased by James!

The University of Texas counterattacked with a fast break, but Iowa State's defense retreated in time and the fast break failed to move into position.

Augustin and Wendell played a pick-and-roll and then scored.

Augustin passed the ball a little low, and Wendell failed to catch the ball and threw it out of bounds.

Then, Iowa State's wave of positions still failed to score the ball...

The two teams played for more than a minute at the beginning, but there was no score yet!

The University of Texas' new lineup is getting used to it, while Iowa State's strength is limited, and the two sides feel a bit like noobs pecking each other!

Iowa State was not in a hurry, but the University of Texas, which was playing at home, was starting to get a little anxious.

The fans on the sidelines were agitated. Obviously, the team's opening performance was far from what they expected!

Barnes moved unconsciously at this time.

After drastically adjusting the starting lineup, he also faced tremendous pressure as the head coach.

On the court, Augustin made a sudden score and knew it was difficult to hit, so he gave the ball to Lin Ying again.

Lin Ying continued to hold the ball at the top of the arc.

At this time, the Iowa State fans behind the basket began to boo.

Although this era is not without big men who play from the outside, the more famous one this season is Ryan Anderson of the University of California, Berkeley.

With an outside shooting rate of nearly 40%, Anderson has averaged 17+ points per game in the past month and is the star of Berkeley.

However, stars who play this way are not liked by fans of this era, and generally those who play this way will be labeled "soft".

Dirk Nowitzki in the NBA is the most typical example.

Not to mention Lin Ying's skin color problem.

Lin Ying, this time he shot directly from beyond the three-point line!

Lonely people generally tend to have low self-esteem and are very concerned about other people's opinions.

The reaction of Iowa State University fans gave him a strong urge to prove himself.

Of course, there is no problem with this choice on the court.

As mentioned before, Iowa State University didn't know much about Lin Ying, and the person guarding him was at least two meters away from him at this moment.

This is basically a big empty space.

After the ball was released, Lin Ying's heart accelerated uncontrollably, and a "bang bang" sound seemed to explode in his ears.

Although this is not the first time he has made a three-pointer in an official game, it is not that he has never made a three-pointer before.

But this ball is still very important to him!

When he decided to train three-pointers and passing in high school, he had already defined himself as a space inside player.

If he can't hit a three-pointer, then his "space" is out of the question.

On a smaller scale, this is just a ball.

But speaking more broadly, this determines the way the University of Texas plays in the opening game!

The crazy training showed its significance at this time. Lin Ying's shot was almost perfect in both strength and angle.

After the ball was released, it drew a beautiful parabola with backspin in the air.

This ball can be scored just by looking at it!

"Whoosh!"

There was a crisp sound.

Lin Ying scored his first sports goal tonight!

And, it’s a three-pointer!!

The cheers of the Iowa State University fans were instantly overshadowed by the even louder cheers of the University of Texas fans.

The decibels were as high as a sonic boom from a fighter jet, causing eardrum pain.

The atmosphere of the NCAA! The atmosphere of the home court!!

Lin Ying also clenched her fists unconsciously.

At this time, Durant even ran to Lin Ying and shouted excitedly.

He looked more excited than Lin Ying.

This three-pointer broke the scoring drought on the court, which is really exciting!

In Iowa State's offense, Taylor used the center's pick-and-roll to break through to the basket.

Judging from the two consecutive offenses at the beginning, due to limited talent, Iowa State University basically had the ball in Taylor's hands alone.

However, Taylor's ability is indeed outstanding, and his immediate combat ability and experience can be ranked at the bottom of the first-class level in the NCAA.

At this moment, he used a breakthrough to change direction and passed Wendell, making a beautiful underhand layup.

"boom!"

But his ball was blocked by the nail board again!

This time the person who blocked the shot was not James, but Lin Ying!

Lin Ying had already returned to defense in advance when Taylor broke through, and then used Wendell's body cover to catch him by surprise!

This ball can be missed, just like what was shown in the opening, Iowa State University knows too little about Lin Ying!

Anyone who has watched the video of the University of Texas game will know that Lin Ying moves frequently on the defensive end and must pay attention to his skills.

It's pity that Taylor, the star guard of the big12, was given two big blocks by James Lin in the opening game.

Lin Ying grabbed the defensive rebound after nailing the board, turned around and passed the ball to Augustin.

Augustin had already passed the three-point line.

He previously played as a substitute with Lin Ying, and after a month of playing games, he has established a good understanding.

When the ball was given to him, he accelerated to throw away the opponent's defender, ran to the frontcourt for a fast break layup, and then scored.

5 to 0!

The University of Texas took the lead in attacking!

The University of Texas fans cheered one after another.

They can also see the team's progress!

In Iowa State University's offense, Taylor finally wised up after being risked twice, and this time chose to take a mid-range shot behind the screen.

This time he finally found a chance to show off his scoring ability, and the ball missed the basket and fell into the net.

Iowa State also broke its scoring drought.

The ball rights were exchanged, and Lin Ying continued to hold the ball at the top of the arc in the frontcourt.

After he hit that three-pointer, Iowa State knew that he had three-point ability, which would make the power forward guarding him follow him to the three-point line.

Then, the sense of space on the court emerged, just like the previous scene against Kansas.

A very important point is that although the NCAA court is not as big as the NBA, if inside players are pulled to the outside, their protection of the basket will be obviously weakened.

Unless there is a dominant center who can radiate the entire basket, the opponent will be unable to defend against an air cut.

that's the truth.

Wendell blocked the opponent's center, and Durant used James' cover to come out.

His movement pinned down most defenders, and when James cut back to the basket from the other side, no one would care anymore.

Lin Ying passed the ball directly to the basket!

James showed his top physical fitness and was led into the air by the ball. The moment he caught the ball in the air, his head was level with the basket.

"Bang!"

A one-handed alley catch, then one hand turned into two hands, and the ball was slammed into the basket!

To use the classic explanation of a certain rain in the future:

This ball is quite explosive!

The Frank Erwin Center is absolutely on fire!

Even on the bench, Barnes couldn't help but get up excitedly and pump his fist.

Although the team didn't play well at the beginning, their performance in the past few rounds completely exceeded his expectations!

It feels like... they only took the first few rounds to complete the running-in of the new lineup!

ps: Today’s 2 chapters add up to 12,000. This number of words is equivalent to 3 updates. Please vote and reward (づ￣3￣)づ╭~