The next afternoon, St. Louis Stadium.
This place has turned into a sky-blue ocean, with only a small black area, like a reef standing tenaciously in a huge wave.
Butler fans must be familiar with this scene, which is exactly the same as when the Bulldogs played against Kentucky State in the second round.
It was already 7:45 p.m., and the game was about to start. There was a lot of people on the scene, and the cheers from the Buddha University took the overwhelming advantage.
After all, the dark horse is just a dark horse. Before winning the championship, most fans will only look at Butler with scrutiny, and will not really support them.
On the bench of the University of Florida, the players gathered in a circle, listening to Donovan make the final arrangement:
"Butler has only one core, that is Stephen Curry, Tao Lin, and Corey. He will be handed over to you. As long as he can be restrained, we will win. Remember, we must defend Curry closely. His three It's spot on... Joakim, if he drives inside, you know what to do."
"Don't worry, coach." Noah responded loudly.
Donovan looked at Noah's relaxed expression, looked around, and found that everyone else was the same. They didn't seem to be worried about the upcoming game at all. He exhorted a little worriedly:
"Don't be careless, everyone, have you forgotten George Mason University last year? They broke into the final four!"
The smiles of the players were restrained, and Donovan continued to emphasize:
"Which schools did they kill along the way? Michigan State with Shannon Brown, North Carolina with Tyler Hansbrough, Danny Green and Rayshaun Terry, and finally Rudy Gay, Josh Boone UConn with Hilton as the backbone! Which of these schools is not a wealthy school? But they all lost to George Mason!"
"Boys, everything is possible in March Madness. You must focus all your attention on the game and never underestimate the enemy, understand?"
"Understood!" Everyone shouted in unison.
Donovan nodded in satisfaction. He knew that his disciples would definitely look down on Butler, but as long as he could pull himself together, he had absolute confidence in the strength of the team.
With the "Four Young Masters" in hand, he is not afraid even of Greg Oden, let alone Stephen Curry!
Then Donovan asked the players to make final preparations. He came to the technical stage and shook hands with Zhang Yu.
Looking at the young Chinese in front of him, Donovan suddenly felt a little jealous.
When he was 23 years old, he was still guarding the drinking fountains in the Knicks, but Zhang Yu has already taken charge of an NCAA team.
"Coach Z, I hope we can jointly present a wonderful game for the fans." Donovan smiled politely, but did not express his thoughts.
"I'm afraid it will be difficult. Butler is not the opponent of Buddha University." Zhang Yu's attitude was very modest, which made Donovan feel a lot more comfortable.
The two looked at each other and smiled, then separated, and Zhang Yu walked back to the bench slowly.
The Bulldogs looked relaxed, except for Curry who sat there tying his shoelaces with a serious expression.
"Stephen, are you nervous?" Zhang Yu came to Curry, leaned over and asked.
Curry paused for a while before tying his shoelaces, and then he tightened it tightly. He raised his head:
"One thing, I don't know if I can do it."
"Remember what I told you the day you came to Butler for trial training?" Zhang Yu laughed.
"Hmm... which sentence?"
"You are omnipotent." Zhang Yu looked directly into Curry's eyes and said slowly.
Curry took a deep breath, nodded with firm eyes:
"Boss, I know!"
Subsequently, players from both sides came to the field, Drew and Noah stood on the center line, ready to jump the ball.
Both sides are regular starting lineups for this game.
On Butler's side are center Drew, power forward Campbell, small forward Mike Green, shooting guard AJ Graves, and point guard Curry.
For the University of Florida, center Noah, power forward Horford, small forward Brewer, shooting guard Humphrey, and point guard Tauring Green all played.
"Di-"
The referee blows his whistle, throws the basketball into the air, and the game officially begins!
Since he started playing in the tournament, Drew hasn't succeeded in a jump ball once, and his talent is really poor.
This time was no exception. Noah first allocated the dropped basketball to Horford, who then passed it to Tauring Green.
Although Tao Linglin is only 1.83 meters, he has super athletic ability. After receiving the ball, he quickly advanced from the backcourt to the frontcourt.
The Bulldogs have long been on guard, blocking in front of their opponents one by one, preventing them from picking up their speed.
Zhang Yu warned before the game that the starting five tigers of the University of Buddha all have extremely strong athletic ability, and fast break is their very good scoring method.
Tao Linglin looked up to observe the situation and found that there was no gap in the opponent's defense, so he beckoned. Horford immediately mentioned the position at the top of the arc to cover him, blocking Curry behind him.
Taoling Green bypassed from the other side, and Campbell stood at the free throw line, but Tao Linglin did not choose to break through himself, but passed the ball to Horford.
This is where the pick-and-roll tactics of the University of Florida are different from other teams. The pick-and-roll is generally centered on the guard, and the Bulldogs are a typical representative. Curry can freely choose the offensive method after the pick-and-roll.
But at the University of Florida, after the pick-and-roll, Horford usually holds the ball in a high position to support, and Tao Linglin is more like an assaulter than a point guard.
While Horford was observing the situation, Curry quickly switched back with Campbell, but at the moment they switched defenses, Horford suddenly started and dribbled to the inside.
Campbell was caught off guard and didn't keep up. He rushed over from his side, and Drew had to come over to defend.
Horford directly took three steps, leaned on Drew, and passed the ball to Noah on the other side of the basket.
After landing, Noah roared passionately, instantly igniting the entire St. Louis Arena, and the cheers of tens of thousands of fans resounded through the audience for the first time after the game started!
The University of Florida gave the Bulldogs a big blow at the beginning of the game.
Campbell patted his head with self-blame, and Curry comforted him a few words before he recovered.
Although he is only a freshman, Curry, who grew up in an NBA arena, knows how to play the game and has already shown a hint of leadership.
The round changed, the Bulldogs attacked, Curry advanced with the ball, and Tao Linglin put it up at halftime, almost sticking to Curry, without giving him the slightest shot space.
Tao Linglin is not afraid of being successfully broken by Curry, and there are teammates behind him who are always ready to help defend.
Donovan nodded in satisfaction on the sidelines. This is what he wanted. As long as Curry is locked up, Butler is nothing to fear!