Champion, please stay!

Chapter 52. A fierce and bloody battle, the top eight elites!
I don't know if Hilbert was lucky or unlucky.

Last night, the Amazing Team led 48-37 at halftime, but the Wildcats broke them down in the second half, scoring only 32 points while the Wildcats scored 47, resulting in an 84-80 comeback victory and a shocking exit from the second round.

库里21投8中、其中三分球15中5、外加10中9的罚球，拿到30分，值得一提的是有20分是下半场拿到的，在上半场12中3的情况下、下半场投出了9中5的表现，具体过程简单描述就是把惊叹队防守跑没了。

The North Carolina Tar Heels, UCLA Bruins, Wisconsin Wolverines, Kansas Pine Eagles, Tennessee State Volunteers, and five other top league champions all made it to the Sweet Sixteen, while only the Amazings were eliminated in the Round of 32.

Moreover, the Big East Conference has been the biggest winner of this season's Major Madness so far. In the East, the Louisville Cardinals made it to the Sweet Sixteen, while the Notre Dame Warriors were eliminated by a mere 5 points, losing to the Washington Cougars. In the West, the West Virginia Hills made it to the Sweet Sixteen. In the South, no teams made it; the Marquette Golden Eagles were defeated by the Stanford Cardinals, but only by 1 point, 80-81, with Matthews missing a crucial three-pointer. In the Central Conference, two teams, the Huskies and the Villanova Wildcats, will meet in the Sweet Sixteen.

So many teams made it to the Sweet Top 16, but the top team from the Da Dong region was eliminated in the second round... But!
由于哈士奇队和特洛伊人队的赛后热度太高，且南部赛区那边孟菲斯老虎队与迈阿密飓风队的比赛打得太过激烈，罗斯12投3中加上8中6的罚球拿到12分9板7助攻3抢断，率领老虎队以62比59险胜飓风队，话题热度也很高。

Hibbert's early exit did not spark widespread discussion; in fact, it could be said that he was ignored.

But this is not good news for Curry. His amazing performance of scoring 20 points on 5-of-9 shooting in the first half and his two consecutive upsets are hardly being discussed.

After Yi Shui finished his interview and took photos in front of the Palace of Auburn Hills, Curry and his teammates had already left.

The trio of yellow, white, and black wandered around the arena, hoping to see at least one or two Pistons players. Of the Pistons' starting five, only Ben Wallace had left; the other four were still there. The Pistons' style of play might not appeal to the average fan, but college athletes usually prefer this kind of hard-hitting basketball. However, there wasn't a single athlete in the arena.

I asked the staff and found out that the Pistons were on a five-game road trip to make room for the Third Madness game. They would not return until the Elite Eight game on the 28th.

The three of them weren't particularly disappointed; taking photos was the main point, and bumping into the players was just a side trip.

After checking in, the three of them went back to the hotel without lingering outside. It was getting dark, and even with a lot of police around, it was impossible to be safe at night. Although the three of them were all quite reckless, they only cared about their close friends, not about risking their lives.

Going straight back to the hotel also had its advantages for Yi Shui. The hotel meals were paid for by the team, while the meals outside were split equally among the three brothers... After dinner, the three brothers returned to their room to watch the news.

NCAA news is still the same old stuff: predicting who will advance and debating which star player is better.

There's been some interesting news in the NBA today – the Knicks have waived veteran Malik Rose!

Yi Shui complained, "What is Dolan up to now? Has he gone mad?!"

This veteran isn't well-known among fans, but he has a decent career accolades, including two championship rings with the Spurs in 99 and 03. He was also Duncan's main backup, averaging 20 minutes per game during those championship years. In the summer of 02, he signed a lucrative 7-year, $4200 million contract extension with the Spurs. After turning 30 in the winter of 04 and starting to decline, he was traded by the Spurs to the Knicks.

Now 33 years old, Malik Rose is no longer as good as he used to be, but he still has excellent game experience and locker room leadership.

After the NBA All-Star Weekend, the Knicks' record improved. In the past month or so, they have achieved a record of 9 wins and 7 losses, improving their record from 10 wins and 42 losses to 19 wins and 49 losses. Fans in other places may not have noticed this, but Yi Shui, who is located next to New York, often sees news about the Knicks. The media has commented that there are three reasons for the Knicks' 'soaring' record.

One is Stephon Marbury's season-ending injury, another is Zach Randolph's suspension for violating regulations, and then there's veteran Malik Rose. Without the interference of Marbury and Randolph, these two cancers, the Knicks have brought together young teammates like Jamal Crawford, David Lee, and Nate Robinson to fight for victory. Recently, the Knicks' reputation in New York and the surrounding areas has improved considerably.

Did Dolan fire the "locker room dad"?
Yad speculated, "Maybe the Knicks want to tank."

Yi Shui: "Taking the game? I remember the Knicks never tank, they just naturally tank... Wait, could it be!"

Seeing that both Yad and Robinson had "what else?" expressions, Yi Shui felt like the sky had fallen: "Dolan, get lost!"

...

After a day of training on the 23rd, the Huskies returned to the Palace of Auburn Hills on the evening of the 24th to compete against their old rivals, the Villanova Wildcats, for a spot in the Elite Eight.

When Yi Shui entered the arena, he looked around and didn't see the other Wildcats team, Elementary School Students. He was a little disappointed because he wanted to compete with them... to compare their wingspans. He had heard that Elementary School Students were really short-armed, with wingspans shorter than their height.

It seems Yao Ming's wingspan isn't outstanding either, only 221 centimeters. Yi Shui estimates that it won't be long before his wingspan surpasses that of the Little Giant. At 8 o'clock, the game started on time.

As the twelfth-ranked team in their region, the Wildcats relied on their defense to make it all the way to the Sweet Sixteen. Led by the absolutely calm "forward Duncan" Dante Cunningham, their defensive strength is beyond doubt.

During the regional stage, the Husky team faced the Wildcats team twice, scoring less than 60 points in both matches.

However, the Wildcats' offense is also quite poor. Back in November of last year, before the Huskies' zone defense was fully developed, they were able to hold the Wildcats to just over 60 points. Now, the Huskies' defensive coordination is at its best.

The two teams, who are very familiar with each other, immediately engaged in a fierce defensive battle from the start!

Fans from both teams, who had traveled a long way to the crisis-ridden Detroit, were on tenterhooks watching the game. At halftime, the score was 25-21, and the combined score of the two teams was still less than that of a single North Carolina team in Charlotte!

The Huskies made 10 of 24 shots and the Wildcats made 9 of 23 shots; both their attempts and made shots were pitifully low.

But the local fans were incredibly excited, watching the players from both teams arm-to-arm dueling and slapping each other... the Detroit people were practically having a blast.

This is the game they love!
This time, unlike the two matches in the regional stage, the Husky team clearly had the upper hand!

The main problem was with Yi Shui and Ya De. The Wildcats couldn't defend them at all. Ya De's face-up drives and second-chance points, Yi Shui's high-post shots and outside shots, all contributed to the Husky's scoring run every now and then.

What Cunningham couldn't understand was that Yi Shui was so tormented by the physical double-teams that he missed all his free throws, but in the next possession, as long as they weren't close enough, this guy would hit a three-pointer right in front of him!
打到下半场18分53秒，哈士奇队以55比52领先野猫队3分，握有球权。

The Wildcats are on high alert. If they can hold their ground, they'll still have a chance to tie the game and force overtime!

Price ran down the shot clock to 10 seconds before passing to Yi Shui. Cunningham tried to get around him but couldn't. In just two months, he felt his height advantage was gone, and his weight and physical strength advantage had also vanished... But he showed no emotion, sticking tightly to Yi Shui and not giving him a chance to shoot directly.

With his back to the basket, Yi Shui took a half-step to the far end. The moment he felt his back being pressed against him again, he immediately turned to the left and pulled back, successfully creating an opening with his rhythm. He then turned to the right and drove to the top of the court!
Backcourt guard Corey Fisher didn't dare leave Robinson alone. Yi Shui went straight to the inside and jumped to shoot over two 208cm tall centers, Casio Drummond and Antonio Pera... He was knocked down, but the ball was successfully released, hitting the backboard and bouncing into the basket!

The Husky team fans and local fans screamed wildly. Yi Shui, who had been feeling a bit weak after putting all his strength into his shot, suddenly felt a surge of power. He sprang up and celebrated with his teammates, enjoying the cheers of the fans.

The management and scouts who came to the scene were also very excited when they saw this play - they could compete with Rose in speed, play a skillful disruptive defense over Mayo, and even go head-to-head with the Wildcats!
So what if you're a junior? So what if you wasted a year in your sophomore year? So what if you're almost 21? Choose him! You absolutely must choose him!
With Yi Shui taking a deep breath and making the free throw, the Husky team secured the victory!

With 50 seconds left, the Wildcats took two shots but missed both, seemingly losing their shooting confidence as both attempts went airball.

For the Husky team, they got two free throws thanks to a tactical foul by the opposing team, but Thabeet missed both free throws after getting the rebound, and unfortunately, their score didn't reach 60.

At 9:55 p.m., the final whistle blew.

易水21投7中，其中三分球7中2，加上8中5的罚球，拿到21分16板2助攻2抢断5盖帽，加上亚德的20分11板，两人携手率领哈士奇队以58比52险胜野猫队，完成复仇，挺进八强！
The Husky team has returned to the regional finals after a year's absence and is on a roll, attracting immense attention.

The Wildcats lost the game, but their performance was highly praised by commentators from various TV stations.

The team ranked 8th in the division, and they pulled off an upset all the way up. In the round of 16, they even forced Yi Shui to fight their center in the paint to score in the final moments. If they had been on a team with a softer core player, the Wildcats might have made it to the quarterfinals!

Among the Wildcats players, Dante Cunningham came into the sights of NBA teams tonight. Since Yi Shui became famous, Cunningham is the best player that scouts have seen in defending Yi Shui, without exception.

If you can't pick Yi Shui, then picking a player who can defend against Yi Shui in one-on-one situations will also be useful!

(End of this chapter)