Where the noise did not reach

Chapter 15 The Path He Chose
"Hey, rookie, you've finally decided to guard me for your useless captain?" Xu Ling could sense that this Big 12 league's star point guard had an unusually strong desire to express himself on the court. "If you ask me, what right does someone who can't even handle their studies have to be a captain? In terms of ability, he's just so-so. Don't you think so?"

Xu Ling completely ignored his comment and instead asked in a calm tone, "Instead of worrying about JJ, why don't you take care of yourself first?"

"Me? I'm perfectly fine!" Lao said, turning to receive his teammate's serve. "In great form!"

Xu Ling, however, was thinking about something else entirely—how much would it help his draft stock if he could completely dominate Asi Law tonight?

With a sudden change of heart, Xu Ling stepped forward and directly circled around to defend, his posture as resolute as if he were defending the last attack, giving Lao no space to receive the ball.

His height and wingspan completely blocked the passing lanes, and A&M indeed failed to get the ball into Law's hands smoothly.

"You think this can stump me?"

Lao quickly made a run, using a teammate's screen to get around the defense, and finally received the pass. But Xu Ling caught up almost simultaneously, staying right behind him.

Lao held the ball outside the three-point line, creating a one-on-one situation between the two.

Xu Ling deliberately held back slightly, trying to probe the opponent's offensive options. Unexpectedly, Lao didn't hesitate, pulling up for a three-pointer from the spot—

"Shh!"

8:3.

"He's too far, Eli!" Dan Shulman's voice came clearly from the commentary booth. "Ashe Law is shooting 46% from three-point range this season! You can't give him a single inch of space!"

Not even a sliver of space can be given?
Xu Ling glanced at the commentary booth; Schulman's position wasn't far, and he heard those words clearly.

However, the first thing to do now is to score a goal.

Xu Ling ran to the frontcourt and took the ball from Martin Zeno with great momentum, but did not call for a teammate to set a screen.

"Do you now realize how big the gap is between you and Axi?"

No sooner had Dominic Kirk finished speaking than Xu Ling's left-side cross-court shot completely shook off Kirk's defensive position. In the instant that gasps rang out in the United Spirit Stadium, the ball had already flown out of TTU's number 1 hand, spinning a beautiful arc before swishing into the pocket.

"Shh!"

"How arrogant!" Knight cursed from the sidelines. "Damn it, if he misses, I'll teach him a lesson!"

But since the shot went in, we should pretend nothing happened.

In the attacking third, Xu Ling was once again matched up against Asi Law.

Lao Huo used a screen and, relying on his skill and speed, shook off Xu Ling's defense and scored with a jump shot.

Every time he scores, Law seems to want the whole world to be on his mind; his body language is quite sophisticated.

Even the well-informed Knight couldn't help but shake his head: "Ace Law is undoubtedly the most valuable point guard in college basketball. He reminds me of Quinn Buckner. He may not be a great professional player, but he is definitely a great college player who will be remembered."

Assistant coach Chris Beard was surprised that Knight would use Buckner as a comparison.

Who is Buckner? He was the captain and key point guard of the undefeated Indiana Mountaineers team that won the championship in 1976, and also Knight's prized disciple, whom Knight called "the most charismatic leader I've ever seen in my life".

Knight's comparison of Law to Buckner demonstrates his high regard for this rival.

“Xu Ling is still struggling too much to deal with Lao right now,” Beard suggested. “Coach, should we adjust our defensive strategy and give him some support?”

Knight simply gazed at the arena, his tone calm and resolute:
"No need."

"He can handle it himself."

Xu Ling's assessment of his own defensive capabilities is vague.

Because of his physical limitations in his previous life, he often needed his teammates' help on the defensive end. When his talent was too poor, he couldn't just do a good job on defense whenever he wanted.

But now, he is gradually discovering that the footwork training he did in his previous life is working.

Those defenses that were once easily breached can now produce extraordinary results when combined with his current physical gifts.

Asi Law combines driving and shooting, and has an amazing three-point shooting accuracy, making him a very tough opponent.

However, he lacks absolute speed and explosiveness to forcefully solve problems. He is good at using pick-and-rolls, but the inside players responsible for the pick-and-rolls are not good at shooting. This means that Xu Ling does not have to worry about him passing the ball to the outside inside players after the pick-and-roll.

Xu Ling began to lower his center of gravity, providing more intense resistance, while making full use of his wingspan to create strong interference.

Asi Law began to feel confused.

In the NCAA, players at each position rarely strive to maximize their talent in every position like in the NBA. Players of all shapes and sizes have weaknesses that can be exploited. Meanwhile, those promising young talents with NBA potential either don't play defense or don't know how to play defense. Even if they have a ceiling far exceeding Law's, they are helpless against him.

In Lao's view, Xu Ling was the same; at most, they could exchange blows, but in the end, Lao would still defeat him.

So after scoring several goals against Xu Ling in a row, Lao lost his composure in the face of the sudden NBA-level defensive pressure.

For the first time since the start of the game, he was forced to pass the ball because he couldn't withstand the intensity of the defense.

The pass was of extremely poor quality and was intercepted by Martin Zeno.

After forcing his opponent into making a mistake through defensive pressure, Xu Ling sprinted towards the frontcourt at full speed.

Zeno caught up and tossed the ball into the air.

"Eli jumped up, he caught the ball, and dunked!!! BOOM BABY!!!" Whenever Xu Ling had a highlight moment, the United Spirit Gymnasium would react as if an earthquake had occurred.

But he never responded.

His indifference inadvertently provoked the fans' rebellious spirit; the more you ignore us, the more we want to make a scene.

Xu Ling didn't care about these things. He high-fived Zeno and then looked at Asi Law.

A single successful defense is not enough to break the opponent's morale; more is needed.

Xu Ling's defense became even more urgent.

He gained confidence from his success in the previous round.

If Asi Law is indeed the nation's number one point guard, as many say, then if he can defend the number one point guard, can he also defend other players?

With this in mind, Xu Ling applied pressure again.

Lao was forced to move further and further out, and finally had no choice but to forcefully lob the ball to the inside.

This scene once again sparked discussion among the commentators.

"That's amazing! Eli has Ashley Law completely helpless! Eli has really put him at bay!"

"Is the No. 1 battle between Texas Tech and Texas A&M about to come to a conclusion?"

Yes, Law is also number 1, it's just a small coincidence.

Despite being forced to pass the ball, Law's teammate caught him and scored with a low-post turnaround jump shot.

No one cares.

Because this kind of goal doesn't hurt TTU.

This was not a planned goal; it was a forced pass by Asi Law after he was unable to organize his tactics properly due to being marked out of position.

How many unplanned goals can a team that relies 100% on its core players score in a single match?
In contrast, Jarius Jackson, whose spotlight was stolen by the rookie at TTU, finally made his debut.

Xu Ling made a run to create space, and Jackson received the ball at the top of the arc and hit a three-pointer.

After Jackson scored, TTU's offensive threat became more multifaceted, and then Martin Zeno also created an opportunity to score with a one-on-one play.

Xu Ling's opportunities to touch the ball on offense decreased significantly, as he focused all his energy on defense. Although he couldn't completely shut down every offensive play by Lao, he successfully disrupted Lao's rhythm for half of the possessions and applied high-intensity interference on the rest. Even the top point guard of the Big 12 couldn't maintain his dominance under such defense—he ultimately needed his teammates.

Everyone needs teammates.

But when Asi Law looked around, every player at Texas A&M University was waiting for his guidance and leadership.

This is precisely why Bob Knight firmly believes that Xu Ling can handle Lao.

“Quinn Buckner was surrounded by Scott May (2nd overall pick in 1976), Kent Benson (1st overall pick in 1977), and Bob Wilkerson (11th overall pick in the first round),” Knight said calmly. “But Asi Law was all alone. That’s why he couldn’t really win—basketball is never a one-man game.”

The teaching assistants nodded in agreement, as if they had grasped the point.

But what Knight didn't say was that Xu Ling was also completely isolated and helpless.

He effectively contained the top NCAA point guard in a one-on-one situation.

A freshman initially labeled as "offense-heavy and defense-light" has managed to shut down the top playmaker in college basketball. How will the outside world re-evaluate him? And how high will his draft position rise?
In the final attack before the end of the first half, Xu Ling made a clean and decisive steal.

At this point, the score difference was only 10 points, and the game was far from over.

However, as if he had been snatched away at the last moment, Asi Law suddenly rose up and chased after Xu Ling with all his might.

Xu Ling glanced back, a cold smile curving his lips.

Want to pursue me? Then come on, top point guard!

Lao did catch up. But the instant Xu Ling jumped with all his might, he was violently knocked away and fell to the ground, losing control. Defeat is not always accepted the moment it happens—true defeat often begins with an undeniable realization: some opponents are destined to be unbeatable. And the feeling at that moment will be etched into your memory.

The final highlight of the first half was Xu Ling's thunderous dunk over an opponent.

"boom--!!!"

The scene instantly erupted in cheers.

Xu Ling turned around, his gaze sweeping over Asi Law, whose eyes were now losing focus. This time, he didn't even bother to utter a single trash word.

He walked straight ahead without looking back.

This is the path he chose.

But he will never look back.

(1) Apart from super, super veteran Hawks fans, not many people know about Asi Law. I don't know much about him either, but I used to immerse myself in the college basketball section of Reddit (which can be understood as the American version of Baidu Tieba). Whenever a post like "Which great college player didn't make it to the NBA surprised you the most?" appeared, the name Asi Law almost always came up.

(End of this chapter)