After the game, patting Lao Qin on the shoulder...

Yao Ming, three years older than Lao Qin, instantly felt that familiar sense of closeness while chatting with him.

The two of them conversed in Chinese and even ended up discussing the recently launched open beta of "World of Warcraft" in North America.

This is the most popular massive multiplayer online role-playing game of this era.

It is also a shared part of the youth for many 80s and 90s internet users.

The only downside is that, even as strong as Qin Yue...

He faced the same awkwardness as O'Neal when in front of Yao Ming:

——When taking a photo with Yao Ming, Lao Qin suddenly looked like Xiaoqin.

"Lao Qin, remember to call me when you raid next time!"

"No problem... Lao Yao."

In the second round, the Tornado Team was no match for the Devil's Deacon Team.

Due to a hot hand, under the leadership of Qin Yue, the game actually lost suspense by the end of the first half.

Moreover, the Tornado Team didn't have Stephen Curry, who would in the future lead Davidson to multiple upsets in March Madness.

Ultimately, with Qin Yue's outstanding performance of scoring 44 points, 10 rebounds, 4 assists, 4 blocks, and 8 three-pointers, Wake Forest smoothly advanced to the Sweet Sixteen with a score of 112 to 74.

In this game, Paul's 18 assists set a new March Madness record.

Just, after these two lopsided games concluded...

Seeing Paul ecstatic about setting a new record in March Madness, Qin Yue suddenly fell into deep thought.

To be fair, the opponents played really poorly in these two big wins.

But...

"Why in my memory, could Paul lead the Hornets to lose by 58 points in the playoffs?"

Qin Yue just couldn't understand it.

Three days later, Wake Forest faced the Villanova Wildcats, known this season as "Little Illinois," in the Sweet Sixteen.

Much like another championship favorite, Illinois, the Wildcat's offense mainly relied on their backcourt trio.

Allan Ray, standing 188 cm, attempted more than 9 three-pointers per game this season and was recognized as the best shooter in the entire Big East Conference.

Randy Foye, a 193 cm combo guard, was projected to be the seventh pick in the first round of the 2006 NBA draft.

This season, Foye averaged 15.5 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 3.1 assists for the Wildcats, making him the team's second-leading scorer.

In college, Foye had a complete offensive skill set, capable of driving and shooting.

Before the draft, his comparison was the Flash Wade...

So much so, scouts even called him a Wade who could shoot in his template review.

No doubt, to attract fans, NBA scouts often give seemingly astounding evaluations in young players' template comments.

As for the other backcourt core of the Wildcats, it was Kyle Lowry, often playing as a super sixth man this season.

Among the Wildcats' backcourt trio, Lowry was set to achieve the most success in the NBA future...

In Qin Yue's memory, not only had Lowry been an All-Star multiple times, but he also frequently reminded Paul of the painful memories of being dominated by such tiny powerhouse guards once he finished his development phase.

But the future is the future, and the present is the present.

Given Lowry's current court experience, if Paul were to be shut down by Lowry in the game...

Then Qin Yue could only say...

"Truly worthy of you, Chris!"

On the 24th night, due to Foye and Lowry taking turns heating up in the first half, Wake Forest, a championship favorite, found themselves in a hard-fought game.

The Devil's Deacon Team's perimeter defense has consistently troubled the team for the past two years.

Of course, you can't blame it all on Paul.

Because in fact...

Paul was already the best perimeter defender on Wake Forest.

Facing Foye and Lowry's alternating attacks, Qin Yue knew if they were replaced by someone else on defense... that would simply give away points.

During the 04/05 season, although Reeve's development somewhat relieved the burden on the Devil's Deacon's frontcourt, giving them room to assist the perimeter defense...

However, considering Qin Yue's dominance on the court, Prose ultimately couldn't bring himself to let Qin Yue expend too much energy on defense.

Fortunately, that night, the Wildcat's backcourt trio was still slightly lacking in quality.

Thanks to Qin Yue's explosive performance in the second half, shooting 11 for 10 with a reverse Kobe-esque display, Wake Forest narrowly edged out with an 88 to 74 victory.

Throughout the game, Qin Yue totaled 38 points, 17 rebounds, 3 assists, 5 blocks, and 1 steal.

Paul, who contributed significantly on the defensive end (despite constantly getting hit), scored 15 points, 8 assists, 3 rebounds, and 3 steals.

After the game, seeing Paul with a look of grievance, Qin Yue decisively treated him to a delicious...

fast food feast.

Qin Yue knew that, aside from fried chicken, French fries were also a favorite of Paul.

Therefore, at times like this, in Qin Yue's eyes, only a fast food meal could comfort Paul.

In fact, for these extremely active basketball players, so-called fast food is not entirely off-limits.

As long as it's done in moderation, they too partake in earthly delights in daily life.

On the contrary, future NBA stars mentioned in marketing are, in Qin Yue's view, anti-human.

...

After sending off the Wildcats and comforting Paul with a feast, Wake Forest, having smoothly advanced to the Elite Eight, would face the sixth seed of the region, the Wisconsin Badgers, in the next round.

Known for their defense this season, the Badgers keep the opponent's offensive plays to around 50 possessions per game on average.

The star player of this team, Alando Tucker, is 198 cm tall and can score an average of 15.2 points per game for the Badgers.

In terms of overall strength, aside from Tucker, the Badgers don't have any other particularly outstanding points on the court.

This team advanced all the way to the Elite Eight mainly by relying on their extremely torturous defense.

In the three March Madness games they have played so far, their opponents have only managed to score an average of 56.6 points.

And if it was just their torturous defense, that would be one thing...

As a team that likes to fully utilize the 30-second shot clock during games, the Badgers especially like to deliberately delay the game after an opponent scores a goal.

Yes...

In NCAA games, time stops only in the last 2 minutes of the second half or in overtime.

In short, it is a team that fully plays to its strengths and is extremely adept at using the NCAA clock-stopping rules.

Qin Yue is very clear that if Wake Forest's mentality is affected by the Badgers' style of play in the game...

then the Devil's Deacon Team is not without the possibility of being overturned.

After all, this is a single-elimination March Madness tournament.

On the evening of the 28th, as the last game to open among the Elite Eight, and also the final game in the Syracuse region, Wake Forest faced the challenge of the Wisconsin Badgers amidst widespread anticipation.

Since this year's Final Four will be held in Saint Louis City, "Advancing to Saint Louis" has also become the slogan of Wake Forest fans cheering for the team this night.

On the court, as soon as the game started, Wake Forest felt the incredibly slow pace of offense and defense of the Badgers.

That night, Qin Yue intentionally reduced the frequency of his outside shots.

Because against a team like the Badgers, if you cannot guarantee a high success rate for each possession...

then your mentality will only crumble more and more under their play.

Qin Yue knew well that only by sitting in the paint could he effectively constrain the Badgers' defense and compress their defensive area.

And at this time, Paul's value was fully demonstrated.

In the game, due to being unable to stop Paul from passing to Qin Yue, the Badgers were hit by a wave of offensive climax by Wake Forest from the start.

On the scoreboard, it showed 18 to 4, with Wake Forest in the lead.

This opening climax laid the groundwork for Wake Forest's victory.

At the same time, Duncan, who was watching the game on TV, also made a decision:

Early the next morning, he would go out to chat with reporters on his own initiative.

You ask what Duncan wants to talk about?

Of course, it will be about praising Qin Yue's dominance in the low post against the Badgers.

Did you see my junior's graceful and flowy turnaround fadeaway?

Did you notice my junior's sharp spinning moves to attack the basket?

Have you seen my junior's dreamlike footwork that left opponents dumbfounded through rhythm changes?

"Yes, Qin's post-up skills were all taught by me, although his understanding is slightly inferior to mine back in the day... but I am still extremely proud and gratified by the progress he has made on the college court."

...

Note ①: Chicago is the Midwest Region this year. Readers who frequently watch the NBA should not find this strange, as the geographical concepts of the NCAA are different from the NBA's East and West divisions.

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