The invincible kryptonite of basketball

No.6: Marquette University Golden Eagles

No.7: Providence College Friars

No.8: Syracuse University Orangemen

UConn will face the Friars of Providence College in the first round, which has a record of one win and one loss against UConn in the regular season.

UConn has the home court advantage, coupled with the strong performance in the final game, their probability of winning the game is quite high.

However, because it was a single-elimination match, the winner was determined by one game, and the first championship game was full of seats.

And as soon as the game started, the fans couldn't sit still, they all stood watching the game, and the atmosphere was quite intense.

UConn also lived up to the expectations of the fans, and has been playing against Providence College since the opening.

Marshan Brooks, whom Tang Tian was still defending, was very uncomfortable. The latter scored only 6 goal in 1 consecutive offenses after the opening.

In the end, Brooks only made 25 of 5 shots in the game, and UConn also beat his opponent 71 to 51 and easily advanced to the next round.

沃克得到25分5板7助攻，兰姆16分3篮板，唐天9分5板3抢断1盖帽，福尔西斯8分10板。

In addition to UConn, the University of Louisville and Georgetown University have advanced successively, but the third-ranked West Virginia University unexpectedly lost to Marquette University, breaking the first upset since the championship game.

马奎特大学的核心吉米·巴特勒在比赛中21投14中，砍下33分7板4助攻2抢断，表现相当抢眼。

After the end of the first round, the second round will also be released. The University of Louisville will face Georgetown University, and the University of Connecticut will face the upset Marquette University.

The previous games of UConn ended early, and the second round of games also started early.

Butler performed bravely in the first round, but in the second round he was man-marked by Tang Tian. In addition, he also had to man-mark Walker on the defensive end, which consumed a lot of energy on both ends of the offense and defense.

In the end, Kang overwhelmed his opponent and won the game 61-47.

兰姆得到全场最高的22分5篮板，沃克16分6板4助攻，奥瑞阿奇11分11篮板，唐天6分6板4抢断2盖帽，替补的内皮尔得到5分6助攻。

巴特勒在唐天的防守下22投仅5中，仅仅得到15分3板，马奎特大学全队命中率不足40%。

After the game, Butler stood on the sidelines with red eyes for a long time, watching the players celebrating UConn before leaving the field sadly.

This is the NCAA. I don’t know how many stars have died here. For the average team, it is lucky enough to enter the championship.

After that, the game between Louis Westville and Georgetown University also started.

Louisville is at the top of the list this season. They have more wins and fewer losses against other championship teams. They also won their opponents with 20+ points in the first round. However, after facing Georgetown, they played very hard, just like UConn. They don't have much to do with Monroe.

The game remained stalemate until the last few minutes of the second half. Monroe grabbed 2 offensive rebounds inside and directly killed the game after scoring 6 points in a row.

In the end, Monroe scored a large double-double of 28 points and 13 rebounds, reaching the finals of the championship game.

Last year, he suffered an upset in the first round. This season, he broke into the finals and even had a chance to enter the championship, which can be regarded as the final redemption.

The final of the championship game will be played between UConn and Georgetown University at Renhiller Field.

Renhiller Stadium is the football stadium of the University of Connecticut. This modern stadium has a roof function and can accommodate up to 4 people watching the game at the same time.

It wasn't even enough for UConn fans when it came to the Finals.

The game started at 3:8 pm local time on March 8, and the scene was crowded with people.

The opening ceremony before the game was overwhelming, and there was a sea of ​​cheering people on the scene.

After the game started, the two teams played extremely anxiously.

Georgetown University was able to reach the finals. Except for Monroe, the other players were also in excellent condition.

The stalemate continued until the last 2 minutes of the second half.

Monroe's consecutive rebounds helped Georgetown build a 4-point lead.

The fans shouted nervously with trills.

At the critical moment, Tang Tian had a big heart, and hit an open three-pointer at the buzzer from the outside line. In turn, his supplementary defense caused Monroe's offensive foul. Walker scored 2+1 against Monroe in the frontcourt and directly killed Contest.

When Tang Tianbiao scored a three-pointer at the buzzer, the scene was a little out of control. When Walker finally scored 2+1, the fans in the entire Lenhiller Stadium went crazy, and the shouts pierced the sky.

In the end, when more than 4 people chanted "Connecticut Huskies" in unison, UConn defeated the opponent 73 to 71, won the final championship of the Big East League after 7 years, and locked a crazy three Monthly tournament slots.

After the game, Walker knelt down and kissed the court, his eyes flushed.

From freshman repetition to junior year, only he himself knows how much he has paid.

Although there is still a long way to go before the final championship of the championship, UConn is already strong enough this year, and winning this championship is the best proof.

"We are fully prepared, and this time we will not disappoint UConn fans again." At the press conference after the game, Walker's excitement had not yet recovered, and there was still a hint of choking in his voice.

Calhoun smiled and reached out to pat him on the shoulder. The two had been together for three years, and he was the one who knew Walker best.

Chapter 62 Seeds

"March Madness, here we come!"

After the game, the front page headlines of the UConn media, the scene of Walker kissing the court became the accompanying picture of the news.

The fans of UConn were extremely excited. After winning the championship, they had never had the confidence before.

The core lineup of Walker, Lamb, Tang Tian, ​​and Auriachi, plus role players such as Napier, Smith, Oland, Forsyth, and Art Mazhuk.

Such a lineup will definitely pay off in the tournament.

As crazy as UConn, there are fans from 31 other schools, and 32 championship teams have already locked their spots in the championship.

Among them are super prestigious schools such as North Carolina, Duke, and Kentucky, as well as schools such as Pennsylvania Behrend and Richmond, which entered the championship for the first time.

Miraculous and unpopular places, bloody and exciting battlefields, the footsteps of March Madness are approaching quietly.

Not long after the conference championship games ended, the NCAA selection committee announced the final results of the "Sunday Announcement" on March 3 via televised broadcast.

Thirty-six colleges and universities became wild cards for the tournament after more than three months of scouting by the selection committee.

On the Big East side, Georgetown University, which reached the finals, the University of Louisville, a popular civilian, Marquette University, which was upset, and Providence College, which was accidentally selected, a total of 4 universities were selected for the final tournament.

Compared with the 8 colleges and universities selected every year in the past few years, only 5 schools were selected this year, which has dropped a lot.

In this way, the tournament's 68 teams are finalized.

The 68 teams will be divided into four divisions, East, West, Southeast and Southwest, with a total of 17 teams per season.

The NCAA Organizing Committee will make divisions based on various considerations such as team strength and geography.

At the same time as the division, the organizing committee will also rank the teams according to their strength and give them the prefix of the No. seed.

This is also critical for major colleges and universities. The higher the seed position, the weaker the opponent you will encounter in the subsequent games, and the greater the possibility of advancing to the final sweet sixteen.

Before the final results were announced, it was quite a torment for players and fans of major colleges and universities.

"The old man came to me earlier, and he said that we are likely to be in the same district as North Carolina and Kansas." After the team's daily training, Walker chatted with Tang Tian alone.

Before the NCAA Organizing Committee was divided into divisions, theoretically no news would leak out, but after all, these things were done by people. Calhoun has coached the NCAA for 40 years and has a wide network of contacts. It is completely normal to get some news.

"Isn't that good?" Tang Tian said with a smile. The strongest school this year is Duke led by Irving. It's pretty good not to be divided with Duke.

"Very good? Apart from Duke this year, North Carolina is the strongest, and if Kansas is also there, we have a high probability of being the No. 3 or No. 4 seed. No. 3 is okay. If it is No. 4, we may be in the 16th seed." Entering 8 will encounter North Carolina." Walker's words revealed a burst of worry.

His worries are not unreasonable. In order to win the championship, in addition to strength, luck is also very important. As he said, if Duke and North Carolina are avoided before the final semi-finals, or if Duke and North Carolina are to be avoided in the finals They meet, that is the most likely championship schedule.

Now they are in the same district as North Carolina. If the No. 3 seed can advance to the final 16, then they will go to the district finals, that is, they will meet North Carolina in the 8-to-4 game. The guarantee is the top 8. On the contrary, if it is For the No. 4 seed, they will face North Carolina in the 16-to-8 game, and may not even make it to the top 8.

He waited until his junior year, and winning the championship was naturally the biggest goal, but there were small goals under the big goal, and the result of the top 8 was obviously better than the result of the top 16.

"God bless, I hope we are the No. 3 seed and not the No. 4 seed." Walker thought and prayed with his hands folded involuntarily.

"North Carolina's strength this year is just the same, and the core Harris Barnes is just a freshman. If we really meet, we may not know who will win and who will lose." Tang Tian said.

"And isn't the goal we agreed to be the championship? Whether it's 16 to 8 or 8 to 4, it's just a matter of playing early and playing late." He saw that Walker didn't respond, and then said with a smile.

Walker put down his hands and turned to look at Tang Tian. Feeling the confidence in Tang Tian's smile, he also laughed.

"You're right, don't care about Duke North Carolina, we're going to kill them all!" Walker clenched his right fist as he said.

He has played in the championship for three consecutive years, and subconsciously felt awe of these super famous schools, but Tang Tian's words made him realize that UConn University is strong this year, and it is completely capable of fighting these super famous schools.

"That's right! Okay, let's go to dinner, we have to practice more tonight." Tang Tian patted Walker and stood up.

"Well, practice more!" Walker also stood up, unlike when he was praying before, his eyes are full of fighting spirit now.

The major colleges and universities are preparing for the competition intensely, and shortly after Sunday's selection, the groups of each major competition area have been announced one after another.

Several high-profile colleges and universities, Duke and North Carolina, the sworn rivals in the same North Carolina state, are not in the same division because of their strength ranking in the top three.

Duke is in the Southwest Division, while North Carolina is in the West Division. Both teams are the No. 1 seeds in the division.

In addition, Kentucky, which has been strong in the past, is in the Eastern Conference this year because of its relatively weak strength, and it is only the No. 3 seed.

For the Big East, the five teams entering the tournament, Providence College is the No. 17 seed in the East, Marquette University is the No. 11 seed in the Southeast, and the University of Louisville and Georgetown University are divided together. In the Southwest Division, they are the No. 8 and No. 3 seeds in the tournament.

It can be seen from the grouping that in addition to considering the region and strength, the organizing committee also tries to divide the teams of the same league into different regions.

And UConn, like the news Calhoun had received in advance, was assigned to the Western District together with North Carolina!

And Walker's prayers did not come true in the end. After North Carolina, Kansas, and Texas in the West, they are the No. 4 seed in the West!

This also means that if they finally advance to the sweet 16, they will encounter North Carolina in the 16-to-8 game!

This is obviously not good news for UConn, but Walker was relieved to see this result.

If you can't avoid it, let's have a great battle!

Moreover, this is the NCAA tournament, a game with frequent upsets. To enter the top 16, you need to win two rounds. Whether it is UConn or North Carolina, no one dares to say that they are sure to advance.

With the division and seed rankings, most of the first-round matches of the tournament have been released. The University of Connecticut will face the No. 64 seed in the Western Conference, led by Kawhi Leonard, in the first round of 32 games. San Diego State University.

Chapter 63 Strength Ranking

San Diego State University is not a traditional basketball giant. They have missed the championship for several consecutive years. Well-known stars in school history, such as Xavier Thames, are still players in the 90s and [-]s.

However, the strength of San Diego State University is not bad this year, and the team has two NBA talented players.

Kawhi Leonard, 2 meters tall and 01 kg, is very similar to Tang Tian in size. This player who has been playing football before his sophomore year has a pair of big hands that are unmatched by ordinary people, which makes him aggressive on the defensive end full.

As a second-year player, he averaged 15.7 points and 10.4 rebounds per game this season. For a player in his early 2 meters, his rebounding ability is particularly outstanding.

Simply put, he's a Jimmy Butler offensively, but more defensively, at the three and four.

And unlike Butler's Marquette University, Leonard also has a helper, Jamal Franklin, a 1-meter small forward with excellent athletic ability and breakthrough ability. He averaged 96 points and 10.2 rebounds per game this season. .

In addition, their center Draymond Wright is also well-known, but unlike Leonard and Franklin, he is well-known not because of his skills, but because of his playing style, trash talking and small moves , is the kind of player that makes opponents extremely disgusted.

UConn is in the first round, and this is an enhanced version of Marquette University.

Most of the tournament matches are out, but not all.

Theoretically, 64 enters 32. There are only 64 teams in total. However, there are 68 teams in the championship. , Compete for a place, which is the original intention of setting up 68 teams.

The four extra teams are the No. 17 seeds in each division. They need to play a single-elimination match with the No. 16 seed in the division first to decide who will play against the No. 1 seed in the division.

This is how March Madness begins.

Eight teams, four games will be played in the same city, this year in New Haven, Connecticut.

Providence College, the No. 17 seed in the East, is one of those eight teams.

In the minds of Connecticut fans, UConn must be the first home team to support, but Providence College, which is also in the Big East, is also the team they support on this day.

Even Calhoun organized UConn players to watch the game live.

Although Providence College is not in the same division as them, through the games of these teams, and based on the previous records of the fight, they can still get a glimpse of the strength of opponents in other divisions.

The game will be played tomorrow afternoon. After the extra practice that night, Tang Tian and Walker are holding their laptops in the training hall to study the details of playing against San Diego State University.

After the research was over, the two watched NCAA-related news for a while.

The top 68 of the championship is confirmed and the game is about to start. At this time, the attention of the NCAA in the United States began to rise rapidly.

Sports media giants such as ESPN and TNT have begun to conduct annual predictions and strength analysis; betting websites have also successively issued odds for each team to win the championship; many NBA players have also begun to predict the championship, most of them From the NCAA, although he left his alma mater, his feelings are still there.

The predictions of the media and gambling websites are basically the same, and the two universities of Duke and North Carolina are the only ones in the rankings.