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Chapter 163 Who is the dark horse?

The four Final Four teams this year might be an embarrassment to the committee, with the exception of Connecticut, and none of the other three are the top seeds in their respective conferences, but that's part of what makes the NCAA National Championship so fascinating.

Among these teams, not to mention Connecticut, the top seed in the West, Michigan State, the No. 2 seed in the Midwest, also has many young talents who have entered the NBA team's sights, only Arizona State and Villanova University It can be regarded as the big dark horse of this season.One of these two teams has no reputation, and the other has few stars. On paper, they are evenly matched.

Before the Final Four matchup table was released, fans expressed their thoughts online.Apart from the die-hard supporters of these teams, other neutral fans hope that the two dark horses can meet in the final. After all, it is because they sympathize with the weak and want to see a dark horse team Climb to the top this season and create another grassroots myth.

But to their disappointment, Arizona State and Villanova eventually met in the semifinals.But they got excited again soon. It's a pity that they didn't meet in the final, but it's good to see them face off.

After Evans took the players to fly to Detroit, where the Final Four was held, he immediately held a team meeting.At the meeting, the old man said with a blushing face: "Boys, you have done a good job. Now there are only two games left for the championship. I know that many experts still think that we are a dark horse, so then we will Let everyone see who is the darker dark horse and who can be the darkest. As long as you play normally, it will not be difficult to beat Villanova."

After feeding the players a few mouthfuls of chicken soup, Evans took the time to analyze Villanova's game and tactical style.Xu Hao looked at the picture on the big screen and listened attentively to the head coach's analysis. He found that the old man was right. Villanova's overall strength was compared to previous teams such as North Carolina and the University of Oklahoma. It’s really not enough for the team.

But Xu Hao did not underestimate his opponents because of this. In the history of basketball, countless teams were overthrown by their opponents when they were sure of everything. He did not want Arizona State University to be the next one.Of course, others may think that Arizona State University is the weaker one, but in fact, who can say who is stronger and who is weaker?Anyway, Xu Hao believed that they were the one with the upper hand in terms of strength.

What's more, Xu Hao has already touched the bottom of Villanova in the system before. In his opinion, only their point guard Scotty Reynolds and insider Dante Cunningham are worth watching on this team. As long as people don't lag behind in the game, they will be thankful.Therefore, Xu Hao has full confidence in this game. Just like what Evans said, as long as everyone can perform at a normal level in the game, Villanova University is just a piece of cake, and the strengths of the two sides are not at the same level. grade above.

After several days of rest and training, Xu Hao and the others finally ushered in the semifinals against Villanova University.However, the first semi-final was Connecticut VS Michigan State University. Evans directly brought the players to the stands. It is still possible to see the potential opponent's game in advance, and he can also learn from it. Some experience and lessons .

After a fierce battle, Michigan State defeated Connecticut with difficulty and advanced to the national finals first. Their starting point guard Carlin Lucas scored a game-high 21 points and also sent 5 assists.Of course, Connecticut's performance is not bad, four of the starting five scored in double figures, but unfortunately their bench is too far behind the other side.

Connecticut's bench players only scored 7 points in the whole game, while Draymond Green alone scored 8 points on the Michigan State bench. Everyone scored 33 points in total. Connecticut's loss is not unjust .

After watching the game, the players of Arizona State University looked a little dignified. Evans was annoyed and funny, clapped his hands and said: "Don't worry about how they played, wait until they win and then think about this issue." It’s not too late. If you lose, you just wait and watch the live broadcast in front of the TV, and it doesn’t matter how they fight at that time.”

Everyone smiled awkwardly, bowed their heads and remained silent.Although the coach's words are a bit shocking, they are also true. Only by winning Villanova can they use this game as a reference. If they lose, then they can stay where they are cool.

Although the game between Michigan State University and Connecticut is over, the reporters who came to the scene are all eagerly waiting for the start of the next game. The topic of who is the strongest dark horse this season is obviously worth hyping some.Of course, in their view, no matter who makes the final between Arizona State University and Villanova University, it will not be the opponent of Michigan State University. The latter is already considered the biggest favorite for the national championship this season after defeating Connecticut.

Taking advantage of the time before the start of the second game, the reporters began to chat and fart in the media seats, guessing who would have the hope of getting another place in the final.In terms of this game alone, most people are still more optimistic about Arizona State University. Among other things, their backcourt combination is good. Except for the slightly weaker third position, there are no obvious shortcomings in other places.

Don't look at the reporters who seem to only know how to talk about their own media all day long, but they have a good eye for reporting college basketball all the year round, and they often play with justification.In fact, the performance of Arizona State University this season has indeed attracted many neutral fans, and it is reasonable to be favored by reporters. It depends on whether they can go on.

Of course, the whole Sun Devil team doesn't mind whether the outside world is optimistic or not. Anyway, they just need to work hard to win. The outcome of a basketball game is not decided by voting. As long as they can win, no matter how much criticism they have a hair.

In the locker room, everyone is seriously preparing, but they haven't changed their usual habits. They should eat and listen to music. Xu Hao sits in his seat and closes his eyes. This is his It's a habit I developed after I came to the United States.

Seeing his calm look, Evans nodded and didn't say anything. If the commander of a team can keep calm before the big battle, then the game will not be too ugly. Xu Hao's mentality It made him very satisfied, and he couldn't help looking forward to the next game. If Arizona State University can win, it will have a chance to compete for a championship trophy.

(End of this chapter)