ctnovel Chapter 28 scored 20 points and 10 rebounds, further improving his draft position!
Chapter 28 scored 20 points and 10 rebounds, further improving his draft position!
After nearly five minutes without a shot attempt in the second half, Zeng Zhen finally finished with a fast break dunk after Westbrook stole the ball from his opponent.
Eleven minutes into the second half, Joe Crawford had four fouls, and his defense wasn't as aggressive.
Zeng Zhen seized on this weakness and launched a fierce attack, specifically targeting Westbrook for pick-and-rolls and switching onto him for one-on-one defense.
Because Joe Crawford was hesitant to make too many small moves on defense, Zeng Zhen beat him on the left side with one step. Patterson and Carter came to help defend Zeng Zhen, and Zeng Zhen passed the ball to Love while being double-teamed by the two.
Love received the ball and made a layup.
This assist helped UCLA extend their lead to 16 points.
Soon after, shooter Meeks stepped up and hit a three-pointer from the right 45-degree angle. Just as the Kentucky fans were about to cheer for their team, Zeng Zhen stepped up again!
But after Zeng Zhen passed the ball, he made a crossover dribble and broke in, this time assisting Westbrook, who was cutting in along the right baseline, for a one-handed dunk...
"Damn it!!" Patterson's roar sounded so weak.
"OMG, he destroyed Kentucky's defense, he's showing his passing ability again, Kentucky is finished, it's all over," McBreen shouted.
Under Zeng Zhen's leadership, UCLA is playing better and better, with everyone contributing exceptionally well!
Ultimately, the quarterfinals ended with UCLA defeating Kentucky 95-71, a 24-point margin, to become one of the final four teams!
Technical statistics.
UCLA这边，威斯布鲁克16分5篮板3助攻，科里森12分1篮板2助攻，曾振24分10助攻4篮板3抢断，乐福14分9篮板。
肯塔基大学这边，乔克劳福德21分4篮板5助攻，米克斯18分，帕特森17分8篮板。
Post-match interview.
Joe Crawford bluntly stated, "Congratulations to UCLA. Zeng Zhen is stronger than the rumors suggest. We lost convincingly tonight, and I learned a lot from him."
Patterson told reporters, "Zeng boosted UCLA's morale, which caused our defense to completely collapse. I don't want to shirk responsibility, but the fact is that our defense was blown up. We couldn't work against Zeng's defense. If we defended him one-on-one, he would attack one-on-one. If we double-teamed him, he would pass the ball. We couldn't do anything about it."
Kentucky head coach Billy Gilliam complimented his opponent to reporters: "Zeng Zhen is the MVP player after entering the playoffs. He completely carried the team on the court. I even think that Derrick Rose and OJ Mayo could not play as well as us."
Ben Holland remained calm about reaching the Final Four again: "That's not our goal. Of course, it's not that beating our opponents isn't exciting. My lads and I want the national championship more. Nobody counts the number of times a school reaches the Final Four rather than the number of championships to determine if it's the best university."
A blonde, busty female reporter stopped Zeng Zhen again for an interview. She smiled broadly at him, having witnessed his rise from an unknown player to a nationally renowned name: "Zeng, this is the first time in your NCAA career that you've recorded a 20+10 double-double. How does it feel?"
Zeng Zhen calmly replied, "Oh, really? I didn't notice. I'm more concerned about whether the team won."
Zeng Zhen's score was just over 20; he almost had to drink his bathwater, and he was still a little shaken.
When the opponent double-teams him, it's not so easy for him to keep scoring.
The reporter then asked, "What's your assessment of your opponents?"
Zeng Zhen said, "I don't have much to say, they worked very hard..."
The reporter then asked, "The newly updated draft website has ranked you high in the second round. What do you think about that?"
Zeng Zhen became interested when this came up: "To be honest, I'll emphasize again, if I wanted to, I could beat every guard I've ever faced!"
The reporter asked, "Does that include Derrick Rose?"
Zeng Zhen said earnestly and firmly, "Of course!!"
In their next game, UCLA will face off against the University of Memphis.
.....
That evening, ESPN repeatedly played highlights of the Kentucky vs. UCLA game. Commentator Mark Jackson said, "Ladies and gentlemen, in tonight's quarterfinals game, UCLA defeated Kentucky to become one of the final four teams, and the best player on the team was that super freshman—Zeng Zhen!"
The screen was playing highlights of Zeng Zhen's points and assists. Although he played small forward, Zeng Zhen showed a very clever playmaking ability.
He was initially perceived as a 3-and-D player, but based on these two games, he seems more like an all-around swingman.
Sports Illustrated featured Tseng Chen on its cover with the headline "Yellow Whirlwind: The Rise of a Super Freshman." The article detailed Tseng Chen's disappointing start in the regular season and his rise during March Madness after hard work. It highlighted the heroic story of Tseng Chen and Russell Westbrook being complained about for disturbing the peace by training at 4 a.m.
Ben Holland's continued trust in Zeng Zhen ultimately brought UCLA an unexpected surprise.
UCLA looks stronger now than ever.
Although major draft websites still rank Zeng Zhen high in the second round, many anonymous NBA executives said their teams are evaluating the possibility of drafting Zeng Zhen in the first round.
ESPN data expert Kevin Pelton wrote in his column: "Zeng Zhen's performance was extremely efficient. UCLA was a completely different team when he was on the court and when he wasn't. Such influence is rare in college teams. Judging from his performance during March Madness alone, I think it was reasonable to select Zeng as the number one pick. Zeng has shown the kind of leadership we hope to see in Derrick Rose and OJ Mayo on many occasions."
With UCLA advancing to the final four, California basketball fans and players are excited. Lakers star Kobe Bryant told reporters after the game, "I watched Zeng's game, and he played very well. Of course, his attitude of getting up at four in the morning to train is something many professional players should learn from."
On the UCLA campus, news of the basketball team becoming one of the final four teams continues to spread, and the fan association has organized a number of activities to cheer on the Bruins.
Many female classmates invited Zeng Zhen to their parties via text message and phone. Although Zeng Zhen really wanted to attend, he knew that the most important thing now was to prepare for the upcoming semi-final match against the University of Memphis.