Both teams finished their warm-ups, and the starting lineups took to the court.
Aside from Trae Young, the other four players in the Oklahoma Sooners' starting lineup did not have the ability to make it to the NBA.
To be able to lead such a team to eliminate numerous strong opponents and advance to the Elite Eight of the NCAA Tournament...
This fact alone showed just how explosive Trae Young's individual skill truly was!
Seeing the Oklahoma Sooners' starting lineup, Jinwoo couldn't help but exclaim:
"New York City Mayor" is truly worthy of being a born leader!
Looking at the Kentucky Wildcats, with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (SGA), Jarred Vanderbilt (Vanderbilt), and Jinwoo—these were three NBA-level starting players.
Three cores versus one core!
That was the decisive advantage!
As the players from both teams stood on the court amidst the cheers and shouts of the fans, the head referee tossed the ball high into the air!
In the tip-off, Vanderbilt's jumping ability and reaction speed gave him an absolute advantage, and the visiting Kentucky Wildcats secured the first offensive possession of the game!
Team point guard Alexander brought the ball to the frontcourt, then passed it to Vanderbilt in the paint.
"Bang!"
With the basketball in his hands, Vanderbilt faced the Oklahoma Sooners' starting center. Without any unnecessary movements, he used his strength to push forward, then skillfully spun to the basket and easily made a layup!
There were no flashy moves, just a one-sided display of superior power!
2:0!
The Kentucky Wildcats scored first!
On the return, Trae Young actively brought the ball to the frontcourt, completely ignoring Alexander in front of him. He used his flashy dribbling moves to shake off his defender, then instantly accelerated to complete a breakthrough!
However, this move, which had often worked for him throughout the NCAA Tournament, failed to materialize today.
Jinwoo, coming over to provide help defense, quickly slid in front of Trae Young, and his long arms suddenly extended, appearing precisely in the passing lane and path to the basket.
"Trae Young's breakthrough has been stopped!"
The two commentators from ESPN at the scene were visibly surprised: "Jinwoo, coming over for help defense, quickly caught up to Trae Young, completely blocking his path!"
"We know very little about this freshman from Korea."
"But his performance in the last game against Arizona State University was incredibly impressive."
"Yes, just looking at Jinwoo's performance on offense, he is definitely one of the strongest scorers in the NCAA this year!"
"So today I'm eager to see if he can continue his hot shooting from the last game while also contributing significantly on the defensive end!"
On the court, Trae Young, who had used flashy dribbling to bypass Alexander but was intercepted by Jinwoo, knew very well that if he wanted to shake off the defender in front of him, he would have to put in maximum effort with his ball-handling.
Thinking of this, Trae Young quickly accelerated. As Jinwoo made a preemptive interception move, he quickly executed a sharp change of direction, altering his breakthrough path.
One change of direction wasn't enough!
After consecutive in-and-out dribbles, Trae Young suddenly executed a decisive step-back behind the three-point line, planted his feet, and shot!
As the ball left his hands, the Oklahoma Sooners supporters on the sidelines raised their hands in anticipation, celebrating prematurely!
"Bang!"
But then!
A pair of long, soaring arms touched the ball, swatting it out of bounds before it reached its highest point!
"WTF?"
This incredibly athletic block left the fans in the arena utterly stunned.
Not only the Oklahoma Sooners fans on the sidelines, but Stephen Curry in the stands was also quite surprised.
As the saying goes, experts watch the technique, while laymen watch the spectacle.
Curry, having hosted Young in his training camps, was very clear about the quality of Trae Young's dribbling.
He was a veteran ball handler from the start!
This level of dribbling rhythm would give many defenders a difficult time, even in the NBA.
But even though Trae Young used his signature dribbling and step-back to create a pocket of space, he was still chased down and blocked by Jinwoo's help defense!
"That young man from Korea is just too fast!"
In the stands, Stephen Curry conversed with Draymond Green beside him: "And his leaping ability! He almost reached his maximum height instantly after taking off!"
"Exactly. In fact, all of Jinwoo's defensive decisions before he made that soaring block were extremely intelligent!"
As a two-time DPOY winner, Draymond Green naturally noticed many details: "Every one of Trae Young's dribbles, except for that final quick step-back, was anticipated by Jinwoo!"
Just as Draymond Green observed.
Trae Young himself was also very clear that all of his defensive opponent's judgments before making that soaring block were correct.
He wasn't at a disadvantage in speed, his defensive anticipation was on point, and he could instantly jump to make a block even after being momentarily out of position!
This Korean player he was matched against truly had some serious skills.
But so what?
The competitive fire in Trae Young's heart burned anew.
Only such a strong opponent was worthy of becoming a stepping stone on his path to success!
The Oklahoma Sooners inbounded the ball, and after Trae Young received it, he waved for the team's center to come up for a screen.
After the screen, Trae Young quickly shook off Alexander and drove into the paint, calmly making a floater before Vanderbilt could get into position for help defense!
2:2!
Both teams were back on equal footing!
On the change of possession, Alexander dribbled the ball upcourt. As soon as he reached the frontcourt, Trae Young immediately stuck to him, giving the former no space to attack with the ball.
Alexander's ability to create his own offense during his college years was indeed quite weak.
The Oklahoma Sooners' head coach had clearly studied Alexander very thoroughly.
"Jinwoo!"
Feeling uncomfortable being tangled by his defender, Alexander saw Jinwoo, who had come off a screen from Vanderbilt on the wing, and decisively passed the ball to him.
"Bang!"
With the basketball in his hands, Jinwoo didn't make any adjustments, rising directly from beyond the three-point line and unleashing a cold shot!
"Swish!"
The basketball, like a sharp blade drawn from its sheath, delivered a fatal blow!
5:2!
The Kentucky Wildcats instantly took the lead!
"Woohoo! Freshman Jinwoo from Korea continues his hot streak!"
"Jinwoo's shot was extremely decisive and confident. It's worth noting that his off-ball movement and ability to get open despite tight defense are also excellent!"
The two commentators at the scene analyzed the situation very thoroughly.
Can play off-ball, and is also an excellent scorer?
Who is this type of player best suited for?
That goes without saying, right?
However, the Oklahoma Sooners were not thrown off their rhythm by Jinwoo's three-pointer at all.
Back on offense, Trae Young activated his god-slaying mode.
He indeed couldn't consistently find a way to break through Jinwoo's defense on isolation plays, but basketball is a team sport.
The Oklahoma Sooners utilized the pick-and-roll offense with masterful skill.
Their starting lineup was essentially: Trae Young and his four highly efficient utility teammates!
At the end of the first half, Trae Young played all 20 minutes, scoring 20 points and dishing out 4 assists.
For the Kentucky Wildcats, Alexander and Vanderbilt put on a stellar show, combining for an all-around performance of 24 points, 8 rebounds, and 7 assists.
Jinwoo also continued his hot shooting from the previous game, delivering an all-around performance of 15 points, 4 rebounds, and 4 assists in his 15 minutes of play.
With the help of their three core players, the Kentucky Wildcats led the Oklahoma Sooners 48:40 at halftime, an 8-point advantage!
"Trae Young's performance in the first half was perfect; he is truly worthy of the NCAA scoring title!"
At the end of the first half, the two commentators on the sidelines felt genuinely sorry for Trae Young: "If his teammates could have stepped up even slightly, perhaps the game would be very different!"
"Exactly. The Kentucky Wildcats have three players who are above the defensive standard, while the Oklahoma Sooners only have one!"
The other commentator was equally helpless.
Trae Young was a true phenomenon in the NCAA Tournament.
But the Kentucky Wildcats effectively had three such phenomena!
"Hoo~"
In the home team's locker room, Trae Young wiped the sweat from his forehead and let out a deep breath.
Playing the entire first half with such intense effort was clearly a challenge for him.
"Trae, do you want to rest for a bit at the start of the second half?"
Oklahoma Sooners Head Coach Lon Kruger personally handed Young a towel: "You're playing too hard, we still have the entire second half of the game!"
"No need!"
Trae Young didn't even take the towel from the head coach's hand: "I'll have plenty of time to rest when I'm dead!"
Just as the two commentators on the scene analyzed.
The head coach was struggling, and the team's supporting cast was completely outmatched.
None of that mattered!
As long as Trae Young didn't give up, the game wouldn't end!
If they couldn't even narrow the score, what good was having an entire second half?
Rather than saying this game was Trae Young's silent protest against the team's current situation,
It was more like:
Trae Young's final, courageous stand in his college career.