Monroe was not, strictly speaking, a paint defender. He was not a player like Morning or Mutombo, someone with absolute defensive dominance.
His defensive strength lay more in his long wingspan and excellent help defense.
Take the block on Walker, for example. Walker had taken the shot after battling through contact with the opposing player, which was why Monroe managed to block it.
His ability to rotate over and block guards, along with his overwhelming natural advantage over O'Riaqi, was what made him an Inside Beast.
But if Georgetown University really left Monroe alone to preside over the paint, Walker would not be afraid of taking him on One-on-one.
Small vs. Big was something Walker had faced countless times over more than two years in the NCAA. His experience was beyond abundant.
After Tang Tian finished speaking, Walker smiled. As the Team Core, he naturally wanted to get back at Monroe after being blocked. After hearing Tang Tian's analysis, he was actually looking forward to Georgetown doing exactly that in the second half.
The fifteen-minute break passed quickly, and the players from both teams returned to the court.
"The first half was truly beyond our expectations. Georgetown held an absolute advantage early on, but UConn completely turned the momentum around after their timeout adjustments. I'm really looking forward to Georgetown's halftime adjustments now," the commentator said excitedly before play resumed.
Commentators were really just professional fans. Their emotions could also be stirred by the level of excitement of the game.
"I think Monroe will definitely respond more. Although he had some highlights in the first half, that was not all he had," the commentator continued.
At that moment, the camera lens turned to Monroe. His stern face was filled with killing intent.
The team's unfavorable position in the first half was obviously not something he wanted to see. The winner of this game would directly claim second place in the conference, and he would not give up easily.
A long whistle sounded from the sidelines, and the second half began.
UConn had the first possession.
Sure enough, just as Tang Tian and Walker had said, Georgetown University had made major adjustments on the defensive end.
Monroe alone presided over the basket, while the other four players spread directly beyond the paint.
They were preventing UConn from running the same Outside three-pointer tactics they had used in the first half.
The moment Walker saw it, he was overjoyed. If he could, he wanted nothing more than to grab Tang Tian's face and plant a hard kiss on it.
What a godly prediction!
After signaling his teammates to clear out and calling for O'Riaqi's screen, he drove straight into the paint with the ball.
It was a One-on-one opportunity against Monroe in the paint.
Monroe got into position, and Walker immediately changed directions before accelerating toward the basket for a layup.
Monroe reached out to block it, but Walker had completely faked him out. He twisted in midair, dodged the block, and finished with a reverse layup.
Bang!
Monroe's block hit the backboard, while Walker's reverse layup also hit the glass before bouncing into the net.
Right at the start of the second half, Walker scored on an isolation play.
After scoring, Walker let out a roar and raised both hands high.
With that, he had completely paid Monroe back for the block in the first half!
Monroe's expression darkened.
On Georgetown University's possession, Monroe no longer operated as a facilitator at the free-throw line. He backed O'Riaqi down directly, spun under the basket, and threw down a dunk.
O'Riaqi tried desperately to pull him down but failed, also giving up a foul.
The crowd stirred. This was a genuine beast!
Monroe had a 2+1 opportunity.
Bang!
Unfortunately, he missed the free throw, and O'Riaqi secured the Defensive Rebound.
Walker used a Dribble Push to bring the ball into the frontcourt.
At that moment, Georgetown University's Head Coach was shouting from the sideline. Their defensive formation had changed again.
A 3-2 zone. It was a compromise strategy, designed to guard both UConn's three-pointers and Walker's drives.
Tang Tian came up to set a screen. Walker drove with the ball, then pulled up at the high post for a Stop and Pop Jumper.
Swish!
It went in as well!
His ice cold touch from the opening had completely returned during the latter part of the game. The 3-2 zone did not defend the Mid Range strongly enough, giving him an easy scoring opportunity.
Georgetown University's Head Coach rubbed his face.
The lineup was the same, but UConn was clearly much stronger than when they had faced each other last time. Their previous eight-game winning streak truly carried plenty of weight.
Walker kept scoring for UConn, and Monroe refused to be outdone. He backed down O'Riaqi, then turned and hooked the ball toward the basket.
Bang!
The ball struck the backboard, bounced, and shot into the net. He continued helping Georgetown University keep the score close.
The margin hovered around eight points as the two sides fell into a stalemate.
Thump, thump!
"Let's go, Connecticut!"
Led by the DJ, the crowd began cheering for the home team again.
The two commentators stared intently at the court. In such a tense situation, it would come down to who could break the deadlock first.
On UConn's possession, Walker continued driving with the ball, but this time the weak-side help arrived quickly.
Walker was double-teamed as soon as he reached the high post.
Georgetown University had begun limiting Walker's scoring, but they had completely failed to notice that Tang Tian had already reached the corner off Smith's screen.
Walker was experienced. The instant he saw the double-team, he knew someone had to be open. Once he spotted Tang Tian, he fired a Direct pass over.
Tang Tian caught the ball with an Open Three-Pointer opportunity and shot without hesitation.
The ball traced a high arc through the air, dropping straight toward the basket under the gaze of the crowd.
Swish!
Another clean make!
Whistles and cheers from the on-site fans erupted instantly.
The sound of a three-pointer swishing through the net was just so satisfying, no matter how many times they heard it!
After scoring, Tang Tian raised a hand and made a three-point gesture, drawing even louder cheers from the crowd.
Georgetown University's strength was Monroe. He did not have to shadow the opposing core across the entire court like in previous games, which greatly reduced his physical exertion on the defensive end.
With that saved energy put into the offensive end, he was deadly on Open Three-Pointers.
The lead stretched to eleven points.
On Georgetown University's possession, Monroe drew the defense before showing off his Facilitation Ability, firing a Lightning Pass off the bounce to a cutting teammate for an easy Layup Made.
That was a signature Princeton offense.
The margin returned to single digits.
UConn came back and continued attacking through Walker. Georgetown University was forced to help, and Walker kicked the ball out to Lamb on the perimeter.
Lamb caught the ball, gave a pump fake to fool the defender, drove to the Mid Range, drew the opposing Power Forward into a double-team, then fired a Direct pass to Tang Tian in the corner.
Different play, same spot, same opportunity.
After Tang Tian caught the ball, it almost followed the exact same arc.
Before the ball even went in, the excitement on the fans' faces had already burst forth.
The trajectory of that shot looked perfectly true!
Swish!
The ball ripped through the net with an incomparably pleasant sound.
Tang Tian's fourth Three-point shot of the game went in as well!
Arrows rained down.
Before you continue