UConn is Weak

NCAA doesn't have a limit on roster size, so Tang Tian's addition didn't affect the team much, but for him personally, the change was significant.

He no longer had to just pick up balls like before; instead, he trained with the team and ran plays.

Since he was originally a coach, he picked up these plays very quickly, and could even help the freshmen get familiar with them.

Cahoon was very pleased with what he saw, and Ollie gradually changed his opinion of him.

Time flew by, and before they knew it, November arrived, and the 2010-2011 NCAA regular season officially began.

Over the past two months, UConn had undergone considerable changes. Backup power forward Lavoy Allen applied for a transfer, moving to neighboring Marquette University to assist Jimmy Butler. The team also used scholarships to bring in two new players: Roscheck Smith, a 1.96m small forward, and Tyler Orland, a 2.11m power forward. Both were leftovers from other teams with limited ability.

In other words, the team's strength had actually decreased over the past two months, making the outlook for the new season even more worrying.

On November 13th, the team faced their first opponent, Louisville University.

Louisville University was a powerhouse in the Big East Conference, having made it to the Final Four of the NCAA tournament the previous year.

This was destined to be a tough game.

After the game started, Walker was tightly guarded, and Lamb became the team's primary offensive option. However, he seemed very uncomfortable in his NCAA debut, missing his first three shots. Louisville quickly extended the lead, and by halftime, they were leading 38 to 27, a margin of 11 points.

Entering the second half, Cahoon began setting up various isolation plays for Walker, who started scoring frequently with drives and shots.

But at crucial moments, UConn's defense had problems. O'Riaqi was repeatedly targeted in mismatch isolations by the opposing guards, and Walker's scoring couldn't keep up with the points the team was giving up. By around the fifteen-minute mark of the second half, the deficit had grown to nearly 20 points.

The game was effectively decided at that point.

In the end, despite Walker shooting 9 of 22 for 25 points, 6 rebounds, and 5 assists, UConn suffered a crushing 61-81 defeat at home.

Losing the first game so badly, head coach Cahoon felt unprecedented pressure.

After five days of rest, UConn hosted DePaul University, a weak team in the Big East Conference, and finally secured their first win of the season.

76 to 70. Although they won, it was far from impressive. Allowing a weak team like DePaul to score 70 points made the team's defense look really ugly.

After another five days of rest, the team traveled to face Syracuse University and Georgetown University in consecutive away games. As expected, they suffered a losing streak.

In the game against Georgetown, their core player, Greg Monroe, put up a monstrous stat line of 30 points and 21 rebounds, thoroughly dominating UConn's interior.

Tang Tian traveled with the team for all these games, but he sat at the very end of the bench, and Cahoon never put him on the court.

A 1-3 start was the worst opening UConn had seen in recent years.

For Cahoon to encounter this situation in his retirement year, it looked like his legacy was in jeopardy. He had even started to consider retiring early.

With the team's poor performance, the players' morale was low during training sessions, as if a dark cloud hung over the arena.

"Old Man, how about giving Tang a try?" After one training session, Ollie found Cahoon alone and suggested.

Cahoon didn't say anything.

Tang Tian had been training with the team for a long time, and Cahoon had a pretty good understanding of his abilities by now.

His defense was excellent, his basketball IQ was high, and he understood plays at a glance. But aside from these traits, everything else—including shooting, passing, and so on—was at an amateur level, not even meeting the requirements of an NCAA player.

Putting him on the court would mean playing 4-on-5 on offense.

That was why Cahoon had never put him in the game.

"Let's see how things go." Cahoon could only take it game by game.

On November 25th, UConn hosted a strong opponent, Marquette University, in their final game of November.

Marquette University wasn't an NCAA powerhouse, but they had produced NBA superstars like Dwyane Wade. This season, the team was led by senior Jimmy Butler. In his first four games of the season, he averaged 16.5 points, 6 rebounds, and 2.7 assists per game, showcasing all-around offense and defense.

Besides Butler, the transfer student Lavoy Allen had earned the head coach's trust, averaging an impressive 11.6 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 1.6 blocks per game.

Driven by this dual core, their record was now 3-1, the exact opposite of UConn's.

This game was especially important for UConn, not just for the team's record, but also because the transferred Allen was facing his former team. Losing again would give the impression that rats were abandoning a sinking ship and everyone was kicking a man when he was down.

Cahoon felt immense pressure before the game.

The atmosphere in NCAA arenas is the best in the world, even surpassing the NBA. For this ordinary regular-season game, the XL Center, which can hold over 16,000 people, was already packed to capacity.

Fans held up various signs supporting the home team, and many had even painted the Huskies' logo on their faces, chests, or even their beer bellies, expressing their fanatical support for the home team.

This was the NCAA.

The players from both teams were doing their final warm-ups on the court. Cahoon stood on the sidelines, his expression serious, his thoughts unknown.

After warm-ups ended, the starting players from both sides took the court one after another.

On Marquette's side, both Butler and Allen started. Despite UConn's recent struggles, they didn't dare take the away game lightly.

UConn fielded their regular lineup: Kemba Walker and Jerome Lamb in the backcourt, Roscheck Smith and Tyler Orland, who had just joined the team, on the wings, and O'Riaqi at center.

"Boom, boom, boom, boom, boom!"

As soon as the game started, some fans in the stands began beating a drum. Accompanied by the drumbeats, the fans loudly cheered for the home team.

"Go! Connecticut!"

Amidst the fans' cheers, O'Riaqi tipped the ball back to UConn's half, giving the home team the chance for the first offense.

Walker brought the ball up to the frontcourt.

Just like the opponents they had faced before, Marquette knew Walker was UConn's lifeline and immediately double-teamed him.

Walker passed the ball to Lamb at the first opportunity. Lamb caught it and took an open three-pointer.

"Clang!"

The three-pointer clanked off the rim.

But O'Riaqi used his height advantage to grab the offensive rebound.

O'Riaqi attacked the rim from close range. Lavoy Allen stretched both arms high, successfully contested his shot, and then grabbed the defensive rebound.

A stir rippled through the arena.

UConn had two great chances early on but failed to capitalize on either.

Marquette University advanced to the frontcourt. Butler took the ball and drove past Smith.

UConn collapsed their defense, with Orland doubling down toward the paint.

Butler kicked the ball out from the double-team. Allen caught it and immediately took a mid-range jump shot.

"Swish!"

A crisp sound rang out as the ball swished cleanly through the net.

Marquette University took the lead.

Tony Allen's individual defense rating was indeed a bit low. I changed it—made it purple now. Just so you know, it doesn't affect the reading.