Qualitative Change!

He accelerated past in one step.

Allen had excellent arm length and was fast, making it difficult for O'Riaqi to defend him once he got too close.

The crowd buzzed with excitement.

Allen was clearly determined to prove the old man wrong today!

Ollie seemed visibly anxious at this point, almost to the point of cursing again.

Cahoon, however, watched the court with keen eyes.

O'Riaqi didn't give up after being beaten; he turned and continued to chase him down.

Allen shot off the backboard after shaking off O'Riaqi.

He could already hear the frustrated groans of the fans in his mind.

That sound, the sound of regret!

"Slap!"

"Bang!"

But just then, a crisp slapping sound echoed from above his head.

O'Riaqi had chased him down to the basket and swatted his shot directly onto the backboard.

A spike block!

The crowd erupted in cheers!

Allen had scored on him earlier, but he immediately responded with a block on the next possession!

And it was a spike block, no less!

UConn's starters were indeed better than the reserves!

After blocking Allen's layup, O'Riaqi then used Allen to secure the rebound, and UConn successfully shut down Marquette University's offense once again.

"Huh? Did O'Riaqi suddenly have a breakthrough?" Ollie sounded very confused.

He'd been yelling at O'Riaqi for days, and now he'd finally broken through after just one scolding. Was it a moment of inspiration?

Cahoon, meanwhile, turned his gaze to Tang Tian.

As an experienced coach, his observations were much more detailed than Ollie's. He had seen Tang Tian pull O'Riaqi aside and say something earlier. Though he didn't know what was said, it was clear that those words had caused O'Riaqi's change.

This Tang Tian was becoming more and more interesting.

With the team's consecutive defensive stops, not only did the fans by the sidelines get hyped, but the players on the court also found their rhythm.

On UConn's offensive end, Lamb used O'Riaqi's screen to drive past Allen, scoring despite Allen's defense and drawing a foul.

After scoring, he also roared towards the spectators.

He had been suppressed for too long since entering the NCAA. This and-1 felt like a sublimation for him!

This was the characteristic of a freshman. It took the right moment for their talent to truly shine. Many talented high school players faded into obscurity in college because they lacked such an opportunity.

The crowd responded with even louder cheers.

Allen was, after all, just a reserve for UConn. After that angry outburst, being blocked and then giving up an and-1 was a huge embarrassment.

In fact, the reason Cahoon hadn't started Allen before was simple: Allen was a bit short and particularly liked mid-range jump shots, but he wasn't very consistent. Additionally, he tended to rely on his arm length to block shots on defense, lacking experience.

So, Cahoon's original plan was for Allen to play as a reserve for a year, honing those weaknesses before moving into the starting lineup.

But Allen, eager to prove himself, had transferred directly.

His performance on the court now proved that he indeed needed more experience.

Lamb made the free throw, and UConn had narrowed the deficit to just 2 points!

On Marquette University's possession, Allen drove to the frontcourt and saw O'Riaqi catching up, so he hesitated to shoot and passed the ball back to Butler on the perimeter.

Butler, holding the ball, was forced into a difficult situation by Tang Tian's defense and ended up passing to a teammate. The teammate's forced three-point attempt missed the rim entirely, and Marquette University was called for a 35-second violation!

Seeing this, Cahoon turned and walked back to the bench to sit down.

For the first time since the start of the season, he finally felt a sense of relief about his team.

Ollie saw Cahoon sit down and, after a moment's hesitation, continued to coach from the sidelines.

The momentum on the court began to shift completely in UConn's favor.

Tang Tian locked down the perimeter, while O'Riaqi stood tall in the paint. UConn's defense became layered and impenetrable.

Walker remained unstoppable, and Lamb's sudden breakthrough was like adding wings to UConn. Their offense flowed more and more smoothly.

UConn underwent a qualitative change after Tang Tian entered the game!

Before the end of the first half, they went on a 14-to-2 run, successfully taking the lead 40-39.

After a 15-minute halftime break, Marquette University adjusted their offensive strategy, focusing more on outside shots to avoid UConn's interior defense.

However, their core players, Butler and Allen, were not skilled outside shooters, making this approach akin to attacking with their weakness against UConn's strength.

Furthermore, more outside shots led to more long rebounds. UConn, with their dual-point guard lineup of Walker and Napier, began to frequently execute fast breaks.

After UConn's defense stabilized, Cahoon also began to tactically suppress the opponent.

In the end, UConn completed an 11-point comeback, defeating Marquette University 73-61 at home to win this crucial battle!

Marquette University's twin stars, Butler and Allen, both underperformed. Butler shot 5-of-20 for only 14 points and 7 rebounds, while Allen shot 3-of-12 for a mere 6 points and 3 rebounds, and also had two shots blocked by O'Riaqi.

On the other hand, UConn's Walker was incredibly heroic, shooting 11-of-23 for a game-high 26 points, 6 rebounds, and 6 assists. Jalen Lamb recovered his form, shooting 7-of-15 for 16 points and 5 rebounds. O'Riaqi also recorded a double-double with 10 points, 11 rebounds, and 3 blocks.

Tang Tian played 20 minutes in his NCAA debut, contributing 2 steals, 3 rebounds, and 1 block.

The stats were unremarkable, but any UConn fan who watched the game knew that without his surprise emergence, UConn would have been routed tonight.

The stats did not reflect Tang Tian's contribution in this game.

It wasn't just the fans who knew this; head coach Cahoon was also well aware.

At the post-game press conference, the head coach usually brings two outstanding players.

Besides Walker, Cahoon brought not Lamb or O'Riaqi, but Tang Tian!

Being given such importance after his first game was a small but significant record for Tang Tian at UConn.

"Don't be nervous. If the reporters ask anything, just answer truthfully," Cahoon told Tang Tian on the way to the press conference, fearing Tang Tian might freeze up.

Tang Tian nodded. Apart from being a man of few words, Cahoon was actually a pretty good coach.

The press conference venue was ready.

A crowd of reporters sat below, their long lenses like a dense, black mass.

Cahoon, Walker, and Tang Tian walked through the crowd and took their seats on the stage.

"Who is he? We've never seen him before." The first reporter to be called upon asked the question on everyone's mind.

Although some fans had mentioned his name was Tang Tian during the game, it hadn't been confirmed.

Furthermore, scholarship players were usually announced on the university's internal website, and Tang Tian was not listed there.