Qualitative Change!

He squeezed past with a One-step acceleration.

Allen had an excellent wingspan and great speed. Once O'Riaqi played him too closely, it was hard to defend that move.

The arena erupted in commotion.

Allen was really determined to slap the old man's face today!

Ollie was visibly anxious now, just short of swearing again.

Cahoon, however, stared brightly at the court.

After being beaten, O'Riaqi did not give up. He turned and continued chasing back on defense.

Allen shook off O'Riaqi and went up for a bank shot.

He could already hear the fans' frustrated groans in his head.

That was the sound—the sound of regret!

"Smack!"

"Bang!"

But at that moment, a crisp slap suddenly rang out above his head.

O'Riaqi chased back beneath the basket and raised a hand, swatting Allen's shot directly against the backboard.

A Spike Block!

The crowd instantly exploded into cheers!

Allen had just scored over him, but O'Riaqi immediately answered with a block at the other end!

And it was a Spike Block!

UConn's starters really were tougher than its bench players!

After blocking Allen's layup, O'Riaqi leaned into him to secure the rebound, and UConn shut down Marquette University's offense once again.

"Huh? How did O'Riaqi suddenly figure it out?" Ollie looked utterly confused.

It was not as if he had only been scolding O'Riaqi for a day or two. He had not expected one scolding to make him snap out of it. Was this some sudden flash of insight?

Cahoon, however, turned his gaze toward Tang Tian.

As a veteran coach, he observed far more carefully than Ollie. Earlier, he had seen Tang Tian pull O'Riaqi aside and say something to him. He did not know what it was, but it was obvious those words had changed O'Riaqi.

This Tang Tian was becoming more and more interesting.

As the team kept getting defensive stops, not only did the fans at courtside get fired up, the players on the court found their rhythm as well.

On UConn's next possession, Lamb used O'Riaqi's pick-and-roll to drive past Allen. He scored through Allen's defense and drew a Hand-check Foul from him as well.

After scoring, he let out a roar toward the courtside crowd.

Since entering the NCAA, he had held it in for far too long. This 2+1 felt like it had elevated him to another level!

That was the nature of freshmen. Talent needed the right opportunity to be unlocked. Many gifted high school players faded into mediocrity after entering college precisely because they lacked such an opportunity.

The crowd responded with even louder cheers.

Allen was still only a UConn bench player. After roaring following that earlier basket, he was now blocked and then gave up a 2+1. It was utterly humiliating.

The reason Cahoon had not started Allen before was simple. Allen was a little undersized and especially fond of the Mid-range jump shot, yet he was not particularly consistent. On the defensive end, he also liked to use his wingspan to block opponents, but he was still lacking in experience.

Cahoon's original plan had been to let Allen come off the bench for a year, polish away those weaknesses, and then promote him to the starting lineup.

But Allen had been too eager to prove himself and transferred schools outright.

His performance on the court now proved that he truly needed more seasoning.

Lamb made the And-one free throw, and UConn had cut the deficit to just 2 points!

On Marquette University's possession, Allen drove in the frontcourt but saw O'Riaqi catching up again and did not dare shoot. He passed the ball back out to Butler on the perimeter.

Butler drove with the ball against Tang Tian and was forced to pick up his dribble. In the end, he dumped the ball off to a teammate, whose forced Three-point shot was an Airball. Marquette University was hit with a 35-second violation!

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

For the first time since the season began, he finally felt reassured about the team.

When Ollie saw Cahoon return to his seat, he hesitated for a moment but remained at the sideline to keep directing the team.

The momentum on the court began to swing completely toward UConn.

Tang Tian locked down opponents on the perimeter, while O'Riaqi stood tall in the paint. UConn's defense developed clear layers, and the entire restricted area became an impregnable fortress.

Walker remained unstoppable, while Lamb's sudden awakening made UConn even more dangerous. UConn's offensive end flowed more smoothly with every possession.

After Tang Tian took the court, UConn underwent a Qualitative Change!

Before the first half ended, they unleashed a 14-2 scoring run and successfully took a 40-39 lead.

After the 15-minute halftime break, Marquette University adjusted its offensive strategy. It began concentrating more of its offense on the perimeter in order to avoid UConn's interior defense.

But neither Butler nor Allen, Marquette University's two core players, was good at Perimeter shots. This approach was essentially using their weaknesses to attack the opponent's strengths.

More Perimeter shots also meant more Long rebounds. UConn put Walker and Napier in a two-point-guard lineup and began launching frequent Defensive Counterattacks.

Once UConn's defense stabilized, Cahoon also began suppressing his opponents tactically.

In the end, UConn completed an 11-point comeback and claimed a big victory over Marquette University, 73-61, at home to win this crucial game!

Marquette University's twin stars, Butler and Allen, both had off nights. Butler went 5-for-20 and scored only 14 points with 7 rebounds, while Allen was even worse, going 3-for-12 for just 6 points and 3 rebounds. He also took two huge blocks from O'Riaqi.

On UConn's side, Walker was magnificent, going 11-for-23 and pouring in a Game High 26 points, 6 rebounds, and 6 assists. Jalen Lamb rediscovered his form, scoring 16 points and grabbing 5 rebounds on 7-for-15 shooting, while O'Riaqi posted a Double-Double of 10 points, 11 rebounds, and 3 blocks.

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

His numbers were unremarkable, but every UConn fan who watched the game knew that without him suddenly emerging as a surprise weapon, UConn would inevitably have suffered another bloodbath tonight.

Statistics could not fully show Tang Tian's contribution in this game.

The fans were not the only ones who knew that. Head Coach Cahoon understood it clearly as well.

After the game, Head Coaches generally brought two standout players to the postgame press conference.

Besides Walker, Cahoon brought neither Lamb nor O'Riaqi. He brought Tang Tian!

Receiving such attention after his very first game, Tang Tian had set a modest record at UConn.

"Don't be nervous. If the reporters ask you anything, just answer truthfully," Cahoon specially reminded Tang Tian on the way to the press conference. He was afraid Tang Tian would become so nervous onstage that he could not speak.

Tang Tian nodded. Aside from not being very talkative, Cahoon was actually quite a good coach.

The press conference venue had long since been prepared.

Reporters packed the floor below the stage, their cameras and long lenses forming a sea of black.

Cahoon led Walker and Tang Tian through the crowd and straight onto the stage to take their seats.

"Who is he? We've never seen him before." The first reporter called upon immediately threw out the question everyone cared about most.

Although some fans had said during the game that his name was Tang Tian, it had never been confirmed.

Moreover, players with Scholarships were generally listed on the school's website, and there was no one named Tang Tian there.