Towns passed the ball to Lyles, who quickly pushed the counterattack.
The University of Kentucky launched a fast break.
Lyles dribbled swiftly, and after breaking into the inside, he once again disrupted Kansas's defensive formation.
Lyles skillfully passed the ball back over his head to Zeng Xingyang, who was following up on the outside.
Selden was somewhat passive in defending off-ball players, and he still couldn't keep up with Zeng Xingyang's pace.
At the top of the arc, before Selden could close in, Zeng Xingyang decisively took a trailing three-point shot.
It was already a bit off-balance as the shot left his hand, but the rhythm was excellent.
While the basketball was still in the air, Towns, who was halfway up the court, directly turned back and raised three fingers.
Towns didn't plan to rush for the offensive rebound; he felt it wasn't necessary, as he was very confident in Zeng Xingyang's shooting.
Sure enough.
"Swish!"
The basketball once again precisely pierced through the net.
Towns successfully showed off!
Zeng Xingyang hit the three-pointer, but the camera focused on Towns.
14 to 25.
The University of Kansas called another timeout.
Despite the gap in strength between the two teams, the lead was widening too quickly.
The crowd erupted in cheers, and Zeng Xingyang spread his arms wide, closed his eyes, and basked in the applause.
Booker, Towns, and others quickly rushed over, playfully jostling with Zeng Xingyang.
They were all too familiar with this scene; during previous warm-up games and intra-team scrimmages, whenever Zeng Xingyang took the court, he always displayed this explosive ability.
This was also the moment Zeng Xingyang had craved to have in the NCAA; he thoroughly felt his current power.
Before taking the court, Zeng Xingyang had some doubts about his strength, but now he had none.
Although Zeng Xingyang still didn't know his limits, he knew that right now, he was very strong.
Zeng Xingyang's continuous scoring burst shocked many fans far away in the East.
Wasn't it said that joining the Kentucky Wildcats rotation was tough?
Wasn't it said that the NCAA's intensity was high?
Why did it look so easy for Zeng Xingyang on the court?
When did our country produce such a potential rising star?
Seeing his confident demeanor, he indeed seemed to have the opportunity to enter the NBA.
Zeng Xingyang's debut was eye-catching.
The timeout ended quickly.
The University of Kansas resumed their attack.
After several passes, Selden received the ball and attempted to use his individual ability to overpower Zeng Xingyang.
However, the current Zeng Xingyang was not a defensive liability.
Unless faced with a very fast offensive guard, breaking through his defense with sheer force was quite difficult.
Selden wasn't that fast; after a few direction changes, he couldn't create an opening and had to take one dribble to the right for a stop-and-pop jump shot.
"Smack!"
Zeng Xingyang's wingspan was long, directly blocking the shot.
Tyler Ulis grabbed the ball and continued the fast break.
Selden hadn't turned around to defend quickly, creating a four-on-three situation at the frontcourt.
Tyler Ulis chose to pass the ball to Towns in the middle lane.
Graham quickly got to the paint, where Towns didn't attack directly but continued to look for a teammate.
Who was he looking for? It was still Zeng Xingyang.
After the block, Zeng Xingyang had quickly charged forward, and he was clearly in the zone.
Towns passed the ball to Zeng Xingyang, who was trailing at a 45-degree angle on the right side. Zeng Xingyang caught the ball and made a fake move.
Selden, chasing from behind, was caught off guard; Zeng Xingyang took another dribble, then stepped to the side, creating space while adjusting his rhythm.
He took another three-point jump shot.
His release was exceptionally smooth.
The arc of the shot looked destined to go in.
And, of course, it did.
"Swish!"
A clean swish through the net!!!
14 to 28.
The gap between the two teams continued to widen.
"Are you kidding? This rookie is sinking all these shots right away."
"Kansas's defense is being overrun."
"The dynamics between the two teams have completely changed."
"It's Zeng from China again; this freshman for the Wildcats is showing an exceptional shooting ability."
"I think after tonight, everyone will remember this young man."
The ESPN broadcast commentator praised Zeng Xingyang highly.
Meanwhile, at Zeng Xingyang's home, his parents and younger brother's family were all sitting on the couch watching the game.
Zeng Xingyang had sent the live-stream link to his younger brother before the game, and his brother projected it onto the TV.
"Good job, keep shooting like that."
"Yangyang's shooting has improved."
"Yang has gotten stronger."
The family was discussing Zeng Xingyang's performance on the court.
Seeing their son playing so well, his parents felt completely assured; Zeng Xingyang's performance indicated that he could establish himself in the team.
....
Once again, Zeng Xingyang displayed a scoring burst, personally racking up another 11 points, which fully ignited the Kentucky Wildcats' morale.
The Kentucky players had seen Zeng Xingyang maintaining this level not only in scrimmages; if opponents didn't pay attention to him, he could dominate even in official games.
However, after this shot, Zeng Xingyang's own touch slightly declined, missing two subsequent three-pointers.
This didn't hinder the Kentucky Wildcats from suppressing their opponents.
"Zeng, you're playing like the team leader now," Towns joked.
"You better step it up, or Zeng will steal all the limelight," Lyles laughed.
"I'm seriously suspecting that guy took expired Viagra..." Booker said.
Zeng Xingyang was surrounded by compliments from his teammates, enjoying the attention.
That's the sense of glory that comes from a stellar performance.
Basketball is a highly competitive sport, and successfully executing a play and getting the ball in the basket is immensely gratifying.
"Wildcats players, keep playing like this."
"Kick their butts hard, defend our home court."
"We want to secure our first victory in the opener."
The fans on site were also shouting loudly.
With 3 minutes left in the first half, seeing that Zeng Xingyang's impact on the court was diminishing, Calipari took him off the court.
After Zeng Xingyang went to the bench, assistant coach Bazley handed him a towel.
Zeng Xingyang thanked him and took it.
Bazley greatly admired Zeng Xingyang and said, "I've seen many Asian players work hard in training and have very positive attitudes, but they often struggle to deliver convincing performances on the court."
"Zeng, you're so different; you seem to step onto the court with full confidence."
"You've showcased your training performance on the court."
"Initially, when Coach Kenny told us we underestimated you, we didn't believe it. Now it seems we made a mistake based on our prior beliefs."
"Tonight's game has completely changed my view of you; I think you will be picked by an NBA team, as you have that capability."
"Thank you for your acknowledgment." Hearing Bazley's words, Zeng Xingyang replied humbly.
"Moreover, there's still some room for improvement in your defense tonight. If needed, you can come and find me." Bazley is the team's defense coach.
"Yes, I will keep working hard."
Bazley and Zeng Xingyang talked a lot; while they talked, the score continued to widen on the court.
The first half ended quickly, with a score of 26 to 46; the University of Kentucky was already leading by 20 points.
Zeng Xingyang scored 11 points in the first half, only trailing Towns who had 15 points.
After the second half kicked off, Booker also exploded, taking an offensive mode, utilizing Zeng Xingyang and Towns' draw to continuously drive for close-range jump shots.
Booker's release point for close-range jumpshots was extremely high, making it difficult for defenders to block it.
The Kansas Jayhawks were in a very passive position.
Zeng Xingyang didn't get many opportunities in the second half, scoring two points through a fast break assisted by a teammate, and then missing a three-point attempt.
Under Booker's single-point explosion, the game quickly lost suspense.
With 10 minutes left in the second half, the maximum point difference between the two sides reached 30 points.
At this moment, the Kentucky Wildcats began substituting the starters, sending in the fringe players.
Ultimately, the game ended with a score of 50 to 78.
The Kentucky Wildcats massacred their opponents by a 28-point lead in the opener.
As per the post-game statistics, Ubre finished with 18 points, 8 rebounds, and 4 assists, Selden had 13 points, 6 rebounds, and 3 assists, Towns had a game-high 27 points, 12 rebounds, and 5 assists, Booker recorded 21 points and 6 assists, and Zeng Xingyang recorded 13 points, 2 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal, and 1 block.