After halftime, the Spartans proactively benched Maurice Ager, who had gone 1-for-7 in the first half.
"Tom, won't this be too hard on him?" Jonathan, an assistant coach, asked head coach Izzo from the Spartans' bench, looking at a dazed and completely deflated Ager.
Hearing that, after glancing at Maurice's infuriating demeanor, Izzo's expression at that moment was practically identical to that of the young Grand Secretary in Ming Dynasty 1566.
Throwing his tactical clipboard at Jonathan, Izzo roared, "Hard on your mother's head!"
This is the freaking Final Four! As the team's star player, I gave him a whole half to prove himself; what more does he want from me?
In the world of basketball, it's a dog-eat-dog world. You've either got it or you don't. If you don't... then even if you're the "Chosen Grandson," you'll have to start in the G-League.
On the court, the fiery old man Izzo proved just how much damage Ager was doing to the team with that substitution.
However, even with their star player faltering, the other Spartans, who had taken a beating at halftime, showed their grit by proving in the second half that they deserved to break out of the Austin regional. Still, they couldn't stop Wake Forest's relentless advance tonight.
In the second half, Zack and Paul, not letting their big lead make them complacent, combined for 25 points in the final 10 minutes.
Ultimately, it was 90 to 77.
Amidst the roaring cheers throughout the arena, Wake Forest smoothly advanced to the March Madness final.
As a team that had historically never claimed an NCAA Tournament championship, Wake Forest, under the leadership of Zack and Paul, was continuously rewriting its history this year.
From the very beginning of the season, they had moved forward with victory after victory, and now, they were just one game away from a perfect, undefeated championship run.
On April 5th, at the Edward Jones Dome, they would face the Illinois Warriors in the March Madness final, who had previously edged out the North Carolina Tar Heels 81-78 in another Final Four matchup.
The Tar Heels, seemingly "possessed" by Wake Forest, were affected by their earlier long trip to the Albuquerque regional.
In that game, after leading Illinois by as much as 10 points, they suffered a "black three minutes" in the decisive moments that saddened all North Carolina fans, including Michael Jordan.
Head, Deron, and Brown took turns firing shots in the final three minutes, collectively shooting down the Tar Heels under the watchful eye of the Basketball Gods.
Ira Berkow of The New York Times published a photo titled "Heaven and Hell" in his report the next day.
On the left side of the photo were heartbroken North Carolina fans, clutching their heads, while on the right were jubilant Illinois supporters celebrating their victory.
This is the heaven and hell of March Madness.
North Carolina's hell was precisely Illinois's heaven.
Historically, the Illinois Warriors had also never lifted an NCAA Tournament championship, so regardless of the outcome of this year's final, it meant that the NCAA would crown a new king.
"Will Wake Forest lift the trophy with an undefeated record, unrivaled across America?
Or will Illinois continue to write their thrilling miracle story?"
A day later, on the evening of the 5th, the Edward Jones Dome officially hosted this annual spectacle.
Since the NBA also takes a back seat during the March Madness finals, LeBron James and Carmelo Anthony both came to the arena tonight to cheer on Zack and Paul.
As for the VIP boxes...
You could practically throw a rock and hit a superstar.
Jordan, who had just witnessed North Carolina's comeback loss, was in a foul mood tonight.
Barkley, who had lost a bet and couldn't call Zack his successor in front of Jordan, was also looking downcast.
In contrast, Duncan, Zack and Paul's senior from college, was happily giving Yao Ming a shoulder massage, who was sitting in front of him.
Shaquille O'Neal, currently in his honeymoon phase with Dwyane Wade, put his arm around Wade's shoulder before the game and grumbled, "Only us college-educated players truly understand the fun of college basketball."
At this moment, O'Neal clearly had something in mind.
In February of this year, with Kobe and the plaintiff reaching a settlement and the Eagle County incident settling, Jerry Buss, to help Kobe gradually shed the negative impact of the incident and also to change the subject, once again talked publicly about O'Neal's weight in an interview.
According to Buss, O'Neal had lost about 60 pounds of fat after joining the Heat during the offseason.
To this, O'Neal responded: "Weight, obesity, has always been the Lakers' way of pressuring me. Wanting me to lose weight was fake; their real goal was to drive down my price."
Furthermore, O'Neal continued in his response: "Does weight really have an impact? Before this, didn't I still lead the Lakers to the Finals and win championships? Since Jerry West left, no one in Lakers management has dared to speak the truth. That guy [Kobe] could have stood up and said a few fair words for me, but he didn't say a single word."
Clearly, the feud between O'Neal and Kobe would continue for a long time to come.
On the court, after the introductions, Zack and Paul, both set to enter the NBA draft this year, officially played the final game of their college careers.
At mid-court, the starting fives for both teams took their positions.
Wake Forest stuck with their previous game's starters: Ellis, Zack, Reavis, Gray, and Paul.
Illinois also chose to trust the lineup that defeated the Tar Heels: Augustin, Powell, Brown, Head, and Deron.
In the jump ball, Zack overwhelmingly secured the opening possession for Wake Forest.
Paul dribbled the ball past half-court, preparing to run the Flex offense as planned before the game.
But Deron actively used physical contact, nearly forcing a turnover from Paul.
The 6-foot-3 Deron weighed 210 pounds.
In front of him, Paul, who was officially listed at 6 feet, looked like a little brother from next door.
Noticing this, Zack decisively aborted the Flex offense and moved up to the high post, offering Paul a sense of complete security with his sturdy arms.
Then, Paul, after getting a screen from Zack, immediately seemed like a changed man, dribbling past Deron's defense.
The 6-foot-10 Augustin was an offensive-minded big man, and his average defensive awareness prevented him from effectively delaying Paul's drive.
Moreover, during this pick-and-roll defense, Augustin clearly didn't communicate his defensive assignment well.
Down the middle, Zack seized the opportunity to roll towards the basket, immediately elevating near the three-second area, and receiving a pass from Paul, scored with a long-range power dunk!
In the stands, witnessing this, the previously gloomy Jordan instantly transformed into Loki from Thor: Ragnarok, yelling, "That's how you do it!"
Beside him, Barkley initially wanted to quip that Larry Bird couldn't complete such a violent dunk.
But...
Just thinking about the six championship rings Jordan had brought to the arena tonight made Barkley change his mind.
Seriously, who the hell brings all six championship rings to an NCAA final? Come on, Michael!
On the court, Zack's opening score ignited the entire arena.
However, on their return, Illinois immediately answered with their signature pick-and-roll.
Augustin received a pass from Deron off the pick-and-roll and calmly hit a mid-range jumper.
Augustin had a soft mid-range touch and was known as the "Mid-Range God" of the Big Ten conference.
On that last play, Zack's closeout was quick, but after completing it, no matter how fast Zack recovered on defense, he couldn't be faster than the pass.
Deron found Augustin with an incredibly subtle assist.
It has to be said, this opening sequence, both offensively and defensively, made Paul break out in a cold sweat.
He and Deron had both completed an assist...
But... if it weren't for Zack being on his team, Paul couldn't even imagine how passive he would have been in that exchange.
Next, it was Wake Forest's offensive possession.
Powell actively switched with Augustin, successfully breaking Wake Forest's Flex offense in the low post.
Reavis's screen quality was limited; he couldn't always manage a two-on-one screen for Zack in the low post.
However, the moment he noticed the Flex offense failing, Zack immediately posted up low.
This was a perfect read.
The only slight drawback was that Paul tonight couldn't pass the ball to Zack as easily as usual.
Under Deron's strong pressure, Paul could only get the ball to Zack by passing it to Gray first.
But, because transferring the ball would inevitably take time, the moment Zack received the ball, he was almost instantly double-teamed by Augustin and Powell.
The best way for Zack to handle this ball would have been to pass it back to Gray, allowing Gray to look for an open pass.
But that approach was too conventional.
Given Illinois's tactical discipline, they could easily reset their defense during the time it took for Zack to pass the ball back.
So, Zack chose a bolder approach:
Under Illinois's double-team, Zack suddenly passed the basketball between Augustin's legs with a bounce pass.
Under the basket, an unguarded Reavis received the ball and immediately jumped up.
SLAM!
"That pass..." In the stands, Jordan's eyes were glued to the action.
Beside him, Barkley quietly mumbled, "I used to make passes like that for my teammates too."
On the court, Zack, having connected with Reavis, fist-bumped him, then turned his gaze to Paul.
It was clear...
With Paul struggling tonight, Wake Forest would have to rely on Zack to carry a heavier load.
On the return, it was Illinois's offensive possession.
Deron didn't call for a screen this time.
Because he simply overpowered Paul.
No finesse, no emotion.
On the court, Deron's ruthless drive past Paul successfully drew a help defender from Gray.
Then, Head, receiving a pass from Deron off the drive-and-kick, sank his first three-pointer of the night.
In the stands, Yao Ming, unaware of what the future held, commented inwardly: "What a great shooter."
Calm and with the demeanor of a true leader.
His release was quick and never hesitated.
This was Luther Head in college.
He was even among the top shooters in Big Ten history.
Next, Wake Forest's possession.
Zack moved to the high post to demand the ball, preparing to run a hand-off play with his teammate.
After circling around and returning to the top of the arc, Paul finally made a slight impact.
Worried that Paul might drive directly to the basket after receiving a hand-off from Zack, Augustin specifically adjusted his stance, leaving room to stop Paul.
But this was precisely where Wake Forest's hand-off play was so effective.
At the top of the arc, utilizing the effective leverage Paul created for him, Zack directly dropped the ball and accelerated, taking three long strides into the Illinois paint.
A scrambling Powell had no choice but to try and foul to disrupt the play.
However, Zack simply powered through the sturdy power forward, forcing the ball into the hoop.
And he earned an additional free throw.
Zack's two-and-one play electrified the Wake Forest fans in the arena.
In the stands, chants of "MOP, MOP" immediately echoed through the dome. (Note ①)
"Tonight, Wake Forest is still looking to Zack to secure the win for them..." the CBS commentator said.
Meanwhile, on the sideline, Anthony, who had also played in the March Madness final, sensed something was off. "This won't work. Zack will be absolutely exhausted if they keep playing like this."
Beside him, LeBron James immediately adopted a thoughtful expression.
However, before James could voice his thoughts, Anthony pointed out Wake Forest's problem: "They usually do set the tone with Zack early in their games. But in previous games, Zack's offense didn't look this strenuous."
At this, a suddenly enlightened James said, "You have a point, Melo."
Then, James frowned: "Don't Wake Forest's coaches know this approach isn't sustainable?"
In fact...
As early as the team's second offensive possession, Prosser had already shown a worried expression.
But tonight...
Illinois head coach Bruce Weber was employing an overt strategy.
"Stop Zack? No, no, I never thought any player in college basketball could contend with Zack as he is today."
On the Illinois bench, watching Paul, who was utterly ineffective against Deron, Coach Weber's face instantly lit up with a smug expression.
Coach Weber knew perfectly well that Illinois's interior becoming a plaything in front of Zack was an inevitable fact.
So, if that was the case...
Why should Illinois try to stop Zack?
Tonight, Illinois's strategy was clear.
It was to find ways to exhaust Zack's stamina and relentlessly attack Wake Forest's perimeter.
On the court, after Zack sank his free throw...
Dee Brown, one of Illinois's three backcourt stars, also hit his first three-pointer of the night on the very next offensive possession.
This season, Illinois averaged nearly 23 three-point attempts per game.
In the NCAA, where there are relatively fewer possessions, this number of attempts accounted for 40% of their total shots.
In fact, even before the NBA entered the three-point era, gaining more cost-effective points through more three-pointers had already become a consensus among many college teams.
At this moment.
Now.
Zack and his teammates, who wanted to crown themselves with the NCAA Tournament championship, had encountered their biggest crisis in March Madness.
Because, just as Zack had thought, Illinois, whose style perfectly countered Wake Forest's, was indeed their "serious threat."
"As expected, reaching the top means no easy steps."
On the court, after taking a deep breath, with a reassuring smile for all his teammates, Zack strode toward Illinois's half...