Many fans don't fully understand what "basketball IQ" really means.
Thomas Robinson was a textbook example of low basketball IQ.
On defense, he always tried to solve problems with athleticism rather than thinking about how to adjust to his opponent's tendencies.
That was low basketball IQ in action.
Yuuto drew the foul on Thomas Robinson.
Both free throws dropped through.
Today, Yuuto was showing everyone another side of his game.
How he handled the ball when his shot wasn't falling.
Attack the rim and draw contact!
"Compared to Thomas, Yu is as cunning as a fox."
Tonight's game had attracted plenty of NBA executives and scouts.
By this stage of March Madness, every remaining team had players with bright draft prospects.
Yuuto needed no introduction, but Thomas Robinson was also being closely watched.
Yet after these opening possessions, people naturally compared the two and noticed Thomas's basketball IQ deficiencies.
Thomas Robinson clearly had no good answer for the Bruins' targeted defense.
He wasn't afraid of physical contact, but UCLA's help defense and physical battles prevented him from easily scoring in the paint while also draining his shooting rhythm.
Meanwhile, Yuuto kept attacking and drawing fouls, getting to the free-throw line again and again.
By the time Kansas realized something was wrong and tried to adjust, Yuuto's mid-range and long-distance shooting suddenly came alive.
Once again, he demonstrated to everyone just how terrifying his adjustment ability was.
Only ten minutes into the game, he'd already found his shooting touch.
The lead slowly grew as Kansas lost its way against the Bruins' defense.
"Kansas's efforts are ultimately futile," ESPN college basketball analyst Andy Katz wrote rapidly in his courtside notes.
The reason Kansas had made it this far wasn't their offense—it was their defense.
Holding the talent-loaded North Carolina to just 20 points in a half was their winning formula.
But tonight, they couldn't stop Yuuto. Thomas Robinson's early foul trouble had them in shambles.
"This is the impact of a superstar. Yu isn't just unstoppable on offense—he's equally active on defense, and that energy has lifted the entire Bruins team."
"Tonight, UCLA is the better team!"
Halftime arrived.
The Bruins led 55-37, an 18-point advantage.
Kansas didn't have North Carolina's talent, and with their stars Thomas and Tyshawn Taylor neutralized, nobody else could step up.
Kansas's head coach emphasized defense during the halftime break.
In the second half, Yuuto once again faced the same defensive scheme North Carolina had employed.
But unlike the previous game, today the rest of the Bruins were clicking.
Mosely finished with 17 points. Reeves Nelson had 18. Even Norman Powell chipped in 10.
With four players in double figures, they cruised to a 97-78 victory over Kansas.
This was the thrill and unpredictability of the NCAA Tournament.
A sudden hot streak from players could easily cause an upset.
Of course, for the defending champions, winning wasn't exactly a surprise—but they'd won far too easily.
Yuuto had another solid performance, though Kansas fans insisted their defense had succeeded.
After all, they'd held Yuuto under 30 points.
Yuuto played 37 minutes, finishing with 26 points, 10 rebounds, and 12 assists—another triple-double earning him Player of the Game honors.
With UCLA advancing to the Elite Eight, all of California was electrified.
As the NCAA Tournament progressed, UCLA remained the last California team standing.
With other California schools eliminated one by one, UCLA had become the state's only hope this year.
Even Lakers star Kobe Bryant tweeted his support.
"You still have three more wins to get. Go create your moment, next-generation star."
He specifically tagged Yuuto and gave him a follow.
Yuuto responded on Twitter, exchanging a few messages with Kobe.
Reaching the Elite Eight wasn't something UCLA celebrated too extravagantly.
The fans were excited because the Bruins' path to this point had included Kansas and North Carolina—traditional powerhouses.
Especially North Carolina, who'd been considered title favorites.
Beating them meant UCLA had championship-caliber talent.
A few days later.
UCLA faced their Elite Eight opponent: Michigan State University.
This was a team that harbored open hostility toward UCLA.
That hostility came from the Spartans' captain, Draymond Green.
He'd joined the Spartans in 2008, spending his first two college years as an unremarkable sixth man.
But Green had kept grinding, eventually becoming the Spartans' captain.
Last year, he'd become only the third player in Michigan State history to record a triple-double, joining Charlie Bell and Magic Johnson.
This season, he'd led the team to the Big Ten regular season championship, averaging 16.2 points, 10.6 rebounds, and 3.8 assists, earning Big Ten Player of the Year.
Yet despite all this, Green still couldn't get on scouts' or ESPN's radar.
When evaluating him, scouts always used phrases like "lacks physical tools" and "limited upside."
Mock drafts didn't even have him going in the first round.
Compare that to Yuuto—a freshman whose draft projection was skyrocketing like a rocket. Green was jealous.
He hated these so-called geniuses!
He'd been taking shots at Yuuto in the media for days leading up to the game, but Yuuto hadn't responded.
California fans, however, had flooded the internet and even sent letters insulting Green. They thought he was a clown, purely jealous of Yuuto.
This set Green off. He tweeted: "UCLA fans better bring tissues when they show up to the next game. You have zero chance. A mediocre team that relies on trash players to win has zero chance."
"UCLA is the only non-elite team in the Elite Eight. I'll expose Yu for what he really is."
Bruins fans erupted, accusing him of self-promotion.
Of course Green was promoting himself.
He was a smart player who knew exactly what NBA teams and fans liked—and didn't like.
Green was the type of player who wasn't liked.
Despite having a triple-double on his resume, he lacked offensive talent. He'd needed two years of defensive grinding just to crack the Spartans' starting lineup.
He'd never been one of those golden boys basking in the spotlight.
He was a sewer rat—dirty, ugly, unlikeable.
But.
Green didn't care what people thought. He wanted to promote himself, destroy Yuuto, and get more people to notice him so he could smoothly get drafted into the NBA.
Green was different from most. He was certain he could make it in the NBA.
Every era of the NBA needed tough guys like him—villains, even.
If he couldn't be the protagonist like LeBron James, then he'd become the villain standing opposite the hero!
That was his path to survival.
...
Get 20+ chapters ahead on - P.a.t.r.e.o.n "RoseWhisky"