Chapter 424 1998 NCAA Tournament 6
Coach Guthridge didn't like some of the questions, but he was still happy with how those press conference interviews went, reporters didn't miss out on this opportunity and asked several questions to reserve players as well.
So the interviews ended and the players had not been tired or stressed because of that, now the reporters had an interview to do about the Tar Heels team record of the 61-game winning streak and also an interview to talk about the NCAA title later a few weeks.
Coach Guthridge decided to let the players rest for the next day's game and they would have no training, if the Tar Heels team won the next game they would have a week to rest before the next game and could train a lot.
So soon the day of the next NCAA tournament came, after a day of rest the players were almost recovered for the game, after breaking the record and thus relieving the pressure that the players felt they were much more confident in the victory.
The opponent in that game was the UConn Huskies team, the UConn Huskies team was having a great season and had a good team with great players, for not even qualifying for the NCAA tournament last season, many thought that the Tar Heels team would win with assurance.
But Jake knew that next season the UConn Huskies team would be the champion of the NCAA tournament, that was strange for Jake because the Michigan State team that they won in the last game would be the champion of the NCAA tournament after two seasons and the UConn Huskies team would win the NCAA tournament next season.
It showed how the Tar Heels team had faced tough opponents if they could win the NCAA tournament this season, so Jake would do his best in that game to guarantee victory.
"Welcome to everyone who is watching another NCAA tournament game this season, the Tar Heels team plays today trying to increase the winning record and continue in the NCAA tournament to try to win the second NCAA title in a row."
"After the last game where all the players on the Tar Heels team performed well, the opponent in that game is the UConn Huskies team that has been having a great season and can win this game and end the winning streak of the Tar Heels team."
"That's right, the UConn Huskies team has been playing very well this season and has great players, I think in the coming seasons they can get a better result."
"But in the last few games they won very hard and in that game, I think the Tar Heels team will win again, with Jake Smith and Antawn Jamison playing so well I find it difficult for the Tar Heels team to lose."
The game started with the Tar Heels team pressing in the attack as it did in the last few games, the players were confident and the Tar Heels team was better in the attack, moreover, the players didn't have to worry and get tired because the next game would just be a week later if they won.
But the UConn Huskies team was known for their good defense for letting their opponent score more than 79 points in just 2 games this season, so Jake knew it would be a tough game where he had to prepare to score fewer points and try more shots out.
The UConn Huskies team's attack was not very strong because of that and Coach Guthridge just told the players to focus on defending against Richard Hamilton and Khalid El-Amin.
Jake would defend against Hamilton who was better at three-point shots in that game and the other players had to defend against El-Amin, so with the good defense of the UConn Huskies team, the Tar Heels team was unable to open a good advantage against the UConn team. Huskies at the start of the game.
Jake would play a key role in this game and if he defended well he could help the Tar Heels team win because his steals would be important in a game with fewer points, so he was more focused than usual in defense.
In another play, the UConn Huskies team was attacking and after a good play Hamilton received the ball, Jake was further away from him and was waiting for a pass or for Hamilton's three-point attempt.
Hamilton attempted an outside shot and Jake quickly approached to block and prevent Hamilton's outside shot, the ball went to El-Amin after Jake's block and he attempted an outside shot and made 3 more points for the UConn Huskies team.
Williams who should have been defending against El-Amin was distracted after Jake got the block and did not continue defending against El-Amin who scored, Jake was upset because the team lost the chance to increase the lead, but said nothing for Williams.
In another move the Tar Heels team was on the attack and the UConn Huskies defense was pressing, Carter advanced the ball and passed the ball to Jamison on the left, Jamison received the ball and the UConn Huskies defense soon pressed against him.
Jamison tried a spin, but seeing that he was not going to make it he passed the ball to Williams further back on the right, Williams received the ball and passed it to Jake in the middle, Jake saw that he had no good passing options and tried the individual play.
He tried to feint, but he did not deceive the opposing player, so Jake tried to use speed and got rid of the opposing player, another UConn Huskies defense player came to defend against Jake and he stepped back and tried the shot from outside.
So he got it right and made 3 more points for the Tar Heels team, Jake still managed to hit some three-point shots, but the UConn Huskies defense was very strong, it was difficult for him to have to use more than three attempts to get rid of an opponent.
The game continued like this with the Tar Heels team pressing in the attack and the UConn Huskies team very well in defense, the Tar Heels team ended the 1st half winning with a small advantage because Jake got some three-point shots and helped in the defense.
In this 1st half of the game Jake played for 20 minutes and made 15 points, 6 assists, 6 rebounds, 5 steals, 3 blocks, Jake was really playing well in this 1st half both in attack and defense, he managed to find spaces to make good assists and help his teammates score against UConn Huskies' good defense.
"What an exciting 1st half we had in that game, the two teams are trying to win and the players from both teams are playing very well, the Tar Heels team is currently winning, but in the 2nd half everything can change."
"It is true, the UConn Huskies team is playing very well and is using strong defense to try to prevent the Tar Heels team that has the best attack from College basketball from increasing the advantage on the scoreboard."
"But Jake is also playing very well in this game and has been the highlight of the Tar Heels team in this game also with 6 steals and 3 blocks, moreover, in the attack Jake is organizing the Tar Heels team well to find spaces and so they can do it the points against the UConn Huskies team's strong defense."
"We will monitor whether the Tar Heels team can continue to attack and defend in order to guarantee the advantage on the scoreboard and achieve victory at the end of the game."
The game was really difficult and the Tar Heels team players who were very confident before the game started were starting to get worried, Jake remembered that in the past the Tar Heels team won this game, but in this game, some key players from the UConn Huskies team they were a little sick in that game.
And Jake could clearly see that the players on the UConn Huskies team were healthy in this game, almost everything was happening as Jake remembered it, but some things still changed like that.
So this game was much more difficult than Jake thought it would be and even defending against Hamilton was difficult, Jake was having difficulty making the plays and so he only made assists or shots from three points, it was because he couldn't move forward to make a layup or a dunk in that game.
In the 2nd half, the game remained difficult to play and Jake was really trying his best to make the Tar Heels team continue with the lead on the scoreboard, in another move the Tar Heels team was on the attack and Jake passed the ball to Williams on the right.
Williams advanced with the ball and passed to Okulaja ahead before crossing the three-point line, Okulaja tried the play and failed and passed the ball back to Williams further back, Williams tried to pass the ball to Jamison later on left.
But Hamilton managed to intercept the pass and make the steal, he took the opportunity and started running for the attack, so Hamilton and El-Amin were running to try to make the points on the counterattack.
Williams took a while to react to the turnover he did and only Jake came back using his speed to defend, Jake was very fast and was ahead of Hamilton and El-Amin preventing them from moving forward.
The two realized this and decided to use the numerical advantage and Hamilton opened on the left and El-Amin opened on the right, Jake was not anxious and stayed in the middle so that he could try the block on whoever tried to make the points or the steal.
Near the painted area Hamilton who had the ball realized Jake's intentions and went to try the mid-range shot, Jake realized this and advanced close to Hamilton and jumped along with him to try the block.
But Hamilton was smarter and was not trying to shoot the mid-range but wanted to trick Jake and passed the ball to El-Amin who was free and can advance to make the layup and 2 more points for the UConn Huskies team.