Sweet Sixteen

John Wooden, the ultimate winner in NCAA history, once said, "Failure is not an event, but a subconscious collective habit." The taut wire holding Duke together snapped right from the start of the second half. They had tried, they had struggled, and their only reward was an increasingly ferocious counterattack from their opponents. In moments like this, the contest came down to stamina and willpower. Yet those two things were rarely innate gifts; they were more like fleeting reserves of spiritual strength. Willpower especially—how strong could human resolve truly be, and how dire a predicament could it endure? If you had heard how those forged of steel stood unyielding, you also knew that some people's resolve could never withstand a real test. This year's Duke happened to be the latter kind of team. Josh McRoberts, once the nation's number one high school recruit, had his true nature laid bare during his freshman campaign. Even though he cashed in on a bit of his potential as a sophomore, scouts no longer viewed him as a future superstar. With Duke's core players unraveling, TTU rapidly stretched the lead to twenty-one points. At the lowest point, the Blue Devils trailed by twenty-five. Mike Krzyzewski had seen enough of the slaughter, so he made a wholesale five-for-five substitution, pulling all his starters and essentially conceding the season. The result, however, proved even more ironic. Duke's roster was stacked with top-one-hundred recruits from across the country, every one of them a former beacon of promise. But when a school of big fish from different ponds got crammed into a single pool, it turned into an unforgiving gladiatorial pit. Those with more talent and immediate readiness broke into the rotation, while those left behind were relegated to deep bench roles with virtually no future. Their ability hadn't vanished; had they gone to a less competitive program, they might have been featured cornerstones. Thrown onto the court with the outcome already decided, they played free of pressure and performed better and better. With five minutes left, the deficit was cut to sixteen points. Through the darkness, the Blue Devils caught a faint glimmer of hope. Then, while giving his struggling reserves a blistering hairdryer treatment, Knight sent Xu Ling back onto the floor after what was supposed to be a rest. On his very first possession back, Xu Ling launched an unapologetic isolation attack on the perimeter—chaining dribbles, a crossover, a pump fake, then his signature fake left before stepping back to the right for a three-pointer. *Swish!* That brought Xu Ling's scoring tally to thirty points. The broadcast camera panned to Coach K, who turned helplessly to his bench and said, "That kid is the real deal!" With that, Duke surrendered its final breath. 86 to 68. The final buzzer sounded, and the Texas Tech Red Raiders defeated the Duke Blue Devils by eighteen points. After two years, they had once again matched their program's best tournament run, punching their ticket to the Sweet Sixteen. Xu Ling capped off the night with a monster stat line of 32 points, 11 rebounds, 7 assists, 2 steals, and 2 blocks. Asked about his performance, Xu Ling was remarkably understated. "I just did what Coach Knight asked me to do." "What did Coach Knight ask you to do?" Xu Ling smiled. "I can't say." "We noticed you talking to Coach K several times on the court. Can you tell us what you said?" Xu Ling's smile remained intact. "I can't say." "All right, Eli, sounds like you have plenty of secrets!" The blonde reporter shot him a playful wink. "Then you have to at least tell me why you never interact with the fans on the floor. For one of the most popular players in college basketball, that's very unusual." Given her ample assets, Xu Ling didn't mind sharing a small secret. "It just proves that players and fans live in two different worlds." "Oh, why say that?" the reporter asked innocently. "We all eat, we all sleep. We definitely live in the same world." Xu Ling explained, "What they don't understand is that my way of communicating with them is through my performance on the court—by constantly becoming stronger and better." It was his first time explaining to the public why he appeared so aloof during games, and it was only the beginning. In the years to come, he would repeat this same answer thousands upon thousands of times to identical questions. Then came tonight's opponent. To all appearances, Mike Krzyzewski harbored no grudge over the young man's brazen disrespect on the court. Whatever his motive, Coach K heaped astronomical praise on Xu Ling: "In my view, Eli's performance has already surpassed Carmelo Anthony's in 2003. He shoulders far more responsibility on a team with less depth. I don't believe I've ever seen a better freshman." Naturally, reporters also pressed to know what Xu Ling had said to him during the game. Krzyzewski's answer mirrored Xu Ling's to a tee. "That's a secret," the media-savvy coach replied with a smile. "I reserve the right to keep it to myself." Bob Knight faced even more questions, but his answers were as elusive as ever. Especially when it came to Mike Krzyzewski. When asked about their relationship, he said it was fine; when asked whether beating Duke to reach the Sweet Sixteen carried a special flavor, he insisted it was no different from any other win. Eventually, the reporters gave up. Since he wouldn't share his secrets, they switched to something he might actually address. "Coach, where would you rank Eli among all the great college players you've encountered throughout your career?" The question was a thorn that might have reminded Knight of how he once missed out on coaching Larry Bird. Yet it also stirred his nostalgia, as he had indeed coached a legion of unforgettable legends. Knight paused in thought. Then, he uttered words that would be quoted in reference to Xu Ling for decades to come: "Quinn Buckner invented basketball, Randy Wittman perfected it, Steve Alford interpreted it, and Damon Bailey redefined it—and Eli, he is the future of basketball." Some rejoiced, while others grieved. While Xu Ling led his squad past Duke into the next round, many future stars played their final college game. Among them was Kevin Durant, who carried even higher expectations than Xu Ling. Under Durant's leadership, the University of Texas reached the second round of March Madness, facing a USC squad headlined by isolation scoring wizard Nick Young. What followed was a night of heartbreak—a glimpse of future greatness that was not meant to blossom tonight, nor in college. Durant poured in a game-high 30 points, 8 rebounds, and 2 blocks in vain. Against a balanced USC squad whose entire starting five scored in double figures, his solo effort fell short. The Longhorns fell by fifteen points, bringing their tournament run to an abrupt end. Durant became the first of the "Big Three" prospects to turn his focus toward the 2007 NBA draft. The kid who carried his Bible everywhere looked utterly dejected, visibly haunted by the feeling that he should have dropped fifty points. If he had scored fifty, the Longhorns would have advanced. Why couldn't he do it? "I'm not thinking about the future right now," Durant said somberly. "I let my teammates down. I wasn't the best version of myself. This game is going to stay in my head for a long time." How long? Two or three months? Until an eight-figure rookie contract pulled him out of the nightmare? No one knew. But one thing was certain: there was no way he was returning for a sophomore season. Durant's early exit put him at a disadvantage. It meant he would have no further opportunities to showcase himself in live competition, whereas Xu Ling, who was constantly compared to him, still had games to play. What was more, Xu Ling's current production was visibly outpacing Durant's. Though Durant had averaged 28 points and 8 rebounds across his two tournament games, Xu Ling held the upper hand in versatility. Through March Madness, he was averaging 28 points, 11 rebounds, 6 assists, 2 steals, and 2 blocks—the textbook definition of a one-man powerhouse carrying his team. Xu Ling's impact on the game was more comprehensive, his efficiency was higher, and TTU's supporting talent was visibly inferior to that of Texas. Then again, raw physical upside remained front offices' true obsession. While Durant's talent couldn't strictly be called once-in-a-decade, over the past ten years, looking only at freshmen or younger prospects, no more than three players in any draft possessed more tantalizing physical tools than him. Durant's talent was practically spilling over the rim. That was why Xu Ling, despite putting on a superstar showcase, was still projected merely as a probable top-five pick rather than a guaranteed lock. He had high-end talent too, of course, but his fell into the elite tier of the draft pool, whereas this class boasted a handful of physical anomalies. The NBA simply couldn't resist upside that broke the scale. Back in the locker room, the Red Raiders were still celebrating. After all, they had tied the greatest run in program history. A Sweet Sixteen berth, something blue-blood powerhouses like Duke and North Carolina took for granted, marked the absolute peak of Texas Tech basketball. Even if their journey ended here in a few days, they would be etched into school lore as athletic heroes—a line on their resumes that would grant them an open door whenever they looked for a job in Lubbock. Was that enough, though? Knight walked in with heavy steps, shut the locker room door tight, and barked, "Another great game, boys! You can celebrate, but no partying, and don't lose your heads. Because when you wake up tomorrow, you'd better realize we still have four games to win!" "J.J., your second half lived up to the title of captain!" "D.D., you know our real test hasn't even arrived, but you were magnificent tonight." Knight praised every player he could find reason to compliment, until his gaze finally settled on Xu Ling. Xu Ling was convinced he was hallucinating, because Knight looked like a kindly, benevolent old man. Even his tone had softened: "Eli," he said earnestly, "I hate losing my temper with you. I really do. But I want you to know how grateful I am for everything you've brought to this team. None of this happens without you. You played the finest game of basketball I've ever witnessed tonight. You buried Duke. But that's not enough. There are four more teams waiting for you to kick their asses. We have to keep fighting. We still need your strength. The Sweet Sixteen is only the beginning—we are going to write brand-new history for TTU!" Xu Ling swore that, with the mentality of a fifth-year senior, he would never swallow cheap motivational soup. But coming from Bob Knight, it hit entirely differently! Xu Ling wanted to offer some sentimental words of gratitude. Yet when the sweet words reached his lips, they came out as, "You're not just saying this because I kicked Duke's ass, are you?" Knight struggled to maintain his gentle expression, but the devil inside him was already clawing its way back to the surface. Grinning through gritted teeth, he barked, "Dammit, Eli, don't piss me off right now!" The locker room erupted in cheers, and the atmosphere instantly turned boisterous once more. Watching the jubilant college kids, Knight felt a swell of profound emotion. *** Report from CCTV-5: "Good evening, viewers, and welcome to *Sports News*. Our top story takes us to the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament in the United States. Earlier this morning, Beijing time, Texas Tech University, featuring Hong Kong's own Xu Ling, defeated powerhouse Duke University 86 to 68 in the second round of the tournament, successfully advancing to the Sweet Sixteen. "Xu Ling delivered an exceptional all-around performance for Texas Tech, racking up 32 points, 11 rebounds, and 7 assists. Facing an ACC heavyweight in Duke, Xu Ling demonstrated commanding dominance on both ends of the floor. In the second half, it was Xu Ling's barrage of timely three-pointers that stretched the lead past twenty points, ultimately putting the contest out of reach. "The nineteen-year-old Xu Ling stands at 2.01 meters tall and plays small forward. Having joined Texas Tech as an international student last year, he has quickly established himself as the team's undisputed focal point this season. Following the matchup, Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski lauded Xu Ling as one of the finest freshmen he has ever seen. "This victory propels Texas Tech into the NCAA Tournament's Sweet Sixteen, matching the best postseason mark in the program's history. Xu Ling's stellar play has already drawn intense interest from NBA scouts. "That concludes this report. Up next, we turn to other sports news..."