Chapter 9: An Easy Regional Final

March 24, 1996, brought the NCAA Tournament to its Regional Finals.

In the East, Marcus Camby and the University of Massachusetts finally met Georgetown University in the regional final, as Allen Iverson lived up to the hype and achieved his intermediate goal.

In the Midwest, fans finally saw the outcome they had been hoping for: Wake Forest University narrowly defeated Louisville to successfully advance to the regional final. There, they would face the powerhouse University of Kentucky, with Tim Duncan and Antoine Walker drawing massive media attention. Kentucky’s dominance this year was undeniable; they had crushed Utah 101-70 in the semifinals, a 31-point margin that once again highlighted their absolute superiority.

In the Southeast, Connecticut and Cincinnati faced off in the regional final. Much like the other regions, this was a showdown between the No. 1 and No. 2 seeds. A large number of UConn fans had traveled to the game; the team had never reached the Final Four before, and everyone wanted to witness history together.

In the West, the No. 2 seed Kansas and No. 4 seed Syracuse met in the final—the only region where an upset had occurred. The top-seeded Purdue University had been eliminated in the regional quarterfinals by the No. 8 seed Georgia, and fans were eager to see if Syracuse could continue their underdog run.

CBS continued its broadcast of the Elite Eight matchups, and as the NCAA tournament reached its climax, the level of attention grew higher and higher. Although the NBA had begun to prioritize raw athleticism in recent drafts, most head coaches were still from the collegiate school of thought, meaning even players with limited physical tools but strong tactical execution had a chance to be selected.

The UConn squad had only rested for a day when they arrived at Rupp Arena at 2:00 PM on the 24th for the regional final. Danny Fortson was Cincinnati’s star inside presence. Despite standing only 6'7", he had been performing brilliantly in previous series thanks to his soft shooting touch.

Once the game began, Connecticut utilized their massive height advantage, repeatedly feeding the ball to their big man, Travis Knight. He played with a high-post, high-release style that left his 6'9" opponent, Damon Flint, with no answers. Cincinnati Bearcats head coach Bob Huggins stood on the sidelines looking utterly helpless. He had expected the opponent to focus on their star, Ray Allen, but Allen spent most of the early game acting as a floor spacer.

Head coach Jim Calhoun looked smug. Ray Allen didn’t care about his own statistics; with a chance to make history and reach the Final Four, individual numbers no longer mattered. After Knight hit another high-arcing jumper in the paint, the score became 16-6. The UConn fans in the stands cheered wildly; the game was proving much easier than they had imagined!

Sitting on the bench, Li You was reminded once again of the immense value of big men in this era. The 7'0" Travis Knight hadn't performed exceptionally well in the earlier rounds, but as long as the opponent lacked a star interior defender, he could easily dominate them with his height.

Li You found it even more absurd that the Cincinnati players had clearly inflated their listed heights. Keith LeGree and backup Darnell Burton were officially listed at 6'1" and 6'2" respectively, but Li You felt they were at least two inches shorter than that. Li You, who stood a legitimate 6'3" barefoot and 6'4" in shoes, subconsciously touched his hair and muttered to himself: "If I grew an afro, I could be 6'5" too!"

After building a double-digit lead, Coach Calhoun began his rotations. Their strategy for the game was to feed the interior, with the guards tasked primarily with defense. Calhoun gestured to Li You, and before he checked in, he gave a brief instruction: "Put some pressure on their small guys. Don’t let them get easy shots."

Darnell Marshall was about the same height as Li You, but the handsome white guard specialized in playmaking and controlling the tempo rather than being aggressive on either end of the floor. Li You nodded to show he understood. He loved this era where defenders were allowed to use their hands, a factor that helped compensate for his lack of explosive athleticism.

With a Final Four spot on the line, both sides stuck to their starters, and rotations were further shortened. With 7:22 left in the first half, UConn made adjustments, and Li You checked in.

Soon, Cincinnati’s two small guards felt the sudden increase in defensive pressure. After their star interior player, Danny Fortson, missed several consecutive shots, the team was forced to move their offense to the perimeter.

Keith LeGree, who had just managed a drive in the previous possession, found it incredibly difficult to bring the ball up the court with Li You pressuring him. A sudden crossover nearly caused him to lose the ball, forcing the small guard to hunch over and shield it as he labored across the half-court line.

The sight of him looking so rattled made the UConn fans cheer with delight. Reaching the right flank, LeGree hurriedly turned to protect the ball, saw a teammate run to the top of the arc off a screen, and immediately sent a pass across. Forced to throw it with his left hand, the pass lacked velocity. Li You, who had been hounding him, lunged forward and swiped the ball away the moment it left LeGree's hand.

LeGree was nearly tripped to the floor by Li You. The small guard, clearly annoyed, threw his hands up toward the sideline official and roared, "That was a foul!"

Li You, hearing no whistle, kept his head down and sprinted. It was a 1-on-0 fast break, and he took flight as soon as he reached the paint. He whipped the ball around his body, gripped it with his right hand, stretched out in mid-air, and hammered home a powerful dunk!

"Oh!!"

The thunderous windmill dunk brought the entire crowd to its feet. Landing on the floor, Li You spread his arms in a gliding pose and jogged back on defense with a smile. Facing an athletically average small guard, he was ready to unleash his defensive intensity.

Scouts in the stands quickly noticed another trait of Li You’s: his keen sense for reading passing lanes. However, considering the lackluster quality of the opposing backcourt, many scouts dismissed this as a fluke.

With their backcourt struggling to move the ball, the Cincinnati Bearcats' offense became increasingly stagnant. Darnell Burton was forced into a desperation shot at the end of the clock, missing a contested three-pointer over Ray Allen. The rebound was easily secured by Knight, who threw an outlet pass to Li You, and the UConn offense accelerated instantly.

Dribbling with his left hand, Li You accelerated past the defense of LeGree toward the left wing. Near the three-point line, he came to a sudden stop, switched the ball behind his back to his right hand, lowered his center of gravity, and feigned a drive. LeGree instinctively slid to his left, but a second later, Li You performed a quick between-the-legs dribble, switched to his left, dropped his shoulder, and accelerated. The small guard was nimble and tried to recover, but after making contact, he was brushed aside, left to watch as Li You drove straight to the rim.

As he approached the paint, Li You noticed the help defense coming over. Still holding the ball in his left hand, he lofted a pass toward the upper right of the rim. The ball sailed over Darnell Burton’s fingertips, and Ray Allen, trailing the play, soared high, caught the ball with both hands in mid-air, and slammed it home!

"A spectacular connection! The UConn backcourt is showing their dominance!" Jim Nantz exclaimed from the broadcast booth. Compared to the grind-it-out interior play, the beautiful alley-oop completely ignited Rupp Arena.

The score was 20-8, a 12-point lead! Hearing the massive roar from the crowd, Coach Calhoun wore a satisfied smile. They were on the verge of making history!