Adjustments and Countermoves

In the commentary seat, Barkley watched as USC got off to a 5-0 start. He couldn't help but smile widely, feeling quite pleased with himself. He thought this was the effect of his jinx.

However, the Louisville Cardinals quickly adjusted. Terrence Williams, who struggled with his shooting early on, stopped forcing shots. Instead, he focused on driving to the basket and passing to open teammates on the outside.

Jerry Smith hit a three-pointer following a pass from Williams. On the next play, Earl Clark also made a three-pointer.

USC responded right away. Lian Dao, coming off a screen from Dwight, hit a three-pointer. Then, Lian Dao drove and passed to Dwight, who also made a three-pointer. Lian Dao disrupted Earl Clark's outside shot on the next play.

After grabbing the rebound, Lian Dao assisted Gibson, who hit another three-pointer. USC started with four three-pointers, each by different players.

The score was 14-6, prompting Louisville Cardinals head coach Rick Pitino to call a timeout.

With USC's hot shooting, the Cardinals had to adjust their defense. They switched from a 2-3 zone to a 3-2 zone, focusing more on perimeter players to counter USC's shooting.

Meanwhile, USC continued using a 2-3 zone defense.

After returning from the timeout, Terrence Williams tried another three-pointer from the outside. As soon as he shot, he immediately ran inside. This is where USC's 2-3 zone defense shined, turning the paint area into a fortress. Terrence Williams found himself out of position.

Lian Dao leaped up, grabbed the defensive rebound, and handed it to Daniel Hackett before sprinting down the court. Hackett passed the ball to Lian Dao on the outside. Seeing the opponent's 3-2 zone defense, Lian Dao didn't force a shot. Instead, he passed to Gibson, then sprinted past Earl Clark's defense to the corner.

Once at the corner, Lian Dao received a pass back from Gibson and shot a three-pointer. The corner is one of the weak spots in a 3-2 zone defense. The score now stood at 17-6, giving USC an 11-point lead.

Rick Pitino realized that the 3-2 zone defense couldn't stop Lian Dao's movement. He also didn't expect Gibson, a center, to make such a precise pass. Though Gibson's passing skills weren't top-tier, they fit well within the tactical system, impressing the scouts in attendance.

Lian Dao then focused on defending Earl Clark. Terrence Williams, having missed earlier, chose to pass to Clark instead of taking an outside shot. Williams' pass was slightly off, making it difficult for Clark to handle. As Clark adjusted and prepared to shoot, Lian Dao was already in the air. Despite Clark's attempt to raise his shot height, Lian Dao's fingertips still managed to graze the ball.

After blocking the shot, Lian Dao quickly moved inside and jumped again to secure the rebound. He then made a long pass to DeMar, who finished with a follow-up dunk, extending the lead to 19-6.

Terrence Williams eventually hit a three-pointer from the outside, and the Louisville Cardinals increased their defensive pressure on Lian Dao. With fewer opportunities to shoot, DeMar's talents came to the forefront. He consistently broke through the perimeter defense, scoring at the basket. The 3-2 zone defense struggled to contain DeMar's powerful drives.

When the defense double-teamed on the outside, DeMar passed to Lian Dao in the corner, who often made the open three-pointer. If Samardo Samuels left his position to help defend, DeMar would pass to Gibson for an easy dunk. This exposed another weak point of the 3-2 zone defense: the basket.

Though the Louisville Cardinals continued to score, Earl Clark was effectively neutralized by Lian Dao. Clark couldn't find opportunities to shoot on the outside, and his strength was no match for Lian Dao inside. Clark's layups were blocked twice by Lian Dao, adding to an earlier three-point block, totaling three blocks.

On offense, Lian Dao's shooting frustrated Clark. Depressed and outplayed, Clark considered switching defensive assignments with Terrence Williams.

Rick Pitino noticed Earl Clark's struggles and called the second timeout of the first half. The score was now 34-18 in favor of USC.

"The Louisville Cardinals called a timeout. Earl Clark seemed to be struggling mentally. As a junior, he shouldn't be having these problems, but Rick Pitino will surely find a way to limit Sickle."

Barkley continued his unique commentary style. This time, though, it lacked some of the usual showmanship. If the Louisville Cardinals couldn't find a way to stop Southern California, the game's outcome was practically decided.

"Rick Pitino should double-team Lian Dao," Barkley suggested.

"Double-team? Charles, have you forgotten that USC also has DeMar?" Kenny Smith replied.

"No, Kenny, they need to limit Sickle first!" Barkley insisted. "As for DeMar, Rick Pitino will likely focus on the paint."

Barkley was spot on in his analysis.

After the timeout, Terrence Williams and Jerry Smith were assigned to defend Lian Dao. Whenever Lian Dao had the ball on the outside, the defense formed a double team, forcing him to pass to DeMar.

Earl Clark's defensive strengths came into play. He abandoned Dwight to guard DeMar, disrupting DeMar's attacks. When DeMar passed to Dwight, Dwight misfired from the outside, missing several shots in a row.

During this stretch, the Louisville Cardinals mounted a 10-2 offensive run, cutting USC's lead to single digits.

The score was now 36-28.

Barkley glanced at Kenny with a knowing look, as if to say, "I told you so!"

USC's coach, Tim, called a timeout. With just three minutes left in the first half, he needed to stop the Cardinals from closing the gap any further.

"Dwight, take a break and we'll bring in a substitute for the second half," Tim said to Dwight, who had been struggling.

Then he turned his attention to Vucevic.