Tactical Showdown

Roy Williams saw Danny Green pick up his fourth foul shortly after he came on. This made Roy Williams jump to his feet in anger on the sidelines. Quickly, he made a substitution when Lian Dao made a free throw. He couldn't risk keeping Danny Green on the court any longer; otherwise, five fouls would send him off.

USC also changed its formation at this time. They put Vucevic, who had been on the bench in the first half, back on the court, replacing Dwight. Lian Dao returned to the small forward position.

Southern California was about to play the "elevator door" tactic. They needed to use the opening of the second half to widen the score gap quickly. Delaying would only be more detrimental to USC's chances.

The University of North Carolina responded by sending Bobby Frazier to replace Danny Green. Wayne Ellington then hit a three-pointer from the perimeter through a screen, bringing the score to 50:46.

At this time, Lian Dao handed the ball to Daniel and started running wildly. He sprinted through the gap between Vucevic and Gibson, who immediately closed the space after Lian Dao passed through. Daniel, recognizing the play, passed the ball back to Lian Dao on the outside.

Lian Dao raised his hand and shot.

Three points hit!

Lian Dao's three-point shooting percentage for open shots was impressively high. Following this, USC did not rely solely on the "elevator door" tactic to score from the outside. Instead, they capitalized on a variety of offensive plays. During this period, USC played a dominant wave of 15:6.

With the score now at 65:52, Southern California led by double figures for the first time. The cheers from the USC fans overwhelmed those of the North Carolina supporters, and they chanted the names of the USC players frantically.

Lian Dao's scoring method proved too efficient for North Carolina to handle. The University of North Carolina struggled to find an answer. Their single defense strategy only created more opportunities for Lian Dao on the perimeter. Given the chance, Lian Dao didn't hesitate to shoot.

Now, Lian Dao's three-pointers seemed unstoppable. He scored 15 points at the start of the second half, bringing his total to 38 points, which accounted for more than half of the team's points.

Roy Williams glanced at the game clock and knew he could no longer be stubborn. Their strategy of defending Lian Dao one-on-one had failed. They had tried to use the "Jordan Rules" to contain him, but instead, Lian Dao had continued to expand USC's lead single-handedly.

This demonstrated that the secondary layer of the "Jordan Rules" was ineffective against Lian Dao. Roy Williams decided it was time to implement the primary layer: strict double-teaming.

Before he could deploy this defensive adjustment, he needed to address USC's "elevator door" tactic. Roy Williams understood that executing such a play required players with exceptional shooting ability, as it relied on capitalizing on brief windows of opportunity from the outside.

Few players could achieve this level of quick three-point shooting, not just in the NCAA but even in the NBA. It required both the ability to shoot quickly and maintain a high shooting percentage. A missed shot often meant no chance for an offensive rebound since the two big men screening near the free-throw line would be out of position to grab the rebound.

Initially, Roy Williams scoffed at USC's strategy, thinking they had dug their own grave by sacrificing offensive rebounds. To him, this was a foolish decision. However, Lian Dao's successive three-pointers soon left him speechless. He hadn't expected anyone could maintain such a high shooting percentage under those conditions. Lian Dao seemed like an emotionless shooting machine to him.

With about 10 minutes left in the game, Roy Williams couldn't afford to gamble anymore. The University of North Carolina was trailing, and he had to act fast. He called a timeout.

To counter Lian Dao, Roy Williams decided to implement a double-team. He brought Danny Green back into the game. He also gave specific instructions on how to counter USC's "elevator door" tactic. Dean Thompson was assigned to follow Lian Dao within the three-point line, while Danny Green would cover him outside the three-point line, effectively sniping at Lian Dao from both areas.

This tactic was based on the assumption that USC lacked a second reliable three-point shooter. Roy Williams noticed that USC didn't have another stable outside threat. If someone like Stephen Curry or Klay Thompson were on USC's roster, his tactics wouldn't work. But since they weren't, he felt more confident in his strategy. Both Curry and Thompson were already well-known, and Stephen Curry was set to enter the draft this season.

Tim anticipated Roy Williams' defensive adjustments, so he also prepared USC tactically for the possible changes from the University of North Carolina.

As the second half began, it became clear that Dean Thompson was now following Lian Dao, while Danny Green shadowed Gibson. However, when Lian Dao ran through the double screens inside, Danny Green would leave Gibson to defend Lian Dao on the outside.

Lian Dao wasn't surprised to see Danny Green on him. He had foreseen Roy Williams making this move. He calmly took and made a three-pointer over Green, who was cautious on defense due to his four fouls.

Roy Williams noticed Danny Green's hesitation and decided to bolster his confidence.

"Danny, don't worry about fouling. If he dares to shoot a three-pointer, play him hard!"

Roy Williams was determined to stop Lian Dao from making outside shots, even if it meant sending him to the free-throw line.

Meanwhile, North Carolina continued to leverage their inside advantage, with Tyler Hansbrough scoring effectively in the paint. On defense, Danny Green shed his timidity and aggressively marked Lian Dao as soon as he passed through the "elevator door" screens. When Lian Dao tried to create space with fakes and dribbles, Dean Thompson would abandon Gibson to double-team him.

Faced with the double-team, Lian Dao didn't force his shots. Instead, he passed to Gibson cutting to the basket. As Tyler Hansbrough rotated over to help, Gibson quickly dished the ball to Vucevic on the right, who easily finished the play.

The game fell into USC's rhythm, but Roy Williams was far from giving up. He knew that if North Carolina didn't win the championship this year, their chances in the following years would be slim. Roy Williams' determination to fight for the title was unwavering.

The University of North Carolina missed a shot, and Gibson grabbed the rebound, quickly transitioning back to offense.

From the sidelines, Roy Williams yelled, "Tact Three!" signaling the North Carolina players to implement a new defensive strategy.

Lian Dao planned to draw a double-team and pass the ball, as he did previously. However, this time, North Carolina's defense intensified. Instead of two defenders, three players converged on him. Wayne Ellington and Dean Thompson double-teamed Lian Dao with the ball, while Danny Green blocked his passing lanes.

Lian Dao hesitated momentarily, and the three defenders swiftly closed in, forming an impenetrable defensive wall. Both his breakthrough route and passing options were shut down, leaving him no room to maneuver.

Danny Green seized the opportunity, intercepting Lian Dao's pass and sparking a defensive counterattack for North Carolina.