The venue for the Big12 Conference finals was the Lloyd Noble Center, home of the University of Oklahoma Sooners.

This arena can accommodate up to 18,000 people watching games at the same time, which is second to none among NCAA arenas.

Thinking back to Griffin igniting fans' emotions with dunks in this arena, it is not difficult to understand why he is so popular in Oklahoma.

Wait, Griffin hasn't entered the NCAA yet!

The two protagonists in this arena now are the University of Texas and the University of Kansas!

The two teams are old enemies, and coupled with the regular season grudges this season, they have become rivals.

The big12 finals, coupled with a wave of media hype before the game, also attracted a considerable amount of attention in the NCAA Division I league.

Speaking from statistics, the attention it has attracted is at the same level as the Big Ten Conference, where Ohio State University is located, and the Southeastern Conference, where the University of Florida is located.

Before the game started, fans from both teams began to enter the stadium one after another. They all wore uniform T-shirts prepared by the team in advance.

One part is blue and the other part is orange. It looks a bit like the scene of two armies fighting together on an ancient battlefield.

This game was also broadcast live across the United States. Before the game started, ESPN reporters interviewed fans of both teams outside the arena.

"The Jayhawk will win!"

"The Longhorns are invincible!"

…

It is inevitable to shout slogans during interviews.

We have reached the finals, and we are in front of national television. If we don't seize the opportunity to shout slogans, we will miss it.

But off the camera, you can find that the emotions of the fans of the two teams are still different.

The fans at the University of Kansas are obviously louder.

The fans at the University of Texas were a little worried.

This emotional difference is obviously related to Brendan Rush's comeback.

The University of Texas won last time, but the win was very thrilling.

Or you can also understand that the two teams are now at two ends of a balanced scale.

But now, Kansas suddenly adds a huge weight who averaged 14 points per game last season and shot 47.2% from three-point range, and the balance will naturally tilt.

And not only is Rush excellent offensively, his defense is also top-notch in the NCAA.

Kansas played Kansas State in its last game, and Rush proved again that he was not affected by the injury.

During the warm-up before the game, ESPN reporters also entered the venue for interviews.

Durant refused to be interviewed by reporters on a daily basis, but Rush was interviewed by Kansas City.

"Would you guard Kevin Durant?"

The question the reporter asked was obviously the question that the outside world was most concerned about.

The last time Kansas lost, it was Lin Ying's tip-in, but the bigger problem was that they couldn't restrain Durant.

So when Rush, a strong defensive player, returns, whether he will guard Durant and whether he can guard Durant becomes a very critical question.

"Durant is one of the strongest scoring players in the NCAA. Defending him will be a very difficult task, but I believe we can do it."

Rush's character is still very humble, a bit like someone from a famous school.

"I mean are you going to defend yourself?"

However, the reporter seemed not satisfied with his answer and asked again.

"Yes I will."

Rush finally gave an affirmative answer.

This answer finally satisfied the reporter, and the fans' emotions were also lifted.

There is a duel between the sharpest sword in the NCAA and the strongest shield. It is very exciting to see whether the sword will break or the shield will penetrate!

Just after the interview ended, the live camera was shown to the sidelines.

Durant, who refused to be interviewed by reporters, and Lin Ying, were smiling and saying hello to the audience.

In this crucial battle, Durant's mother Wanda also came to support her son.

It was this shot that made some media reporters fall into deep thought.

Is this the person they labeled "apathetic"?

Or is Durant simply indifferent to the media?

There was no time for them to think too much, because the opening ceremony was immediately following.

The starting lineups of both teams are also coming out one after another.

The University of Texas still has its regular starting five, but the University of Kansas has made changes to its lineup.

Chalmers, Rush, Arthur, Wright, Cowan.

They removed veteran point guard Russell Robinson and replaced him with freshman forward Darrell Arthur!

The purpose of this adjustment is obviously to have only one purpose: to let Arthur guard Durant!

This was quickly confirmed after the game started.

Compared to Wright, Arthur has worse personal abilities but is more mobile and can better follow Durant without the ball;

Compared with Rush, Arthur, who is 2.06 meters tall, is more suitable to play against Durant in terms of height, and he also has a weird wingspan.

The ESPN reporter finally acted like an honest man and was tricked by Rush before the game.

Facts have also proved that Kansas' lineup adjustment is in place, and Arthur has indeed played a considerable role in restricting Durant.

Moreover, Rush's presence on both ends of the offense and defense is very strong, which makes the University of Texas defense obviously care about one thing and not the other.

You must know that Chalmers and Wright are great offensive threats, and it is already difficult for the University of Texas to defend them.

Now that there is an additional three-pointer with a shooting rate of close to 50% from outside, it is really difficult to defend against.

Of course, the defensive problem can be made up for by enthusiasm.

But the defensive improvements Rush brought to Kansas were truly disastrous for Texas.

Arthur defended alone and Rush assisted in defense. The defensive combination of these two greatly restricted Durant's performance.

Moreover, Rush returns to defense very quickly, and his long arms cut the ball quickly and accurately.

When he and Chalmers fought at the top of the arc, the players facing him felt like they were facing two sharp knives, and one accidental move could end their lives.

At the end of the first quarter, the University of Kansas led the University of Texas by 13 points, 41-28.

Durant only scored 8 points on 3 of 11 shots in the first half.

After Rush returned, Kansas played the same kind of pressure as the University of Florida.

But this is actually normal. After all, this Kansas team was the 2008 NCAA championship team in history!

2008, that is next year!!

And if you really want to get down to the details, this Kansas team has one more Julian Wright!

During the halftime break, Barnes gave some "sweet-mouthed" encouragement to the players.

When the second quarter came back, the University of Texas launched a counterattack climax at the beginning.

Durant shot more decisively, and Arthur obviously couldn't keep up with his offensive rhythm.

Lin Ying also made a three-pointer from the outside to support Durant.

The University of Texas worked hard to close the point difference to 5 points, forcing Self to call a timeout.

After returning from the timeout, Self adjusted the lineup and replaced Arthur with Robinson.

Robinson began to obviously control the rhythm after coming on the court.

As a junior player, although Robinson is less talented than the rest of the team.

But he is rich in experience and has good mental quality at critical moments.

And compared with Randy Williams from the University of Texas, his personal ability is also much stronger.

Especially this year, his mid-range shooting feels very good, and both shooting percentages are NCAA career highs.

When the University of Texas takes care of Kansas' three strong points on the field, the shots he gets will be very good.

The result was that he made a three-pointer from the outside and assisted Rush for a three-pointer. Kansas quickly regained control of the situation.

Although Lin Ying and Durant made consecutive three-pointers from the outside to keep hope alive, the University of Texas ultimately lost to the University of Kansas 75-81.

When the final buzzer sounded, the Kansas fans rushed onto the court like crazy to celebrate.

This is the second consecutive year they have won the Big12 League championship!

And they can also feel that they already have championship looks after Rush returns.

They will definitely win the championship this year!
To be continued...