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Chapter 33: Sooners vs Wildcats (NCAA Showdown)
🕑 Added 2025-04-26 09:29:39 +0000 UTCNCAA Southern League games usually don't get national attention.
But this one. Davidson Wildcats vs. Oklahoma Sooners.
Yeah, everyone's watching.
After three additional straight wins, Lin Yi and Steph Curry finally got their shot at Oklahoma—the final boss of the Southern League.
The last time they played, nobody knew who Lin Yi was. That changed quickly.
This time, it wasn't just a rematch—it was about pride. Oklahoma had to prove they were still top dogs.
Especially now that Taylor Griffin was back, undefeated since his return. And with Blake Griffin beside him? The Griffin Brothers were out for blood.
The entire Davidson campus had migrated to the basketball arena.
Class? Skipped.
Labs? Delayed.
Professors? Probably courtside too.
At this point, the Wildcats were the team on campus.
Who says nerd schools can't go wild?
Plus some of the students had interesting signs.
Lin's like an unsolvable equation—good luck cracking him.
The only thing rising faster than Curry's shots? His stock post-financial crisis.
Even the Griffin brothers had to pause and admire the weirdly creative support... after barely passing their makeup exams.
"Man, what kind of school is this?" Taylor muttered, staring at the sea of signs.
Meanwhile, the Davidson cheerleaders took the floor—and nearly the Oklahoma squad.
Steph elbowed Lin. "What to tell them despite their looks, the girls are hitting GPA over 3.5."
Lin laughed, but it was true—the Davidson cheer team wasn't just hot, they were smart. One of them had a job offer from Goldman Sachs and the CDC.
Small town? Sure. But Davidson College? No joke.
At center court, the two coaches met and shook hands—McKillop from Davidson and Jeff Capel from Oklahoma.
McKillop chuckled, "Man, I'd kill for your frontcourt. Blake and Taylor? That's just unfair."
Kapoor grinned. "Yeah? I'd trade 'em for your scoring king and that seven-foot wizard any day."
They both knew what this meant.
The chess game had started.
.......
Blake Griffin was locked in. He didn't care what people said after the last game—even though he got his numbers, he knew Lin Yi got the better of him.
And since then? Lin's name had blown up.
ESPN mock drafts, scout blogs, even Reddit threads—everyone had an opinion. Some had Lin sneaking into the top 10. A few even said he might go ahead of Blake.
Blake hated it. Not because Lin was good—but because he knew Lin could be a problem.
Thabeet? Whatever. Dude was tall and that's it. No skills. Not a threat.
But Steph? Lin?
One was a deep-range sniper with handles for days.
The other? A seven-footer who played like a guard. Freakish.
Also… was it just him, or had Lin put on some muscle again?
Blake did a double-take. "Yo," he muttered to one of his teammates, "Was he always that big?"
Lin was now 216cm (7'1") and 112kg. And with McKillop and Jennings constantly feeding him weights, protein, and tape, he was built NBA-ready.
....
Back in the huddle, Capel set the tone. "Blake, don't chase Lin. Let Taylor handle him. You focus on scoring. Got it?"
The plan was simple: stagger the matchups. Let Taylor use his quickness to cut Lin off, and keep Blake fresh on offense.
"Make him shoot. If he's gonna kill us, make sure it's jumpers. No easy drives. No dimes. Just make him beat you solo."
It was a sound strategy.
Same on the other end—McKillop pulled Lin aside. "Don't match up with Blake too much. Burn energy scoring. You've got Curry to handle the tempo. Use the pick-and-roll. Let's kill them with movement."
Both coaches knew this wasn't about talent anymore. It was about execution.
...
Tip-off.
First play.
Steph brought it up, Lin slid in for the pick.
And man—his screen was solid. Not just size, but clean footwork. Oklahoma's guard hit the wall and crumpled. Taylor hesitated—couldn't leave Curry open. He followed Steph, and that's all it took.
Bounce pass back to Lin.
Mismatch.
Guard switched onto him—the poor guy didn't stand a chance.
Lin backed him down.
Once.
Twice.
Turnaround jumper.
Splash.
The crowd went crazy.
Reggie Miller called it live. "What a clean shot! That's scary."
McKillop nodded on the sideline. That was the game plan.
If Lin had the space? Let him shoot.
Because here's the thing…
Lin Yi was a member of the mythical 180 club in the Southern League:
55% on twos
44% on threes
91% from the free throwline
Deadly efficient.
Even Steph, for all his wizardry, only shot 50% on twos.
Blake watched from the paint, jaw tight.
Damn.
This wasn't the same Lin from last time.
This Lin?
He was big trouble.
