Under Coach McKillop's tactics, this Round of 32 game turned into a full-on 1v1 showdown.
Lin Yi vs. James Harden.
Steph Curry vs. James Harden.
James Harden vs. the entire Wildcats squad.
Both sides were going back and forth, bucket for bucket. Star players putting on a clinic, pulling out all kinds of moves like they were showing off at an All-Star weekend.
Just pure talent on display.
And the Chinese reporters who flew in for their first live NCAA game? They were starting to get the hype.
"How's he playing like this?"
"How the hell is his handle that tight?"
They knew Lin Yi was good—had read Wu Xiaolei's reports, watched the clips Qi Jun sent—but seeing it live? Totally different experience. It felt unreal.
Then they started comparing him to some Chinese stars.
Wang Zhizhi?
Nah. Not even close. Not even the youngest, fastest version of Wang had that kind of speed and coordination.
Yi Jianlian?
Nope. Yi was strictly right-hand dominant when it came to handling the ball. Lin Yi? Dude had handles. Shifty, smooth, unpredictable.
His game was straight-up non-mainstream for a center. Like a glitch in the matrix.
And then there's Curry, pulling up from damn near half-court. Were the coaches really okay with this? Just letting him chuck it?
And Harden? This is college basketball? This guy is playing in college?
Even the American media, who'd already seen Lin Yi's highlight reels and point centre style, weren't surprised by him. But the Wildcats' approach? That caught everyone off guard.
They weren't playing their usual pass-and-cut, motion-heavy system. No pick-and-rolls, no post-ups. Just ISO after ISO.
"The Wildcats have completely abandoned their usual style," Kenny Smith commented. "But the Sun Devils like isolation ball. Isn't this playing into their hands?"
Barkley chuckled. "Sure. But how long do you think Harden can keep this up?"
Smith nodded in agreement.
Right. That was the problem.
Yes, the Wildcats were playing a style that wasn't really their thing. But they were doing it for a reason.
With five minutes left in the first half, Arizona called a timeout. Harden was gassed—hunched over, hands on knees, sucking wind.
He'd scored 20 already, but the Wildcats were relentless. No double-teams. No switches. Just one-on-one, every single time down.
And on the other end? They hunted him. Every. Damn. Possession.
Pick-and-roll with Lin Yi. Harden had to fight over it.
Don't switch? Cool, Lin Yi gets a clean look.
Switch? Guess what—Curry cooks the mismatch.
There was no winning. Harden was trapped in a one-man war.
And he had no idea that scouts were loving it. His draft stock was flying up.
But Harden? He wasn't loving anything.
Not when Lin Yi came down again, eyes locked in, dribble dancing between his hands like he was channeling AI himself.
One cross. Then with a fake left. Snap back right. Push off left again.
Harden's knees strained and buckled.
Lin Yi blew by him and finished through Grant with a smooth layup.
The Chinese reporters were losing it. Lin Yi was a center, and yet he moved with such agility.
HALFTIME
Wildcats trailed 30–35.
Harden had dropped 26. To fans, it looked like he was dragging Arizona to the Sweet 16 by himself.
Davidson fans were getting nervous. Was this it? Were they really about to get Harden'd out of March Madness?
Only Lin Yi wasn't worried.
He and Curry had each sat for five minutes in the first half.
Harden? Played all 20.
The plan was working.
Second half. The Wildcats didn't change a thing—except they sped it up.
Any chance for transition, they took off.
And soon, Harden's shots stopped falling. His legs were shot. Curry nailed a deep three on the break. Lin Yi got a putback dunk. The pace broke the Sun Devils.
Arizona's coaches, Johnson and Pera, finally saw the light.
They'd been baited. Harden had been baited.
And now he needed a rest.
But without Harden, the Sun Devils had no real offense.
Curry came flying down again, breaking into the paint. Arizona's bigs tried to help, but he tossed it into the air like a careless lob.
Lin Yi caught it mid-air, drew the defense, and whipped it back out to Curry for a wide-open three.
Bang. Clean.
Gap widening. Game flipping.
When Harden came back in, he was a different player. Legs gone. Mind foggy. The game had slipped away.
"The Wildcats' strategy was never about playing beautiful basketball," Barkley said, shaking his head. "It was about grinding Harden down. And man... it worked."
It was a little low.
But in March Madness?
Nothing mattered.
And while Arizona believed they were trading buckets...
The Wildcats were playing chess.
Final move?
Checkmate for Sun Devils.
...
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