74-43, 69-58, after adjusting the mentality, Arizonada State University defeated the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga and Texas A&M University successively, and successfully advanced to the top 16.

The impact of DeRozan's absence on the offensive end of the Devils is clear, with them scoring less than 80 points in both games.

But they didn't allow their opponents to score more than 60 points in either game.

In these two games, Harden scored 26 points in the first game, and Xu Yong scored 25 points in the second game, and the two completed a "relay race" on the offensive end.

And they gave the opponent an absolute sense of pressure on the defensive end.

They made good on what they had said in the locker room and kept the team winning until DeRozan returned.

After reaching the Sweet Sixteen and ending the first stage of the competition, they went straight back to Tampe.

Just as they were returning to school on the bus, at the door of the stadium, there was already a man with a bag on his back, and a dusty person was waiting for them.

The team had seen him before they could get out of the car, and then there was a commotion.

As soon as the bus door opened, the team members cheered and rushed over.

DeRozan lived up to their trust and came back!

DeRozan was also very moved when he saw the reaction of the players, and the apology that was originally about to blurt out turned into fist bumps and hugs.

Xu Yong was at the back of the line, and he waited for DeRozan and Harden to hug tightly before he stepped forward.

He was about to bump into DeRozan, but he didn't expect DeRozan to stretch out his hands towards him.

Seeing this, he immediately opened his arms.

DeRozan patted him on the shoulder and thanked him.

While taking care of his mother, he also stopped paying attention to the team, and in the process of this attention, the information was transmitted from text messages between him and Harden.

Harden told everything that happened after DeRozan left in a text message, and DeRozan had red eyes at the time.

For a person who is in the dark and needs to cut through the dark clouds to find light, Xu Yong's approach is like a beam of sunlight piercing the clouds from top to bottom, very bright and warm.

"How's your mom?" After the two of them finished hugging, Xu Yong asked with concern.

"It's getting better a lot, but she's still in the hospital, and my aunt is taking care of her." DeRozan replied.

"It's good to have someone to take care of, and since you're back, relax and everything will be fine." After all, Xu Yong is an adult psychologically and knows how to comfort people.

"I wanted to stay there, but my mom said she didn't want me to ...... because she left regrets," DeRozan said later, his tone unconsciously choked up.

It was a difficult decision for him to leave when his mother needed him the most.

Seeing this, Xu Yong reached out and patted DeRozan on the shoulder.

Azan doesn't cry, you have us now, and Lori in the future.

Although the world is gray, there will always be someone to light up for you.

……

DeRozan's return is the best shot in the arm for the Devils, and the enthusiasm of the players in training is full, and the familiar Devils team is back.

After a two-day break, the second stage of the tournament began.

Arizonada State University takes on old rival University of Memphis at the University of Phoenix Stadium, which has a capacity of more than 60,000 people.

Originally, when it came to the tournament, the number of fans watching the game was basically half and half, but on this night, more than two-thirds of the fans were all Arizona fans!

Is this fair?

Fair enough!

Although it is not as exaggerated as bidding for international competitions, the venue was decided before the start of the NCAA season, after all, there is still a lot of preparation to be used as a tournament venue.

So the root cause of this result is that Arizonada State University has played too well this season.

If they don't play well, they won't be the top seeds; If they don't play well, they won't be able to reach the round of 16 without a core scorer.

Therefore, iron still needs to be hard, and the strong have their own blessings.

In the second stage, scouts are indispensable, and this time there are scouts from many lotto teams.

In addition to Harden Xu Yong, there is also Terek Evans from the University of Memphis.

After making his debut against the Devils in the opening game of the invitational tournament, Evans has been out of control this season.

As a freshman, he averaged 17.1 points, 5.4 rebounds, 3.9 assists and 2.1 steals per game with a 51.4% shooting rate, leading the team to a 33-4 overall record, including 16-0 in the league's internal games, without a defeat.

If it weren't for the weaker league they were in, they could have gotten a better seed.

With this performance, Evans basically booked a top-five pick in the 2009 NBA Draft in advance.

And at this time, the University of Memphis has experienced a season run-in, which is far stronger than the invitational tournament.

DeRozan has just returned, and Sandike has not scheduled him to start.

Under the leadership of Harden and Xu Yong, the two teams played back and forth.

Then after 9 minutes, DeRozan appeared with Xu Yong, who was replaced in advance.

They were greeted by an overwhelming cheer.

There are no impermeable walls in the world, and stories like DeRozan are also worth promoting, which has been featured in Arizona Sports Weekly.

So after seeing DeRozan's deeds, they were naturally very moved when they saw DeRozan rushing back.

DeRozan also showed a strong desire to attack from the beginning.

He knows that it is not only the tens of thousands of fans in front of him who will watch his game, but also his parents who will be waiting in front of the TV.

His desire to attack quickly translated into scoring.

DeRozan's perimeter projection is inconsistent, but his mid-range and breakaway ability is still strong.

Xu Yong saw that he was in good shape and had a strong desire, and he was also working hard to make a ball for him.

When Harden returned, Harden was doing the same thing.

DeRozan also proved that he is a serious bread eater, the kind that does not vomit.

And DeRozan's performance has also become the key to the Devils opening up the score and even winning the game.

In the end, the Devils defeated the University of Memphis 72-60 at the "home court" and successfully advanced to the elite top 8.

DeRozan scored a team-high 24 points, and the moment the final whistle blew, the audience applauded thunderously, and he squatted directly on the ground to cover his face with his hands, unable to restrain himself.

Xu Yong walked up to DeRozan at this time, reached out and patted him on the back.

Harden also walked over, and the two men reached out and pulled DeRozan up.

At this time, DeRozan's eyes were red, and he really cried.

But these are not tears of sadness, but tears of happiness.

The performance in this game means a lot to him.

Because of his parents, the financial pressure on his family is extremely huge.

And for him, the only way he can help his family is to become an NBA player, so he has long decided to run after his freshman year.

He did make it to the first round and things are going in a good direction.

However, after missing the first stage of the tournament, the other rookies performed well and moved up the ranks, and he naturally fell down the ranks after staying where he was.

But tonight, a battle for redemption was fought.

He is now glad that he listened to his mother and chose to come to Tempe, to the Devils.

Because here is his best teammate, best friend.