Chapter 42: Record-Breaking! NCAA Championship Moment!
"Chen's already dropped 30 in the first half. This dude's completely taken over!"
Kenny Smith stared at the giant screen showing the players' stats, visibly in awe.
"Thirty in a half? Man... I don't even remember the last time I saw anything like this on an NCAA Finals stage."
Reggie Miller shook his head, still processing what he was witnessing.
"Correction—this has never happened before," Charles Barkley chimed in. "Bill Walton didn't do it. Magic didn't do it. Not even Mike. What'd Jordan have in the NCAA championship game—16, maybe 18 points?"
Barkley intentionally brought up Jordan, probably knowing full well what would happen if MJ were around.
If Jordan had been courtside, he'd have held up six fingers to remind Chuck exactly how many rings he had—and how many Barkley didn't. But since he wasn't here, Barkley was free to talk all the trash he wanted on live TV.
"At this rate," Kenny said, "Chen Yan might only need ten minutes in the second half to break Walton's Finals scoring record—44 points!"
"Ten? Hell, I give him eight!" Barkley laughed. "He's a straight-up bucket!"
At this point, the TNT commentary crew wasn't asking if Chen Yan could break the record—they were betting on when.
And their confidence wasn't misplaced.
Chen had racked up 30 points in just one half, on a mind-blowing 19 shot attempts.
He went:
12-for-17 on twos
1-for-2 from deep
3-of-4 at the line
The dude was efficient. Ruthlessly efficient.
Coming into the game, the NCAA Tournament Committee hyped it up as a showdown: Oden vs. Durant and Chen Yan. But by halftime? Nobody was talking about Greg Oden. Nobody was talking about Kevin Durant.
All eyes were locked on one name—Chen Yan.
---
During the break, Texas head coach Rick Barnes didn't overthink it.
No fancy plays. No strategic adjustments.
Just a simple directive:
"Keep feeding Chen the ball."
If it ain't broke, why fix it?
"Coach, I want to start the second half," Chen said as Barnes finished his halftime talk.
"Chen, you've logged heavy minutes. Get some rest."
"I can rest after the game."
Normally, Barnes would have shut that down. But not today.
There was a fire in Chen's eyes he couldn't ignore. A hunger too intense to deny.
"Coach," Durant stood up too. "I want in."
Barnes nodded.
"Go. Both of you. Finish this thing. No regrets."
---
Second Half.
As Chen Yan and Durant stepped onto the court, Ohio State head coach Thad Matta stared in disbelief.
"They're leading by twelve and still running their stars out there?!"
Matta had no choice—he had to counter.
Oden checked back in on the next dead ball. Rest or no rest, if he didn't, Chen and KD would blow the game wide open.
---
The second half opened with Texas running a relentless dose of Chen-Durant pick-and-rolls.
And man, it was lethal.
KD would pop out, and Chen would slash. Sometimes they'd switch.
Ohio State just couldn't keep up with the reads, the angles, or the spacing.
When no one rotated?
Durant pulled up and drained mid-range jumpers with ease.
When they hedged too hard?
Chen split the defense, getting downhill fast for crafty finishes.
And when the defense collapsed?
They kicked it out to open shooters or reset the offense. Every possession felt like a chess master playing speed chess.
Oden was battling like a beast down low—his post-ups, rim protection, and boards were huge.
But it was still two stars versus one.
Even Superman would crack under that pressure.
The lead held steady around 15 points.
---
With 11:07 left on the clock, Conley and Cook hit back-to-back threes.
Suddenly the crowd erupted—Ohio State was back in it!
The lead was down to single digits.
And then—
Chen Yan happened.
First, he slammed home a fast-break dunk in traffic—pure authority.
Next trip down, he came off a screen, curled around the arc, caught, fired, splash—three-ball, nothing but net.
Then came the dagger—
A smooth isolation, a ghost-like jab step, a pull-up from the elbow—money.
Just like that, the Ohio State run was dead on arrival.
After that offensive burst, Chen Yan hit 44 points, tying Bill Walton's all-time Finals scoring record.
But it wasn't just the numbers.
It was how he was doing it—
Slender frame, silky-smooth moves, deceptive footwork, and swagger in every step.
The internet was already buzzing:
"If you're too smooth to guard, you might as well be Chen Yan."
Ohio State refused to go quietly, and Oden kept grinding in the post, drawing fouls and bullying his way to the line.
But every time they clawed back a little—Chen answered.
Back on offense, another high pick with KD.
Defenders switched.
Chen saw daylight.
One explosive first step and—he sliced through the defense like a blade.
He went up, gliding, twisting—
Clank.
It rimmed out.
Whistle!
Foul.
"Great take by Chen Yan," Zhang Weiping commented. "Even when he misses, he puts pressure on the defense and draws the foul."
"Yeah, at this point, every shot he takes is either going in or sending someone to the line," Yu Jia added. "He's living rent-free in their heads."
As Chen Yan walked to the line, the crowd stood as one.
"MVP!"
"MVP!"
"MVP!"
The chant echoed through the arena like a tidal wave.
He hadn't even gone pro yet.
But tonight?
He looked every bit like the future of the league.
The roar of thousands of fans thundered through the arena, and Chen Yan couldn't help but feel a rush of adrenaline. But he quickly calmed himself. This wasn't the first time he'd been chanted "MVP" during March Madness.
He took a deep breath and stepped up to the line.
Swish!
The free throw might've looked routine, but it meant everything.
A new NCAA Finals single-game scoring record—set by Chen Yan!
The moment the jumbotron flashed "Chen Yan Breaks the Record!", the crowd erupted. Waves of cheers rippled across the stands, some fans even doing the wave like it was a soccer match.
Bang!
The second free throw clanked off the rim.
Chen Yan turned to get back on defense, but Ohio State fumbled the rebound!
Power forward Harris snatched it clean and quickly dished it to DJ Augustin, who sprinted up the court.
Augustin drove inside, drew the defense—and kicked it out.
Chen Yan was wide open beyond the arc!
No hesitation. Quick release. Smooth follow-through.
Swish!
That made 48 points for Chen Yan.
It was his fourth three-pointer of the night. And that stat mattered. He was sending a clear message to every NBA scout in the building:
"I've got range too."
Next possession, Ohio State fed Oden down low—hook shot, no good!
Chen Yan grabbed the board and slowed the pace. They had the lead, and the clock was their ally now.
Ten seconds left on the shot clock. He passed it off, then darted into position.
Double-team came. Didn't matter.
Pull-up jumper. Buckets.
At this stage of the game, who needs a playbook?
Sometimes, the best tactic is just: give the ball to Chen.
In fact, a Chinese fan had gone viral for photoshopping Coach Rick Barnes holding up a whiteboard with four giant characters scribbled on it:
"Give the ball to Chen."
It had the internet in stitches—but when the laughter faded, the truth hit.
It wasn't even a joke.
"Fifty points! In the NCAA Finals! Are you serious?"
"Forget March Madness—this is Crazy Chen Yan!"
Charles Barkley shouted from the commentary booth, cracking up both Matt Goukas and Marv Albert beside him.
Sure, it sounded over the top—but look at the box score. What else could you call it?
Back home, the Chinese basketball forums had officially gone nuclear. Every trending post was about Chen Yan.
"He's playing like it's a video game on rookie difficulty!"
"This man is the Final Boss!"
"50 points?! Somebody call for a drug test!"
"Nah, results are already in—dude's bloodstream is pure adrenaline!"
"No urine, just straight-up liquid greatness!"
The jokes were flying fast, but underneath the memes was pride. A national hero had just taken over the biggest college basketball stage.
Texas had blown the lead open. Nearly a 20-point gap now, with under three minutes left.
Ohio State's coach knew it was over. He waved off the starters and emptied the bench, letting the role players get a feel for the big stage.
On the other end, Texas did the same—out of respect.
Chen Yan jogged to the bench and waved to the stands.
The fans responded with deafening cheers.
Garbage time ticked away.
35 seconds left on the clock. Texas had one last possession, but no one was playing anymore. They were all just waiting for the buzzer.
On the sideline, the Texas bench was already losing it—guys jumping, hugging, shouting.
They were seconds away from their dream:
NCAA Champions.
BEEEEP~~~~!
The buzzer echoed across the arena.
Fireworks exploded overhead. Confetti rained down. The entire Texas squad stormed the court.
"Champions! Champions!"
Zhang Weiping practically squealed on the Chinese broadcast, sounding like an excited schoolkid.
And then, the system chimed in.
[Ding! Congratulations to the host for winning the NCAA Championship! Reward: 6 Honor Points!]
[Ding! Congratulations to the host for breaking the NCAA Finals scoring record! Reward: 4 Honor Points!]
[Ding! Congratulations to the host for completing the main task! Reward: 10 Honor Points, Skill: [Perfect Hand Shape], and [System Mall] unlocked!]
System prompts filled Chen Yan's mind like a personal victory parade.
But right now, he didn't care about stats, rewards, or skills.
Right now, it was all about this moment.
He wanted to celebrate.
He wanted to bask in the glory of his championship.
<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>
Check my Pâtreon for (40) advanced chapters
Pâtreon .com/Fanficlord03
Change (â) to (a)
<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>
https://discord.gg/MntqcdpRZ9