Houston – Aerospace City
March Madness had taken over Houston. One of the four major battlegrounds this year, the Southern region was stacked and wild. Sixty-four teams. Thirty-two games. Then sixteen. Then eight. And it was all going down right here.
Thanks to the Rockets, Houston had always been an NBA city, and now, college hoopers flooding in got a taste of the big leagues. For those about to go pro, it felt like standing on the NBA's doorstep.
North Carolina's Tar Heels?
Easily the fan-favorite. Posters of Hansbrough, Ty Lawson, Danny Green, and Wayne Ellington were everywhere. You couldn't walk a block without seeing Carolina blue and white.
But this year was different. Davidson had a new wave of fans, especially local Chinese folks, thanks to one reason: Lin Yi.
Tall as a skyscraper and built like a bird, Lin Yi was China's next big hope after Yao Ming. You could feel the pride every time he walked by.
On the bus to the team hotel, Stephen Curry looked out the window and sighed,
"Man... if only we were playing in Charlotte."
That was home. His dad, Dell Curry, was a Charlotte legend, and every time Steph played there, he lit it up like a hometown hero.
They had a day before their first-round game, but even just arriving in Houston, the team felt it—the madness of March was real.
This was college basketball's moment.
Sports talk shows, barbershops, even old folks at diners were all asking the same thing:
NCAA games drew so many fans that regular college arenas couldn't cut it. So, most games were played in stadiums—massive ones. Houston's host? Reliant Stadium, home of the Texans, was packed with nearly 72,000 people. Every ticket? Gone.
The noise? Insane. Like a rock concert mashed up with a playoff game.
On Westheimer Street near their hotel, Lin Yi looked out the bus window and saw a sea of blue.
"Damn," he muttered, "That's a lot of Carolina fans."
Steph grinned. "Welcome to March Madness, bro. Every game's the Finals now." For more chapters visit novelFirｅ.net
The Wildcats' hotel happened to be the same one North Carolina picked—go figure. Only a few blocks from Reliant, and already full of media, fans, and hype.
As they stepped off the bus, the buzz started.
"Yo! That's Hansbrough!"
"Ty Lawson's here too."
"Wayne Ellington, man. That guy's a bucket."
"Danny Green, Ed Davis… ."
The Davidson squad couldn't help but glance in their direction from at all the shouting. But Lin Yi and Curry stayed cool, walking with Coach McKillop straight to the front desk.
Hansbrough spotted Lin Yi and gave him a curious look.
"Hey," Hansbrough nodded.
"Hey," Lin Yi replied.
Basketball greetings. Short. Straight to the point.
As expected, the media went nuts.
"Too bad only one of these teams will make the Final Four."
"Lin and Steph are great, but Carolina's a machine."
"Maybe the most dominant college team in the last decade."
But the teams didn't mix. After check-in, the Wildcats headed straight to their rooms. Coach McKillop gave the order: no one leaves without permission. Rest up. Big game tomorrow.
Davidson's players weren't the type to sneak out anyway.
Lin Yi and Curry ended up roommates again.
Lin flopped on the bed and groaned. "Man… sleeping at seven feet is torture."
Steph laughed, pushing the two beds together like he always did. "Quit whining. Mad March, baby. We're here!"
He called Ayesha, his girlfriend, who promised to bring some friends to cheer them on.
"Bet. I'm dropping 30 tomorrow," Steph said with that innocent confidence only he could pull off.
Lin Yi raised an eyebrow and started humming a tune Steph had never heard.
"You just making that up?" Steph asked.
Lin smirked and started singing, making up lyrics on the fly.
Steph blinked. "Bro... you're kinda good."
Lin laughed and kept going.🎶
Steph laid back, eyes on the ceiling. The song kinda hit home.
Nobody believed in him at first.
North Carolina and Duke barely gave him a look, only offering a walk-on spot. He was a legacy recruit at best.
If Coach McKillop hadn't seen something in him, maybe he wouldn't even be here.
"Lin," Steph said quietly, "We're gonna win the whole thing. And we're gonna make it to the NBA. Together."
Lin bumped fists with him. His hand was massive compared to Steph's.
"We're not here to see how good North Carolina is," Lin said, smirking.
"We're here to show them how good we are."
Reliant Stadium, Houston.
The crowd roared as another powerhouse took the floor: Blake Griffin and Sooners.
Fans screamed his name. The pride of Oklahoma.
Blake looked across at his opponent from Old Dominion University. No fear. Just fire in their eyes.
The game kicked off with a bang—a thunderous tomahawk slam from Blake.
Reggie Miller's voice echoed across millions of homes:
"March Madness… is OFFICIALLY underway!"
"Welcome to the land of dreams!"
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