U21 vs CUBAL Semi-Finals: Tsinghua University Team Wins Championship

The 2024 U21 and Chinese University Basketball League (CUBAL) semi-finals competition (Yunnan Baiyao Division) concluded on September 3. The Tsinghua University team emerged as the champion, while the Guangzhou Long Lions Youth Team and the Beijing Sport University team secured second and third place, respectively.

A total of eight teams participated in the competition, comprising the top four teams from CUBAL and the National U21 Youth Basketball Championship. This event has become the highest-level competition between professional youth training teams and college teams in this age group in the country.

In the third and fourth place finals, Beijing Sport University staged a remarkable comeback against the National U21 Youth Championship champion Zhejiang Chouzhou team. After trailing by 15 points in the first three quarters, Beijing Sport University won 81-79.

Zulibuhar, who played a crucial role in Beijing Sport University’s victory, attributed their success to targeted defensive arrangements for the key players of Chouzhou. “Playing against professional youth training teams is extremely intense, and their professionalism is very high. The tactics arranged by the coach can be executed immediately in the next round, making it an excellent exercise for us.”

The final match saw Tsinghua University face off against the Dragon and Lion Youth Team. Tsinghua University led by 30 points at one point and ultimately won with a score of 84-58. Lu Jun scored a team-high 18 points.

Yuan Zhaoyao, a player of the Lions team, acknowledged the strength of Tsinghua University, stating, “Tsinghua has always been a very tough opponent. Their system and individual abilities are very complete. I didn’t play well against them at all.” Despite joining a professional team, Yuan Zhaoyao believes that exchanges with top college teams help him identify his own shortcomings.

The competition aims to build a platform for exchanges between the sports and education systems, promote the integration of sports and education, and improve China’s basketball reserve talent training system.

Peng Fei, head coach of Shanghai Jiushi Youth Team, emphasized the significance of the competition for their training. “The youth team has limited competition opportunities for this age group, and in the youth competition system, the opponents are too familiar with each other. Now we have this opportunity to play against a high-level university team that is older than us and is one of the top four in the country. It is a valuable experience for us.”