UCLA's Sweet 16 opponent was Arizona State University (ASU). In the first round, ASU had eliminated the University of Washington, with freshman James Harden delivering a surprisingly mature performance in his first-ever tournament game, 19 points and 6 assists, the team's highest.
Aside from Harden, ASU had another standout player, Jeff Pandgrath, an athletically gifted interior presence. Against Washington, he posted 9 points, 13 rebounds, and 2 blocks, a true blue-collar powerhouse.
Friday afternoon's matchup against ASU drew little television attention, and the arena was only half full.
There wasn't much spectacle.
In reality, there wasn't much suspense either.
From the tip-off, UCLA's trio controlled the pace. Snoopy dominated Pandgrath in the paint. Whatever Pandgrath had, Snoopy had too, and often better.
Strength, vertical leap, positioning, rebounding, shot-blocking, Snoopy outclassed him in every category.
On top of that, Snoopy had attributes Pandgrath lacked: explosive speed, exceptional passing vision, and a high basketball IQ.
Pandgrath found himself completely overwhelmed.
By the end, Snoopy posted 2 points, 12 rebounds, 3 assists, and 2 blocks. One of his blocks came against James Harden: Harden drove with a classic zigzag, attempted a reverse layup, and Snoopy emerged from the paint, slamming a single-handed block against the backboard.
Harden's expression betrayed surprise and alarm. He rarely encountered such resistance; Snoopy hadn't fallen for his usual tricks.
Pre-game, Harden had studied Snoopy's basic physical measurements. Their height and wingspan were identical, yet Snoopy played a solid center while Harden was effectively an undersized point guard.
Their playing styles were completely opposite. Snoopy anchored the paint, impacting games through defense and rebounding. Harden excelled at perimeter play, shooting, driving, dazzling with moves reminiscent of Richmond, Paul Pierce, and Manu Ginóbili.
At only 18, Harden played with the craftiness of a veteran.
At halftime, Coach Holland emphasized, "Russell, you should learn from Harden. His style is more efficient."
Russell Westbrook paid little attention. In the second half, he stuck to his instinctive, beast-like approach: ignoring defenders, using speed to dismantle them, relying on screens from Kevin Love or Snoopy, attacking the rim, or pulling up for stretched jumpers at the free-throw line.
He was unstoppable.
Honestly, Coach Holland was slightly helpless, Westbrook's hybrid DDM style won games. He only subbed him out in the final five minutes for garbage time, as Westbrook wanted to boost his assists from 7 toward 10.
Returning to the bench, he was slightly disgruntled, but chatting with Kevin Love and Snoopy quickly lightened his mood.
"Hey, Snoopy," Love joked, "don't you think Harden looks a bit like a delicate girl? He's too refined; he should add some masculine energy."
"Masculine energy? Lend him Bin Laden's beard?" Snoopy retorted dryly.
Westbrook burst out laughing, imagining the idea. "Genius! If only he could grow a beard!"
After the game, Harden approached Snoopy to exchange jerseys, a gesture Snoopy accepted gracefully. They shook hands politely and parted ways.
ASU's season ended at the Round of 32.
UCLA, victorious, advanced to the Elite Eight. Their next opponent would be revealed an hour before the game, Stanford University, led by the twin centers, the Lopez brothers, had eliminated USC, led by O.J. Mayo.
Undoubtedly, this was Snoopy's first truly significant test, facing not just one, but two seven-foot giants simultaneously, and twins at that.
But before basketball, he still had to contend with Jennifer.
Over the past three days, she had stayed in Sacramento. After their intimate encounter, she had instinctively mastered several advanced techniques, delighting Snoopy, every day was a new adventure. They never tired of each other.
"I have to return to Los Angeles this morning; my agent set up an indie film for me," Jennifer told Snoopy at 4 a.m.
Snoopy remained silent, simply turning her over gently.
Time ticked by.
Basketball experts were skeptical of UCLA's chances, believing the 195 cm Snoopy would be exposed against the Lopez brothers.
"The Lopez twins are too strong. Under NCAA rules, they're the nation's top interior duo. Relying on Snoopy to break through is wishful thinking, impossible!"
"Brook excels offensively; he's like a weaker Tim Duncan. Robin is a passionate defender, excelling at rebounds, blocks, morale, nothing he can't do!"
"Snoopy's height is his biggest weakness, and his slower movements will get him devoured by the Lopez twins."
The commentary was almost unanimously one-sided.