Cole Aldrich was the definition of a blue-collar center, strong in one-on-one defense, rebounding, and shot-blocking.
Originally, Kansas coach Bill Self had planned to use Aldrich and Sasha Kaun to match up with Kevin Love in the half-court game. But to his surprise, Love went down with an injury just minutes into the game.
Then Snoopy stepped in, and everything changed. His box-out fundamentals gave him an edge against Darrell Arthur and Darnell Jackson, and on top of that, he showed a level of mobility no one had seen from him before.
That forced Self to adjust early. He swapped in the more agile Cole Aldrich, and put the three-time All-American senior Sasha Kaun on the bench as a backup.
When Aldrich and Arthur flanked Snoopy, one on the left, one on the right, Bill Self's lips curled into a satisfied smile.
At 6'4, Snoopy standing between two towering bigs looked like peanut butter squished between two burger buns,a little pressure, and he'd be flattened completely.
"Too bad," Arthur said, mocking Snoopy's earlier tone."You're done for."
But the bitterness in his voice betrayed him. His attempt at imitation was hollow.
Snoopy smiled faintly.
He moved over to guard Aldrich while Luc Mbah a Moute switched to Arthur, their assignments were clear.
Still, when the 6'4 Snoopy stood before the 6'11" Aldrich, the fans in the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum couldn't stay optimistic. After all… Snoopy's head barely reached Aldrich's chin.
"How's he supposed to guard that?"
Shaquille O'Neal raised an eyebrow from courtside.
"Without height, no matter how good Snoopy's positioning is, the rebounds just won't fall his way."
Dwyane Wade, sitting beside him, shared the same look. At nearly the same height and wingspan as Snoopy, he knew all too well, how impossible it was to guard seven-footers inside the paint at that size.
No one believed Snoopy had a chance.
Mario Chalmers crossed half court, patiently controlling the tempo. When Brandon Rush curled open, Chalmers delivered the pass right on time.
Rush attacked Bryan Wright off the dribble,pulled up from sixteen feet at a forty-five-degree angle.
Clang!
Rush's shooting touch was cold tonight.
The ball bounced high. Snoopy boxed out early, body sealed tight. The big white center behind him couldn't move.
But… Aldrich's long arms stretched up and tipped the ball once, twice and finally corralled the offensive rebound.
A sigh rippled through the stands.
In the paint, height is king. And Aldrich's reach gave him a throne.
As the crowd's sigh faded, Aldrich went right back up for a shot but at that very instant, Snoopy spun and exploded upward like lightning.
Smack!
The shot was swatted clean into the stands. The sigh turned into a deafening roar.
"Snoopy's jump timing was unreal, his spin was lightning quick," said Shaq, glancing at Wade.
"That block reminded me of you."
Wade shook his head.
"Not quite. His spin isn't as fast as mine, but his vertical pop is better, he gets higher off the floor.
That block happened almost at his peak. If it were me, I'd have met that big white guy even earlier, he wouldn't have gotten the shot off at all."
Shaq chuckled.
"Think that Pat Riley would draft him?"
Wade turned and saw the slick-haired executive in his sharp suit a few rows back. He answered immediately: "No. We already have Shawn Marion. And if we get the first pick, we're taking Michael Beasley. We don't need another undersized forward."
Shaq nodded, true enough. Miami didn't need another small-ball frontcourt player.
But Phoenix? They definitely did.
Kansas reset their offense. Chalmers launched a quick three, missed again. But Aldrich tapped the rebound out.
Luckily, Westbrook was alert, snatching the ball and starting the break.
On the next trip, though, things looked grim.
With Aldrich planted in the paint and Arthur lurking nearby, Westbrook couldn't dare drive inside.
Meanwhile, Aldrich completely ignored Snoopy on offense. He let him roam freely inside the foul line, unconcerned. Snoopy's set shot was too slow, and Arthur could easily close out if needed.
Kansas's zone defense squeezed the life out of UCLA's remaining options.
Clang!
Westbrook bricked an 18-foot pull-up.
Aldrich grabbed the rebound.
Snoopy looked up at the towering Aldrich, a mountain in front of him, pressing down on his chest, making it hard to breathe.
His blood burned hot with adrenaline. His heart pounded like a war drum.
But even then… facing Aldrich, he felt powerless.
He knew it.
He hated it.
The gap in height, reach, and strength, it was suffocating.
Swish!
Brandon Rush nailed a mid-range jumper. Even as every UCLA Bruin was giving 120% on defense,
Kansas was pulling away again.
"Since Aldrich checked in, Snoopy's been stretched thin," the NBC commentator said.
"He can't roam the paint freely anymore. He has to stay glued under the rim, one slip, and Aldrich will dunk on his head."
"Offensively, without Kevin Love, UCLA has only one reliable option left. And that option's jumper is shaky at best. His driving lanes have also shrunk with Aldrich inside. Combine that with Snoopy's rebounding disadvantage, and Westbrook's fast-break chances have basically vanished."
The announcer sighed.
"The gap between these two teams is even bigger than the gap between Snoopy and Aldrich's height."
28 seconds left in the half. UCLA had one last possession.
Westbrook dribbled near the arc, running down the clock.
Snoopy stood at the free-throw line, bent over, massive hands resting on his knees. He could feel the blood pumping thick and heavy through his legs, his knees sluggish and stiff.
He willed them to loosen, to come alive again.
Just then, Darrell Arthur walked by, sneering:
"What's wrong, Snoopy? Already hanging your head, feeling powerless? Your suffering's just begun. Don't dream of any miracles, our Aldrich isn't like the Lopez twins!"