That night, Snoopy claimed two spots in the NBA's official "Top 5 Plays."
His poster dunk over Joey Dorsey ranked #3, while his thunderous block on the would-be No. 1 pick Derrick Rose's game-winning dunk attempt took the #1 spot.
In fact, many fans felt that Carmelo Anthony's game-winner against the Knicks, listed at #2, didn't deserve the ranking. Visually speaking, Snoopy's violent, airborne poster was far more electrifying.
When the UCLA Bruins returned to campus, they were greeted by cheering crowds lining both sides of the street.
It was the team's first trip to the NCAA Championship game since the 2005–2006 season, and the players were swarmed with attention, especially from female classmates who handed over photos and notes with names and phone numbers written neatly on the back.
In American universities, sports stars are far more popular than straight-A students.
Before joining the basketball team, Snoopy had never received a single photo like that.
Back at the dorms, Bryan Wright excitedly barged into Snoopy's room, starting a competition to see who'd gotten the most photos, and whose admirers were the prettiest.
When the final tally came in, Snoopy won by a landslide:
24 photos and 6 notes, far ahead of Kevin Love, who came in second.
The women spanned every ethnicity, white, black, Asian, Latina, and everyone agreed the result was fair.
After all, Snoopy was the Bruins' undisputed heartthrob, and tonight's MVP who decided the game.
Bryan ranked third, and Russell Westbrook came in dead last.
Westbrook, who only received one photo, insisted it was because he hadn't worn his "lady-killer" orange skinny pants that day.
But Kevin Love ruthlessly shot that theory down:
"You really think every girl's like Nina? If her dad wasn't a traffic cop, she wouldn't even glance at you. No normal woman likes a guy who dresses like a traffic light."
That triggered Westbrook. He immediately launched into a passionate lecture on color-blocking fashion, trying to prove his point.
Snoopy and Bryan exchanged helpless glances, relieved they weren't the ones who had exposed the truth, Westbrook's obsession with fashion color schemes was even worse than his later obsession with triple-doubles.
That night, Snoopy stayed up late studying Kansas University's game footage.
Kansas was a powerhouse with incredible balance on both ends of the floor. They didn't have Memphis's sparkling win streak or a transcendent star like Derrick Rose, but every player was athletic, versatile, and dangerous.
Mario Chalmers, Brandon Rush, Darrell Arthur, Sherron Collins, Sasha Kaun, each member of their starting five had first-round draft guarantees.
So, after UCLA's win over the Memphis Tigers, Coach Ben Howland didn't hold a big celebration. Instead, he immediately had the video team email Kansas scouting clips to every player.
Howland's hunger for a championship had reached its peak, UCLA hadn't lifted the trophy since 1995, despite the championship itself being named after their own legendary coach, John Wooden.
Winning now, especially with his coaching seat already unstable, would silence the critics once and for all.
Snoopy studied Kansas tape deep into the night. Their defensive mobility left a strong impression, and he concluded that his main matchup would likely be Darrell Arthur.
Arthur stood 6'8" (204 cm) with a 7' wingspan (210 cm), weighing 98 kg, and had a standing reach of 2.72 m.
His explosiveness, speed, and vertical made him elite for a power forward. He could defend multiple positions, from shooting guards to centers, rebound aggressively, block shots, and hit consistent mid-range jumpers.
For Snoopy, this kind of off-ball, athletic opponent was a headache. He'd never faced someone quite like that before.
He watched tape until midnight before finally going to bed, unaware that, at that very moment, his fame had exploded beyond basketball circles.
Snoopy's name was everywhere.
After all, the NCAA Tournament was the most intense basketball event on Earth, often eclipsing the NBA in passion and attention.
Snoopy's meteoric rise made him the fastest-rising sensation in all of college basketball.
ESPN and NBC Sports both gave him top-billing headlines, while countless other media outlets dove into every detail of his on- and off-court life.
He was like a firework that came from nowhere, suddenly bursting above the American basketball world, dazzling and impossible to ignore.