March 18th.
Oakland.
The showdown between UCLA and the University of Texas is happening at the Warriors' home court.
It's a neutral venue for both teams, which keeps things fair.
...
March Madness is a nationwide frenzy. During this time, the NBA takes a backseat as its ratings dip, with fans mostly tuning into the NCAA.
Guessing who will be the national champion becomes a popular pastime.
March Madness has transcended just being about basketball for the NCAA.
For the players, it represents the dream of basketball.
For many college athletes, this is the highest stage they'll ever reach.
Only a select few make it to the NBA.
Stars like Oden, Durant, and Arjun are the ones who eventually take the professional path.
For many others, basketball becomes just a hobby as they pursue careers unrelated to the sport.
So, for many, March Madness is both the beginning and the end of their basketball dreams.
To become the national champion, you only need to win six games, but lose just one, and you're packing your bags to go home.
For those playing their final year in the NCAA, whether they're entering the draft or graduating, a loss could leave a lasting regret.
1 PM.
Arjun and his teammates board the bus to the arena.
All the way there, Arjun can hardly believe this is an NCAA game.
Fans are lining the streets to welcome them.
This isn't Los Angeles,it's just a neutral venue.
Yet, there are more fans here than Arjun has ever seen at any of his previous games.
Oracle Arena is an NBA-level venue, capable of holding about 20,000 fans.
An hour before the game, it's already packed.
Not just inside, but the plaza outside is crammed with fans who couldn't get tickets.
Inside, the press area is also overflowing.
This game is the highlight of the day's matchups.
The main attraction is the face-off between Arjun and Durant.
Arjun and Durant have similar heights and wingspans, and their skills, like dribbling and shooting, show exceptional prowess for their size.
Both are projected top-ten picks in the upcoming draft.
Their matchup is highly anticipated.
...
In the locker room.
Arjun calls his parents.
Ever since his games started being televised back home, his parents have watched every single one.
What parents wouldn't be concerned about their son's future?
Arjun is about to enter the draft, and his parents are worried.
He's promised them that if he gets invited to the green room at the draft, they'll be there with him.
Right now, he doesn't want the distraction of March Madness.
Entering March Madness, Arjun feels the pressure mounting—not just from his parents' concern but also from the constant pressure from fans.
Back home, there's a growing clamor for him to join the national team.
Honestly, Arjun would love to represent his country at the Olympics. The thought of that stage is thrilling!
But right now, he needs to perform even better to secure a solid spot for himself.
...
The Bruins' coach, Ben Howland, gathered all the players together.
"I don't need to stress how important this game is."
"If you don't give it your all, you'll regret it!"
"The other team has the ability to beat us, we need to be fully committed from the first play."
"Do it for yourselves, for your own basketball dreams!"
"Win tonight's game!"
...
Ben Howland knows how to fire up his team, and soon enough, everyone was buzzing with energy.
"Victory!"
"Victory!"
"Victory!"
When Arjun walked through the player tunnel, he could already hear the cheers from the crowd.
"Go UCLA!"
"Go KD!"
"Arjun, take them down."
Once the pre-game ceremonies started, the arena erupted into chaos!
The continuous cheers from the fans brought the atmosphere to a peak!
The separate entrances of Arjun and Durant were the moments when the fans cheered the loudest.
Standing on the court, seeing the dense crowd of fans, Arjun felt a surge of excitement,he was eager to showcase his talent here.
Texas University was ranked much lower than UCLA, and public opinion favored UCLA for advancing.
Of course, these odds weren't a guarantee.
The single-elimination nature of the tournament meant upsets were common.
The pre-game ceremonies quickly concluded.
Soon, the game officially began.
Texas University: Augustin, Majerle, Durant, Martin, Pittman.
UCLA: Arjun, Collison, Afflalo, Shaw, Raynor.
UCLA started with a dual point guard lineup.
As the game kicked off, it didn't proceed with normal tactical setups.
First play.
Arjun, using a screen from Raynor, drove to the basket and collided with a stationary Pittman.
The referee called an offensive foul on Arjun.
Then, on the defensive end, Durant targeted Arjun right away.
Durant made a move, and Arjun shifted to defend.
Durant drove decisively, and Arjun held his ground!
"Bang!"
The two collided!
Durant fell,he was too skinny to withstand a clash with Arjun!
"Whistle!"
But the referee called a blocking foul on Arjun!
Arjun was frustrated.
Durant clapped hard at Arjun, having achieved his goal.
"OMG!"
"UCLA's in trouble."
"Arjun's got two fouls."
In just one minute, Arjun racked up two fouls!
Ben Howland immediately signaled for a substitution.
Westbrook replaced Arjun!
No one expected Arjun to accumulate fouls this quickly.
NCAA rules meant five fouls and you're out.
This wasn't good news for UCLA,Arjun would likely miss most of the first half.
Arjun, clearly upset, headed back to the bench.
This was his first time sitting out so early due to fouls in his NCAA career, a sign of inexperience.
Howland didn't blame Arjun but immediately started making strategic adjustments.
Texas University continued to attack.
Durant exploited a mismatch with Collison, made a move, and then pulled up for a mid-range jumper over him.
"Swish!"
2-0
Durant helped Texas University take the lead.
Collison was too short to effectively challenge Durant.
But UCLA quickly responded. Westbrook, receiving the inbound, dashed forward at high speed, powering past two defenders and scoring over Pittman.
2-2.
The future Thunder stars clashed in the first round.
Arjun was amazed by Westbrook's speed, which had improved significantly since the start of the season.
Westbrook was definitely the fastest-growing player at UCLA, aside from Arjun.
His improvement wasn't just in skills but also in physical prowess.
If not for Arjun and Collison, Westbrook would already be capable of starting as UCLA's point guard.
The overall pace of the first half was slow,UCLA couldn't execute their fast breaks, while Texas University scored consistently through Durant and Augustin, both of whom were in great form.
UCLA was slightly overwhelmed.
Without Arjun, they were clearly uncomfortable.
Ben Howland kept making personnel changes but couldn't alter the overall momentum.
In the last four minutes of the first half, Howland glanced at Arjun but chose to keep him on the bench, opting to continue protecting him.
In the final 50 seconds of the half, Durant exploded.
First, he hit a three-pointer from the right side, then Augustin stole the ball from Collison and passed it to a fast-breaking Durant, who stopped and popped another three from the left!
This burst helped Texas University extend their lead to double digits!
42-32.
UCLA trailed by 10 at halftime, and Arjun's foul trouble had indeed put the team in a difficult position!