Kayce felt a secret thrill when he saw Steph Curry's eyes light up at the mention of dunking. After all, even accurate three-pointers weren't as cool as a poster dunk.
"Let's not talk about dunks. I saw your performance yesterday, it was insane! 36 points, 8 of 10 from three-point range, absolutely incredible," Kayce immediately switched to business-like mutual flattery.
Actually, it wasn't really flattery. Steph Curry had an exceptionally good performance in last year's NCAA, breaking many three-point records and leading Davidson College on a wild run.
They successfully made it to the Elite Eight, setting Davidson College's best historical record.
In particular, Curry's matchup with Griffin attracted a lot of media attention, making him incredibly popular last year.
However, Davidson College was unlucky again; this year, they were directly scheduled to face a team with a star inside player in the first round.
The University of Arizona had a balanced inside-out game, with Shakur and Budinger on the perimeter and star player Jordan Hill inside.
But they still couldn't stop Steph Curry. After all, continuous three-pointers were simply heartbreaking.
"Actually, I really don't like the current NCAA bracket reform. Coach McKillop curses the league every day," Curry said with a helpless shrug.
Who could blame the NCAA for being keen on star power? It was already good that they weren't overtly scripting games. In this parallel world, things developed this way all because of LeBron James; he was truly a ticket-selling master.
Kayce secretly felt a bit envious. At this moment, Ayesha had already arrived.
"Hey, Kayce, you were so cool yesterday! Why didn't I see Anne?"
Last year, when Britney and Kayce had a falling out, Anne was by his side.
Ayesha even thought Anne was Kayce's official girlfriend. If she knew this guy in front of her yearned for a 'forest', she might give him a punch on the spot.
"You know how it is, girls always take longer to get ready. I won't bother you two, have fun!" Kayce made a quick escape.
Looking at Curry and Ayesha, Kayce felt a tiny bit of envy, but he immediately pushed that thought to the back of his mind. Young men should plant more trees!
By the time Kayce saw Anne, half an hour had passed since their agreed time.
"You must have been anxious, right? Britney went straight to the restaurant, let's go find her!" Anne came forward, gave Kayce a hug, and whispered in his ear.
Kayce hugged the generous young woman, "You look beautiful today. Thank you for taking care of Britney."
Anne gave Kayce a beautiful glare, saying huffily, "Is this the solution you talked about? No need to explain, just leave the problem to time. Let's go!"
Anne took Kayce's hand, a beautiful smile on her face. She wasn't a foolish girl; she knew what she wanted.
Back at the hotel that night, Kayce was in a good mood. The 'big tree' and the 'forest' hadn't caught fire; could anything be better?
"Bang Bang." A knock on the door sounded. Kayce got up and opened it, only to see Holiday outside.
"Still can't sleep? We have practice tomorrow," Kayce pulled Holiday into his room.
"Kayce, aren't you angry? What those two jerks from the University of Louisville said was too much!" Holiday said angrily.
"Huh? I was with Anne and Britney tonight. Don't tell me it's that Williams guy again?" Kayce said irritably.
Terrence Williams was a forward for the University of Louisville and matched up against Kayce. He was the type who wouldn't even pretend to be friendly.
Because there were very few forwards participating in this draft, Williams's aggressive comments towards Kayce were also to gain attention. It was all business!
"That Clark guy is also arrogant. He'll definitely get blown out by Thabeet, yet he's out here making sarcastic remarks," Holiday fumed.
"Don't pay attention to what those nobodies say. We'll just send them home when the time comes. Go to sleep, buddy," Kayce said indifferently.
After finally sending the agitated Holiday back to his room, Kayce couldn't help but sigh, thinking, these are truly reliable friends.
Kayce didn't care about those nobodies. With his excellent physical talent and good physical condition, no one could limit him one-on-one.
If playing a college game was really difficult, Kayce would have long gone to sing, dance, and rap.
On March 25th, the Sweet Sixteen officially began. Coach Ben's pressure was not as great anymore; passing the first round was considered a satisfactory result.
Coach Ben remained serious. The old man had always been bothered by last year's defeat; after all, with such a good lineup, they had a real chance to contend for the championship.
"Relax, boys, don't look so grim. Enjoy the game, bring your best, and win tonight's game."
Kayce watched the old man dishing out more motivational talk. His serious and rigid face really wasn't suited for this job.
Tonight's game didn't have much attention. UCLA lacked star power, and the University of Louisville also had a bunch of supporting cast players.
After all, Thabeet had gone home. Otherwise, the media would definitely have heavily promoted it.
Kayce's 'role player' playing style was questioned last year, and his attention wasn't quite enough this year either. Only local fans in Los Angeles supported him more.
Morning was for video sessions, afternoon for physical activity, and also replying to congratulatory messages. Kayce really missed the 'Moments' feature at this time; sending individual messages was too painful, too many superficial friends to reply to!
It was still the Texans' home arena, and pre-game warm-up activities were already underway. Many UCLA supporters came today, all wearing matching white short-sleeved fan shirts.
The arena DJ started playing popular music. Today's commentators were also supporting-role commentators; basically, all the famous pundits and commentators were at the more popular games.
"Welcome to the NCAA Sweet Sixteen game between UCLA and the University of Louisville. What are your thoughts on this matchup, buddy?" Commentator A began the pre-game warm-up.
"UCLA's Kayce was on fire in the last game, putting up 28 points, 12 rebounds, and 3 assists. Their backcourt combination is also excellent. I predict UCLA will win the game," Commentator B gave his usual praise.
Britney and Anne were still watching the game in the front row. "Kayce will definitely win today, the opponent doesn't have any strong players!"
The blonde sweet girl swayed slowly to the music, and Anne nodded in agreement. The two of them were a beautiful sight, and the on-site director cut to them on the big screen, causing the excitable girls to cheer wildly again.
"Protect the rebounds, pressure them, boys, perform well!"
After listening Coach Ben's last motivational speech, Kayce and his teammates walked onto the court. Seeing the two supporting-role opponents from the University of Louisville who wanted to step on him to gain fame, Kayce smiled faintly and high-fived them.
"Nobodies are questioning me? I'll have to teach you a good lesson in this game!" Kayce thought to himself, hardening his resolve.
Accompanied by the deafening cheers from the crowd, the game officially began.
"Slap!" The University of Louisville won the tip-off.
Kayce looked at Terrence Williams, who was guarding him.
"The show officially begins!"