Super Mario and Brothers

With 4:16 left in the game, Derek Rose hit "the shot of the tournament" to give Memphis a seemingly insurmountable lead. At first it was scored a three, but later reviewed and called a two. How it was ever considered a three-pointer is inexplicable as Rose's foot was clearly inside the line

With just over two minutes remaining, Kansas coach Bill Self instructed his players to foul Memphis in an attempt to expose their one weakness. Chris Douglas-Roberts, who was having a good game, missed three straight free throws, including a 1-and-1. Derek Rose was only able to split his two attempts. The free throw struggles were reminiscent of Darius Washington's misses three years ago. Washington would have been a senior this season had he stayed in school.

Up two, Memphis' Antonio Anderson stripped the ball to apparently save the game and win the championship. The next Kansas possession, Mario Chalmers knocked in a shot that will be remembered for all time, a well-guarded three to send things into overtime. In the overtime, with Joey Dorsey of the Tigers fouled out, Kansas took control and won the game.

It was not a well-played game. But the contest was interesting and highly competitive. Both teams were loaded with talent because their players made wise decisions to stay in college an extra year. Chris Douglas-Roberts and Derek Rose highlighted an incredible Memphis squad, but coach John Calipari was unable to win the championship yet again despite the quality of his players. Free throws were their undoing. Kansas was as deep as they were skilled. Bill Self accomplished something that Roy Williams never could at Kansas. It wasn't a very memorable tournament, but that shouldn't diminish the achievements of the Kansas Jayhawks this season.

On a final note, the announcers, Jim Nantz and Billy Packer, were especially bad. They didn't seem to know that Dosier and Dorsey were different players. They downplayed Antonio Anderson's great defensive play near the end of regulation. They did a poor job of mentioning the names of the players who had just made the previous play. I particularly dislike Packer. I enjoy the history of the game, but he relays it as if it has an impact on the present game. He claimed that Kansas would benefit from experience in overtime because they played a triple overtime championship game in 1957, about 30 years before every current Kansas player was born. He also coaches the players, making sense half of the time, instead of providing analysis.