Congratulations, KU. Heck of a season.
One more (bad) picture…
April 7, 200810:24 p.m.
KU 75, Memphis 68 (FINAL)
April 7, 20088:51 p.m.
Rush with a layup off a steal. Dozier misses. Chalmers to Arthur for the flush. All momentum is with the Jayhawks. Anderson with a massive brick on a 3 attempt. D-Block with a bucket, and KU is in cruise control right now. A major meltdown for Memphis. CDR at the line and he hits the first. Huge break for the Tigers - a foul stopping the clock. He makes both; it’s a four-point game. Chalmers is forced to take a falling away 3 as the shot clock expires. This is a huge possession. Rose misses a 3, but another offensive rebound. Relegated to a jump-shooting team, Memphis can’t get it done. Or can the Tigers? Rush answers, but CDR gets a 3. Chalmers hits two more - and he doesn’t he have to be the MOP? A scrum, possession arrow to the Jayhawks, and KU leads by five with 29.9 seconds left. Collins is forced out on the far sideline, giving the ball back to Memphis. CDR misses the 3, and that’s probably going to do it. Congratulations, Bill Self. Collins at the line, and the first one rattles home. Lew Perkins exhales loudly. Collins gets the second. They did it.
KU 63, Memphis 63 (OT)
April 7, 20088:32 p.m.
Arthur hits two free throws. Great atmosphere here right now. Both sets of fans on their feet. Rose misses a 3 as shot clock winds down, but Dozier retrieves another offensive rebound. Self is screaming for the intentional foul - and there’s two-plus minutes left on the clock. The Jayhawks needed a couple of fouls before Memphis was in the bonus. Dozier at the line… and he hits the first. Huge roar from the crowd. He makes both. He has had a monster game. Arthur with an improbable 18-footer. Steal, and a Collins 3. They’re not dead yet. A lot of fight in that little guy. CDR hits one. And then he hits the second. Memphis by six. Dorsey fouls out with 1:23 left, stepping out to close out on Chalmers. Mario makes the first, and Cla is sitting on the bench, wringing his hands. KU fouls CDR, who misses. Collins delivers to Arthur, who scores. Two-point game. Cal wonders why Rose gave up the ball shortly before Memphis takes a timeout. Rose looks heated. Man, this is getting intense. Rose can’t get a shot, and Sherron barrels down the other end, drawing contact but there’s no whistle. We think Anderson got a piece of the ball as well. CDR at the other end is hacked. He misses his first free throw. And his second. Dozier has been huge. Another offensive rebound, but it got interesting when CDR slammed the ball down - and there was no call. He was frustrated, but I think it was a good no-call. Rose at the line and he misses the first. Wow, this is almost tragic. Makes the second. Chalmers with an enormous 3, which is what he always does. Wow. I asked for a classic, and it looks like that’s what we got.
Memphis 56, KU 49 (3:49, 2nd)
April 7, 20088:14 p.m.
Rose is getting heated up. The Memphis faithful rise to their feet. Bad 3 by Collins, who is yanked from the game. CDR with a foul on Rush, and he yelps afterwards. Good blow for CDR. Kemp, who just came in, got a little excited, throwing a lob too high to Dozier. Cal tells him to relax. KU can’t covert at the other end. What a sequence - an offensive board for Memphis, saved by Dozier, who whips the ball to a cutting Rose, who absorbed contact and finished with an up-and-under. If he hits the foul shot - he was hit by Chalmers - it’s a seven-point lead. My colleague Mr. Paske points out KU has gone almost four minutes without a field goal. Can’t do that if you want to win a title. Collins - how competitive is that little guy? He’s the only one who wants to shoot right now - gets a huge bucket. Rose - wow. A bank 3 as the shot clock expires. He had three at the half - he now has 18. Wanna bet Cal talked to his star freshman a little at halftime and implored him to take charge? Replays show it’s not a 3, but there hasn’t been any change yet. The officials are huddled, and I’m betting it’s overturned. It’s changed to a two.
Memphis 49, KU 47 (8:08, 2nd)
April 7, 20087:57 p.m.
Ah, Memphis starts missing free throws. Think someone won’t write about that if the Tigers lose? D-Block hits, and KU is up 3. CDR is the best player on the floor right now. D-Block with another bucket. The Jayhawks are cleaning up on the boards right now. Rose glides in for a deuce. KU up three after a Chalmers basket. Rose with a finish down low. Dorsey is back on the court with three fouls. KU is in a zone. Rush puts it on the deck and gets to the rim for another score. Dozier answers at the other end, and Cal gives an exaggerated shimmy on the sideline. This guy is enjoying himself. Another miss at the line, though. Hmm… Rose drills a 3 from the top of the key, and he suddenly has 10 points, seven assists and five rebounds. When did that happen? Memphis leads.
KU 39, Memphis 38 (15:15, 2nd)
April 7, 20087:42 p.m.
Kansas is 20 minutes (in game time) away from a third national championship. Let that marinate. Julian Wright is in the front row, under the basket. Nearby is Jacque Vaughn. Dozier with a dunk, Anderson with a 3 and the halftime deficit is erased. Chalmers hits a pair of free throws. Wow, it’s all clicking right now for the Tigers. Dorsey on a bounce pass to a streaking Anderson, who finishes and is fouled. His free throw gives Memphis a one-point lead, and the defensive stopper has more or less assumed the offense ignored by Rose. Arthur’s strong game continues, and KU is back on top. Rose with a half-lob to Dorsey, who dunks it. Jackson barks at Mario, “What’s up, dog?” He was banged pretty good in the head a couple of plays before by Dorsey, who just picked up his 3rd foul and is forced to go to the bench. RussRob glides to the rack - his first two points - and KU is in the lead again. I was hoping for a classic, and this one’s been pretty good so far - even if it’s been a little ragged.
KU 33, Memphis 28 (Halftime)
April 7, 20087:12 p.m.
A cheer in the crowd for Roy Williams, who has a Jayhawk sticker on his chest. CDR is ballin’ right now. I’ve changed my mind on his pro prospects. He’s crafty. He can make that work in The League. Dorsey with a man-sized block of Kaun. Other way, CDR with a 3. Tigers up 2, but Sherron ties it. Kaun with a dunk - Jayhawks back up two. CDR is unconscious right now. KU might want to add a defender on him. Rush with a rare drive off the bounce, plus he’s fouled by Dorsey. It’s a double positive - two fouls on another Memphis big, and it’s a three-point play for KU, which is also the lead. I always thought Mario would make a good free safety - he was lurking beyond a passing lane as Rose was caught in the air making a pass. Mario intercepted it. Nice drop step and finish for Darrell - danger, Memphis. KU by five, and Mario’s drive could have extended the lead. This hasn’t been one of Rose’s best games. Then again, the Jayhawks seem non-plussed (great word) by his extraordinary athleticism. I wonder if Cal scraps his so-called dribble-drove offense if Rose and CDR leave. Cal walks off the court at halftime with a look that screams, what just happened?
KU 24, Memphis 21 (7:25, 1st)
April 7, 20086:53 p.m.
A lot of complaining to the referees from the Tigers, and that’s never a good sign. Rush gives KU a lead with a drive to the rack. Mario drills a 3, and you have to wonder when Derrick Rose is going to try to get to the rack. Dorsey with a steal and a breakaway dunk, and he screams, “Let’s go, baby!” Looks like momentum might shift, but Rose is picked clean by Chalmers, who gets two the other way. KU by five. Another lob for a dunk for KU. Anderson with a big 3, but no penetration for the Tigers. Chalmers gets another deuce. But Dozier hits a 3. Guess Memphis can hit three-pointers, but that’s not what the Tigers want to do, is it?
KU 13, Memphis 13 (11:33, 1st)
April 7, 20086:43 p.m.
Tip controlled by Memphis. Points from Dorsey - that’s a bonus. Darrell with a miss. Rose blows past Robinson, who is up on him. Scary moment for Brandon Rush, who is undercut (unintentionally) by Anderson. He misses the first free throw but cans the second. CDR is unbelievable. Jayhawks look a little ragged. Shady with a flush. Dozier with a 15-foot jumper. Cheap reach-in called on Mario. KU goes to the bench for Sasha and Sherron. No counter by Cal. RussRob with solid defense on Rose, but he’s called for a foul - plus the finish. It’s a three-point play, and the Tigers pick up full court. The Dozier-Arthur match-up is a problem for Memphis, so Cal comes with Taggart, who is longer and taller. Shady with a tip. TV timeout. Collins to Kaun on a lob - we’ve seen this before. Rose backs in Collins and misses a turnaround. Shady trying to make some money - another nice post finish. CDR at the line - makes the first. And the second. Chicago blows by Chicago, but it’s not in the manner you’d expect - Collins gets past Rose. CDR with a floater. Chalmers misses a 3, and Memphis pushes tempo. Foul on Taggart. KU is pounding the post, just feeding it down-low repeatedly. Dozier picks up his second, and now he and Taggart. Jackson hits a pair of free throws. It’s tied. Sherron gets in the lane and finds Kaun with a wraparound, but Jason Bennett’s nemesis is called for traveling. Timeout.
Ed Hightower alert
April 7, 20086:11 p.m.
He’s calling the game. For the Kansas State readers out there, this might seem like karma. Several of the guards - Sherron Collins, who is bouncing around like this is his final chance to make a lasting impression on some NBA personnel, in particular - walk over and shake hands with the man who quite literally might decide this game.
Or it could be decided by the players. With Hightower, you never know.
And so there’s this - here’s Kansas’ ring commemorating the Jayhawks’ 50th conference title, as photographed (poorly, by the way) on athletic director Lew Perkins’ hand:
