Deadspin
You have to admire a national championship game in which most of the final possessions late in regulation are fast breaks. In a relentlessly entertaining national championship game, the Kansas Jayhawks win their first national championship in 20 years. Bill Self gets his title, and Mario Chalmers secures his place in highlight shows until the end of time. What a freaking shot.
Last week, we wrote that free throws didn't matter as much in college basketball as fans like to think that they do. We would like to officially withdraw that statement. Heavens.
(Amazing photo via Getty Images)
Comments
Kansas doesn't even KNOW!
/Florida Gators
They beat Mempis not our girls
Heavens.
To Betsy, no less.
I can't believe a shot like that happened in the final. I was rooting for that the entire game!
@MiamiMagic: Nominated for ESPN's 'Comment of the Day'
Hey Self, saying you're "stale" when your team just won?
Stick it.
Memphis and Mr.Moustache still have the same number of national championships.
So, yeah, free throws. Enjoy that nice warm glass of Shut the Hell Up, Cal.
Will..you can say FUCKING...
"I'd like to thank our mole in the Memphis coaching staff, free throw coach Nick Collison."
Memphis: We need more fundamentally sound white people.
Both Rose and CDR are their best free throw shooters. Under that much pressure anyone could have chocked. This game had nothing to do with Memphis "not knowing" how to shoot free throws. Kansas got lucky, thats it. Memphis, was, and is, the better team.
DANY MANIN PWNS BITCJES !!LOL.OMG!! SUK IT CAL MC FRETHROW!OMG..!!
WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
/and such
@nico002:
...and KU will have a nice banner.
Calipari, you think maybe you would have your team foul so they don't get a three pointer off.
Memphis choked......sorry. wow
Hey, Kansas got it done. But they got lucky. I have no connection to Memphis, I just preferred them.
@nico002: If Memphis was truly better they would have found a way to win the game.
@Raskolnikov: maybe Nick Anderson, too.
First, Darius Washington.
Then it was Joey Dorsey.
Tonight, it was CDR.
Charity stripe goats. Anyone can miss those with the pressure -- but that's a bad way to lose for three years.
Finally, NCAA tournament is finally over. Give me my Letterman!
@nico002: Kansas got lucky that Memphis choked. Luck is no part of the equation if Memphis drops a couple from the stripe down the stretch.
@nico002: heh, chocked.
I'm tired, CBS. Can you just show One Shining Moment so I can go to bed?
Thanks for the memo that we switched posts.
Got to head to Word to start/finish this damn paper.
Hope to see you all in the morning!
"Rock Chalk Championship!" - How stupid of a call to end the game is that?
Just think if Gus Johnson was calling this game.
It may have been luck but that luck will be hanging from the rafters from here on out.
Since I had to miss most of the freakin' game, mayhaps the sports gods will be nice to me and bless me with good weather for the rockies game tomorrow? Pretty please?
Saw the replay of the last 10 seconds of regulation. Memphis wasn't even looking to foul. Just incredibly poor coaching in that situation. Clark Kellogg is right. Under 5 seconds, foul before they can get the shot off.
@Le Kangourou de Kataroo...TRY IT!: I'll help you catch up to what went on:
1. Dude, dude, dude DUDE, dude!
2. Coke Zero tastes like Coke
3. Mario Chalmers
When I originally filled out my bracket, I put in Memphis as the champion, but then chnged my mind and whited them out. I then stuck in Georgetown, and I haven't had to worry about my bracket in the past two weeks.
That being said, I have no idea how I would be feeling right now if I had left Memphis in as my champion. But I am guessing that it would be bad.
If that was his attempt at a foul, John, that was a pretty poor attempt at a foul. Hack him.
Great game, all the way around, glad it wasn't a blowout. Memphis obviously dropped the ball by missing free throws. Kansas got it done in OT.
/I won my Kansas +2 bet, horray me!
@Le Kangourou de Kataroo...TRY IT!: In Colorado you never know.
Regarding the game, i don't think you can solely blame the free throws, like Will said, nearly all of the last possessions were fast breaks. The defense for Memphis just broke down late.
Calipari interview on ESPN... let's hope he snaps.
Did Calipari just say he was going to try to get video review "changed"? Yeah, fuck you douchenozzle.
And congrats to KU. Holy crap, that was an awesome game.
unc/ucla would have been the complete opposite of this game. does that make sense?
Evening Duan,
How the hell am I supposed to blog about the Marlins game when I'm drunk off my ass? I knew I shoulda' stayed home for that Kansas game...
I think I have a shot with that Washington State cheerleader... she winked at me
@Dirka Dirka: I'm hoping for a day like today- snow in the morning, gorgeous and sunny in the afternoon. As long as it's not wet I'm dragging the kiddos down to Coors.
@I Party With Hansen: The same way you drunk dial/text/email. With lots of typos and nonsensical sentences that everyone rags you for the next day.
This is the last song Luther Vandross ever sang.
For those of you who, like me, are too riled to go to sleep, Robin: Men in Tights is on Starz
@Ichiro Death Glare: I'm still reeling over that 2 in the first half that he insisted was a 3..."officials have ruled it a 2..."
Worst "prestige" play-by-play man in broadcasting.
@Steve Trachsel, Ace: and Cruisin' USA (N64 original) is available on the Wii Virtual Console
@Le Kangourou de Kataroo...TRY IT!: My drunk dials aren't as much fun now that I've been off the market for a few years. I used to call my psychotic ex-girlfriend and tell her that I hope she got hit by a train. Now I just send random Blackberry messages to people telling them, point blank, that I'm drunk.
God, when did I become boring?
@Le Kangourou de Kataroo...TRY IT!: Hopefully it goes as planned and hopefully the Rockies can wake up and score some freaking runs.
oh, we're here now
@Steve Trachsel, Ace: The Care Bears Movie is on my tivo. Yes, I am 8 years old.
Somebody just tried to ask Calipari why he decided not to foul at the end of the game... and he didn't answer. Somebody said "Let's keep the questions to the student-athletes from now on."
So far about 50% of the questions involve the word free-throw. Awesome.
@Le Kangourou de Kataroo...TRY IT!: ok, so give us your number.
@I Party With Hansen: Easy: HanRam, Ugly, and Andino (kid needs a nickname) homered, Uggla's was the game winner with Andino's providing insurance in the 9th. Marlins pitching sucked again, with Miller only going 3 1/3 and 6 earned but the bullpen picked up the slack. The Fish are now in 1st in the NL East!
@bamassippi: I'm sorry for being a little simplistic and wanting a close finish.
@TattooedMess(iah): 4 unearned runs helped.
@I Party With Hansen: better to be boring. my ex still drunk dials me. and he's married. awk-ward. my drunk texts usually get more and more belligerent as i realize that whoever i'm texting isn't going to come snuggle me, usually because they live hundreds if not thousands of miles away. i wake up the next morning and giggle at the progression.
@Dirka Dirka: Yeah, no shit. I didn't get to see the games Saturday or yesterday, but Friday was terrible.
Of course, walking through downtown Columbia, going to my local bar to get an anger drink, I saw not one, but FIVE people wearing Kansas apparel.
It's a surprise they're not in a bloody pulp by now. They did not deserve this, or any, championship.
/swear words redacted
Night all.
Next to Kentucky backing off from Laettner in the last 3 seconds in 1992, this was the worse last second strategy I've ever seen.
@Le Kangourou de Kataroo...TRY IT!: forget my last pos
And on the drunk text front, I exchanged some with The Balls on Friday night. It's one of the last things I remember from that night, but I tried to convince him to come to Orlando. Maybe he can cover a Magic game or something*.
*Drink and hit on college chicks.
@UkraineNotWeak: Calipari just told the media that they tried to foul, but the opposition either got away or his players didn't foul hard enough.
I call bullshit.
@UkraineNotWeak: But there was no way he was making that shot!
@Brazil Thrill:
Pure bullshit CYA.
Damn it, I had to miss "One Shining Moment" because half of Oklahoma is getting rain and a little wind. I swear, never have people cared more about the weather than in this damn state.
@TattooedMess(iah): I was going nuts in the bar when Andino homered. He's slowly becoming my favorite Marlin who really isn't as good as he seems.
@Le Kangourou de Kataroo...TRY IT!: Guys are horrible with thr drunk dialing. I once drunk texted a 17 year old girl and told her to come over because I wanted to make her pancakes. That's when I started to ease up on the drunk texting. (She was really hot though, if that means anything)