• My Kingdom For A Free Throw. As a Syracuse alumnus, I feel the pain of Chris Douglas-Roberts, the star Memphis guard who missed three crucial free throws in the final moments of last night's NCAA Championship game. In the 1987 title game, Derrick Coleman blew a freebie just before Keith Smart hit a last-second jumper to give Indiana a one-point victory over my Orange. It's probably no consolation to Douglas-Roberts, but 21 years later everyone remembers Smart's floating baseline jumper; nobody remembers Coleman's brick from the line. This year, Mario Chalmers canned the memorable shot, a three-pointer from the top of the key to force overtime. Given five extra minutes, Kansas went on to win the championship, 75-68, denying the nation a chance to watch Buddha-like Memphis reserve Pierre Niles celebrate under the falling confetti. [Slate]

• SbB @ Final Four; The Greates KU Jayhawk Of All. As we watched the video board play "One Shining Moment" with all the relieved (not excited) Kansas fans, we gazed up at a rather tall gent wrapped in denim, boots and a ten gallon hat. Why, who could it be? Ostertag! [SportsbyBrooks]

• Brandon Rush Leaving On A High Note. Well now that his team has peaked by winning the title, Brandon Rush will leave for the NBA draft according to Yahoo! Sports' Jason King. This isn't much of a surprise considering the fact that it's the third time he's declared for the draft. .. That's where Bob Knight's thoughts on the subject comes in, and he's completely right. The one-and-done rule is eliminating the integrity in collegiate athletics and making a mockery of the concept of student athletes. [Larry Brown Sports]

• Billy Packer And Dick Cheney: Separated At Birth?. "Packer is the Dick Cheney of sports announcing. The only thing that makes him remotely palatable is the serial niceness of Jim Nantz." Cheney! As outlandish as the comment is, there is some resemblance, right? [Lion In Oil]

• Digger Phelps REALLY Thinks Memphis Should Have Fouled. Caught this clip right before the OSM last night and it cracked me up. Digger Phelps is trying to explain how Memphis fouling at the end of regulation would have helped them and that they didn't need a timeout to set up their defense. Jay Bilas and Bobby Knight disagree. Watch as Digger slowly starts to lose it... [Awful Announcing]

• Roy Williams Still Loves His Jayhawks. Walking around San Antonio, there was more than a little animosity directed at North Carolina's Roy Williams from Kansas fans. The "Ruck Foy" and "Royvengence" shirts pretty much explained that those in Lawrence have no love for the school's former coach. Well, in a picture you won't see anywhere else (until CBS spots him on TV), it's clear that Roy still has some love for Kansas. [The Sporting Blog]

• Supernintendo Chalmers! Does it taste like burning, Roy? Kansas wins. Roy loses. We won money on brackets. Life is good. Thank you Supernintendo Chalmers, for that ridiculously impossible three pointer that you nailed. Congrats Billy Self. Tough loss Johnny Cal. And, uh, Memphis, you might want to think about not laughing off that whole "free throw" thing. [Brahsome]

• Just So We're Clear ... So what you're saying, Coach Cal, is that you're not concerned with how your team shoots free throws, right? Are we understanding that correctly? [Rush The Court]

• Yes, Memphis Choked. Sorry, That's How It Is. So we're two major sporting events into 2008, and we've seen two colossal chokes. Though some refuse to admit it, the New England Patriots — two touchdown favorites — gagged against the Giants. The Tigers, up nine last night with 122 seconds left and seemingly a lock to sew up the school's first title, choked. The Masters is this weekend — wouldn't that be something if Tiger faded down the stretch? [The Big Lead]

• A Walk Around Blue Heaven; Kansas Wins The NCAA Men's Basketball Championship. There was no underlying story line of sultry blues against the heartland. We weren't overly bombarded with the message of Goliath-come-lately versus Goliath-Always-and-Forever. Memphis and Kansas met last night without any scintillating story line, and offered up a game for the ages. [Stet Sports Blog]

After a stretch of dull championship games in our sports, we're now back on a roll, with last year's Super Bowl and this national title game. (And we suspect the NBA playoffs have the potential to be epic.) It also brings us little joy that the last two quality NCAA championship games have involved an Illinois loss and a Bill Self title. Alas.

Mostly: What a fun tournament. Even with all No. 1 seeds in the Final Four, we had three legitimate glories: Western Kentucky's last-second win, Stephen Curry's brilliance and Mario Chalmers' massive shot. That's three more than last year. We'll take it.

(Getty Images photo)

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)

By now, most people aren't paying attention to their pools, because most people are already out. But those still hanging around will be more riveted than ever; this is their reward for not being lame like us and picking either North Carolina or UCLA.

In our bracket, it's down to two potential winners.

If Kansas wins: "McC 2," by "S. McCormick," is all set to claim the crown. Impressive.
If Memphis wins: Either "Bob Knight's Bookie," by "T. Stehney," or "Oy with the Brackets," by "B. Woodall" will win, depending on the tiebreaker.

Out of 3,472 brackets, that's not bad. Remember, the winner gets an autographed copy of God Save The Fan — actual value: $0 — and a free post ... actual value $3.90. Good luck, y'all.

Whether you loved this all-top-seeded Final Four or hated it, you have Larry Brown to thank. The king of the basketball gypsies played his college ball at North Carolina and went to the Final Four with UCLA in 1980. He also coached at Kansas, taking them to their most recent Championship in 1988 before bolting for the Clippers.

So what's his connection to Memphis? Brown mentored John Calipari, taking him on as an assistant at Kansas in the late 80's. But wait, that's not all! He did the same with Bill Self, at around the same time. Cal went out on his own in 1985, the same year Self was hired. That Brown guy has quite an eye for coaching talent, eh?

Looking at the programs, they seem very different. The University of Kansas was founded in 1865, and still had cows roaming the campus around the time James Naismith assembled the first-ever Jayhawk team in 1899. Naismith, who had a losing record at Kansas, begat Forrest C. "Phog" Allen, a man who provided nearly 50 years of stability and helped forge the reliable foundation that has led to legendary status for coach and program alike.

Memphis has been an urban campus all along, fielding their first squad in 1920. Under the name Memphis State, coach Gene Bartow and player Larry Finch took the 1973 Tigers to the Championship game, where they became one in a long line of victims of UCLA's dominance of the era. Bartow went on to succeed John Wooden at UCLA two years later, and the Memphis State/University of Memphis program continued to be very, very good, if not yet great. The Pyramid helped recruiting fortunes, but it was the hiring of former UMass coach Calipari in 2000 that signaled the beginning of the current rise of the program.

As it stands right now, however, this is a matchup of two blue-chip squads, each of them hungry to finish dominant seasons with the ultimate - an NCAA championship.

Memphis relies heavily on two superstars. Chris Douglas-Roberts and Derrick Rose are clearly the top scoring options in the innovative Dribble-Drive Motion offense. For Kansas, Brandon Rush is the most talented player on the floor, but when he goes through a scoring drought (which has happened often in this tournament), he has three more guys averaging double figures to back him up. The emergence of freshman big man Cole Aldrich in the UNC game gives Bill Self another big body to throw in the mix.

I'll be accused of being a homer, but the tale of the tape is all I have to go with right now.

Storming the Floor's Predicted NCAA Champion: KANSAS

Now one has to wonder what Rose was afraid his teammate was going to say about him. "What do we think of him? I mean, once you get past the premature ejaculating and toenail eating, he's a pretty nice kid who can make things happen on the court. It's a good thing too, we almost forgot his Cabbage Patch Kid doll on the trip. That really would have put us at a disadvantage tonight."

Derrick Rose Does His Best Clay Davis Impression [The Sporting News]

(Aside: Snipped from this 30 seconds of press conference goodness was John Calipari using my favorite noncommittal phrase. "There ya go." It can basically get one out of any situation without breaking a promise, lying, or letting someone down. "Hey, maybe we could go to my sister's volleyball game after dinner." It's almost instinctual, the reaction. But in this case it's the cynic's catch-all safety valve. Just a remarkable phrase all around.)

One side of the bracket held the dazzling freshmen, the other side was about upperclassmen. The meeting of the West Champs and the South Champs had the Eye of the Tiger. And the meeting of East Champs vs. Midwest Champs had the Wig of the Jayhawk. Or something like that.

Memphis 78, UCLA 63

I'm sure a headline writer with a schmaltzier sense of humor will make something vomit-inducing out of this one, but I'm just going to say Rose > Love in San Antonio. Memphis guard Derrick Rose is from Chicago, and he pulled out moves reminiscent of a certain Bull in this one. The high-flyer put in 25 points to go with nine rebounds and four assists. Oh, and that included 11-12 FREE THROWS. In fact, the Tigers hit 87 percent last night, but according to the box score, only two players even shot FTs for Memphis.

Chris Douglas-Roberts has the Magna Carta* tattooed on his arm, and he laid down the law in this one with 28 points. Next game, it might behoove the Tigers to get a couple more players involved in the game.

*This is a lie, but I hope my High School History teacher is reading this.

Kansas 84, North Carolina 66

The Jayhawks built a lead in the first half that was so huge even they couldn't choke it away. Still: Give them credit for trying. A 2-2 tie in the opening minute was the closest North Carolina came to a lead, but a flurry of points from Danny Green cut holes in what was once a 40-12 gap. With 11 minutes left in the second half, the Kansas lead was cut to four, but the Tar Heels didn't have enough gas in the tank to seal the deal.

Davidson-killer Sasha Kaun spent much of the game on the bench with foul trouble, allowing Bill Self to introduce his latest hulking white man to the world; freshman Cole Aldrich was impressively cool, scoring eight and grabbing seven rebounds, as well as hitting all four of his free throws. Throw on one of those pencil-thin beards and you got yerself the poor man's Kevin Love.

So, your NCAA Championship game is set. If there were underdogs in this Final Four, these are they; Kansas vs. Memphis for the title. I'll make my official predictions closer to game time, but for now, I think I can confidently say two things. One, John Calipari can get you in a nice Hyundai for no money down, and nobody beats his prices. Two, Bill Self may actually say "Golly!" in a live televised interview. Meanwhile, Roy Williams and Ben Howland will have some time to visit the Alamo.

Getty Images Photo

Joey Dorsey has to play down his embarrassing domination at the hands of Greg Oden last year and Darren Collison needs to shake the specter of last year's performance in the title game. Each will have their hands full dealing with the likes of Kevin Love and Derrick Rose.

I'll be blogging the game from a bar in Adams Morgan in D.C., celebrating the [undisclosed] birthday of some blogger woman. (I hope she enjoys the glass ceiling I got her!) But, anyway, yeah, Adams Morgan. If there's a delay, it just means I've tripped over the mounds of douchebags.

Here's what the kids are predicting on the series of tubes:

Kansas Vs. North Carolina
Jay Bilas: North Carolina.
Seth Davis: Kansas.
Stuart Mandel: North Carolina.
Storming The Floor: North Carolina.
Deadspin: Kansas. Call it a hunch. We're not ready to see Bill Self in a national championship game though.

Memphis vs. UCLA
Jay Bilas: Memphis.
Seth Davis: UCLA.
Stuart Mandel: UCLA.
Storming The Floor: UCLA.
Deadspin: Memphis. No one has looked better the last week. And we were wrong.

So, light 'em up, people.

STF Final Four Capsules

Team: Kansas Jayhawks

How they got here: Beat #16 Portland State, #8 UNLV, #12 Villanova, #10 Davidson

Key player: Pick 'em. Brandon Rush led the scoring against Portland State. Mario Chalmers took over against UNLV. Then it was Rush again vs. Villanova. Sasha Kaun, of all people, saved the Jayhawks' bacon against Davidson. UNC's all-everything Forward Tyler Hansbrough is better individually than any Jayhawk who will check him, so the 'Hawks will have to throw big bodies at him. That means the perimeter defense of Brandon Rush on Danny Green will be crucial. If Rush can limit the long-distance shots and hit a few of his own, Kansas might be able to pull this one off.

Rooting interest: There are no underdogs in this Final Four, so we'll be looking for other reasons to root for these dominant teams. For Kansas players, basketball has been a refuge from personal pain, as illnesses, murdered relatives, car accidents and other difficulties have beset many of the players all season long. It would be nice to see a ray of sunshine. In addition, it's been 20 years since Danny and the Miracles claimed the 1988 crown, and now Mr. Manning is on the Kansas sideline as an assistant coach. That may be just the edge this star-crossed squad needs to get over the hump.

Final Four History: KU's last Final Four appearance came in 2003, when they defeated Marquette by more than 30 points before falling to Syracuse in the championship game. The coach who pulled that off, Roy Williams, is currently sitting on the other sideline. This is the first time Kansas coach Bill Self has made the final weekend with any team.

Team: North Carolina Tar Heels

How they got here: Beat #16 Mount St. Mary's, #9 Arkansas, #4 Washington State, #3 Louisville.

Key Player: Tyler Hansbrough. The Naismith Award winner for player of the year in college basketball has made even the haters give a little grudging respect. He never takes a play off, and he is capable of turning to the jumper when his inside game struggles. However, getting his hand on every rebound in the vicinity gives him ample chances to score, and when he scores, the Tar Heels win.

Rooting Interest: UNC went through a difficult stretch in the mid-season to get here. When guard Bobby Frasor went down with a torn ACL, that was a harsh blow. Then Ty Lawson, who was taking some of Frasor's minutes, was out for seven games with a sprained ankle. Magical leprechaun Roy Williams used all of his pixie dust to keep the dadgum Tar Heels in it, and even a home loss to Duke didn't faze his club. They just went back out and returned the favor in Cameron to end the season. Plus, it's just difficult to root against a head coach who says "Doggone."

Final Four History: Carolina's last Final Four was in 2005, the year they won it all. That was Roy Williams' first championship game win, but he had the benefit of four trips to the final weekend with Kansas before he ever took the Carolina job, including two Championship game losses. And lest we think that Coach Roy owns his opponent, it was Bill Self and the Illini that knocked Williams out in the Sweet 16 in 2001.

PREDICTION: CAROLINA. If this were all about runnin', gunnin' guard play, Kansas might have the edge. But Sasha Kaun, Darnell Jackson, and Darrell Arthur will have their collective hands full trying to pin down Hansbrough. Rush or Chalmers will have to have an out-of-body experience from behind the arc to pull this one off.

Team: Memphis Tigers

How they got here: Beat #16 Texas-Arlington, #8 Mississippi State, #5 Michigan State, #2 Texas

Key player: We love the old-school style of first team All-American CDR as much as the next guy, but point guard Derrick Rose is difference between this team and the two Memphis teams that were stopped in the Elite Eight. Rose has elevated his game late in the season in the scoring department and gives the Tigers not only an elite point guard to control the tempo, but a go-to man down the stretch when the game is on the line.

Rooting interest: Memphis has to be the Cinderella (or Rumpelstiltzkin ) team of the Final Four, right? Well, actually no, any team that goes 37-1 and spends five weeks at #1 can't seriously be considered a Cinderella. The only reason that they are even considered an underdog is fact that everyone and their brother had the Tigers crapping out two weeks ago and that the other three teams in the Final Four have a combined 48 Final Four appearances between them. Want a better reason to root for Memphis? Seeing the reaction of old, white sports reporters having a collective heart-attack while watching a Memphis team that couldn't give two shits about fundamentals or free throws cutting the nets down will be well worth it.

Final Four History: Memphis doesn't have nearly the pedigree of a UCLA or North Carolina, but it has made appearances in two other Final Fours, which is alot more than many teams can claim. In 1985, the Tigers ran into Rollie Massimino's miracle Nova squad and fell in the semifinals. In 1973, the Tigers advanced all the way to the championship game, where they were defeated by the Bill Walton-led Bruins.

Team: UCLA Bruins

How they got here: Beat #16 Mississippi Valley State, #9 Texas A&M, #12 Western Kentucky, #3 Xavier.

Key player: The easy choice here would be to go with Mr. Chest Pass Kevin Love as the key player for the Final Four, as he has no doubt been in first four games, leading the Bruins in scoring each time Thing is, Love is going to get the Bruins at least 20 and 10 as long as he steps on the floor. The key to UCLA advancing to the championship game will whether or not anyone in the recently inconsistent supporting cast steps on the offensive end to help him out. In particular, Josh Shipp can't play with his head inside his ass like he did against Texas A&M and Xavier, scoring a combined five points in those two games. The Bruins will need Shipp to be a viable outside threat if they hope to beat Memphis and UNC/Kansas.

Rooting interest: Sure, UCLA has more champions and Final Four appearances than any team in college basketball, but this UCLA team is fast on its way to becoming the Buffalo Bills of college basketball if they don't win the NCAA Championship this season. The past two seasons, UCLA's season ended after facing the Florida Gators. With Joakim Noah and the rest of that Gators squad scattered around the NBA, the Bruins have no excuses this season. So unless you want Berman picking UCLA to win the national championship for the next 12 seasons like he did with the Bills and the Super Bowl, root for the Bruins to get it done this year.

Final Four History: The Bruins under John Wooden kind of owned the 1960s and 70s, making the Final Four in all but one season from 1962 to 1977, and winning the whole thing 10 times in the process. Want to know the team that stopped that UCLA run? Idaho State, which knocked off the Bruins 76-75 in the Round of 32 in 1977. Bet you didn't see that coming? Bruins also reached the Final Four in 1980, 1995, 2006 and 2007, so you can guess that they Bruins are pretty used to this whole thing by now.

PREDICTION: UCLA. This one is probably going down to the wire thanks to the athleticism of Memphis, but the Bruins are way overdue for a complete game on both offensive and defensive ends, so we'll go with them in a tight one. The Bruins defense will not allow the same kind of easy shots that the Tigers got against Texas and Josh Shipp can't stay in a shooting slump forever. Also give the Bruins the edge in the hunger factor, as the Tigers' season was probably made when they advanced to the Final Four, while the Bruins will be viewed as a colossal failure if they don't cut down the nets this season.

We are of course as guilty as anyone of underrated Memphis; we'll say that "Does Anybody Buy What Memphis Is Selling Anymore?" headline is one we'd like to have back. Not even North Carolina looked as impressive as Memphis did after their scare against Mississippi State, and Tigers boosters are deservedly crowing about it. In the Michigan State game, the Spartans, a veteran, talented team, seemed legitimately terrified just to walk the ball up the court. We doubt UCLA will look so nervous, but we won't underestimate those guys again.

And if John Calipari wins the national title, heck, maybe he'll try the NBA again. That worked out well.

(Getty Images Photo)

Kansas 59, Davidson 57

Wait a minute, that's not how Davidson's Cinderella ride was supposed to end, was it? Wasn't Stephen Curry supposed to drill a game-winning three over the double team in the final seconds, officially becoming a March legend while Kansas and Bill Self chocked away another chance at the Final Four?

Instead, Curry pulled up his dribble when he was doubled, passing to point guard Jason Richards, whose off-balance final shot went wide-left off the backboard, leaving Davidson and college basketball fans everywhere wondering what could have been. While Kansas looked sluggish playing at a slower pace, give the Self and the Jayhawks tons credit for this victory. Nothing was working in their favor all game, right down to Bryant "the White Lobster" Barr drilling three after three in the second half, and no one outside of Kansas was pulling for them to win this game. Still, the Jayhawks defense flustered Curry in the second half with a box-and-one, and Sasha Kaun played out of his mind down the stretch, scoring 13 points on 6-6 shooting.

The Jayhawks also benefited from the terrible foul-shooting of Memphis Davidson, as the Wildcats' 5-12 performance from the line may have cost them a trip to the Final Four. With the win, the Jayhawks assured us that all four #1 seeds would advance to the Final Four for the first time in history, basically locking up the bracket pool for the secretary.

Memphis 85, Texas 67

Many will credit the Tiger victory to the fact that they finally hit some damn free throws (30-36 at the line), but the truth is that this one was in the books well before the Horns went to the hack-a-Tiger strategy. Memphis dominated offensively in the paint from the get-go while the defense forced D.J. Augustin to make several poor decisions and prevented the Texas supporting cast from getting involved (James and Atchley combined for 13 points) for the convincing victory.

If it weren't for the superhuman performance of Curry, Derrick Rose would have to be considered the MVP of March. Rose scored 21 points and dished out nine assists, often for easy alley-oops to Joey Dorsey and Shawn Taggert. CDR also played his best game of the tournament, scoring 25 points and hitting 14 foul shots. Considered to be the sure-fire bet to be the first #1 seed to lose by just about everyone, the Tigers are proving everyone wrong by playing like the best team in America.

Naturally, this means we're getting the media ordained championship game we deserve, with Psycho T and KevLuv giving hope to all the big white people who really, really try on every possession.

Guuuuhhhhhh

Both teams can play a quick tempo game so at least this one promises to be one of the more high octane of the weekend's matchups.

-Rose already has problems with his eye. Billy Packer says he doesn't like stitches. Probably shouldn't be snitchin' then.

-And Augustin isn't getting the better of Rose today, not yet at least, as he airs a three and Memphis is on a 8-0 run early.

-And Rose is kind of owning D.J. thus far, adding a jam off a steal to put the Tigers up 24-13.

-Aaaaaand, it's starting to get ugly. Roberts picks up the and 1 to give Memphis a 16-point lead with 8 minutes left in the first.

-Augustin gets a steal and misses the lay-up, leading to an uncontested dunk for Memphis. This might not be close.

-Just before the wheels totally come off, the Longhorns narrow Memphis' halftime lead to 11 with a 6-0 run to end the first.

-And Texan comes storming out of the break with a quick six and Augustin is finally showing some life.

-The Tigers survived the early second half surge and it looks like the Longhorns are going to fouling with 8 minutes left, down 16. Is Davidson on yet?

-Guuuhhhh This game blows.

Davidson 73, Wisconsin 56

Well, so much for Cinderella Davidson's ride coming to an end when they had to face a big, bad Big Ten defense. That was a complete domination on both ends by the Wildcats against a Badger team that doesn't get dominated by anyone. While they may still be labeled a #10 seed, I don't think you'll hear an argument from anyone if you were to call Davidson a legitimate Top 10 team. They are really that good. And what Stephen Curry is doing is just getting more goddamn ridiculous by the game. Curry scored 33 against one of the best defenders in the nation in Michael Flowers, including a few three-point daggers to put the game away in the second-half. Curry's play has been so phenomenal in the postseason that he even has LeBron James in the stands cheering for the Wildcats. The win sets up the perfect David vs. Goliath showdown; the Wildcats' road to the Final Four will have to go through Kansas.

Memphis 92, Michigan State 74

I'm going to go out on a limb and say that all that talk about Memphis's shitty free-throw shooting making them the most likely number #1 seed to fall may have motivated the Tigers a wee bit. I mean, the first-half of this was a full-fledged ass whoopin'. When Memphis was in the midst of a 15-0 run at the end of the first-half to extend the lead to 30, Michigan State looked legitimately scared to bring the ball up the court. That is how hard the Tigers were playing in this one. Michigan State used 16-0 run early in the second half to make the score look respectable, but this one was over by the half. Derrick Rose continues his impressive March, leading the Tigers with 27 points and 5 assists. Michigan State's Drew Nietzel ends his 14-year Spartan career by scoring all six points of his points in the final 90 seconds.

Kansas 72, Villanova 57

Give the Wildcats credit for playing hard throughout, but the Jayhawks were simply way too talented for the young Nova squad. The Jayhawks used a balanced scoring attack and a vast array of alley-oop dunks to put this one to rest early on. It was almost like pick your poison for the Wildcats, as one minute it was Brandon Rush (16 points) connecting on a fast break dunk, the next it was Mario Chalmers (14 points) drilling a three-pointer. I actually feel pretty bad for Bill Self and Jayhawks as they now advance to the Elite Eight to face Davidson. Here is Self and his Jayhawk squad, in the perfect position to erase all of the recent bad memories of early exits and regional final defeats, and now they have to play freakin' Davidson. The only people rooting for the Jayhawks on Sunday will be KU students, alums and people who live in the state of Kansas.

Texas 82, Stanford 62

The epic clash of styles between the Texas guards and Stanford big men turned into one dud of a game The Cardinal had this one down to a one-point game at 52-51 mid-way through the second-half, but the Longhorns then proceeded to go on a 20-3 to break the game open. Much credit goes to Longhorn center/fatman Dexter Pittman, who used his entire 300-pound frame to hold Brook Lopez scoreless in the final 15 minutes. The Cardinal struggled defensively all night against the quicker Longhorns, as D.J. Augustin scored 23 and Damion James scored 18. Following the game, the Lopez twins could be heard sobbing in the locker room while listening to old Michael Jackson records.

Your Elite Eight match-ups...

Xavier vs UCLA Saturday 6:40 p.m.
X-men actually create quite a few match-up problems for the Bruins, but there is no way anyone should go against UCLA's luck at this point.

North Carolina vs Louisville Saturday 9:05 p.m.
Each team has gotten to the Elite Eight with three blowout wins. We're guessing that changes here.

Memphis vs Texas Sunday 2:20
Ok, so this has to be the game where the Tigers lose because of free-throw shooting, right?

Davidson vs Kansas Sunday 5:05
If you're not excited about this game, college basketball probably isn't for you.

Getty Images Photo

MEMPHIS TIGERS

1. Why Their Achilles Heel Won't Matter (how Tiger fans can rationalize the free throw shooting). By this point, you may have noticed that the Tigers struggle from the charity stripe, which is likely why you picked them to lose to Pitt in the Sweet 16 or to Texas in the Elite 8. The free throw woes have been scrutinized by every college hoops commentator on the planet, and yet the Tigers still have only one loss and seem to win all the close games. Even if more teams employ the Hack-a-Tiger strategy, here are five reasons why free throws won't matter:

(1) The Tigers actually make more free throws than their opponents. At a 14.2 per game clip, that's better than Michigan State (13.7) or Texas (13.4).
(2) Offensive efficiency: the Tigers are #11 in the nation at 113.7 points per 100 possessions. If the Tigers were to shoot two free throws on every possession at their 59% season average their OE would be 118 points per 100 possessions (118 made free throws out of 200).
(3) The Tigers shot a horrendous 46% from the line against Mississippi State, which is reason for concern. However, they shot a respectable 70% in the CUSA tournament, so expect the Tigers to stabilize closer to their true average. CDR and Derrick Rose are better than the 56% they shot against Mississippi State, which came after a combined 9-11 performance (89%) against UT-Arlington.
(4) If teams hack away early they risk getting into foul trouble, and Memphis' bench depth will become the difference maker.
(5) Calipari will bench Joey Dorsey and his 37% free throw percentage on offensive possessions late in close games.

2. When Dorsey Shows Up.Last year before their Elite Eight game against Ohio State, Joey Dorsey made the mistake of calling out Greg Oden, "It's David and Goliath, except I'm Goliath." Dorsey's trash talk was more prophetic than he realized; he was held scoreless and grabbed only 3 rebounds as Oden reminded him of who actually won that battle. Fast-forward to Memphis' round 2 game against Mississippi State. Against a strong Bulldogs frontcourt, Dorsey turned in a dominating performance with 13 points, 12 boards and 6 blocks. Dorsey has been inconsistent all season, but when he performs up to his ability as he did against the Bulldogs, Memphis is tough to beat. Strangely, the only free throw Dorsey made out of five attempts came after someone pulled a curtain open, shooting a beam of sunlight directly into Dorsey's eyes. "The old curtain wave move," coach John Calipari commented afterward. "Hadn't seen that in a while." There is probably no truth to the rumor that Dorsey will now switch to shooting free throws with his eyes closed, although this is a guy who once took free throw tips from a Memphis fan in the middle of a game, so anything is possible. Penny Hardaway apparently worked on free throws some with Dorsey in Little Rock, but whatever advice he gave clearly hasn't sunk in yet.

3. Still Waiting on that Second Loss... Mike Freeman wrote a front page column for CBS Sportsline on Monday comparing the Tigers to an "AND 1" team. Freeman suggests that the Tigers do not distribute the ball or play as a team, but rather are a group of superior athletes interested only in long threes and highlight reel dunks. Like nearly every other "expert" with the exception of Digger Phelps, Freeman expects the Tigers to fall short of the Final Four for a 3rd consecutive year. He is correct that the Tigers are the most athletic team in the tournament, but there are several problems with his AND 1 analogy. First off, the Tigers' defense is the strongest part of their game. They rank second nationally in defensive efficiency, allowing only 86.5 points per 100 possessions, and their turnover margin (+4.4) is considerably better than Michigan State (-1.2), Texas (+2.9), UCLA (+2.5), Kansas (+3.0) and UNC (+1.7). Second, the Tigers tally more assists per game (16.0) than either UCLA (14.5) or Texas (14.5). Yes, Mike, a team that features Derrick Rose at the point surely must have trouble distributing the ball. Sadly, Freeman's column is the sort of material that gets passed off for sports journalism these days, but the sentiment that Memphis is due to lose sooner rather than later is shared nationwide. In a Monday ESPN.com poll of which 1-seed is likely to lose first, the results were overwhelming (Kansas - 11%, UNC - 8%, UCLA - 16%, Memphis - 65%). Memphis has reason to play with a chip on their shoulder this weekend. They've made the Elite Eight two years running and would love to prove their critics wrong by finally breaking through to the Final Four. — Jay Lewis

MICHIGAN STATE SPARTANS

1. Somebody Please Mess With Texas. One of my favorite sports-related memories ever was joining a small group of friends at a sports bar in East Lansing to watch the 2003 South Regional Semifinal. Alongside a few hundred friendly strangers, we watched as scrappy upstart Michigan State upended defending national champion Maryland on a thrilling last minute slam by freshman wunderkind Paul Davis. It was a surprisingly euphoric moment overflowing with brotherhood, camaraderie and nacho cheese. Then two days later, all illusions I had about fair play in college sports were destroyed when the Spartans' reward was a game versus the Texas Longhorns on the totally neutral floor of San Antonio's Alamodome. Has anyone pointed out that this year's Texas squad actually benefited by losing the Big 12 championship game, which got them "demoted" to a 2 seed in the South Regional being held in their home state? I'm pretty sure I'm the only person who has made that connection ever, but I mention it only because of this nightmare I have about beating a highly-favored, more athletic team in a hard fought game, only to run into an obnoxious roadblock created by an unfair scheduling scenario. Yes, I know how to hold a grudge.

2. From Each According To His Ability. MSU is 13-1 when Marquise Gray scores in double figures. Sounds helpful, until you remember that the junior has only scored in double figures 14 times in his career. Tom Izzo's system stifles superstar achievement in favor of balanced team play, so you never know where Michigan State's next hero will come from, but they do seem to find a lot of them. Pittsburgh lost to Michigan State not because of poor three-point shooting, bad rebounding, or even a late 8-point surge by Drew Neitzel (although those certainly didn't help), but because at several key moments in the second half, when jump shots were hard to come by and everyone else in Green looked flat footed and useless, freshman Kalin Lucas blew past his sluggish defenders for vitally important layups. He held off the Panther rallies long enough to save the Spartans' season and with any luck, John Calipari will not be aware of that fact, fail to read this post and allow him to run wild in the paint. Or maybe Goran Suton will hide a bucket of confetti in his shorts and throw it on a referee. Someone you won't expect will have to come up big, but if I could tell you who that was it wouldn't be unexpected, would it?

3. To Each According To His Needs. It's pretty rare for college basketball announcers not named Packer to criticize anybody, so it was a telling moment when CBS pointed out that junior center Idong Ibok's own teammates were a little peeved at his somewhat useless performance in the second round. If the TV men saw fit to mention it, those guys must have been really pissed. To be fair, the I.I. Captain (just made that up!) never picked up a basketball before his senior year of high school and his hands rival only Roberto Duran for their stone-like qualities, so he can't be expected to do complex basketball maneuvers like catch passes. He can, however, foul the shit out of people and will likely be called upon to do just that tonight. Memphis plays what I can only assume is an up-tempo, freewheeling, but undisciplined brand of basketball (I wouldn't know; my TV only receives the Big Ten Network) so I imagine the Spartan game plan to be: collapse the defense, hack any any all Tiger big men to death, dare their guards to beat them from beyond the three-point arc, then ravenously scoop up rebounds when they fail. (MSU's last two opponents shot 20% from three-land.) Provided they have enough bodies to avoid a Wisconsin-like disaster — four Spartans fouled out of the Big Ten tourney semifinal, including three in 56 seconds — it's just crazy enough to work! — Dashiell Bennett

Stanford vs. Texas, 7:27 pm, Friday

#3 Stanford Cardinal

Last Weekend: Defeated #14 Cornell 77-53, defeated #6 Marquette 82-81.

How Stanford Got Here: Brook Lopez. The Cardinal big man scored 28 of his 30 points against Marquette in the 2nd half Saturday. Including the game winner with 1.3 seconds left on the clock that sent the Cardinal to the Sweet 16. Brook, one half of the Cardinal's twin towers, has emerged as the go-to-guy in Palo Alto this season and if they are to reach the Final Four, he'll have to continue to cash in with the game on the line. Just as importantly, Mitch Johnson dished out a career-high 16 assists and hit 3-3 from three point land against the Golden Eagles. If he's doing that the Cardinal are going to be tough to beat.

What the Sweet 16 Means to the Cardinal: That they're back. After spending the last few years as a non-factor nationally, Trent Johnson has the Cardinal back where they belong among the west coast's elite teams and national title contenders. That said, getting any further would be just a bonus for this Cardinal team whose most important players are underclassmen. Though, they're far from likely to be back next year so they might want to make this run count.

Chances to Reach San Antonio: Roughly 25 percent. The Cardinal are a virtual pick 'em against Texas on Friday, and their odds are likely to be the same regardless of who they meet next. The Longhorns provide a similar challenge to that of Marquette: great guard play, which happens to be the Cardinal's biggest weakness. If they expect to get past this one they'll need similar performances form their big men and an equally good performance from Mitch Johnson. And this time it'd probably be in the team's best interest if its coach wasn't sent to the showers before the first half even ended.

#2 Texas Longhorns

Last Weekend: Defeated #15 Austin Peay 74-54, defeated #7 Miami 75-72.

How Texas Got Here: Pretty much the normal way for a 2-seed. They cruised against an overmatched Austin Peay team, then had a bit more of a challenge against former Texas assistant Frank Haith and his Miami Hurricanes. The team effort is chugging along, with Augustin scoring an dishing, James scoring and rebounding, and Atchley chipping in 15 points on Easter Sunday. The real story was A.J. Abrams, who put up 26 to help beat the Hurricanes.

What the Sweet 16 Means to the Longhorns: They belong. Texas took the Big 12 regular-season crown from the Jayhawks this year, but couldn't grab the conference's auto-bid despite making the championship game for the third straight year. This is a team that beat Tennessee and UCLA this season, so they feel they can make the Final Four.

Chances to Reach San Antonio: Fair-to-middlin'. The Longhorns have a starting five that's tough to deny, but their bench is ridiculously short. If they can't get some quality minutes out of their role players, it's going to be very difficult to get past Stanford, let alone the winner of the Memphis/Michigan State game. D.J. Augustin is the key, whether as a scorer or dropping off sweet passes for his teammates. If he is stymied, the Longhorns are toast.

Michigan State vs. Memphis, 9:57 pm Friday

#5 Michigan State Spartans

Last Weekend: Defeated #12 Temple 72-61, defeated #4 Pitt 65-54

How Michigan State Got Here: Drew Neitzel and Raymar Morgan. Neitzel's senior leadership and clutch shooting has paced the Spartans all season long, and he showed up big against Pitt with 5-8 three-point shooting. Raymar Morgan carried the load when Neitzel struggled against Temple, which will be very helpful against a fast, deep Memphis team.

What the Sweet 16 Means to the Spartans: Delivery on Potential. Before the season began, many people predicted the Spartans would win the Big Ten and advance to at least the Sweet 16. As the season went on however, that opinion changed. The Spartans are finally playing the kind of basketball that fans have been waiting for - and just when it counts, too.

Chances to Reach San Antonio: Memphis' tourney time is winding down to a close. Their lack of free throw shooting and inability to safely put close games away will hurt them - but not in this game. Michigan State gives up too much athleticism to the Tigers, who should live for at least one more week. But credit Tom Izzo, he got his guys to play their tails off to finish out the year.

#1 Memphis Tigers

Last Weekend: Defeated #16 Texas-Arlington 87-63, defeated #8 Mississippi State 77-74

How Memphis Got Here: The emergence of Derrick Rose as the team leader and avoiding the upset bug. Just about everyone is going to focus on the atrocious foul-shooting, but the emergence of a freshman as the team's go-to guy in clutch games has been the difference. Starting with 23-point performance in the Tennessee game when no other Tiger could hit a shot to save their life, Rose has been the difference maker. He scored 17 points in each of the Tigers' wins last weekend and turned the ball over only twice for the weekend. The Tigers were also able to survive against a Mississippi State team that matched up against them perfectly.

What the Sweet 16 Means to the Tigers: More than any other team still playing, the Sweet 16 means absolutely nothing to Memphis. Hell, the Elite Eight really means nothing to the Tigers. This team needs to reach the Final Four for Memphis to legitimize its dominance over shaky competition over the past three seasons. No Final Four this season, no one is taking Memphis seriously again if they finish 30-2 next season.

Chances to Reach San Antonio: You have to think that it's the worst of the remaining #1 seeds, and not just because they are in the most difficult region remaining, but because they may also have to defeat Texas in Houston. Still, this team only lost one game for a reason, and no one seems to think they will be able to score on Michigan State. A wise college basketball writer once told me to never bet against a John Calipari-coached team when he has the team thinking no one believes in them or if there is a possible large sum or money or pay increase dependent on a victory. We'll go with Memphis for at least one more game.

Hope you enjoyed the regional breakdowns. Our ongoing March Madness coverage has been a group effort featuring much of the talented STF crew, including Brandon Darling, Mike White, and Matt Mattucci. Thanks, guys!

At this point, it wouldn't be any more surprising to see Michigan State, Texas or Stanford in the Final Four than Memphis; of all the regions, the South seems the most up in the air despite it (mostly) falling according to seed. Memphis went 6-1 against NCAA Tourney teams this year. Their loss was to Tennessee — the only one of those teams still left in the tournament. (And wobbling.) Sorry: We're not gonna believe in Memphis anymore. Uncle.

Besides, anything that keeps the Stanford Tree hanging around.

MEMPHIS TIGERS

1. The Plush Club. The Tigers' late-night exploits at 380 Beale St led Coach John Calipari to institute an 11 p.m. curfew and no-nightclub policy. The first incident at the Plush Club happened in the early morning hours of September 2, 2007, when forward Shawn Taggart and shooting guard Jeff Robinson were charged with disorderly conduct and inciting a riot. The police report suggests that it was actually forward Joey Dorsey who got things going when he climbed up on the bar and "made it rain" (just whose money he was throwing is still undetermined). Dorsey had already left the scene before 20 police cars arrived to disperse the crowd. Charges against Taggart and Robinson were later dismissed. Despite Calipari's no-nightclub policy, Robert Dozier was involved in a second incident at the Plush Club on February 3rd. After an initial confrontation with ex-girlfriend LaParis Woods, Dozier followed her out of the club in his car before both pulled over and continued their argument on a downtown street corner. It was there that Dozier allegedly slapped her twice. Woods, a stripper at The Gold Club in East Memphis, has not filed charges but did take out a restraining order against Dozier. Dozier's current girlfriend, Andrea Brown, followed suit and took out a restraining order of her own against Woods, who allegedly had threatened her at the Plush Club and went to Brown's apartment later that night where she continued her tirade and warned, "I'll be back." Calipari, always the strict disciplinarian, suspended Dozier for one game, not for the alleged assault, but for breaking curfew. One particularly creative fan in Birmingham blacked out her eye for the Tigers' game the following week at UAB and wore a shirt that read "I dated Dozier." This is featured prominently in one of the greatest photos of the college basketball season. Backup forward Pierre Niles' blue-sleeved hand can be seen slapping someone resembling Larry the Cable Guy, though no disciplinary action was taken against Niles following the melee.

2. Blue and Grey. The Tigers' colors were established as a gesture of national unity to commemorate the opposing armies in the Civil War. Aside from the clichéd images of Elvis and Graceland, Tiger blue is emblematic of Memphis's long tradition of blues and soul music, made famous by artists like B.B. King, Furry Lewis, Booker T. and the MG's, Otis Redding, the Bar-Kays and Isaac Hayes. Famous alumni of the Memphis Tigers basketball program include Anfernee Hardaway, Keith Lee, Elliot Perry, Dajuan Wagner, Rodney Carney, Lorenzen Wright, Shawne Williams and 1998 Name-of-the-Year finalist, Paris London.

3. Style of Play. Calipari describes the Memphis offense as "Princeton on Steroids." Based on the dribble-drive system pioneered by Pepperdine coach Vance Walberg, Memphis's offense utilizes the Tigers' superior athleticism and ability to exploit one-on-one mismatches to beat teams off the dribble for easy lay-ups. Most teams employ zone defenses to slow the pace of the game and force the Tigers to rely on their average outside shooting. Freshman phenom Derrick Rose has drawn comparisons to Jason Kidd given his speed and strength and is a potential top-5 draft pick, should he decide to go. Junior swingman Chris Douglas-Roberts is the top scorer and veteran leader of the team. CDR, a Detroit native, is primarily known as a slasher, but he has developed his outside shot in the past year (45 percent from behind the arc). When at his best, Joey Dorsey resembles a young Ben Wallace, a tenacious defender and shot blocker who averages 10.4 rebounds per game. Though he has the size and talent to dominate, Dorsey is prone to mental lapses and foul trouble. Memphis's superior defense and athleticism could carry them to the final four and the title, but success in the tournament will largely depend on role players like Antonio Anderson, Willie Kemp and Donneal Mack getting hot from behind the arc. Memphis's Achilles heel is their team 58% free throw shooting, but if you remove Dorsey's 33% rate from the mix, the team shoots a more respectable 62%. Rose (68% FT) will likely receive the inbounds passes toward the end of games, so the Tigers' hopes may hinge on whether the freshman has the mental toughness to hit free throws with the game on the line. — Jay Lewis

TEXAS-ARLINGTON MAVERICKS

1. You Ain't From Around Here, Are Ya, Boy? Ten of the eleven players listed as eligible on the UTA roster are from the state of Texas. The eleventh is 6'1" Guard Brandon Long, who hails from Richton Park, Illinois. The Junior was scoring 12 ppg before an injury vs. Texas Christian put him out for the season.

2. Screw You Guys, I'm Going Home. South Park fans will be surprised to see the name Trey Parker on the UTA roster. Considering that this guy is black, 19 years younger and has more manageable hair, we're thinking he's no relation to the co-creator of Eric Cartman. The redshirt freshman doesn't play much right now, so we're looking forward to his second season.

3. Also Known As. Since its inception as Arlington College in 1895, the school has had eight different names. It has been a military academy three time, and once went by the name Grubbs Vocational College. UTA was actually part of the Texas A&M system from 1917-1967, but balked when asked to change their name to Texas A&M-Arlington. Maybe they just don't like ampersands. — Storming The Floor

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#1 Memphis vs. #16 Texas-Arlington.
• UTA Mavericks are making their first trip to the NCAA tournament.
• Mavs got here by playing schools named Schriener, Hardin Simmons, and Texas-Permian Basin.
• Memphis has gone 8-1 against other teams who made the Dance.
The Pick: Memphis

#2 Texas vs. #15 Austin Peay.
• Longhorns have beaten top-seeded tourney teams Tennessee, UCLA, and Kansas this season.
• One of the teams they lost to, Michigan State, is in this bracket. WEVENGE!!!
• Peay is loaded with upperclassmen, and led by wily coach Dave Loos (18 years at AP). The Govs ran up 82 points against bracket-mate Memphis this season, but yielded 104 on the other end.
The Pick: Texas

#3 Stanford vs. #14 Cornell.
• Cornell drew the first NCAA bid this season by going 14-0 in the Ivy League.
• The Big Red have their own giant in seven-foot St. Bonaventure transfer Jeff Foote, but they drew a school that puts both 7' Lopez brothers on the floor at the same time.
• Neither team scores in bunches, so this could be like watching a Teddy Bear climb a Tree for forty minutes.
The Pick: Stanford.

#4 Pittsburgh vs. #13 Oral Roberts.
• Pitt began the season on an eleven-game winning streak. If they can finish it the same way (five and counting as of today), they'll have a snazzy new trophy for their case.
• The Panthers tore through three ranked and higher-seeded teams to take the Big East tournament auto-bid.
• Oral Roberts hasn't fared too well against power-conference teams this season, losing to tournament-bound Texas A&M, Arkansas, and Texas in the early season.
The Pick: Pitt.

#5 Michigan State vs. #12 Temple.
• The Spartans are an enigma this season. They scored just 36 points at Iowa in January, then hung 103 on Indiana in March. Lord knows which team shows up.
• Everybody knows Drew Neitzel, but sophomore Raymar Morgan is Michigan State's most prolific scorer (14 ppg) and rebounder (6.3 rpg).
• It's Christmas time in Philly, as local hero Dionte Christmas has racked up a 20-point-plus scoring average this year and can bomb from deep. But the gifts are also coming from another local, Mark Tyndale, who dishes out 4.2 assists per game.
The Pick: Temple

#6 Marquette vs. #11 Kentucky.
• Freshman sensation Patrick Patterson was averaging over 35 minutes per game for the Wildcats before suffering a stress fracture that has shelved him for the postseason.
• Marquette's tallest player is Ousmane Barro, a 6'10" Senegalese who averages 5 points per game, just over one block per game, and has five fouls to give.
• Kentucky head coach Billy Gillispie hasn't had to remove a flaming bag of dog poop from his front porch since February's blowout loss to Vanderbilt. So that's nice.
The Pick: Marquette

#7 Miami vs. #10 St. Mary's.
• Hurricane fans are really hoping we won't have to see that (FL) thing any more, since Miami (OH) didn't make it to the tournament.
• Aussie Patrick Mills gets all the press, but St. Mary's is loaded, with Diamon Simpson scoring (13 ppg) and rebounding (9 rpg), Omar Samhan clogging the lane, and Todd Golden playing the role of annoying white jump-shooter.
• Picked to finish last in the ACC this year, Miami instead knocked off tournament teams Duke and Clemson en route to a 22-win season.
The Pick: St. Mary's

#8 Mississippi State vs. #9 Oregon.
• Why I'm Warming Up to Oregon: I have my reasons.
• Tyler Hansbrough's younger brother Ben plays for the Bulldogs. Isn't that cute?
• Mississippi State's tenacious rebounding is, well, Bulldog-esque. Jamont Gordon, Charles Rhodes, and Jarvis Varnado have each notched double-figure rebounding games this season.
The Pick: Mississippi State

Predictions

Round of 32: Memphis gets past the Bulldogs. Temple succumbs to Pitt. Stanford dominates inside to get past Marquette. Texas handles St. Mary's.

Sweet 16: Pitt continues to surprise by taking down Memphis. Texas ekes out enough offense against Stanford's elite D to move on.

Regional Final: Texas vs. Pitt, with the Longhorns heading to the Final Four, where they party like it's 2003.

Regional MOP: D.J. Augustin.

2. Blue and Grey. The Tigers' colors were established as a gesture of national unity to commemorate the opposing armies in the Civil War. Aside from the clichéd images of Elvis and Graceland, Tiger blue is emblematic of Memphis's long tradition of blues and soul music, made famous by artists like B.B. King, Furry Lewis, Booker T. and the MG's, Otis Redding, the Bar-Kays and Isaac Hayes. Famous alumni of the Memphis Tigers basketball program include Anfernee Hardaway, Keith Lee, Elliot Perry, Dajuan Wagner, Rodney Carney, Lorenzen Wright, Shawne Williams and 1998 Name-of-the-Year finalist, Paris London.

3. Style of Play. Calipari describes the Memphis offense as "Princeton on Steroids." Based on the dribble-drive system pioneered by Pepperdine coach Vance Walberg, Memphis's offense utilizes the Tigers' superior athleticism and ability to exploit one-on-one mismatches to beat teams off the dribble for easy lay-ups. Most teams employ zone defenses to slow the pace of the game and force the Tigers to rely on their average outside shooting. Freshman phenom Derrick Rose has drawn comparisons to Jason Kidd given his speed and strength and is a potential top-5 draft pick, should he decide to go. Junior swingman Chris Douglas-Roberts is the top scorer and veteran leader of the team. CDR, a Detroit native, is primarily known as a slasher, but he has developed his outside shot in the past year (45 percent from behind the arc). When at his best, Joey Dorsey resembles a young Ben Wallace, a tenacious defender and shot blocker who averages 10.4 rebounds per game. Though he has the size and talent to dominate, Dorsey is prone to mental lapses and foul trouble. Memphis's superior defense and athleticism could carry them to the final four and the title, but success in the tournament will largely depend on role players like Antonio Anderson, Willie Kemp and Donneal Mack getting hot from behind the arc. Memphis's Achilles heel is their team 58% free throw shooting, but if you remove Dorsey's 33% rate from the mix, the team shoots a more respectable 62%. Rose (68% FT) will likely receive the inbounds passes toward the end of games, so the Tigers' hopes may hinge on whether the freshman has the mental toughness to hit free throws with the game on the line. — Jay Lewis

But thankfully it never got Malice-in-the-Palace ugly ... despite the fact that a Memphis player slapped a UAB fan, and people were throwing cups, liquor bottles and pom poms from the stands (what, no dead cats?). Conference USA is reviewing the melee, but Memphis officials say that no penalties are expected.

Meanwhile, as the Tigers ran into the tunnel, cups, pom-pons and even a bottle of alcohol was thrown at them from the stands. The Comcast Sports Southeast broadcast showed several members of the staff, including director of performance enhancement Richard Hogans and director of student-athlete development Rod Strickland restraining senior Joey Dorsey. The video also showed senior Andre Allen and Niles being restrained by staff members. A photograph taken by Mark Weber of The Commercial Appeal showed Niles' open hand making contact with the face of a fan who appeared to be taunting him.

First of all, hey, Rod Strickland! Didn't he play for, like, 12 NBA teams? He was one of my favorite players. And secondly, I had no idea they cared this much about basketball in Conference USA. Perhaps Memphis just could end up running the table this year.

No Penalty From League Expected After Fracas [Memphis Commercial Appeal]

While Memphis will be big favorites in every game left on its schedule, combined the chances of winning all of them is just 26%. The odds against them remaining unbeaten are almost 3 to 1. Here are the projected winning percentages for the rest of Memphis' regular season schedule according to AccuScore simulations:

@UAB ... 67%
@TUL ... 81%
TEN ... 79%
TUL ... 95%
@SMISS ... 89%
@SMU ... 93%
UAB ... 90%

Illinois was 29-0 before losing in the regular season to Ohio State in 2004-05, and St. Joseph's finished the regular season 27-0 in 2003-04. But the last team to seriously assault an overall undefeated season was UNLV, which finished 34-1 in 1990-91, losing to Duke in the Final Four. Can Bobby Knight retire and see his unbeaten season matched within two months of each other? And can Quinn Buckner play the Mercury Morris role this time?

Memphis' Undefeated Season [AccuScore]

• Sloppy Hogs Booted From Puerto Rico. It wouldn't be a day in college basketball without a ranked team losing, now would it? Stan Heath's Arkansas Razorbacks were downright unimpressive against a highly active Providence Friars team in the semifinals of the Puerto Rico Tip-Off. Arkansas committed 32 turnovers during the 17-point dismantling. Tim Welsh's will play similarly unranked Miami in the finals.

• How to Make Bruce Pearl Sweat...More. Just let Prarieview A&M make things interesting for the first half of the game. The Vols eventually pulled away and locked up the win in a potential preview of a first round NCAA Tournament blowout.

• Donte Green Is Awesome. Syracuse's roster of young studs dispatched of Fordham with ease behind the sublime play of Baltimore's Donte Green. The 6'9" freshmen led the team with 25 points (10-14 FG 3-6 3's), nine rebounds, and a pair of blocked shots. They should be pretty damn good by the time the Big East regular season concludes.

Dorsey deserves some credit for taking it like a man at the press conference. He never said he was misquoted, he never said he was taken out of context, he never ducked from anything (except the Oden dunks that rained down on his head). A collection of Dorsey quotes:

"Nah, nah, they said exactly what I said. But I got the David and Goliath wrong this time."

"Of course he's not overrated. I was just getting myself fired up for a big game.Greg knew what I was saying. I was trying to get both of us pumped up for the game."

"He's a great, great player. I didn't know he was that strong. I tried to keep a body on him, but he came with a counter."

"It was a matchup of two great big men. I was just trying to help my team win."

You had me right up until the end, Joey, until you miscounted the number of great big men.

Ah, what the hell... you still have me. You put your own ass on the line the night before, and it resulted in a more interesting game, even if you had to suffer a savage media beating in the process. Trash talk is no good if it's easy to back up. Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose, sometimes you get completely destroyed by a vastly superior basketball player. Thanks for trying, though. I mean that.

Oden shows Dorsey the door — and it doesn't lead to Atlanta [CBS Sportsline]
Dorsey can't back smack, Oden's heading to Atlanta [ESPN]

• Showtime on the next possession, fast break alley-oop after some nice passing, and Memphis needs a timeout. That didn't take long.

• Dorsey gets called for a foul while banging for a rebound with Oden. Little bit of a cheap call, and Memphis fans are upset... they believe for some reason that the loss of Dorsey will hurt them.

• Ohio State leads by a bucket, and Oden's back on the bench with foul trouble at the under 16:00-timeout.

• Chris Douglas-Roberts with some incredible dribble penetration, great body control, and then a one-handed finish. Beautiful play by Roberts, would have never happened if Oden was in the game... Memphis takes the lead on that one. This one's going down to the wire.

• Oden gets way up on a shot block at the basket... borderline goaltend, but impressive nonetheless.

• Joey Dorsey re-enters the game, and Joey Dorsey quickly picks up his 4th foul. I didn't even notice he was back in the game, but he found the only way he could to make himself known.

• They show Dorsey sitting on the bench, and he's sweating like ... well, like someone who's played a lot of basketball, which is not the case. Maybe they have a treadmill over there, and he's getting in some work. Maybe he took some time to get in some military presses and work on those shoulders.

• Oden takes a pass under the basket, and Chris Douglas-Roberts just bear hugs him to try to prevent the basket. It's CDR's (thanks, Raftery) fourth foul, which is significant. Oden makes 1 of the two free throws. The game's tied, but it feels very much like the edge is with Ohio State.

• Ohio State leads by five... back up the court, they go to Oden in the post, with Dorsey guarding him. I hate to be repetitive, but Oden just owns him. When Greg Oden gets home, he can put Joey Dorsey up for sale on eBay. Low reserve.

• The Joey Dorsey personal lowlight reel continues. He gets a dish, wide open under the bucket, but can't finish it when Oden fouls him. His two free throws come up way short. He remains scoreless. His gynecologist is going to be very concerned.

• Couple of big three-balls for Memphis keep them alive... Nice work getting the shots, but I don't know that there's enough time to left to just keep trading threes for twos.

• CDR fouls out. That is very bad news for Memphis. I'd encourage Buckeye fans to go ahead and start making hotel reservations for the Final Four, but... after the D-II championship game, I'm not going out on that limb.

• Alright, I think we're done here. The lead is 10 with 1:33 to play, with Ohio State at the line. Thanks for trying to make things interesting, Dorsey, but you sort of miserably failed.

• Memphis is still fouling, down 14 with under 1:00 to play.

• And we have mercifully finished... Ohio State enters the Final Four, which hasn't happened since Greg Oden was in his mid-30s.

CBS Sportsline's Gregg Doyel (I hope it's OK to link to Doyel without any insults or irony) asked an innocuous little question of Dorsey at the post-game press conference, and from this little question poured Joey Dorsey's rage.

"I think (scouts) really will be watching this game tomorrow night because it's two great big men going up against each other. I'm an underrated big man and he's a lot overrated as a big man."

"I outrebounded him on the season. I'm the No. 6 rebounder in the nation, and I'm trying to move up to No. 1 after this game."

He didn't stop there. Later, in an individual interview, Dorsey just couldn't help himself.

"[Oden]'s a lot like me. He gets his head out of the game when he picks up quick fouls."

"I'm Goliath, he's the little man."

"He doesn't want to stay in the paint. He just wants to post up. I watched a couple games. He's not really playing in the paint. He likes to help-side (defend) and block shots. I haven't seen him against a great player play great defense."

I hope it's not rude of me to point out that Goliath got his ass whooped.

But thank you, Joey Dorsey. That's one more little subplot to add to the drama tonight. Should Dorsey in fact dominate Oden tonight, and lead Memphis to a victory over Ohio State, I really hope that will comfort him when Oden still gets drafted #1 overall.

Memphis' Dorsey wrote this for Ohio State's bulletin board [CBS News]

MEMPHIS

1. Skeletons From The Closet. The farthest Memphis has ever advanced in the NCAA Tournament was the 1973 championship game, in which UCLA's Bill Walton annihilated the Tigers with 44 points on 21-of-22 shooting. We also seemed to remember Memphis coach John Calipari having some tournament success while coaching at UMass, but we can't find any record of it. Thoughts on that, Marcus Camby? You were playing for Coach Cal back then, weren't you?

2. Mister, If You Don't Shut Up, We're Going To Kick One Hundred Percent Of Your Ass!. The University of Memphis was, until 1994, known as Memphis State. The university made the name change to bring a little gravitas and respect to an institution that had been slagged as "Tiger High." And so when Memphis fans see the continuing disrespect heaped upon their Tigers, well, it makes 'em mad enough to steal Dad's car, trench a few lawns and TP a few trees, is what it does.

3. (Don't) Sweep The Leg. The Bluff City's eyes are on the ankle of Chris Douglas-Roberts, Memphis' leading scorer, who sprained the joint with eight minutes left in the Tigers' Sunday afternoon victory over Nevada. It's unclear how ready CDR will be to play, but earlier this week Calipari compared Douglas-Roberts to fellow (ex-) Tiger Kirk Gibson, who hobbled off the bench to smack a dramatic game-ending homer for Los Angeles in the 1988 World Series. So if the Tigers draw the Oakland A's in the Elite Eight, Memphis should be golden. — Jay Busbee

TEXAS A&M

1. Good Times. The Aggies are in the Sweet Sixteen for the first time since 1980 and the second time ever despite the best efforts of Becca Mann and the Louisville Cardinals. No really, thank you Edgar Sosa for a great game, your two missed free throws and your bonehead, freshman-mistake, missed NBA 3-pointer that would have won the game even though you were only down by one point. A&M better shell out the dough for Billy Clyde Gillispie unless they want to wait another 27 years to make it back this far. They also might want to go ahead and start recruiting Acie Law V, even though he has yet to be conceived (as far as we know anyways).

2. Please Forgive Me, Captain Kirk. Defensive specialist Dominique Kirk had two options coming out of Dallas Bryan Adams High: Texas A&M or Liberty University. What seemed like a reach at the time has turned out to be quite a hit as of late. Kirk scored 16 against Penn and followed it up with a career high 21 against Louisville to push his season average to just over seven points per game. He has shown that he can hit threes, drive to the bucket and, more important, be a fearless leader for the Aggies when it matters most, which makes it at least a little bit easier to stomach next year's departure of Captain Clutch.

3. Beer, Barbeque and Blondes. It is rumored around College Station that coach Billy Gillispie is only interested in things that begin with the letter B. Number one of course is basketball, but the others might surprise you. A known loner, Billy has been seen numerous times at local establishments kicking back a few by himself, though welcoming all fans who stop to say hello. He also frequents a local barbeque joint, again alone, to have a meal and look over scouting reports, which he leaves on the table after reading. Also, according to a popular Aggie message board, he has been seen all over town with the lovely Miss Erin Andrews. We're just going to assume that this is only a rumor to keep our hopes alive. — Mitch Martin

First Three Memphis Tidbits [Deadspin]
First Three Texas A&M Tidbits [Deadspin]

MEMPHIS TIGERS

Memo to all television announcers and sportswriters: Now that we're back around to tourney time, and the Memphis Tigers are a good bet for a high seed, it's highly likely at some point over the next month that you'll find yourself writing or talking about Memphis. You will be tempted to make all kinds of Elvis references, throwing around "thankyuhverramuch"es and "hound dawgs" like Pacman raining singles at the club. Don't do it. It's not funny, and you're not clever. Whatever you can possibly think of, it's been done before. Now, let's talk Tigers.

1. Perfecto. Memphis ran off a perfect 16-0 record in Conference USA play this year, which is not — despite what big-conference snobs would have you believe — as easy as skipping through daisies on a pleasant spring day. Going into the Conference USA tourney, the Tigers owned a 19-game winning streak-the nation's longest-and an amazing 29-game string of home wins. Over the last two years, only Florida has matched the Tigers' 58 victories.

2. Release The Hounds! How do you replace 40-plus points and 10-plus boards? Last year, Memphis rode Conference USA Player of the Year Rodney Carney, Darius Washington Jr., and Shawne Williams all the way to the Elite Eight. But Carney's in Philadelphia, Williams is in Indiana and Washington's in Greece. But Memphis coach John Calipari hasn't notched 20-plus wins in each of his seven seasons at Memphis by freaking out. He simply released the hounds, cutting loose a team that now ranks ninth in the nation in scoring offense (80.4 ppg) and averages almost an 18-point margin of victory. Guard Chris Douglas-Roberts and forward Joey Dorsey, both first-team All-Conference, rank among the C-USA leaders in points and boards, respectively, and are the Tigers to watch as the tourney unfolds.

3. Bring The Cash. Fun fact: Guess who's the richest former Tiger basketball player. Penny Hardaway, who amassed about $120 mil over the course of his now apparently over career? Not even close. Michael Wilson, the Tiger-turned-Globetrotter who set a world record when he dunked on a 12-foot rim? Getting colder. The answer is ... Bill Laurie. (Who?) Seems while he wasn't running point for the then-Memphis State Tigers of the early-'70s, Laurie was romancing a young coed named Nancy Walton. Nancy's pop Bud started a little family business — maybe you've heard of it, goes by the name "Wal-Mart." Laurie held on tight to his college sweetheart, and he now counts his wealth by the billion. Makes Memphis State's '73 NCAA championship loss to Bill Walton's UCLA team a bit easier to stomach, we'd think.

And with that, Jay Busbee has left the building.

(Dammit!) — Jay Busbee

NORTH TEXAS MEAN GREEN

1. Green Eagle. Although we all know UNT as the Mean Green, the school mascot is actually Scrappy the eagle. And Scrappy he is. In 1974 (back during Vietnam, when college students used to protest war in between bong hits), the school scrapped "Scrappy" because the flower children thought his name was too warlike. They renamed him "Eppy" the Eagle. That name stuck until December 2, 1995, at the UNT vs. Alabama Crimson Tide game, when the college announced that Eppy was Scrappy once again, no doubt pleasing many-a-confused fan who'd spent two decades wondering what the hell "Eppy" even meant. As for the "Mean Green" moniker, it's usually associated with 1969 UNT graduate "Mean" Joe Greene, but there is another story that links it to a couple of jokers starting a chant at a game back in the '60s. Understandably, most Mean Green fans prefer to stand by the Joe Greene story.

2. Cannon! North Texas loves its victory cannon. It's as much a part of the UNT family as Eppy, er, Scrappy the Eagle. They love that cannon so much, he even has a name! It's Boomer. Boomer the cannon. Boomer has been blowing his explosive wad to signal touchdowns since 1970. The original Boomer was retired in 1996 when the U.S. Field Artillery Association for Texas deemed him unsafe to fire, but the school promptly had him replaced. Which means that today's Boomer, a scale replica of a Civil War model, is actually Boomer II. The Son of Boomer. Boomer Strikes Back. The Wrath of Boomer. And so forth.

3. New To Hoops. Mean Joe reps UNT's respectable football program (they also have a decent soccer team, not that Leitch cares), but the Mean Green has never really been considered a national basketball powerhouse. This is UNT's first visit to the tourney since 1988, when they lost to second-seed North Carolina, which went on to the Elite Eight that year