Jayhawks NCAA champs!

Oh yeah baby! This has been a long while coming. I thought our boys were down for the count at the end of regulation and super Mario comes up with the overtime trey. Hawks all the way in OT. I'll tell you guys, I am as proud of this bunch as I can be. No quit, no fear, and one hell of a head coach. I take NOTHING from Memphis or UNC but this is delicious. All week we were told by Digger Phelps, Duke Vitale, and Clark Kellogg that UNC or Memphis would simply overwhelm us. Nothing like playing the underdog role. As great as Memphis' athletes are, we were right there with them. Man those guards of theirs can shoot from outside! They are wicked. This is just a red letter day to be a Jayhawk. And seriously, kudos to Memphis. Those guys are TOUGH.

Regards, Todd

Phog Allen said:

Oh yeah baby! This has been a long while coming. I thought our boys were down for the count at the end of regulation and super Mario comes up with the overtime trey. Hawks all the way in OT. I'll tell you guys, I am as proud of this bunch as I can be. No quit, no fear, and one hell of a head coach. I take NOTHING from Memphis or UNC but this is delicious. All week we were told by Digger Phelps, Duke Vitale, and Clark Kellogg that UNC or Memphis would simply overwhelm us. Nothing like playing the underdog role. As great as Memphis' athletes are, we were right there with them. Man those guards of theirs can shoot from outside! They are wicked. This is just a red letter day to be a Jayhawk. And seriously, kudos to Memphis. Those guys are TOUGH.

Regards, Todd

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as a k-state alum, I say "meh" Nah, just kidding. That is cool-- unfortunately I am too into NCAA hockey to care about basketball...

Memphis threw it away on the foul line and Kansas forced the issue to their credit....I'm not a fan but I watched the second half.....Very good game...

+1

I'm a nut about foul shots, and missing three straight at crunch time is inexcusable. The three pointer that was change to two was crushing, as well.

You could see how demoralized Memphis was at the end of regulation- they didn't stand a chance in OT.

Thank you for giving credit to my hometown team. Seriously. It was a great game; 2 teams played their hearts out, and no one should take anything away from any of them. Kansas just simply did it when it counted; that was an unbelievable comeback. In all honesty though, if someone had sneezed at just the right time it could have gone the other way. I'm heartbroken, mostly for the city of Memphis who really rallied around this team (and God knows they need it), but they'll still have some fond memories of this year. I'm proud of my Memphis boys. They did what 63 other teams could not, and the city will always be proud too. Maybe some other year; I just hope I'm around to see it.

You could see how demoralized Memphis was at the end of regulation- they didn't stand a chance in OT.

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..I sensed that too...Lotta "slow starts" that were very obvious....In the Tigers' defense, they got a non-fan like me to stay up this late and watch....Great season, no doubt....

w00t!

What a great game! I was surprised at the number of commentators who were predicting a comfortable Memphis win though. Especially after watching Kansas destroy UNC.

Thanks fellas. This one has been a while in coming. If you know NCAA basketball history you know it all started here at KU. We have had so many heartbreakers in final four/championship games. A 1 point loss in 53, a TRIPLE ot loss in 57, a loss to John Woodens Bruins in 1971, a four point semi final loss to Duke in 86, ANOHTER loss Duke in 91, and the deepest cut of all, the three point loss to Syracuse in 03. Like Memphis it was simply because we bricked free throws at the end. I won't even list the other losses in bitter semi final games. We now have three NCAA titles and that puts us in fourth place all time. Only UCLA, Indiana, and UNC have more. That's how hard it is. For you Memphis guys, I feel your pain man. Been there.

Spaceman, you are so right. We heard it all last week about UNC, and then Digger started in about Memphis. Did any of these talking heads even look at Kansas this year? We MANHANDLED unc and they blew it off like it didn't happen. Then Duke Vitale was so upset about it that he jokingly picked UNC to win the title because he didn't want to pick between Ks/Memphis. What a joke. I was just happy that two non coastal teams got to play for the title. They said a lot of the same crap about Memphis. It could have gone either way. If we make any outside shots in the first half/early second half, we put the score at a point that it would have been almost insurmountable. If Memphis knocks down free throws at the end, game over. When they finally get the trophy home, I will try to post up some pics from the Booth Family Hall of Athletics at the Fieldhouse. Roch Chalk Jayhawk, Go KU!!!

Regards, Todd

U D man Phog! Memphis made some bad decisions with their fouls and Mario Chalmers made them pay a price they could not afford.

Free throws may not be important if you are +20 on your opponent but what if u ain't? The only players/teams that take them lightly usually don't shoot them well and we know how many championships have been won by teams that shot them as poorly as Memphis. They may not make winning easy but they damn sure can winning easier or even win games.

Memphis' guards are very good but KU has 4 that ain't chopped liver.

KU's front line has been underrated and Memphis' should have been charged admission. Thank you Darrell Arthur and remember Milt Newton.

Who had the most rebounds?

Defense won! Memphis' guards had to take too many shots for the points they scored. Can you say Stephen Curry?

KU's depth took its toll. It is difficult to make shots when your legs are tired and Memphis was (I thought) reluctant to substitute.

Did Memphis start playing not to lose?

Murphy's Law was Memphis' free throw and 3-point averages during the season and they came back to haunt them when they could least afford it.

I too remember the losses from '53 onward and this time free throws didn't hurt them (shame on you Brandon Rush). KU could have won 4 of the 5 finals they lost (don't know about '40) so it was good to see it go their way for a change. No loss feels good, close losses hurt worse, but I prefer close to blowout anytime.

The common taters opinions are like noses; everyone has one. I think too often they think UCLA is the only basketball team west of the Mississippi and as a result; underrate too many teams from the heartland. I also think they overrate too many teams east of the Mississippi.

'88 & '08 no one shot well against KU. D=V=C. Defense equals victories equals championships.

Overall KU's depth, team defense, balance, and coaching I thought were better than that of Memphis.

How many transition (fast break) points for Memphis? 4 and 0 the 2nd half.

Steals/turnover? Hmmm

Phog, I am happy for you, KU, and Kansas; that was one fine game. Free State should have had "free" beer.

Rock Chalk Jayhawk KU rules!

Thanks Seeker! You sure know KU b-ball. Milt Newton! There's a name I haven't heard in a while. He was a great player. It is hard for me to think that he played 20+ years ago. It seems like it was much more recent. Time flies. Another game that comes to mind as a heart breaker was 66(or was it 68?)when JoJo White was declared out of bounds and it let Don Haskins West Texas team advance to the final four. I heard Jo Jo talking about this on the radio and it still bugs him. I was only a wee lad when that happened but from what I have heard from those who were there, it was a horrid call. And yeah, a trip to Free State is in order. A John Brown Ale please!!

Regards, Todd

U B welcome Phogman! It was '66 and JoJo was also fouled by Bobby Joe Hill whom he outplayed to a fare-thee-well. Terrible call. I was a Senior @ ESU up the road @ the time. KU has seemed to me to have had more than their share of bad calls/luck over the years but they are usually a competitive team and I hope this continues.

My mother was a housemother @ Kiss Kick Giggle(Kappa Kappa Gamma) in '88 and the ultimate basketball fan so this is Deja Vu all over again. She spoke well of KU and thinks Danny and the Miracles weren't 'cause she said when the post season began that they would be NCAA champions. She also thought Larry Brown was the best coach in college basketball at the time('88). KU has probably had and trained more good basketball coaches over the years than any other school in the USA. She also said the KU players were fine men which any school would be proud to have and being a retired teacher she is an excellent judge of people/character. KU has also had a lot of former players who were good to among the greatest in the NBA. Too bad 23(what's his name isn't a KU Alumnus). It was her opinion that in '88 Danny Manning and Mitch Richmond were the best players in college with Danny being more versatile.

Ain't never had a bad brew @ Free State; just some I preferred over others.

My pleasure, Richard

Seeker of Knowledge said:

She also thought Larry Brown was the best coach in college basketball at the time('88).

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I agree completely. The man was just phenomenal at getting his players up for games and knowing exactly what he wanted them to do. His winning credentials say it all.

Seeker of Knowledge said:

KU has probably had and trained more good basketball coaches over the years than any other school in the USA.

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In my HONEST opinion, this is 100% correct. It is surprising how many hoops fans do not realise how many coaches came from the Kansas "tree" and that Phog taught them how to do it. The two most famous being Adolph Rupp who later built Kentucky and Dean Smith at UNC. When Phog retired in 1957, he had won 771 games and only five men have surpassed his total. Adolph Rupp, Dean Smith, Coach K, Bobby Knight, and Eddie Sutton. That is not tall company, that is GIGANTIC company to be in. He coached for 49 seasons. I am convinced that had he played the schedules they play now instead of the 20-24 games they played in the first few decades he was coaching, he would have easily surpassed 1,000 wins. Remember, for most of his coaching career, they didn't have an NCAA tournament and when it did come along, it was only 24 teams(I think). So there were very few times any team would have played even close to thirty games per year. I drive by this statue every day at work and it never fails to wow me at what he accomplished.

Seeker of Knowledge said:

Ain't never had a bad brew @ Free State; just some I preferred over others.

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That is a truth of life.

Regards, Todd

U B deadon right 4 sure! Dr. Forrest Clare Allen was a sure 'nuff hoss 4 sure.

He not only was a great coach; he was one of the most intelligent.

I wonder what he would think/say about basketball today.