The questions are being thrown around already: Should Memphis have fouled? (No question) Should they have called a time out to set up a defense or even a last-second shot after that Chalmers 3? (Maybe, but who really does that?)
Of course, you've got the Vitales and the Digger Phelps of the world who are so certain about what they would have done in that situation. Mind you, there's a reason they are working for ESPN and not coaching in Monday's game...yeah, calling plays and TOs under pressure didn't work out too well for you guys, did it?
So let's be honest. No, you don't call a TO to set up a defense. Ninety-nine percent of the time, you leave it up to the offense to call the TO, and if not, you play it out like they did last night, which is how it should be. If Sherrod Collins loses that ball on the Jayhawks' last possession or if Chalmers misses that 3, John Calipari is a genius who dodged the bullet of bad FT shooting. Instead, now everybody wants to play the coach with 20/20 hindsight vision...kind of bothers me.
Ultimately, Memphis just needed to make its free throws. As much as Calipari tried to overlook his team's problems from the foul line all year, even Shaq knows you can't go 1-for-5 in the final minute and expect to hold on to the lead. Regardless, that shot by Chalmers was SWEET.
Honestly, I thought Memphis would win pretty easily last night, mainly because I'm still seeing red after that debacle of a performance UNC put together on Saturday. Never seen anything like it, from the Tar Heels' 10 points in the first 13 minutes to Roy Williams coaching a very questionable game (I told you guys that was the one matchup that scared me for my Tar Heels).
But I've thought all year that Kansas was a very solid, balanced team. They have guys who step up every night from that Cole Aldrich guy to Darrell Arthur (20 pts, 10 boards Monday) to Brandon Rush to, of course, Chalmers. Oh and when they execute their offense, especially on press breaks, it's a thing of beauty. If the bracket looked different, I'd have had Kansas in the title game against UNC.
Minus Jim Nantz's corny line at the end (Rock Chalk Championship...you can do better than that, Jimmy) and Roy Williams adding a sizable group of UNC faithful to the laundry list of those who already call him "traitor" (yes, Roy we saw that Jayhawk beak sticking out of your jacket during your halftime cameo as UNC's head coach), Monday's game was quite entertaining. Exciting finish to a solid tourney and a so-so regular season.