What was once 64 is now just two, after Memphis survived a late game surge from UCLA and Kansas hammered UNC.
Memphis defeating UCLA was not a given by any means, but their victory was far from surprising. Kansas over UNC was certainly not rediculous, but the way in which they so thoroughly trounced the Tar Heels was quite shocking, going up by as many as 28 points in the first half.
Monday night's championship game will be a interesting match-up of two teams that were certainly in the upper echelon of teams this season, but not the teams that were necessarily thought to be there in the end (except for yours truly... see post below).
Although they are only about 550 miles away, it has been been more than 10 years since Memphis and Kansas have met on the basketball court, and, strangely enough, it was not in Lawrence, KS or Memphis, TN. It actually happened about a block away from amNewYork headquarters in the World's Most Famous Arena, Madison Square Garden. #18 Kansas edged out #20 Memphis St. (now Memphis) 64-62.
Memphis set an NCAA Men's basketball record Saturday when they recorded their 38th win of the season, eclipsing the 37-win seasons of Duke (2x, 1985-86 and 1998-99), UNLV (1986-87) and Illinois (2004-05). Memphis looks to put a little more distance between themselves and the rest of the field, completing a remarkable 39 win season. Standing in their way is a Jayhawk team that should be full of confidence and bravado after knocking off a powerful UNC team. This should likely be much closer than the two final four games ended up.
The Pick: Memphis 75, Kansas 72
Chris Douglas-Roberts and Derrick Rose finish up an impressive tournament run with one more monster performance apiece. Brandon Rush and co. fight valiantly to the bitter end, but Memphis finally sheds their image as an overrated, glorified mid-major and cements their place amongst the top tier of basketball programs.
-- Tim Fiorvanti