Advertisement

Advertisement

Back to 2008 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament coverage

2008 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament

Monday, April 7, 2008

Head to head

Advertisement

Videos

2008 NCAA Tournament

video thumbnail

Full video coverage of the Kansas Jayhawks in the 2008 NCAA Tournament

Photo Gallery

KU-Memphis press conference

Feature

2008 NCAA Tournament

Get your March Madness fix at KUSports.com.

Russell Robinson vs. Derrick Rose

Talk at the Final Four is that depending on which team ends up with the No. 1 pick, Rose, and not Kansas State's Michael Beasley, could go first. Strong, long and quick, he takes it to the hoop as well as any guard. This qualifies as the toughest defensive assignment of Robinson's career, and he has had many.

Edge: Memphis.

Mario Chalmers vs. Antonio Anderson

Chalmers seldom has to deal with the length facing him tonight, but he tends to have his best games in the biggest situations. A terrific defender who took UCLA's Darren Collison out of the semifinal, the 6-foot-6 Anderson is exceptional in transition and has a terrific vertical leap. He's a glue guy.

Edge: Kansas.

Brandon Rush vs. Chris Douglas-Roberts

Two of the tournament's most versatile scorers, both impending first-round draft choices, square off. His threes weren't falling against North Carolina, so Rush did his best above-the-rim work of the season. Douglas-Roberts is an extremely clever scorer from a variety of places on the court, including at the free-throw line.

Edge: Even.

Darrell Arthur vs. Robert Dozier

Arthur grabbed nine defensive rebounds in the semifinal, and most of them came in heavy traffic. Before the tournament, he never had more than two games in a row without scoring in double figures. The streak is at four now. Long arms and quick feet make Dozier a versatile defender.

Edge: Kansas.

Darnell Jackson vs. Joey Dorsey

Jackson came up huge down the stretch against North Carolina. In the locker room after the game, Memphis coach John Calipari was quick to credit Dorsey with playing a huge part in the victory against UCLA, and Dorsey didn't score a point. He did have 15 rebounds, two blocked shots and two assists and played terrific physical defense on Kevin Love.

Edge: Memphis.

Bench

Sherron Collins loves the ball in his hands at the end of games, and he knew what to do with it at the end of the North Carolina game. Sasha Kaun is playing the best basketball of his career, and Cole Aldrich played the game of his life in the semifinal. Iowa State transfer Shawn Taggart, an inside-outside threat, played 22 minutes and scored the team's only seven bench points against UCLA.

Edge: Kansas.

Audio clips

2007-08 April 6 KU-Memphis Preview

NCAA Title Game

Comments

  1. fansincewilt (anonymous) says…

    It's really something to be back in the championship game. I remember the same feeling just a few years ago. I don't think this team has had the distractions the last team had. We are so balanced. Head to head is not how to judge this game - it's team to team and I think Kansas has the edge in that comparison.

  2. KU (anonymous) says…

    Team defense. Rebounding. Preventing dribble penetration (ouch!). Keeping our guards out of foul trouble. I think these are the keys.

  3. rhino11 (anonymous) says…

    Protecting the rim + blocking out = National Title

  4. plasticJHawk (Jonathan Allison) says…

    I agree with all of the above. You can't really look to much into the head to head matchups because both teams are gonna be pushing the ball up the floor, and looking to fastbreak. I think that we will do a decent job on Rose, but we probably won't silence him like we did Lawson. When Douglas-Roberts and Rush are matched up it should be very interesting. I think Rush's wide defensive stance and good lateral movement will be key to stopping CDRs drives. With their work cut out for them defensively, Rush and Robinson both might struggle on the offensive end. I look for Collins to be a weapon offensively as well as Chalmers, but the key for us will be in the play of our big men. If our guards slow down their guards and our big guys are able to get good looks inside and do some strong rebounding we will win the game.

  5. KU (anonymous) says…

    Coach Self has remarked in the past about Rush's stamina. He's gonna need it tonight because with Memphis' size advantage, Rush will need to be on the floor about 37 or 38 minutes.

  6. KU (anonymous) says…

    Lebowski, I agree that Memphis' length on the perimeter is a big concern. They defend the 3 point line very well because of it. The one thing that gives me comfort is realizing that UCLA had a hard time scoring this season. They were offensively challenged. If they had Afflalo, who could get his own shots, they would have been a really, really tough out this year.

  7. classfan (anonymous) says…

    Anybody getting nervous yet....How about butterflies....All I can say, is after tonight I hope all the KU fans have new excuses. Its been 20 years since two Carolina guys brought a NC to Lawrence ( Brown and Manning) and all the excuses since are getting old. A curse has been laid upon the KU doorstep. You can watch for it tonight. You will be able to tell when it enters into the game. Its a magical thing to see. The only way for KU to get rid of the curse is to find a little class. Wouldn't it be cool tonight if in the final seconds of the game, with the Chokehawks down, all the fans of the other schools starting chanting Rock Caulk Chokehawk. I can't wait. See you all at the game. I'll be the one in crimson and blue....Rock Caulk Chokehawk....Rock Caulk Chokehawk....Rock Caulk Chokehawk.

  8. jayhawker_97 (anonymous) says…

    would somebody plz wipe this baby azz aka 'classfan'?so annoying!