The Greene Room Live: Day Five in San Antonio

By Staff     Apr 7, 2008

**12:57 a.m.: SAN ANTONIO -** Well, anyone who was in that locker room will probably be looking for a good dry cleaner in the morning – this guy included.Go figure that it was KU’s quietest star, Mario Chalmers, who cemented himself in Jayhawk lore forever with his late-game heroics. The best part about that shot was probably that it came on the same exact play which the Jayhawks ran at the end of losses at Texas and Oklahoma State earlier this season. Those times, for various reasons, it didn’t work. But just as the Jayhawks never lost faith that Chalmers was in all honesty their go-to guy, Bill Self never lost faith in that play.All the players in the postgame locker room said that they knew a title was about to be one after that shot forced overtime, and it certainly felt that way a few feet off the floor. The Jayhawks had fouled out Joey Dorsey, had taken advantage of ‘the break’ that Bill Self told his team in a late-game huddle they would get and erased a nine-point deficit in the final minutes.The most emotional scenes of the night had to include Rodrick Stewart hobbling to the front of the pack of Jayhawks on the podium after the game. Gotta feel good that Rod’s Final Four experience wasn’t completely soured. The other was when standing right in front of the KU family section, the players all came up to hug and kiss the parents. Darrell Arthur, who rarely shows emotion of any sort, lost it and began crying along with his mother, Sandra, and grandmother, Ruby. Brandon Rush slapped hands with and hugged brother Kareem. Darnell Jackson and Sasha Kaun also made beelines to their mothers in the front row.In the end, a completely euphoric scene. Lets just get to the numbers and notes.**First, the numbers …**-Mario Chalmers’ did much more than hit that three-pointer. The guy who usually has the Jayhawks’ best line finished with 18 points, four steals, three assists and three rebounds. Enjoy watching that one over and over, KU fans, because that was probably his last game in crimson and blue. What a three-year run he’s had.-Darrell Arthur had just his fourth double-double of the season (first since Feb. 27), and couldn’t have picked a better time to do so. His 20 points and 10 rebounds came on consistent 9-of-13 shooting, while he also stayed out of foul trouble for most of the night, not picking up his second whistle until late in the first half.-Memphis’ Chris Douglas-Roberts and Derrick Rose both finished with solid numbers (Rose: 18 points, eight assists, six rebounds, CD-R: 22 points). But both will be more remembered for their late-game foul line miscues. Douglas-Roberts’ only three charity misses of the night were his final three in regulation. Rose then had a chance to ice the game with two tries with less than 11 seconds to go. Hitting just one of two opened the door for Chalmers’ heroics.-Both teams defended the perimeter beautifully for the most part. KU was just 3-of-12 from beyond the arc, Memphis only 6-of-22.-KU fouling out Joey Dorsey proved pivotal in overtime, as KU did whatever it wanted near the rim in transition. Dorsey still finished with 11 points and 10 rebounds.-KU was 14-of-15 from the free throw line, erasing all horrific memories of the 12-of-30 showing at the stripe in the ’03 title game. Memphis was only 12-of-19, which fell more in line with what it did in the regular season rather than the bulk of the NCAA Tournament.-KU outrebounded Memphis 39-28, meaning the Jayhawks outboarded their two Final Four foes by a total of 20 caroms.**And a couple of notes …**-Darrell Arthur and Brandon Rush both said they’ll take a bit of time before making NBA decisions. Rush is pretty much a slam dunk to go, it’s widely believed, while Arthur’s 20 and 10 night will probably serve as a nice springboard. Mario Chalmers will probably test the waters, since he has yet to do so and only has one more year of eligibility (players can do so once by not signing with an agent and ultimately coming back to school). It’s hard to believe a Final Four MOP would come back, but then again, Joakim Noah did it in 2006 as a junior. So nothing’s out of the question. As far as timetables, Arthur was the only specific one, saying he’d wait a week or two.-Bill Self was asked about the Oklahoma State situation afterwards, and said he’d take the call if someone from OSU called simply because it’s his alma mater, but he reiterated the fact that he’s strongly suggest they move in another direction. He said his first order of business is to meet with Kansas AD Lew Perkins to hammer things out.I’ve got to say I’ve had a blast doing this all year, throughout memorable football and basketball seasons. I look forward to doing the same in 2008-09. Celebrate safely, and we’ll still talk pretty regularly throughout the offseason … or after I wake up from the upcoming 72-hour hibernation.**10:48 p.m.: SAN ANTONIO -** Mario Chalmers has to be the M.O.P. of this Final Four. It looks all but clinched right now, as Lew Perkins let out an emphatic fist pump right in front of us as Sherron Collins’ first free throw dropped.Be back after the post game mania with quotes, notes and other stuff. Enjoy it.**10:30 p.m.: SAN ANTONIO -** Mario Chalmers just bought himself overtime (and a first round NBA Draft slot). What a shot. No one else you’d want shooting that shot.The Jayhawks now have momentum, and Derrick Rose is cramping up on the bench. He’s struggling. KU again has a golden shot at this one.**10:29 p.m.: SAN ANTONIO -** Unbelievable how CD-R missed all three of those charities, but Robert Dozier established himself as Memphis’ MVP of the second half if the Tigers pull it out, gathering his third key offensive board of the game.KU still has a shot after Rose’s first miss. Incredible.**10:12 p.m.: SAN ANTONIO -** Derrick Rose is in full-on Gerry McNamara mode right now, as he’s scored the Tigers’ last 10 points, and KU now has its back up against the wall with 3:49 left. The Memphis fans are loud and this is truly where we see what KU has inside. They’ve really only played from behind like this late in games a couple of times this year.This is where the Jayhawks now have to hit a couple of threes that are completely against the odds, because Memphis is not going to let up on the perimeter.**10:08 p.m.: SAN ANTONIO -** CD-R is back in. That break did nothing for KU.**10:05 p.m.: SAN ANTONIO -** CD-R just got his third foul and is now going to the bench for the second time tonight. It’s time for Brandon Rush to re-establish himself, as he’s been offensively invisible for the last several minutes. Willie Kemp is solid, but not quite the defender Douglas-Roberts is. This will be a key stretch.**10:00 p.m.: SAN ANTONIO -** A great timeout call on the part of John Calipari after Derrick Rose’s three put the Tigers’ up by two at 49-47. Even though Memphis was gaining some momentum, it was called at 8:08, and 16 seconds after that breather, the game went to a TV timeout, giving Rose even more of a chance to rest. He’ll play the full 40 minutes tonight, and now that he’s heating up, Calipari doesn’t want him hitting a wall in the final minutes.On the flip side, this gives KU a chance to collect itself, too. Brandon Rush is still having a tough time getting open looks, as he and CD-R are really going hard after each other. We knew that was the most talked-about matchup of the night, and it’s certainly lived up to the billing so far on both ends of the floor. Rush has eight points, Douglas-Roberts 15 (just two in the second half for each of them).Memphis is starting to find some breathing room on the perimeter, and now KU has to do its best to locate some space beyond the arc, too. KU hasn’t hit a trey in the second half after downing three of them in the first 20 minutes. Memphis has two since halftime, erasing the complete importance of a couple missed free throws.All we know right now is that neither team is giving much to the either, meaning we’ll have a great finish. I’d bank on it.**9:42 p.m.: SAN ANTONIO -** One major number I left out in the halftime update (and I apologize) was the rebounding edge, which was in KU’s favor, 19-11. A big reason for that? Joey Dorsey, who had 15 rebounds in the Saturday win over UCLA for Memphis, had zero in the first 20 minutes. This is more notable now because early on here in the second half, he’s on the bench after picking up his third foul. Just another chip added to the KU frontcourt’s stack. They should go right at Shawn Taggart, who’s been beyond shaky tonight.**9:17 p.m.: SAN ANTONIO -** We’re at the half here in the Alamodome, and you’ve got to like KU’s chances right now. The defense on Derrick Rose has been sensational, with plenty of double-teams holding him to three points on just 1-of-4 shooting (he also has four assists and three turnovers).KU’s posts are definitely outplaying Memphis’, and you knew that’d be a huge key to this one. When you combine Arthur-Jackson-Kaun, you get 16 points, nine rebounds and just two personal fouls (both on Arthur). Then go ahead and total Dozier-Dorsey-Taggart on the other side of the stat sheet, we get nine points, five rebounds and six fouls (two infractions apiece). That has to be the difference so far, along with Rose.Mario Chalmers is sensational so far, with seven points, three rebounds and three steals. He’s probably been the best Jayhawk in this game so far alongside Arthur, whose team-high 10 points are on 5-of-8 shooting. The two fouls don’t seem to be an issue, since KU is much more confident in Cole Aldrich as the fourth option in the paint right now.**Here’s some other numbers from the first half …**-Chris Douglas-Roberts has a game-high 13 points. He’s by far been the Tigers’ rock so far. He’s 5-of-8 from the floor, but he’s not getting too many open looks. He’s worked for everything to this point. Just as was the case in the first game of the weekend for Memphis, he and Rose have been the only ones to get to the free throw line (3-of-3).-KU is 4-of-5 from the line, which should exorcise the demons the Jayhawks faced in their last title game appearance, going 12-of-30 from there against Syracuse in New Orleans in 2003.-Kansas is 14-of-27 from the floor so far tonight. The Jayhawks are just 3-of-10 from three-point range, but it hasn’t mattered much. Memphis is only 1-of-6 from deep.I’ve got to say, I’ve gotten quite the kick out of hearing **Chicago White Sox PA guy Gene Honda** doing the loudspeaker call here in the Alamodome. He just had the honor of introducing this year’s college basketball **Hall of Fame class, including Dick Vitale, Patrick Ewing, Hakeem (or Akeem) Olajuwon and Pat Riley.**The biggest thing in the second half for KU is going to be keeping Rose bottled up, I’d say. Without him running the show efficiently, Memphis is sort of scrambled. If he gets going, the Tigers have a shot. Though right now, if I were sitting on my living room couch with a cold one and some Fritos, I’d love KU’s chnaces. They’re not frazzled on this stage at all.**8:53 p.m.: SAN ANTONIO -** Sherron Collins wasn’t lying when he said that this up-and-down style truly is also KU’s preferred ‘pace’.The game has been nothing short of fast-paced so far, and KU is ahead by three, 24-21. The biggest difference I would say is that the Jayhawk bigs are much more in control when they have the ball in their hands. Shawn Taggart put up two spinning jumpers that you know had no chance once they left his hands. KU, on the other hand, is getting the big guys much more clean looks. Outside of the lobs finished already by Darrell Arthur and Sasha Kaun, the KU bigs aren’t getting the ball more than a few feet from the hoop. That’s making up for the lack of open three opportunities.Also, they just showed Roy Williams on the jumbotron. Just an FYI, I guess.**8:43 p.m.: SAN ANTONIO -** Well, the first major dent in either team’s armor has to be on Memphis’ side, with Robert Dozier and Shawn Taggart having both drawn two early foul calls in the game’s first eight minutes. Both teams have four post options, but KU’s fourth (Cole Aldrich) is much more solid than Memphis’ (sophomore 310-pounder Pierre Niles).Neither team has been able to get clean three-point looks so far, which I would think favors Memphis. Both Brandon Rush and Mario Chalmers have been pretty bottled up on the perimeter. Chalmers’ only look outside was heavily guarded.KU is off to a much better start at the stripe (3-of-4) than in its last title game appearance (12-of-30 in ’03). Darnell Jackson just hit a pair, nodding to his mother, Shawn, seated to his left after hitting the first of those two.**8:05 p.m.: SAN ANTONIO -** Time for some last-second analysis … with **ESPN’s Hubert Davis …**(Was able to squeeze it in with him just before the National Anthem)**_On which way he thinks the favor tilts between the two backcourts:_** “I don’t think you can tilt the favor in any way. You look at Memphis, Chris Douglas-Roberts, Derrick Rose and also Antonio Anderson has played terrific during the NCAA Tournament. They have such great size, and they’ve been able to take advantage of that size here in the NCAA Tournament. But you look at Kansas, I think these are the best defensive guards in the country. You look at Russell Robinson and Mario Chalmers average like 4.5 steals a game, and with Sherron Collins, they don’t have a lot of height, but it’s gonna be a great matchup in the backcourt.”**_On the matchup he’s really looking forward to watching:_** “It’s gotta be Brandon Rush against Chris Douglas-Roberts. At the small forward position, you can’t get any better than those two guys. And they’re playing their best basketball here in the latter part of the season. Brandon had 25 against North Carolina, and Chris Douglas-Roberts, once again Mr. Consistency, had 23 points against UCLA, so both of these guys are playing at a high level, and they play the same position.”**_On sleepers tonight he’ll be watching for:_**: “When you look at Kansas, there’s a number of guys. Cole Aldrich stepped up against North Carolina. Sherron Collins stepped up, look for those two guys to have big games tonight. You look at Memphis, guys like Robert Dozier, Antonio Anderson are gonna have big games in supporting roles as well.”**7:49 p.m.: SAN ANTONIO -** Ed Hightower is officiating tonight’s game.**7:38 p.m.: SAN ANTONIO -** Here’s a bit of behind the scenes access for you all viewing from home …My buddy **Douglas Shepperd**, who works for Rock Chalk Video productions in the KU athletic department just gave me a listen and view of the ‘psych up’ video the team watched in the locker room about an hour ago before coming out for warmups. It was a solid video that he helped put together.Of course, it was mostly highlights from throughout the season, but the final minute or so of the 2:30 clip was all action from Saturday’s game with North Carolina. It was all done over the track **[‘Ladies and Gentlemen’ by Saliva][1]**. Towards the end, there was a flickering frame featuring the title trophy in the background, with messages such as ‘1 Game Away’, ‘Play Your Game’, ‘… and it will be yours.’Pretty good stuff.Speaking of things to get you pumped up, I have one more movie clip to throw at you, which is from a more obscure movie called **Poolhall Junkies**, which, as you probably can guess, is about pool sharks.[This clip (WARNING: Has a bit of adult language)][2] is maybe my favorite **Christopher Walken** scene of all-time, and if it doesn’t get your blood boiling, you’re devoid of emotion.Memphis is just about to finish up its warmups, and KU has already taken off back to the locker rooms. We’re 38:35 and counting from tip. Safe to say I’m pretty excited. I’m sure you all are, too. Enjoy this one, again. Worry about tomorrow tomorrow.**5:42 p.m.: SAN ANTONIO -** Hey guys, just sat down in the Alamodome. The doors haven’t opened yet and setup is still going on.Our last three hours in the hotel were spent watching two things on ESPN Classic: First, the 1999 NCAA Final between UConn and Duke, then the 2003 NCAA Final between you-know-who and Syracuse.I wonder if **Russell Robinson** and **Mario Chalmers** spent those three hours doing the same thing. Here’s why.-I asked Robinson the other day which was the first Final Four he can remember watching, and he said 1999, when he was pulling hard for the Huskies.”I’d seen the game, and I remember thinking ‘Wow, that could one day be me,'” Robinson said Friday. “Back of my head I thought ‘Man, I can’t do it, I can’t be that.’ But as I kept playing and working hard, it became more of a reality. And now I’m here.”And then he would have watched KU lose in its last trip to the title game. Talk about two potential big doses of motivation.-As for Chalmers, he idolized Trajan Langdon growing up, and I’d completely forgotten that Langdon tripped and fell while driving the length of the floor down by three at the end of the ’99 tilt. That would be the last game of his college career.Again, these are two very, very far-fetched takes, but who knows. TV is one way to kill time on what I’m sure was a long time for the entire team.I’ll be back in a bit once the teams hit the floor and start warming up, which will probably be in an hour or so.**12:05 p.m.: SAN ANTONIO -** Well, it ends tonight, one way or another.As much as it pains me at times to agree with **Bob Knight,** it’d be hard to put it any better than he just did, in that the focus in tonight’s game will be on KU’s ability to defend both in the full-court transition game and half-court sets. If KU gets it done, Jayhawks win (I’m picking KU by seven). If not, first title ever for Memphis.Submit your predictions below, same rules as always. Picks must be in by tip-off.At this point in the week, analyzing any further is simply pointless. So **why not have some YouTube fun** to kill the time before tip-off tonight?**With that said, here are some of the best basketball movie endings of all time …****-FIrst up is pretty obvious.** It’s gotta be **Hoosiers**. This one’s pretty simple – [‘I’ll make it.’][3]**-OK, this one’s not as deep as Hoosiers, but** in my mind the most ridiculous basketball scene to ever end a movie comes [right here][4] from **Teen Wolf.** I mean, how do so many guys who are such obvious non-athletes out-do a guy with _that_ much chest hair and _such_ a perfect coif?**-Nothing better than an absolute true story.** That comes from **Glory Road,** where **Bill Mayer** gave me confirmation that everything which transpired at the end of [this game scene][5] actually happened. Though he couldn’t give full confirmation that JoJo stepped out of bounds in the national semi.**-Something tells me things won’t be this sweet at the end** between KU and Memphis, and I can guarantee you no one will be saying [‘Double or nothin’…][6].**And honestly,** those are all the basketball movies I can think of with great endings. But this is Title Day, so go big or go home, right? So we’re expanding the realm to **all sports movie endings.**I’m sure I’ll forget some that you love, but here goes …**-Bill Self always talks about putting the foot on the throat.** [In this instance][7], Zabka – the ultimate 80s villain – failed to do so, despite his best friend yelling ‘Sweep the leg!’ You mess with the bull, you get the horns, son.**-Every punch at the end of Rocky IV** sounds like a 14-car pileup, making for a great [fight scene][8]. (And, come on, what movie ending blog would be complete without a Rocky?)**-With the way the Memphis players made it sound yesterday, Joey Dorsey** will be playing the role of **Hamilton Porter** tonight in terms of running his mouth. I know [this is not an ending][9], but it’s still pretty solid.**-If you’re a guy and say you didn’t get the chills** watching [this scene][10], you’re a dirty rotten liar.**-Sticking with the ‘give you the chills’ factor,** how about [this scene][11] from **Miracle**? I compared KU’s win over UNC to this not in the magnitude of the upset, but in the sense that you almost forget KU had another game to win afterwards.**-These are both movies that were out when I was a kid,** but I’ve been looking all year for opportunities to get the sayings [One-Two-Three-Triple Deke][12] and [Annexation of Puerto Rico][13] into this blog. Now I have them. [I rule.][14]**-And finally, with Fantasy Baseball season now in full swing,** a little tribute to the [Cuyahoga Warriors (WARNING: Adult Language).][15]That’s all I got for now. I might have missed some obvious ones. If so, maybe they’ll be added later. I’ve had about five friends send me instant messages during the writing of this blog, all sounding completely worried, asking about who’s coming back next year and whether the Bill Self rumors are true (though he’s refuted them 5,472 times now). I’ve told them the same as I’ll tell you: **I have no idea, nor does anyone. But right now, enjoy this day. They don’t come around very often. Worry about tomorrow tomorrow.**Anyways, we’ll be heading over to the Alamodome around 5 p.m., so I’ll talk to you then.[The Greene Room Live: Day Four in San Antonio][16] [The Greene Room Live: Day Three in San Antonio][17] [The Greene Room Live: Day Two in San Antonio][18] [The Greene Room Live: Day One in San Antonio][19] [NCAA Home Page][20] [1]: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pxo3OnekPg8 [2]: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jzekDivpK3M [3]: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N0HMfgsyLDU [4]: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=30sYk9B4OqU&feature=related [5]: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VnN_WRG8Jac&feature=related [6]: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U2CsHlIi9Ww [7]: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4NfkH3Q4JOQ [8]: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p1LlUAAOxy8 [9]: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ACXta-oH1lU [10]: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vR2wOHwJ-Jo [11]: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lU4bufn-U00 [12]: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cdIOats9ZH8 [13]: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4AeERf6mqxw [14]: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UyZaJKWC3Qg [15]: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CMXNGaSqGl4 [16]: http://www2.kusports.com/blogs/greene_room/2008/apr/06/live_sanantonio4/ [17]: http://www2.kusports.com/blogs/greene_room/2008/apr/05/live_sanantonio3/ [18]: http://www2.kusports.com/blogs/greene_room/2008/apr/04/live_sanantonio2/ [19]: http://www2.kusports.com/blogs/greene_room/2008/apr/03/live_sanantonio1/ [20]: http://www.ncaasports.com

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