The Beginning Of The End: Championship Game Follow Up

(How the hell did this happen?)

Due to popular demand (and the guilt I have for never finishing what I start), I'm closing out this blog with 5 columns. This brief recap of the Championship Game and the Tournament in general is the 1st of these final posts. I thank everyone for reading and contributing to this elaborate project. My thoughts and ideas only go so far...it was the encouragement, suggestions, and comments from all of you that really helped take this NCAA Tournament Blog to another level. (Annie...I have no idea what Bill Self was trying to prove with that red/white/blue striped tie. But it wasn't as bad as Roy Williams wearing that gaudy Kansas sticker/button (?) in the stands. What's The Matter With Kansas?!?!? Indeed.)

As for the Championship Game:

I don't take much away from this game. Maybe it's because I didn't have a chance to win money in any of my NCAA pools. Maybe it's because the game represented not only the end of the tournament, but the end of this blog. Maybe it's because a match-up between North Carolina and UCLA would have been a lot more engaging and "sexier". Or maybe it's because the Championship Game of the Final Four is always (on some level) going to be a letdown. We won't make the argument now for which weekend of the tournament is "better", but the first two weekends of March Madness are hands-down the most interesting and captivating weekends of the event. I claim that Thursday and Friday of the first weekend are the best two days in sports for the entire year. The Final Four and Title game can't help not living up to the hype and expectations that are unfairly thrust upon them. March Madness is marketed and publicized as an event that spans weeks. Interest peaks nationally between Selection Sunday and the following Sunday. By that time the teams have been reduced from 65 to 16. After that, the interest just isn't at the initial level. Is there any other sporting event that peaks at the beginning of said event? None that I can think of. This is what the NCAA Tournament has going against it. I'll probably only ever be truly excited about a Championship game for 3 reasons:

1. I have a vested interest in the game. Meaning that I have a pool and/or certain amount of money that I could personally win/lose on the game.
2. My home team, or a team I am personally involved with on some level, is playing in the Championship game. This would include (but not be limited to) Pittsburgh, Iowa, Davidson, and Notre Dame.
3. If the match-up in the Championship game was amazing. I don't mean good...I don't mean great...I mean outstanding. Even though Memphis and Kansas were both #1 seeds...and even though the game ended up being decent...the match-up was not outstanding. There wasn't a lot of star-power and the coaches were trying to overcome hurdles and preconceived notions rather than assert their genius and dominance.

Other than those three reasons...I'll probably never be excited or thrilled about an NCAA Championship game. That doesn't mean that I won't watch. That doesn't mean that I don't appreciated the sport. That doesn't mean that I don't appreciate and give much credit to the winner. And that DEFINITELY doesn't mean that I don't appreciate the structure of the Tournament (see NCAA Football). It simply means that I personally love the first two weekends of March Madness the most. After that...almost anything feels like a let-down.

As for the Championship Game (haven't I done this before?):

Chalmers hit a game-tying three pointer that Kansas never should have been in position to make. Coach Calipari out-dressed Coach Self. Memphis missed some free-throws (surprise). John Calipari was seconds away from winning his first Championship. Bill Self was seconds away from not winning his first Championship. Billy Packer called yet another Championship game (CBS...PLEASE DO SOMETHING ABOUT THIS). We had an overtime title game, but it really didn't feel like it and wasn't very exciting as the entire Memphis squad was exhausted. Kansas won a National Championship without Roy Williams. Bill Self found himself in the unlikely position of cutting the nets down. John Calipari still remains a Clarion University alumni. And...perhaps most perplexing...I missed one shining moment because I was on the phone or cooking or cleaning up something.

So that was that. Good enough game I suppose. They really need to let Gus Johnson call the Final Four next year. I swear...Billy Packer must have some incriminating pictures of someone at CBS. So we may be stuck with him for another 35 years. I must give credit where credit is due. Congrats to the Kansas Jayhawks and Bill Self. I doubted your abilities and you all proved me wrong. I'll have to find other ways of making fun of you and demeaning you next year.

1020 & 8101

Predictions For Monday's Championship Game

I'm not sure what the point is in picking this game...but I've "picked" every game since the sweet sixteen on this blog, so I have to follow the bit through until the end. My gut says to go with Memphis, but then I remember that Kansas was up 40-12 on North Carolina at one point on Saturday night. Again, I'm torn. Let's just throw something out there and see what happens.

Memphis over Kansas

• If it came down to the coaches, I would have never thought twice. John Calipari wins this contest hands-down. Graduates of Clarion University will not be denied. Memphis has bounced UCLA, Texas, and Michigan State over their last three games...and thrashed them all pretty well. This is Coach Calipari's time. I have absolutely no confidence in Bill Self. When they showed him on hands and knees in total relief after the win against Davidson, I knew this guy was more lucky than good. Self is already counting the days (and the money he'll get) until he goes back to Oklahoma State to coach his alma mater.
• Kansas has a tendency to turn the ball over and take bad shots. They turned the ball over 19 times against North Carolina and took a bunch of terrible shots against Davidson. The Jayhawks won't be able to get away with either of those things against an athletic Memphis squad that thrives on fast breaks and their transition game.
• Should Memphis win, my friend John's lovely fiancee, Jill, would win my NCAA pool. I also believe that she would win this championship over Chaz. A very intriguing and interesting sequence of events indeed.
• Memphis is still the position to play the (absurd) "nobody believes in us" card. If they win the title, I can't wait for the post-game interviews when the coaches and players all claim that they were never respected all season long. Please...oh please...would just one journalist or announcer point out to the Memphis coaches and players that they had one loss all season long!
• Derrick Rose has been the best point guard throughout this NCAA Tournament. I have ranted and raved that having great guard play is essential to winning the Big Dance. I'm sticking by my (not too radical or insightful) convictions. The Tigers will be your 2008 National Champions.
• Confidence in this pick: 7.6

1020 & 8101