I reconvened at PG's Place on the Upper West Side to watch the NCAA Men's Basketball Championship Game.  PG was with me at the infamous Knicks-Nuggets fight at the Garden in December 2006.

Kansas had a five point lead at halftime.

Rose hit a sick bank shot with 4:16 left in the second half.  It was reviewed to be a two instead of a three.  Let's see how that plays out later in the game.

Memphis went on 16-4 run to overtake Kansas.  But, Kansas got a steal and hit a three to close it to 60-56.  Chris Douglas-Roberts hit two free throws to make it 62-56.  Joey Dorsey fouled out with 1:23 left.  Chris Douglas-Roberts missed a free throw.  Kansas scored to make it 62-60.  Memphis takes a timeout with 44 seconds left .
         
Robinson got blocked with 20 seconds left.  Chris Douglas-Roberts misses two free throws but Dozier gets the rebound.

Chris Douglas-Roberts slams the ball down with 10.6 seconds left.  Shouldn't he be called for a technical?  The refs feel differently and don't call a technical foul.

"The Kansas point guard (Collins) should be shot!" (for bringing the ball up so slow).  But, "Super Mario" Chalmers bailed him out with a clutch three to tie it at 63.
           
Advantage to Kansas because Dorsey is out with five fouls and Memphis missed four of last five free throws in regulation. 

Memphis wins the tip but Kansas gets the steal to take a 65-63 lead.

PG wants Patrick Ewing going into the Loser's Hall of Fame instead of the Basketball Hall of Fame. 

Collins' East to West dribbling doesn't get it done for PG.

Rush got the outlet, got his rebound to make it 71-65.  Chris Douglas-Roberts hits a three to make it 71-68.  It was their first basket in over six minutes.  
 
"Super Mario" Chalmers hits both ends of the 1 and 1 with 45.1 seconds left in overtime.
         
Collins from Kansas slips loses the ball on the inbound.  PG is about to kill him.
           
"Don't dribble!" PG yells at Memphis before Chris Douglas-Roberts misses a three.

Kansas came back from down nine with two minutes left in regulation.  Kansas wins 75-68.  Congratulations to KU!  Congratulations to Coach Bill Self!  Congratulations to Assistant Coach Danny Manning for getting into the College Basketball Hall of Fame on Sunday.  Larry Brown coached Danny and the Miracles to Kansas' last championship in 1988.  It was a very memorable time as I was on my high school senior trip to Washington, DC.

For those keeping the score, The Tank picked Kansas to win it all at the beginning of the tournament, touch wood.  (This is even more accurate than my pick of Ohio State beating Florida 75-73 in last year's Finals.  However, it was as accurate as my Yankees 94 win prediction during the Yankees' darkest hour last summer or Ohio State beating Michigan by three points in the Immortality Bowl in November 2006 to beat out ESPN's Scouts Inc who had Michigan winning the game by three points.)

If you ever have a chance to go to Allen Fieldhouse in Lawrence, Kansas, please go.  I trained in Lawrence in team handball in the U.S. Olympic Festival in Los Angeles in the summer of 1991.  In between training sessions, I went to the "Phog" with a couple of teammates.  The lights were off during the day and sunlight streamed through the windows.  It is a basketball cathedral and I heard the ghosts from the past.  "Rock Chalk Jayhawk!"  "Rock Chalk Jayhawk!"  It's times like that make college sports so much more special than professional sports.
                                 
Posted by a psyched up Tank at PG's Place on the Upper West Side.