NCAA CHAMPIONSHIP GAME LIVE BLOG

by Brian P. Foley, The College Baseball Blog

8:20 pm-I will be bringing you the live blog of the National Championship game for 2008. We are getting set to see the Memphis Tigers who has a 38-1 record with the lone loss coming to Tennessee take on the Kansas Jayhawks who have a 36-3 record. I will try to keep things lively throughout with some random stuff from the internet. Here is a very good link about the best divorce letter ever thanks to our buddy Sterling Gould.

8:55pm- My buddy who played at UConn back in the day with Ben Gordon thinks Memphis is going to take the title tonight under John Calipari. I tend to agree with him since I am not a fan of the Kansas team's style.

9:00pm- I am done with this Dancing with the Stars stuff....I don't need to see Adam Carrolla dancing in a Zorro mask. Even though I like Cheryl Burke!!! Who wouldn't love to spend a night with her?


9:02pm- I hate BILLY PACKER!!!
9:07pm- Masters Promo #1...Anyone else turned off by how pleasant they make the Masters sound?
9:10pm- Our buddy Darren Heitner of The Sports Agent Blog has found out who every player is going to be represented by. The full article is available here.
9:18pm- HERE ARE THE STARTING LINEUPS
MEMPHIS
F- Robert Dozier
F- Joey Dorsey
G- Chris Douglas-Roberts
G- Antonio Anderson
G- Derrick Rose
HC- John Calipari

KANSAS
F- Darrell Arthur
F- Darnell Jackson
G- Russell Robinson
G- Mario Chalmers
G- Brandon Rush
HC- Bill Self

9:23pm- Ed Hightower, Ed Corbett and John Cahill are your officials
9:25pm- Memphis is up 2-0 and Antonio Andersen undercuts Brandon Rush on a wide-open layup...He only hits 1-2. Memphis 2 Kansas 1
9:29pm- SASHA KHAN IS IN THE GAME NOW!!!
9:30pm- Derrick Rose gets an AND-1....16:40 left
9:31pm- Memphis 9 Kansas 5...15:36 left in First Half. Rose seems to be getting by his defender pretty easily.
9:35pm- Kansas gets an Alley Oop out of the Timeout....Crowd is getting into it some.
9:40pm- Am I old because I remember Derrek Kellogg playing for Umass in the final four? He is an assistant on the Memphis staff now.
9:41pm- 11:33 left and under 12 minute timeout and we are tied at 13.
9:43pm- WE HAVE A MEATLOAF COMMERCIAL!!! I LOVE PARADISE BY A DASHBOARD LIGHT!!!
9:46pm- Billy Packer is wondering why Rose is not attacking his defender. Billy doesn't recognize that Kansas is in a 3-2 zone.
9:48pm- Chalmers hits a three for Kansas....KU 18 Memphis 13
9:51pm- 7:21 left KU 24 Memphis 21
9:56pm- Billy Packer there is NO OVER THE BACK foul...Learn the game!!!
9:58pm- Tied at 28...4:30 left
9:59pm- 3:50 left in the first half...Tied still at 28
10:04pm- 2:31 left...Rush gets an AND 1....Lots of big guys on Memphis with two fouls.
10:11pm- END OF FIRST HALF KU 33 Memphis 28...

DERRICK ROSE HAD A BAD HALF AND THEY ARE IN THE GAME. Should be an interesting second half.

Thanks to Dynasty Reps for the Picture

HALFTIME- WE ARE STILL TALKING WITH ROY WILLIAMS...COME ON...LETS TALK TO SOMEONE ELSE. HELLO ROY YOU LOST!!!!

10:33 pm- Start of Second Half

10:34pm- Memphis ties the game in the first minute of second half.
10:38pm- Memphis is up 38-37...the game is speeding up so it is good for the Tigers.
10:40pm- Kansas 39 Memphis 38 at the under 16 timeout.
10:45 pm- Memphis misses two free throws...Still 39-38.
10:48 pm- Kansas 43 Memphis 42...Under 12 timeout
10:56 pm- 8:06 left....Rose hits a three to put Memphis up 2...He is heating up.
10:59 pm- 7:52 left...Under 8 timeout....Memphis still up two...I hate how they come back from a timeout and then go to a media timeout at the next stoppage...so Aggravating.
11:04 pm- 7:02 left...Kansas is jacking threes...Memphis 51 Kansas 47
11:07 pm- 5:10 left 53-47 Memphis leads....Memphis is starting to roll!!!
11:09pm- DERRICK ROSE BANKS IN A THREE to put the TIGERS UP 8
11:17pm- 2:12 left and Memphis is up 7...Kansas has started to foul...lets see if the Tigers can hit free throws.
11:20pm- Big steal by Kansas....KU is down 4 now!!!
11:23 pm-1:23 left in the game MEMPHIS UP 4 still
11:24 pm- under a minute..Memphis up 2
11:26 pm- 24 seconds left and Kansas goes on a contested break and it is BLOCKED...

MEMPHIS AT THE LINE SHOOTING TWO with a TWO POINT LEAD....FIRST ONE IS NO GOOD...SECOND ONE IS NO GOOD...MEMPHIS GETS THE REBOUND!!!

ROSE SHOOTING TWO!!! TIMEOUT ON THE FLOOR...LIKE TEN SECONDS LEFT

Rose misses the first...hits the second

CHALMERS HITS A THREE to tie the game.

OVERTIME BABY!!!
4:30 mark...Kansas gets a steal and scores!!! KU up two points
3:55 mark...Kansas knows how to play in OT...they were in a 3 OT game in the 50's against UNC...I don't think anyone involved in this game remembers that.
3:30...Kansas up four...
2:28 left...Memphis down 6
2:15 left...Memphis hit two free throws...down 4
56.8 left...Kansas is up 3
45.1 left...Memphis fouls...KU at the line 1 and 1
First one is good.....Second is good...KU up 5
KU ball after a jumpball...30 seconds left...Billy PACKER SHUT UP
KU player slips and the ball goes out of bounds...Memphis ball down 5
Memphis misses a three...KU rebound.....two shots for Collins with KU up 5
He hits both....Game is likely over....Rose misses a three...Game OVER

KU WINS THE NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP...CONGRATS AND HAVE A GREAT NIGHT ALL!!!