The Musings of a Giant Idiot

During the tournament I have enjoyed listening to Bobby Knight’s analysis, I just wish I did not have to wait for Digger Phelps and Dick Vitale to shut-up to hear what Knight had to say. Say what you will about Knight but the guy knows his basketball and I would learn something when he spoke instead of the same canned answers you get from Vitale and Phelps. We all know what we are getting in Vitale, fawning over the players and coaches and his catchphrases but no real analysis. Digger tries to give analysis but he comes across as a know it all and is condescending to the panel members who disagree with his analysis. He has made a career off of the win that snapped UCLA’s 88 game win streak but that does not make him a great analyst. I wonder if Digger’s ego was hurt a little when Knight came aboard because now someone with credibility could call him on his garbage.

I know Knight will probably not be back next year but it was enjoyable to tune into ESPN during the tournament and finally listen to some meaningful analysis. If Vitale and Phelps got off subject, which happened often, Knight was there to reign them back in and discuss basketball which is the reason I am watching. I want Knight back so we will not have to be subjected to as much Digger, Jay, Hubert Davis, and Doug Gottleib next year and for this I implore him to at least do it one more year.

Last night’s game is why I love being a sports fan. After what had been a lackluster tournament the championship, in the words of Harry Dunne from Dumb and Dumber, “you go and do something like this….and totally redeem yourself.” Memphis had this game, all they needed was one free throw to drop and all Chalmers’s three does is make bookies and Vegas extremely upset (Memphis was a 2 point favorite). Kansas made the plays when they needed to, the steal by Collins on the inbound and then the three from the corner, Arthur with the turnaround that somehow went in and of course Chalmers hitting the biggest shot in a championship game since Keith Smart did it for Indiana in 1987.

Kansas was able to keep it close during the Tigers run, or Derek Rose’s run. In a 5 minute span of the 2nd half Rose took over and scored 12 of 14 points for the Tigers and gave them the 9 point cushion that felt insurmountable. Kansas started fouling Memphis with about 2 and a half minutes left and this was a great strategy because it not only stopped the clock it forced Memphis to face their biggest weakness of the season, free throw shooting. The Tigers missed 4 of 5 FTs in the last 2 minutes and any of those would have iced the game. Watching the talking heads after they, especially that genius Digger Phelps, thought that Memphis should have fouled Kansas before they had a chance to shoot a 3. There has been a lot of debate about this issue but since it happened on the biggest night of the season it is going to get tons of coverage.

In OT I felt that Memphis needed to score quickly to try and get the end of regulation out their heads, but Kansas stole the ball and got the basket and after stopping Memphis again they connected for another alley-oop that broke the Tigers. From their it was just a matter of what the final score would be. After so many choke jobs by Roy Williams when he was at Kansas I was happy to see Bill Self bring the title to Lawrence. Now Self needs to do the smart thing and stay at Kansas and tell Oklahoma St and Boone Pickens’s money no thanks.