| Copyright © 2008 Ed Bagley | | | | #1 East Regional Champion North Carolina 84-66 |
| The only guarantee going into the 2008 NCAA | | | | #1 South Regional Champion Memphis eliminated |
| National Championship Game was that one of two | | | | #1 West Regional Champion UCLA 78-63 |
| very good coachesBill Self of Kansas or John | | | | 2008 NCAA Tournament Result for Round 6 ' |
| Calipari of Memphiswould win his first national | | | | National Championship Game |
| title. | | | | #1 Midwest Regional Champion Kansas beat #1 |
| In an NCAA first, the four No. 1 seeds in this | | | | South Regional Champion Memphis 75-68 to win |
| year's tournament made it to the coveted Final 4. | | | | the National Championship |
| Both coaches managed to thump their | | | | Postscript on the Final 4 Coaches: |
| competition in the semifinals as Kansas turned | | | | The coaches of the Final 4 teams this year |
| back North Carolina 84-66 and Memphis ripped | | | | brought a combined 143-9 record, a winning |
| UCLA 78-63. Both games were about as exciting | | | | percentage of .941. When you can win 94% of |
| as watching an ashtray wait for a cigarette butt. | | | | your games you do not compare yourself to |
| North Carolina had no chance ultimately against | | | | others, they need to compare themselves to you |
| Kansas as the Jayhawks went on an early 25-2 | | | | because, trust me, you are setting a standard this |
| run after leading 15-10. The Tar Heels would cut | | | | season that not another 4 coaches in America |
| the lead to 4 points54 to 50with more than 11 | | | | can match. |
| minutes remaining, but then Kansas continued its | | | | The dean of the coaches was North Carolina's |
| hot hand, shooting 53% to North Carolina's 36% | | | | Roy Williams, who averaged 28 wins a year for |
| from the floor. Jayhawk Guard Brandon Rush led | | | | 15 years at Kansas and took the Jayhawks to 4 |
| all scorers with 25. | | | | Final Fours before coming back to his alma mater |
| Kansas just escaped from Davidson to reach the | | | | and leading the Tar Heels to a National |
| Final 4 and then dusted off the Tar Heels despite | | | | Championship in 2005. |
| their all-everything player Tyler Hansbrough. It | | | | Only 5 other coaches in history have led their |
| was a tough night for North Carolina Coach Roy | | | | team to 6 Final Four appearancesJohn Wooden |
| Williams, who coached Kansas to national | | | | (12), Dean Smith (11), Mike Krzyzewski (10), |
| prominence for 15 years before returning to his | | | | Denny Crum (6) and Adolph Rupp (6). It is |
| alma mater in 2003. Williams never won a national | | | | perhaps no coincidence that Williams honed his |
| title at Kansas but led the Tar Heels to the | | | | craft for 10 years as an assistant coach to Dean |
| national title in 2005. | | | | Smith at North Carolina. |
| Memphis' 1-2 punch of guards Chris | | | | North Carolina won National Championships in 1957, |
| Douglas-Roberts (28 points) and Derrick Rose (25 | | | | 1982, 1993 and 2005 and had been among the |
| points) ran UCLA ragged, outscoring the Bruins | | | | Final Four 17 times coming into this year's |
| 14-2 on the fast break. The Tigers put the game | | | | tournament. |
| away with 10 consecutive free throws (20 of 23 | | | | Ben Howland marked his 3rd straight Final Four |
| for 87% in the game), well above their season | | | | appearance this year. His UCLA Bruins were |
| average of 61%. | | | | runner-up in the National Championship game two |
| UCLA's freshman wonder Kevin Love, the Pac 10 | | | | years ago. He led Pittsburgh to two Sweet 16 |
| Player of the Year, was held to 2 points in the | | | | appearances before coming to UCLA, and has had |
| second half and 12 for the game after averaging | | | | the Bruins in the NCAA tournament 4 straight |
| 21.8 points per game coming in. Love, who is 6-10, | | | | years. |
| ran smack into the Tigers' 6-foot-9, 265-pound | | | | Howland hoped to add to John Wooden's legacy |
| Joey Dorsey, a big presence that kept Love at | | | | at UCLA but came up short again. Wooden's |
| bay. Dorsey also pulled down 15 rebounds. | | | | UCLA teams won 10 national titles and 7 |
| Memphis Coach John Calipari was giddy with joy | | | | consecutive titles from 1967 to 1973. This year |
| moving into the championship game and UCLA | | | | marked the Bruins' 18th Final Four appearance. |
| Coach Ben Howland was no doubt disappointed | | | | Wooden's UCLA record during his 10 National |
| after reaching the Final 4 three consecutive years | | | | Championship years was 291-10 (not a misprint); it |
| without winning the title game. Memphis' victory | | | | rounds to a 97% winning percentage and includes |
| was its 38th this year, setting an NCAA record | | | | no less than 4 perfect 30-0 seasons. In short, |
| for most wins in a season. | | | | there is Wooden and everyone else when it |
| The championship game was a beauty, close as | | | | comes to winning basketball games and national |
| close could be and excellent to the very end of | | | | titles. |
| regulation time, when Kansas' Mario Chalmers | | | | Memphis coach John Calipari had never won a |
| drained a 3-pointer over Derrick Rose to tie the | | | | national title but did built two smaller conference |
| game at 63 with 2 seconds left. Chalmers' shot | | | | teamsMassachusetts in the Atlantic 10 and |
| would earn him the Most Valuable Player honor. | | | | Memphis in Conference USAinto national powers, |
| Memphis had a 9-point lead with 2 minutes left | | | | reaching the Final Four with both. His Memphis |
| but could not connect on 4 free throws by Chris | | | | Tigers won 103 games during the last 3 years, |
| Douglas-Roberts down the stretch and lost control | | | | only 1 win shy of Kentucky's national record from |
| of the game. Kansas would outscore Memphis | | | | 1996 to 1998. |
| 12-5 in overtime to win 75-68 to give Coach Bill | | | | Since Calipari's last appearance in the 1985 Final |
| Self his first national title Monday night (4-7-08) in | | | | Four match-ups, the other 3 teams in this year's |
| one of the best played title games in NCAA | | | | field combined for 19 Final Four appearances and |
| history. | | | | 4 national titlesKansas in 1988, UCLA in 1995 |
| Standout freshman Derrick Rose took over the | | | | and North Carolina in 1993 and 2005. |
| game for Memphis in the second half, scoring 14 | | | | Kansas coach Bill Self could not claim a national |
| of his team's 16 points to build the 9-point lead. | | | | title coming into this year's Final Four. In 15 years |
| Kansas Coach Bill Self summed up the game best, | | | | as a head coach, Self averaged 23 wins a season, |
| saying "If we played 10 times, it'd probably go 5 | | | | won 8 conference championships and had taken 4 |
| and 5. We got fortunate late." | | | | teams deep in the tournament, but none of them |
| There were a lot of upsets early on in this year's | | | | to the Final Four until this year. |
| tournament and a great final game. All in all, a | | | | Until this season, Self had more NCAA |
| very good year for NCAA basketball and a fitting | | | | tournament wins18without reaching the Final |
| end to March Madness for 2008. | | | | Four than any other active coach. Only two other |
| 2008 NCAA Tournament Results for Round 5 ' | | | | coaches have more wins than Self without |
| The Final 4 | | | | reaching the Final FourTemple's John Chaney |
| #1 Midwest Regional Champion Kansas eliminated | | | | with 23 and Purdue's Gene Keady with 19. |