(The following comments were made during the game and were not changed afterwards)

Pregame: All right, here we go. Kansas – Memphis. Predictions? Geez, this is a tough one to call. If you would have told me pre-final four that these two teams instead of UCLA – UNC (who I picked) would be in the title game, I would have gone with Memphis hands down. I’ve been really impressed with them over the last few games…the way they housed a really good Texas team, destroyed a gritty Michigan State team, etc., and then they dismantled UCLA. Very impressive, probably even underrated. I mean, Memphis has looked like a D-I school against D-II schools over the last few weeks as far as their athleticism is concerned. However, the way that Kansas just owned…flat out owned…the overall top seed Tarheels Saturday night was nothing short of amazing. Whew, what to do, what to do? Well, the game’s about to start, so I need to make a prediction. I’m still going to go with Memphis. Score? Hey, don’t make me pick a score too! So anyway, that’s it, I pick Memphis, so congratulations Kansas fans…you’re team will probably end up winning.

Starting lineups: Welcome to San Antonio (the site, for a few games at least, where the Pistons will beat the Spurs later this year…oh wait, that’s a different topic). Inspirational montage…more inspirational montages…ok, here we go. Did you know that Darrell Arthur is Kansas’ leading scorer? They really are balanced. And now, Memphis’ inspirational montage…”we are, we are, we are – mumhpohishh.” I think that was supposed to say, “we are, we are, we are – Memphis.” They were a tad out of sync there.

Tip off: So apparently everybody else is picking Memphis too, that’s a good sign for Kansas. Can I change my pick now? Huh, can I, can I? Ok, never mind. Go Memphis! Aaaiight, here we go! Memphis wins the tip! We’re in solid control early! It’s over, it’s over…Dorsey scores. I’m turning it off…blow out. Ok, I’m back.

19:04: Dang, Rush for the dunk…missed it, but was fouled. Is it just me or does Brandon Rush look like he an actor playing a basketball player from the early 1990′s?

18:27: This game is starting out like almost every championship game. Both teams are nervous, jittery, and thus pretty sloppy. Nice dunk by Arthur.

17:23: Wow, these teams really are evenly matched…based on the graphic that they just showed, the one that I realize you’re no longer looking at.

16:39: This just in…Derrick Rose is really, really good. That was a beautiful and-1 move. He’s going to be a dynamite NBA player. Write it down, you heard it here first…well, not first, but you heard it here.

15:58: Billy Packer assumes that Rose and Collins went head to head on the playground all the time just because they were both from Chicago. Hmmm…isn’t Chicago a pretty decent size city? I mean it’s possible that they met on the playgrounds, but I wouldn’t say a given by any means.

Commercial Analysis: You gotta love these “Coke suing Coke-Zero” ads. That immigration lawyer guys is so pissed. Love it.

15:00: Oop to Kaun! Nice play. Doesn’t Sasha Kaun sound like some kind of Sci-Fi super villain or something? Maybe he’s both a basketball player and a super villain?

13:44: Douglas-Roberts to the line. Will Memphis’ free throw shooting be an issue today? Douglas-Roberts stats are unbelievable in this tournament. He’s a stud.

13:04: And Douglas-Roberts again…hits one of those no look from the hip flings at the basket. This guy seems to have the weirdest game to me. He’s good, though, he’s definitely good.

12:05: 2 fouls now on Dozier. Kansas pounding the ball inside. They are just so balanced. Memphis is really trying to extend the perimeter defense on them, but they are adjusting very well.

11:25: Packer points out that this game is what you would expect in terms of evenness. Nice. Let me check the score to verify that claim…and it’s 13-13. Man, this guy knows his stuff.

9:55: Chalmers hits the first 3 of the game. 7-0 run for the Jayhawks, and a 5 point lead. They are giving Memphis some trouble on D.

9:28: Nice steal and dunk from Dorsey. I wonder what this guy’s NBA stock is like? He’s huge and athletic, and you can’t teach that. You know, take Handsbrough for instance. Great, great player, but he’s so good now because he has a more mature game than 90% of the guys out there (and he works so hard), but he’s already very, very close to his ceiling as a player. What he needs is more athleticism…and you really can’t gain that. Dorsey though, is pretty raw, not nearly as good as Handsbrough, but is a man-child. Makes you think, that’s all. All right, back to the game.

8:44: Dude, Niles (sp?) is humongous…and looks like they just let him out of prison or something.

7:40: Back 2 back threes for Memphis. Rose is starting to assert himself a little more.

7:25: You know those, “they said it was impossible for 4 #1 seeds to make the tournament, but they also said it was impossible to get real Coke taste with no calories” promos that they make the announcers do? Well, they get with that every time. They start out with the “they said it was impossible” stuff, and I never see the promo coming until it hits me right in the face. Well done, Coke, well done.

6:22: Rose skies for the rebound, kicks it to Douglas-Roberts…another three! Memphis is now back with the lead! 11-2 run.

4:53: Can’t go under screens with Douglas-Roberts. Nails the jumper. Working that pick-n-roll, NBA scouts gotta love that.

Commercial Analysis: These Nike commercials “my better is better than your better” with all the athletes…well, how did Ladanian Tomlinson become an integral part of these ads? He is hands down the worst athlete actor of this decade. Have you seen the Vizio commercials he’s in? Apparently Nike hasn’t.

2:31: Nice fake and lean and-1 jumper by Rush. Blocking foul on Dorsey. Rush has a sweet looking shot. I’m surprised every time he misses.

2:07: Kansas really is making Rose work hard for everything. I think he’ll have a breakout second half, though.

Commercial Analysis: Does anybody else think that UPS could have found a million other better people to do the “whiteboard” ads than the dude with the long hair? Maybe I’m just overly critical.

:40.2: Memphis stalling like they’re ahead…hmmm. Looks like they’ll get the last shot. Not a good possession. Halftime. 33-28 Kansas.

Halftime: Let’s get ready for all the studio guys who all picked Memphis and sang their praises to do a complete 180 and talk about how great Kansas is. There is nobody more fickle than sports media guys. Way to go, Gumble, mention the Oklahoma St. – Bill Self situation…everybody wants to talk about that during the national championship game. And here’s Handbrough accepting his award, man that dude looks crazy! They may have had to cut that short just in case Tyler was about to go on a shooting spree or something. Just talked to my boy Mike about the game…ended up talking about the movie “Hustle and Flow” and “Black Snake Moon” for a while. Why? Well, because Brandon Rush looks exactly like the actor Terrance Howard, who was in “Hustle and Flow,” and the director of “Hustle and Flow” was the guy who also made “Black Snake Moon” (which was not nearly as crazy as the previews according to Mike). I haven’t actually seen either of the movies, but it was nice to finally put my finger on the whole “why the heck does Brandon Rush look like an actor” phenomenon. Whew. Back to basketball, they are interviewing Roy Williams now, and he mentions that the loss to Kansas still hurts even though no one asked him. Ok, off to commercials and then back to the second half.

2nd Half: Billy Packer is like a caged animal that gets let out to do analysis every once and a while. You can almost see him during the break thinking to himself, “come on, come on, let’s get back to me…I have soooo much to say!” I guess when you’re in hibernation for all of the year except March and then CBS lets you do the NCAA tournament for 90 straight years, you can get a little antsy.

19:13: I love how Packer refers to how he made correct predictions and analysis about the championship 20 years ago. Of course you did, Billy, no one remembers what you said then! You can make any wild statements you want about what you said about Danny Manning in 1988! Let’s talk about this game for a while. Deal? Ok.

18:24: By the way, great start for Memphis in this half. Packer mentions Trajon Langdon. He is a Duke apologist, you know. Ok, I’m off the Billy Packer bashing session (for now).

18:14: I like the move by Calipari to full court press in this half. Be the aggressor, push the tempo. I like it.

17:03: Kansas really does play great on the ball defense. Memphis is going to have to get out and run a lot to win this game.

16:26: Great lob from Rose. I love Memphis’ energy in this half. Dorsey points or talks trash to somebody after every Memphis score, even if he’s not involved. I’m scared of that guy.

15:57: I think that this is going to be a dog fight to the end. Can’t wait.

15:16: Turnover by Terrance Howard. That’s what happens, Bill Self, when you put actors out there on the court. To his credit, he was great in “Hustle and Flow” though. Ok, you got me, I didn’t see that movie, we already talked about that.

Commercial Analysis: I love the Holiday Inn “hot bar” commercials. Great idea for a commercial.

Commercial Analysis: I don’t love the Enterprise “Hi, Enterprise, I’m at the repair shop and I need to rent a car” commercials. Of course, you need to rent a car if you’re calling Enterprise! What else would you be calling for!

15:04: Dang, got me again with the “they said it was impossible” Coke promo.

13:59: Rose really looks ahead and advances the ball well with the pass. Such an important, little understood, and underrated skill-set for a point guard. I’m a big Derrick Rose fan. Did I mention that yet? I know he’s not having a good game too, by the way.

13:59: 0-2 at the line for Memphis. Uh oh. Will it come back to haunt them?

13:13: Man, that flip shot from CDR is crazy.

12:36: I know that I wasn’t going to bash Packer anymore, but Billy, seriously, stop talking about how John Calipari needs to go zone. You made your point. Here’s the thing, I know that going zone has it’s advantages, but one of the things that is hard to do in zone is rebound. You don’t have your guy to box out, you have a guy…a random guy that you need to find. It doesn’t always work out that well. The reason that I mention this is because Memphis is already getting crushed on the glass.

11:42: Man, Douglas-Roberts should have given that up so much sooner. He makes a great steal, has two guys ahead of him but holds the dribble and gets it knocked out from behind.

Commercial Analysis: “Hey we want to order a pizza, a large thin crust. And make the way I like it, with Mozzarella and toppings…” oh sorry…

10:30: Strong baseline move by Rose.

9:31: Way to many turnovers by Memphis.

8:54: It’s a box-n-1, a box-n-1!

8:50: It’s funny that Kansas is changing up their D so much. I feel like they’re doing a pretty good job on the defensive end.

8:09: Three by Rose! They are killing this box-n-1 that Kansas inexplicably went to.

Commercial Analysis: Gotta love the Liberty Mutual commercial where they talk about doing the right thing, with the kids throwing the snowballs at cars, then the one kids stops them. Anyway, the guy driving the first car they throw snowballs at almost wrecks because a few snowballs hit the side of his car…hmmm…ok?

7:52: Terrance Howard playing Brandon Rush falls down again. That’s the second time he’s tripped over himself today. Ok, it was a foul. Sorry, I jumped the gun…dang, I’m a fast typer!

Commercial Analysis: Wonder if “Get Smart” will be a funny movie. I loved the original TV show in Nick-at-Night.

7:35: Rose is heating up! Nice pull up. 51-47 Memphis.

5:10: And-1 drive from Rose! All because of an offensive rebound. Offensive rebounds will absolutely kill you. Kansas has got to lock those up. Memphis seems to really be taking control of this game.

4:18: Billy Packer uses this crunch time scenario to talk about Bill Walton in the tournament from 35 years ago. See, to Billy, that’s like a few weeks ago since they just un-freeze him to do the March Madness games. Bank shot three from Rose! He called it, he called it! Ok, I know he didn’t, but I’m sure he’ll take it.

Commercial Analysis: Yay, a new reality show “Secret Talents of the Stars” will be on soon! That’s great, because the one thing we need in this country is more reality shows on TV involving B-list celebrities.

3:36: I actually remember those John Calipari, Marcus Camby, UMASS teams of yesteryear.

3:10: Packer says that with Bill Self’s new zone defense he feels that he doesn’t have to steal the ball yet. Do you think he’d take a steal, though, if there was the opportunity? I think so. I know, I know, I’m just nitpicking now. Hey, that’s what I do!

2:13: This game is slipping away from Kansas…if Memphis can hit free throws, which is unfortunately a big if.

Commercial Analysis: “Hi, Enterprise, I’m at the repair shop, and I just thought that you should know…just kidding, I need to rent a car. Surprise! I’ll bet you had no idea that’s why I was calling.”

1:41: Huge steal and three for Kansas! 4 point game! 60-56 Memphis. Here comes the free throw shooting.

1:39: CDR knocks down both foul shots. Big shots.

1:23: And Dorsey fouls out. That’s Mr. Dorsey to you (according to the sign in the stands).

1:12: CDR misses the 1 and 1 free throw.

:55.8: 2 point game. 62-60 Memphis.

:44.7: Timeout Memphis. I feel like they’ve become a little passive. You still have to be aggressive, Memphis! And have fun…oh sorry, that’s Calipari’s job to tell them that.

:16.8: Wow, great no call on Collins drive, Douglas-Roberts back to the line. CDR misses another free throw. It’s coming back to bite them. Misses 2, but an offensive rebound!

:10.8: Eddie Hightower, Eddie Hightower, great judgment. Sorry, I’m just a pawn on Billy Packer. In all seriousness, though, Kansas has got to rebound missed free throws. That’s just unacceptable. Rose at the line. He has made his last 13. Missed the first. Wow. Hits the second.

:2.1: Oh, man! A three by Chalmers! Free throws, free throws…man oh man, it’s coming back to haunt Memphis. Whew.

:0.0: We’re going to Overtime! What a game! Great, great game! Way better than the last two wins by Florida the last two years.

Overtime: Rose does not have a confident look on his face. He knows that all he had to do was hit both foul shots to seal it.

4:28: Great finish by Rush on the break. Man, has the momentum shifted here.

Commercial Analysis: The Holiday Inn hot breakfast commercials are great. I know I said that already, but they are.

4:06: Kansas with a chance to go up 2 possessions here. And they do with an oop to Arthur!

3:11: Kansas now pulling away. Dorsey on the bench. Memphis looking tentative.

2:32: 69:63 Kansas. Wow. I’m telling you know, Calipari may snap and kill somebody when the press hammers him on free throw shooting after they lose this.

Commercial Analysis: The Bud Light “Dude” commercials. How do I say this? They’re just, well…not that funny. There, I said it.

2:24: CDR back to the line. Think he’s confident here? Definitely not. Hits the first. Looked good. Hits both. Bet ya he wishes he could have done that in regulation. They’d be cutting down the nets now if he did.

1:48: Great defensive possession by Memphis. 4 point game.

1:12: Rush cherry picking with the layup!

:56.8: Three pointer from Douglas-Roberts! 71-68 Kansas.

:45.1: Why they fouled Chalmers I don’t know. Billy and I are on the same page here.

:29.9: Jump ball. Possession arrow Kansas. Game over.

:28.3: Collins slips out of bounds! Wow. Memphis ball.

:12.8: 5 point Kansas lead with 2 free throws coming. Cue “One Shining Moment.”

:18.2: Time was added. I still just can’t believe that Memphis let this slip away. Man, free throw shooting. Wow. It really did come back to bite them after all.

:0.0: The fat lady is singing (and by fat lady I mean Luther Vandross)! Unbelievable. 75-68 Kansas in overtime.

Postgame: Tough loss for Memphis. They had this thing wrapped up and couldn’t finish it on the line. Hmmm. Wow. Congratulations Kansas and Bill Self who they said couldn’t win the big one. Too bad he couldn’t have won it when he was coaching in the Big 10 though. I think that’s something we all can agree on. Right? Well, on that note, that’s it, folks, I’m out! Great game.