Coach: John Calipari, eight years at school, five years in NCAA Tournament.
How they got here: Automatic bid (C-USA tournament champion); South first round: def. No. 16 seed Texas-Arlington 87-63; South second round: held of No. 8 seed Mississippi State 77-74; South semifinals: pasted No. 5 seed Michigan State 92-74; South final: routed No. 2 seed Texas 85-67; National semifinals: dominated West No. 1 seed UCLA 78-63.
They'll win the title if ...: Winning 38 games by an average margin of 18.6 points -- 80.2 to 61.6 -- the Tigers are earning credibility after feeling disrespected much of the season and through the early rounds of the NCAA Tournament. Memphis keeps the pedal to the floor with double-digit wins over Michigan State, Texas and UCLA in the last three games. That erased doubts about whether Memphis was among the nation's elite. The Tigers' backcourt tandem has become the team's rudder and, while barely leaving the floor as the stakes were raised building to Monday's grand-prize finale, scoring in bunches without making mistakes. Memphis has 16 turnovers in the last 80 minutes, covering the UCLA and Texas wins. Rose and "CDR" had 53 points against the Bruins, 46 against the Longhorns and 52 against Michigan State. If KU is to grab the Tigers by the tail and take the national title, disrupting the dynamic duo of Rose and Douglas-Roberts is essential. In a loss to Tennessee on Feb. 23, Memphis had 11 turnovers and Rose scored 23 points. But "CDR" was held to 14 points, shot 8 of 17 from the line and shot 39.7 percent from the field.
Memorable moment: The Tigers was ranked No. 1 in both polls and 26-0 when it lost 66-62 at home to then-No. 2 Tennessee on Feb. 23. That loss probably did more for the Tigers than any of their C-USA wins. It forced the Tigers to re-focus before the tournament.
Chris Douglas-Roberts |
Go-to guys: Memphis has multiple go-to scorers. Sophomore reserve guards Willie Kemp and Doneal Mack can score from the perimeter, junior guard Antonio Anderson can score off the drive and junior forward Robert Dozier can produce inside, but no two players are more valuable to the Tigers than their first-team all-conference selections -- junior guard Chris Douglas-Roberts and freshman point guard Derrick Rose. If the game is close and the Tigers need a basket, the ball will be in their hands.
Strengths: Memphis has the No. 1 RPI and was tested outside the well-cushioned conference schedule. The Tigers are deep and versatile, and their interchangeable parts fit together well. Rose is the closest thing to a complete player on the roster, but the Tigers have many different skills and talents in their playing rotation. They're capable of winning with defense and rebounding, even when they're not shooting well, because they can make the most of a fast, intense tempo and create easy shots.
Weaknesses: This is still a sum-of-all-parts team. Take one or two pieces out of the Memphis puzzle and cracks in the foundation can be exposed, especially if Dorsey disappears or finds foul trouble. Opponents prefer to play zone and take their chances with the Tigers erratic 3-point shooting. The Tigers were one of the nation's worst free-throw shooting teams during the regular season, but is hasn't been an issue during the tournament.
Coach: Ben Howland, five years at UCLA, four years in NCAA
Tournament
How they got here: Automatic bid (Pac-10 champion); West first round: def.
No. 16 seed Mississippi Valley State 70-29; West second round: def. No. 9
seed Texas A&M 51-49; West semifinals: held off
Western Kentucky 88-78; West final: dominat
ed No. 3 seed Xavier 76-57.
They'll keep winning if: Ben Howland tabbed the 2008 Bruins by far the best of his last three
teams. All three reached the Final Four. The 2006 and '07 teams failed to win the national title. Why will this
year be different? The Bruins tangle with Memphis, which means UCLA doesn't have to see Florida. But these
Tigers bring a new set of challenges, starting with defense, depth and overall athleticism, to the degree that coach
John Calipari can present enough lineup combinations to make the Bruins dizzy. Memphis boasts far more depth
than UCLA and the Tigers are eager to push the ball in transition, whereas the Bruins are possession-conscious
but don't operate with the parking brake engaged. The battle-tested Bruins have a bevy of players on the roster who
have something Memphis lacks -- Final Four experience. Hardened by losses in the Final Four each of the past two
years, the likes of point guard Darren Collison, Josh Shipp, Luc Richard Mbah a Moute -- all juniors -- are integral
core players with extensive big-game, NCAA Tournament seasoning. Collison is steady at the point. His size isn't an
asset, but his quickness and cool under pressure have been. He's the team's most accurate 3-point shooter and
has come up big in tight moments, including a game-winning score against Texas A&M. Shipp has been fighting it
recently, hitting just one shot against Xavier and 9 of 27 shots in the NCAA Tournament. He'll need to get it going for
UCLA to bring a well-rounded offense to San Antonio. UCLA's centerpiece is freshman Kevin Love, who put up an
average of 21.8 points, 10 boards and 4.3 blocks in four tournament games preceding the Final Four.
Memorable moment: The Bruins clinched their third straight regular-season Pac-10 title with
a 77-67 overtime victory over Stanford at Pauley Pavilion. The game featured a controversial climax when Stanford's
Lawrence Hill was called for a foul on a seemingly clean block of a shot by Darren Collison with 2.5 seconds left.
Collison made both free throws and the Bruins won in overtime.
Kevin Love
|
Go-to guys: Arron Afflalo was the best pure shooter on the Bruins' back-to-back Final Four teams. But UCLA's current starting unit features as many as four players willing to take the big shot. Freshman center Kevin Love, for instance, hit a difficult, double-clutch 3-pointer with 17 seconds left to set up the comeback win over Cal in March, which was secured when Josh Shipp made an even more difficult -- likely illegal -- basket by floating a shot over the top corner of backboard with 1.5 seconds left. Shipp struggled all the way to the Final Four with his stroke, but he and Love scored big baskets down the stretch against Western Kentucky and Darren Collison made a tough one under pressure to beat Texas A&M.
Strengths: Love is becoming a matchup nightmare. He doesn't often force it but is now hitting from 17 feet and beyond with consistency. The Bruins are balanced offensively, run an efficient fast break that can produce points in a hurry and play tough defense. They have a mix of experience and youth and a battle-tested coach. And they are motivated to not only reach the Final Four for a third straight season, but to add their 12th national championship banner.
Weaknesses: UCLA does not boast great depth, especially in the backcourt. Darren Collison
and Russell Westbrook play heavy minutes and the Bruins cannot afford either to become injured -- Collison in
particular has been injury-prone -- or get into serious foul trouble.
