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Rock Chalk Phogedaboudit

The Riverwalk might as well be called The Mississippi Riverwalk, because Memphis owns this town this weekend. Despite a thoroughly impressive win over North Carolina, Kansas could bring Phog Allen back from the grave -- hell, they could bring James Naismith back and throw in Roy Williams to boot -- and they won't beat the (formerly known as Memphis State) Tigers. They are that good.

Memphis has an incredibly experienced team with three legitimate NBA players, the newest of whom (Derrick Rose) is the real deal. But you could say the same of Kansas. But Memphis has exuded a confidence I've never seen before and in every game during this tournament it has exercised its superior athleticism, basketball skill, coaching, and work ethic.

The Tigers don't always have the best shot selection, for sure; there's way too much one-on-one play. But there are three key things they do that are key ingredients in any NCAA championship team. First, they play incredible defense. Darren Collison couldn't get a shot off to save his life (or his team's) and ended the game with a meager two points; Kevin Love struggled, and except for a few surprising shots in the early part of the game, Josh Shipp was ineffective. As a team, UCLA shot 37%.

Second, Memphis rebounds. Kevin Love isn't used to being manhandled, but Robert Dozier and Joey Dorsey were able to push Love out of the paint countless times, and UCLA was unable to get second chances on the offensive end. Love ended the game with a sub-par (for him) 12 points and nine rebounds. Dorsey had 15 rebounds.

Finally, Memphis not only pushes the ball at every chance, but in its half court offense it spreads the court, allowing its athletes to shine inside and out.

Kansas put a whipping on North Carolina. Even with a 28 point lead, however, every fan in the building stayed because they knew the Heels had a run in them, and sure enough Carolina closed to within four points. But by then they were exhausted and Kansas pulled away. Kansas shot a whopping 53%, so the Tigers have their work cut out. But like the Tigers against UCLA, Memphis is bigger, stronger, more versatile and more talented at almost every position. It will be close, but the notion of the Jayhawks winning is about as fantastical as the schools mascot itself.

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