Raphielle Johnson's blog

Well, today marks the beginning of the Spring Signing Period, and many fans are awaiting the decision of guard Tyreke Evans. The explosive prerimeter player is said to be leaning in the direction of Memphis, and that's who I'd expect him to sign with due to the departure of Derrick Rose. But the school with the most going on in recent days has to be Marist, who will any day be gaining a head coach, but they've already lost two players.

- Memphis assistant Jose "Chucky" Martin to be named Marist head coach.

Well, it's all over and the Kansas Jayhawks are the national champions, defeating Memphis 75-68 in overtime. And the miraculous end to regulation couldn't have been more fitting, coming twenty years after "Danny and the Miracles" won KU's last national crown.

Mario Chalmers, named MOP of the Tournament, nailed a game-tying three pointer with 2.1 seconds remaining. The shot had the effect of a sharp right cross on the Tigers, who even though they staggered around to stay alive in the extra session had the wind knocked out of them by that shot.

We're halfway to knowing who our national champion will be, and Kansas heads into the break with a five-point lead after scoring the half's final five points. Sherron Collins, thought by some to be headed to a fate similar to that experienced by other undersized guards who have encountered Memphis in the Tournament, has been a spark on both ends of the floor. For Memphis, Derrick Rose needs to be much more assertive on offense. One made field goal, and he's giving up his dribble much too quickly thus far.

Well, we certainly didn't expect this. Kansas, thanks to an 18-0 run in which Carolina went 9:03 without a field goal, raced out to a 40-12 lead before the Heels used a 15-4 run to close within 44-27 at the half. Here are a few observations in regards to the first half.

1. North Carolina has not seen a team this good on the defensive end of the floor.

With one half in the books, here are a few observations on the action.

1. UCLA does not have a defensive answer for Derrick Rose.

While it was CDR who got off to the hot start early on (4-4, 10 pts early; 13 total), he eventually cooled off thanks to the defense of Russell Westbrook. But Darren Collison hasn't had as much success in dealing with Rose (11 points), who has made his way to the rim whenever he wanted to in the first stanza. If the Bruins are to win this game, this has to change.

Well, we now know who is on their way to San Antonio next weekend, and unlike the New England Patriots we actually get treated to some history. For the first time in the 64/65-team era of the NCAA Tournament, all four top seeds will make it to the season's final weekend. In Sunday's action, Memphis made short work of Texas in Houston to reach their first Final Four since the days of Keith Lee in 1985. In the Midwest, Kansas gets Bill Self to his first Final Four and the first for the program since 2003. Who will they meet?

UCLA and North Carolina become the first two to punch their ticket to San Antonio thanks to regional final victories over Xavier and Louisville, respectively. One thing that may help out the Bruins in their quest for a twelfth national title is the fact that Florida won't be in town next weekend. The Gators are the only team to beat UCLA in NCAA Tournament play the last two-plus seasons. And with Kevin Love being a double-double machine (23 on the season), things could very well remain that way.

The Elite Eight is now set, with none of tonight's games offering anything in the way of drama. In addition to that, only Xavier's overtime win last night gave viewers a final margin of fewer than ten points. Davidson was the surprise of the evening, defeating Wisconsin in shockingly easy fashion to move on to Sunday's Midwest Region final where they will meet the Kansas Jayhawks. In the South, top seeds Memphis and Texas took care of business to move on to Sunday's final in Houston. Now here are some honors for Friday's action.

Team of the Night: #1 Memphis

After Thursday's games we're down to twelve teams with a shot at being the final scene in CBS' "One Shining Moment" montage. In Charlotte, North Carolina and Louisville took care of business in defeating Washington State and Tennessee respectively. Out in Phoenix, there was more suspense but in the end it was UCLA and Xavier winning to move on to Saturday's regional final. Here are some honors for Thursday's action.

Team of the Night: #1 North Carolina
Result: Defeated #4 Washington State 68-47 in Charlotte.

We're now down to the Sweet 16, and to say the least there are some surprises. Ten seed Davidson, after knocking off Georgetown in Raleigh, moves on to Detroit thanks in large part to guard Stephen Curry. The brutal non-conference schedule they played early in the season clearly has paid off for the Wildcats. Another set of Wildcats, these hailing from Villanova, will also be in the Motor City as the twelve seed in the Midwest. Scottie Reynolds and Corey Stokes proved to be too much for the cold-shooting Siena Saints.