We’re about a week into the season for college hoops, we’ve already had a dramatic last-second win and, after last night, a scare for the consensus No. 1 team. Memphis took No. 1 Kansas the distance last night, just coming up short in a dramatic 57-55 loss. I mean, I guess it was dramatic. For November, anyway.

Memphis (1-1) closed within three on Doneal Mack’s 3-pointer with a minute left, then cut the lead to 56-55 on Elliot Williams’ long 3 with 17 seconds left. Sherron Collins hit 1 of 2 free throws at the other end to give Memphis a final chance, but Williams’ contested 3-pointer clanged off the back iron.

Williams thought the shot was in. The Jayhawks held their breath until it caromed away. –Y! Sports.

Kansas’ 21 turnovers kept Memphis in the game, and the close game keeps a left-for-dead team abandoned by John Calipari for Kentucky. First-year Memphis coach Josh Pastner can hope to see his team in the Top 25 next week. And then maybe eat a nice breakfast. Because that’s important. More NCAA Scores.

Baylor? I don't even know 'er! — 168

As some of you may have noticed, we have a tie in the #1 position.  And because Baylor and forklifter were in different groups, their tiebreaker isn't shown.  Ummm… I'm not sure what to do about that, exactly.  It's still first thing in the morning, and I haven't had enough coffee to make decisions.  But we'll figure something out.

Also, for the non-ironic completed bracket with the lowest point total, the winner of a big stack of sports books is the aptly named stupidbracket.

TO CLAIM YOUR PRIZE: Email withleather@gmail.com with your name and address from the Yahoo account you signed up with.  The winner(s) will get some kind of iTunes card (total TBD due to the tie and how we work that out), everyone else on that bulleted list gets a subscription to their choice of Penthouse or Playboy.  People who ask for something else other than what we're giving them for free (Can I get Redbook instead?) will lose the right to their prize.  

As a non-fan with no particular rooting interests, I couldn't have really asked for much more out of the Jayhawks' overtime win.  Congrats go to Bill Self and Kansas, while Memphis deserves credit for a terrific 38 minutes or so of basketball.  Maybe those people who said the Tigers' free throw shooting would come back to haunt them were on to something.  More on this tomorrow.

Prior to the NCAA tournament, conventional wisdom held that Memphis and Kansas were the two #1 seeds least likely to make the Finals: the Tigers had attained its gaudy regular-season record via a weak schedule, and Jayhawks coach Bill Self had famously never reached the Final Four. After embarrassing the more-heralded #1 seeds in the Final Four, the two teams will play for the national title tonight on CBS (9:21 Eastern time).

I won't pretend to know enough about the teams to predict an outcome to the game, but if comparing attractive women from the Miss USA pageant is any indicator, it looks like tonight will be all Memphis — Miss Tennessee Rachel Smith went on to win the crown, while Miss Kansas Cara Gorges (real name) had to settle for looking hot in a bikini and being from Kansas.

CAUTION: Clip contains Harry Truman's favorite word:

My question for Derrick Rose would be: "Wouldn't you like to go to school closer to home and play for the mighty Blue Demons of DePaul?" Then, I would chain myself to his leg until he agreed. Oh well, at least Rose has the chance to continue the tradition of Chicago-bred point guards leading their teams to the NCAA Championship, just as the great Isiah Thomas did for the Indiana Hoosiers in 1981. Maybe Rose will have a successful pro career and then run an original NBA franchise into the ground as general manager, too. I hope it's the Celtics. -KD 

{The Sporting Blog} 

For the first time since the NCAA tournament began seeding teams, all four #1 seeds have advanced to the Final Four, which means that your secretary is now winning your office pool.  With Leather offers its hearty congratulations to Kansas, UNC, UCLA, and Memphis, all of whom looked and played like they deserved their seeds (save possibly Kansas, which survived a scare from tourney sweetheart Davidson).  As much as it's sad to see Stephen Curry and #10 Davidson exit the bracket, it's also nice that Bill Self's Jayhawks finally made the Final Four.  Not because I like Bill Self, mind you — I'm just tired of being told Bill Self can't make the Final Four.

With my bracket now officially in the shitcan, I've turned my attention to the Final Foer.  I like pretentious douchebag Franklin over nerdy pencil-necked Joshua in the semis, then Franklin again over self-satisfied wiener Jonathan Safran in the final.  Winner gets punched in the balls.

NOTE: I'll review the leaders in the WL Pool of Hard Knocks before the Final Four begins.