So, we can officially stop talking about UCLA winning the title now, right?

There really aren’t enough words in the English language to describe what Derrick Rose did to Darren Collison (and the overblown Russell Westbrook) on Saturday night in the Memphis/UCLA game. Destroyed doesn’t work because there weren’t actual parts of Darren Collison’s body strewn about the Alamodome floor. He didn’t literally “burn” Collison, as I did not see “Seal-like” marks on the sulking guard’s face as he sat on the bench after fouling out of the game. Perhaps a phrase works best. Derrick Rose looked like he was on rollerblades as he blew past Collison whenever he wanted to during Saturday’s first game. Derrick Rose is this era’s Jason Kidd. Collison looked like the freshman on Saturday night. Not Rose. The moment that best encapsulated the game between Memphis and UCLA occurred on Collison’s 5th foul, as he listlessly swatted at Rose’s arm, seemingly waving his white flag, admitting that he had been beaten. And beaten badly.

Billy Packer was so astute in referring to Saturday night’s game between North Carolina and Kansas as three different games. Game one was the most dominating basketball I have seen in years. Game two saw Kansas hit a wall. North Carolina didn’t play very well in Game two. Kansas just couldn’t get its legs back. When you come out of the locker room with the intensity and the “Nothing Will Stop Us” mentality that Kansas did, you’re going to get tired. It’s science. The human body cannot perform at the level that the Jayhawks’ bodies performed in the first 10 minutes of the game Saturday. But then Game 3 happened and Kansas got their energy back and North Carolina, with no one able to hit a consistent shot, faded back into mediocrity.

Before I go to tonight’s game, a few last thoughts about Saturday. The two more athletic teams won. UCLA will not win a title until Ben Howland changes his coaching philosophy. Where you can succeed in the NFL with a “defense first” mentality, you can’t do that in Men’s College Basketball and the last 3 Final Fours make this clear. UCLA may have the athletes to compete with guys like Corey Brewer (formally of the Florida Gators) and Derrick Rose and CDR of this year’s Memphis teams, but they don’t use those players in an athletic role. And they lose because of it.

Game O’ The Day: Kansas vs. Memphis. Here’s the Breakdown of tonight’s game.

Guard Play: I give the advantage to Memphis, by the slimmest of margins. The Tigers have the best player amongst the two teams’ guards (Derrick Rose), but the Jayhawks have the next three in Russell Robinson, Mario Chalmers, and Sherron Collins. But how can you go against what Derrick Rose has done in this tournament. Again, if that man/boy/kid/teenager/star isn’t the top pick in the NBA Draft, an injustice will have occurred.

Frontcourts: I give the slight advantage to Kansas here, again, by a very slim margin. Brandon Rush v. Chris Douglas-Roberts is going to be a fascinating in-game matchup. They’re both long swingman with the ability to shoot and drive. I like Rush’s outside shooting more than I like CDR’s. In the Darrell Arthur/Joey Dorsey matchup, I would like to see Dorsey score a point or two in this game (0 points against UCLA Saturday). However, if he can shut down Arthur’s offensive game, Memphis will have a good shot at winning the title.

Coaches: I give an enormous advantage to Memphis here. Bill Self is not a good motivator. He’s not a good in-game coach. You saw that Saturday. If you’re coaching a team that goes from being up 28 to being up 10 in a matter of minutes, you’re not doing your job. Self is only here because of how good and deep his team is. Calipari, on the other hand, is a master motivator and a great in-game coach.

Bench: Advantage to Kansas. Sherron Collins is the best player coming off either bench and I think Sasha Kaun is the second best. And please, don’t forget the performance Cole Aldrich gave us Saturday night for the Jayhawks.

Momentum: Advantage to Memphis. They’ve wiped out Michigan State, Texas, and UCLA and made them look like Central Michigan, Texas Tech, and UCSB. Kansas may be very tired from Saturday’s game. Memphis should be fresher than California strawberries in June.

I would hope that we will be treated to a splendid game tonight. Both Memphis and Kansas are super athletic and incredibly deep. They’re close in the starting 5. Kansas has the better bench. Memphis has the better coach. None of these players have played on the first Monday of April, as the ball goes up at 9:21 p.m. Neither of these coaches have been there either. Saturday’s games are different than Monday’s game. There’s more hype on Saturday night. Monday night is the real deal. It’s always been that way. Name a time when the better team didn’t win on Monday night.

Tonight’s game is a basketball culture clash. The Kansas blue-bloods vs. The Memphis blue-balls. Kansas’ legacy vs. Memphis’ long-term wait for glory (hence the blue-balls). James Naismith vs. Anfernee Hardaway. Phog Allen Fieldhouse, a college basketball mecca vs. FedEx Forum, a recently christened arena. The only things these teams have in common is the color blue and an uptempo style. Beyond that, you’ll have old white men in blue crewneck sweaters on one side and screaming urban youths in XXXXL black T-shirts on the other. It should be fun.

The better team tonight will be the Memphis Tigers. As much as I’ve always had a dislike for Memphis, I’ve grown to really like this team. The turning point for me was the Georgetown game in December, when they outclassed and outhusteled the Hoyas. I’ve always had a love for teams that bust their ass. And Memphis does that. They’ll win tonight 78-68 over Kansas, putting an end to a great season of college basketball.

Tomorrow you’ll have my breakdown of Stanford and Tennessee in the Woman’s final, as well as my thoughts about the Washington Capitals making the NHL Playoffs. Until then, please enjoy the game tonight as much as I hope to.