April 8, 2008
Readers Edge Staff in DCist March Madness Pool
Memphis had it all figured out. But after downing the powerful UCLA Bruins and storming ahead of the Kansas Jayhawks to an eight point lead with two minutes to go, the Tigers blew it. College basketball pregame show enthusiasts and overanalyzers everywhere were rewarded for heeding their experts' warnings: Memphis cannot shoot free throws. It took a miracle three by Mario Chalmers and the lack of a Memphis inside presence (Memphis' Joey Dorsey fouled out in regulation) during overtime for Kansas to complete the comeback and claim victory.
In contrast, Kansas' victory did not propel DCist staff over the readers in our bracket challenge. Our top two finishers were readers that picked Memphis to win it all. Congrats to reader Omar Haque for his champion's bracket. Omar picked seven of eight quarterfinalists, and, had Memphis pulled it out, would have chosen a perfect semifinal, final, and champion.
Several of our staff displayed the foresight to pick Kansas, though picks in earlier rounds doomed their chances for a champion's bracket -- basketball contributors Graham Hough-Cornwell, Kyle Gustafson, and Hayden Alfano all rode the Jayhawks to fourth, fifth, and seventh place finishes. Thanks for lending some credibility to our sports section, guys!
What were your general impressions of the tournament? Was the inception of an all 1-seed final four a positive development? Best games? Biggest disappointments? And, perhaps most importantly, what the heck happened to our local teams? Thanks for participating, folks. Until next year...
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So I watched the game, and it was exciting. But why do the Kansas team yell "Rock, Chalk, Jayhawk"? Did it originate when some of the Bible-beaters started speaking in tongues?
I've never seen a team give away a championship like that before. Memphis had it in the bag on multiple occasions in the final minutes and just blew it. Ugly.
i wondered that too so i researched it on wikipedia:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rock_Chalk,_Jayhawk
i think that article is a bit biased and should therefore not be used for research purposes.
John Calipari said D.Rose wasn't feeling well the day before because he had too much "candy." anyone else think he was referring to liquid candy?
free throws win games!
thanks a lot, UCLA (among all the teams who were so selfish that they couldn't win the games i predicted they would). why don't they pay attention to my picks?!?
The Wikipedia article matches what all good Jayhawks (like me) learn while passing through KU. It is not so much a "cheer" as a "chant" when used by the fans (although a team may use it as a rapid-fire cheer when exiting a huddle). When a game is ending, and it is clear that KU is going to win, it will slowly build up through the crowd. For example, had the score been reversed at the 2 minute mark last evening, a few may have tried to start it up...
DL, correct me if I'm wrong (I graduated form KU SEVERAL years ago and my memory is fading), but doesn't it have something to do with the limestone in Mt. Oread? Rock that looks like chalk or something? I don't know. I defer to you.
Great game last night. I'm sad to admit that I was in college when we last won the championship. And no, I'm not talking about the one in the 1950s.
definitely a cool tradition..
Yeah, according to the Wikipedia reference above, taken from a KU-related site, the "Rock Chalk" comes from the inversion of "chalk rock", a limestone prevalent in some areas of Kansas and, I believe, used on some of the buildings on KU's campus.
I'm not sad to admit that I had just left KU with two degrees by the time that Danny and the Miracles won in 1988. I was fortunate enough to see him play for three years.
Every university strives for some unique "hook" such as the "Hook-em horns" at Texas or the fight songs of several schools (e.g. Notre Dame). My (biased) opinion is that the Rock Chalk chant ranks right up their with the best of them, in particular because it involves everyone in chanting. Hearing it with 15,999 other people in Allen Fieldhouse at KU is special.
Is it just me or does anyone else think of Mario Chalmers should change his first name to Superintendent?
Just me?
I thought so.