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…