Nat'l Championship Observations from a Typical Partisan Fan

We've got a busy morning, so here are just a few observations from a very competitive and thoroughly entertaining national championship game.

1. Not the prettiest game to watch, but it's been awhile since I remember that much athleticism on the floor in a college game. It's almost like these guys were too quick for their own good at a lot of times.

2. I saw the shot of Roy Williams rocking the Kansas sticker at the beginning of the game. It didn't bother me then. The guy has history with the school, it was a little sticker. This morning...it still doesn't bother me. That said, I absolutely get it how others think it's ridiculous.

3. Derek Rose is a man. He wasn't particularly impressive last night in a lot of ways, but he's got a body you very rarely see on a point guard, let alone a freshman in college.

4. Speaking of Rose...Billy Packer too frequently sounds like a CD that's stuck interminably skipping, but he was dead on about Rose having to take charge, keep the ball in his hands and have his teammates stop setting screens and give him some room to operate off the dribble.

5. Chris Douglas-Roberts is a unique player. He can just flat out score, and I see him continuing to have success at the next level. Not that it's apples to apples, but he reminds me of the Matrix for some reason. When you look at elements of his game autonomously, none is particularly impressive. And all look pretty ugly. OK, really ugly. Package it all up though, and he's a pretty complete player.

6. Although there's not a chance in hell, it'd be nice to see the three Tigers return and give it another run.

7. Cal should've called timeout. Period. Even if you've got a floor full of 15-year veterans, you put those arms up over your head and form the "t."

8. Spin it any way you want, but your best players need to make free throws in the big spots. You can talk about the turnovers, the steal, just knock 'em down at the line and you're cuttin' down the Nets.

9. The Collins three was as big as the Mario Chalmers three. Can someone please mention this a bit more? Anyone watching was probably like me saying "that was the play they needed to make this possible," and that happened long before 2.1 was showing on the clock.

10. I liked the way the coaches handled themselves in the post-game press conferences. That said, if Bill Self were to jump ship to OSU, I'd no longer think as highly of him.

Off to Shea later this morning for opening day...chat later.

posted at 8:16 AM