Tourney Look Back: Curry spiced it up, Chalmers finished it off

SAN ANTONIO -- Early Tuesday afternoon, and people continued to talk about it.

Can you believe Memphis missed those free throws?
Can you believe Mario Chalmers made that 3-pointer?
Can you believe John Calipari didn't use his timeouts?

One shot from Mario Chalmers, countless Curry bombs marked the tourney. (Getty Images)

Eventually the questions will cease (or at least slow), I do believe. But folks were still trying to make sense of what happened the day after the completion of this NCAA tournament, still trying to understand how Memphis could blow a nine-point lead with less than two minutes left while giving Kansas the chance to record its third national title and first since 1988.

It was quite a scene in the Alamodome, where the Road to the Final Four ended.

And boy, what a road it was -- three weeks of crazy shots and exciting finishes, three weeks of unlikely heroes and unsuspecting failures.

So now a day removed, I figured a perfect time to take a step back and offer a look back. Thus, here's a rough review of the NCAA tournament.

Best game: Fifty-one percent of you who have voted in a poll on the CBSSports.com homepage believe Kansas-Memphis was the best NCAA tournament title game you have ever seen. Consequently, it has to be the best game of this NCAA tournament, a back-and-forth affair with stars and drama and a collapse/comeback that'll never be forgotten.

Best overall story: Through two weeks we were treated to the Stephen Curry Show, a coming-out party for a no-longer-overlooked star who is clearly good enough to play in any league, the NBA included. Curry taking up residency at Davidson made many discount his scoring averages, ability and national relevance.

The crafty sophomore averaged 34.3 points in wins over Gonzaga, Georgetown and Wisconsin before getting 25 in a 59-57 loss to Kansas in the Elite Eight. That's another tidbit Davidson can trumpet in its preseason media guide -- that Curry helped the Wildcats play the eventual national champions to the final buzzer.

Best moment: It was Mario Chalmers' 3-pointer, right? He caught it and shot it and turned himself into a Kansas legend with an improbable jumper that fell through the net with 2.1 seconds left and forced Memphis into overtime. It was clutch by any measure, just a holy schnikes moment that will forever haunt Memphis fans, whose team never had a real chance in OT because momentum had shifted and Joey Dorsey had fouled out.

Best what-happens-in-San-Antonio-stays-in-San-Antonio moment: So Gregg Doyel and I are leaving a place of business late Sunday night/early Monday morning, right after they started turning on lights and asking folks to close tabs. That was our cue. So we're walking back to our hotel and suddenly realize we don't know where our hotel is.

Naturally, Gregg decides to ask a man for assistance, and the first man he sees is a well-known college basketball coach who is waiting on a cab with a gorgeous woman. Gregg says hello to the coach, exchanges pleasantries and then goes on to introduce himself to the coach's wife. Problem is, this woman was not the coach's wife. And boy did that make for an awkward moment.

Derrick Rose will make any GM regret passing on him as the top pick in the NBA Draft. (AP)

Player who made himself a lot of money: Derrick Rose was the consensus No. 2 pick heading into the NCAA tournament because of his size, athleticism and perceived ability to be a star at the next level. Now, he'll probably go No. 1 -- and sign lots of endorsement deals -- because of the way the freshman point guard led Memphis to the title game.

Rose averaged 20.8 points, 6.5 rebounds and 6.0 assists in six NCAA tournament games and was clearly the most gifted player every time he stepped on the court. So though NBA general managers still have my permission to take Michael Beasley No. 1 if they want, I'm gonna feel sorry for the guy who opts to pass on Rose. My guess is that such a move would likely turn out to be a mistake.

Coach who made himself a lot of money: Darrin Horn had never made an NCAA tournament at Western Kentucky before this season. Some WKU fans weren't happy about it. They thought he should be removed if he didn't win the Sun Belt tournament, which would have likely forced the Hilltoppers to miss college basketball's premier event for the fifth consecutive time.

But then WKU won the Sun Belt tournament. And then WKU beat Drake. And then WKU beat San Diego. And then Horn found himself in the Sweet 16, and now he's the head coach at South Carolina, having gone from the hot seat to the SEC in a matter of a month.

The three things we'll remember most

1. Memphis' collapse/Mario Chalmers' shot
2. Stephen Curry's unbelievable jumpers
3. Four No. 1 seeds making the Final Four for the first time

The three biggest overachievers

1. Davidson
2. Western Kentucky
3. San Diego

The three biggest underachievers

1. Georgetown
2. Connecticut
3. Indiana

All-NCAA tournament team

G: Derrick Rose (Memphis)
G: Stephen Curry (Davidson)
G: Mario Chalmers (Kansas)
F: Kevin Love (UCLA)
F: Tyler Hansbrough (North Carolina)

Final thought

Good for Bill Self.

I wanted to mention that if I hadn't already.

The Kansas coach has been a punching bag for fans in recent years, maligned for never breaking through to the Final Four despite having rosters some thought could have (or should have) done the job.

Phog Allen, Larry Brown ... Bill Self adds his name to the list of KU's title-winning coaches. (AP)

It was always silly, I thought, and I've forever told anybody who would listen that it was just a matter of time before Self exceeded everybody's expectations. Getting great players is the key to greatness and the guy is always going to have great players.

On the other hand, lots of coaches have great players.

John Calipari had them.

So did Roy Williams. And Ben Howland.

But it was Self standing there late Monday, cutting the net and soaking it all in, and there can't be too many people who felt bad watching it (outside of some Illinois fans, of course). As far as polarizing figures go, Self is not one of them. He's a likeable guy who has never shied away from criticism and rarely made excuses for shortcomings.

He knows what he is and he's comfortable with it, and that's refreshing in this era of college basketball, when many can be too thin-skinned or delusional about anything and everything.

So again, good for Bill Self.

He's now a national championship coach.

So it should be hard for anybody to ask questions anymore.