John Calipari has always been a salesman more than a tactician, a recruiter more than a teacher. He can bring in the high-profile recruits, create a national non-conference schedule for publicity and market his talent-laden squad with the best of ‘em.

But at the end of the day or – better yet -- the end of 40 minutes, is that enough to win a national championship? On Monday night at the Alamodome in San Antonio, it wasn’t.

I’m not here to call out Calipari for not giving a foul in the waning seconds of regulation. It’s easy for critics to point to that strategy for why Memphis lost to Kansas, but I’ve always believed that ploy is based on your personnel.

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In other words, if you have a veteran team with a high basketball IQ composed of guys like Bobby Hurley, Shane Battier, Andre Miller, Lee Humphrey and/or Jason Richards, then yes, you do give a foul there.

But when you have a freshman guard like Derrick Rose, do you really want to give him the instructions to foul and risk a Mario Chalmers anticipating that move and going up a little early and perhaps drawing the foul in the act of shooting (three shots)?

That question is debatable, as is the issue of the Tigers’ free-throw shooting.

Yes, Rose made just 1-of-2 when he could have put the game on ice. Yes, Chris Douglas-Roberts missed three in a row, including the front end of a one-and-one opportunity, at winning time.

However, you can’t ignore the fact that Douglas-Roberts drained his first six free-throw attempts and finished 6-of-9 from the charity stripe, while Rose made 2-of-3 shots from the line.

Look, players miss free throws. It happens to the best of ‘em.

In my opinion, a “choke” is the more accurate description when a player does something stupid.

And at crunch time, Memphis choked this game away with two knucklehead plays that never should’ve happened. One play came with 1:23 left in regulation when Joey Dorsey inexplicably committed his fifth foul 35 feet from the basket.

For starters, the foul stopped the clock when Memphis had a six-point lead. Secondly, it sent Dorsey packing, meaning he wouldn’t be available if the game eventually went to overtime. Furthermore, it gave Chalmers a chance to knock down two free throws (which he did) without the clock moving a tick.

Dorsey is an unreal talent. His size and athleticism are off the charts. On the flip side, he’s a hothead that often loses his cool and simply “doesn’t get it” in terms of how to play and interact with teammates, opponents and officials.

Calipari had four years – FOUR YEARS! – to teach Dorsey how to play. He had an entire collegiate career to make sure that come crunch time of the game to win a national championship, Dorsey would play smart.

That’s where Calipari failed.

The other crucial play is what gave the Jayhawks life when it appeared they were toast. When KU cut the deficit to seven on a jumper by Darrell Arthur with 2:08 left, the Jayhawks were still in desperation mode. But on the ensuing inbounds pass, Antonio Anderson didn’t come to meet the pass at all and certainly not with the effort and passion that was mandatory at this point in the game.

The result was a Sherron Collins’ steal and subsequent 3-pointer a few passes later. All of a sudden, a nine-point deficit was trimmed to four in the span of just 15 seconds.

And let’s give Kansas the credit its due. The Jayhawks never panicked. When they needed a stop against Davidson in the Elite Eight, they got it.

When they needed a basket against Memphis, they got it. When they needed a steal, they got it. When they needed to extend the game with intelligent play, they did so.

Without a doubt, the 2008 national-championship game will be remembered as the one that Memphis let get away. That’s the nature of the beast.

But let’s not forget the team that won it. Better yet, let’s not forget the team that took it when it was there for the taking.

Twenty years after Danny and the Miracles pulled an improbable upset over Billy Tubbs’ high-octane Oklahoma squad, Manning himself was a part of KU’s coaching staff watching another miracle unfold.

Final Score: 75-68 Kansas in overtime. The Jayhawks cashed tickets as two-point ‘dogs at most books. Despite the extra session, the 143 combined points stayed ‘under’ the 147-point tally.

**B.E.’s Bonus Nuggets**

--When KU cut the nets down in 1988, head coach Larry Brown bolted for the San Antonio Spurs a few weeks later. Now Bill Self is on the cusp of a job offer from his alma mater (Oklahoma State) that would make him the highest-paid coach in college basketball. The guess here is that Self will simply use this as leverage to get a better deal at Kansas, but as the adage goes…money talks and bs walks. Stay tuned…

--If the Cowboys fail to bring Self back to the school where he spent 11 years as a player and coach, look for T. Boone Pickens and Co. to go after Kentucky’s Billy Gillispie.

--On Tuesday, Florida sophomore center Marreese Speights (14.5 points and 8.1 rebounds per game) announced that he would test the NBA waters without hiring an agent. According to NBAdraft.net, Speights would go 10th in the 2009 draft. The website hasn’t updated since April 7th, so no forecast for Speights’ status for the 2008 Draft is available yet.

--Also on Tuesday, LSU’s Anthony Randolph announced his intentions to turn pro. Randolph is set to get picked in the eighth slot according to NBAdraft.net. As for the coaching search in Baton Rouge, no decision appears imminent. Washington State's Tony Bennett and UMass's Travis Ford have taken their names out of the running, while Stanford's Trent Johnson and VCU's Anthony Grant are believed to be candidates.  

--Mississippi State's Ben Hansbrough will transfer, Rick Stansbury announced Monday. Hansbrough will have to sit out one season and will then have two years of eligibility remaining. He was the Bulldogs' fourth-leading scorer, averaging 10.5 points per game. Hansbrough scored 19 points in a 77-74 second-round loss to Memphis.

--NBAdraft.net has Davidson’s Stephen Curry slated to go No. 24 in the 2009 Draft.

Brian Edwards can be reached at briane@vegasinsider.com.