For most of the college basketball season, I was not a strong believer in Memphis.
Sure, I was impressed with its strong nonconference schedule and its wins (that's right, Wildcats: wins) against Connecticut, Georgetown, USC, UA and Gonzaga.
Sure, I knew Derrick Rose was one of those freshman stars and that Chris Douglas-Roberts, Joey Dorsey, Robert Dozier and Antonio Anderson helped round out arguably the best starting five in the nation.
But, like most, I was worried that the Tigers' weak conference schedule and lack of competition from January on — other than a contest against Tennessee, which they lost — would hurt them come NCAA Tournament time.
That's why I had them as the only No. 1 seed not advancing to the Final Four in my bracket.
But after the way the Tigers stormed past college basketball powers Michigan State, Texas and UCLA, I've officially jumped on the bandwagon and picked them to win the national title tonight.
I may be extremely late, but I'm now a believer in Memphis.
