<table> </table> &#8226;<strong>ABOUT MEMPHIS (38-1)</strong>: The Tigers have played the respect card all the way to the championship game. Despite beating NCAA Tournament teams Oklahoma, Connecticut, Austin Peay, Southern California, Georgetown, Arizona, Siena and Gonzaga during the season, Memphis was looked down upon because of its Conference USA schedule. The league didn&#8217;t get two teams into the tournament, and that meant Memphis would be the first No. 1 seed to lose. Well, it didn&#8217;t happen. Memphis blew out Michigan State and Texas in the Sweet 16 and Elite Eight, respectively, and then pasted fellow No. 1 seed UCLA on Saturday night in the national semifinals. The Tigers appear to be peaking at the right time.</p><p>&#8226;<strong>ABOUT KANSAS (36-3</strong>): The Jayhawks similarly have felt like an underdog, particularly Saturday night against North Carolina. During the season, KU beat NCAA Tournament teams Arizona, Southern California, Oklahoma, Kansas State, Baylor, Texas and Texas A&amp;M on its way to the Big Dance. The Jayhawks have won 12 games in a row since losing to Oklahoma State on Feb. 23, and they certainly hope that 13 will be lucky tonight. Kansas took a relatively smooth road to the Final Four, beating No. 16 seed Portland State, No. 8 seed UNLV, No. 12 seed Villanova and No. 10 seed Davidson. The Jayhawks played their finest game of the year in beating North Carolina 84-66 on Saturday night, and like Memphis, look to be on an upswing in April.</p><p><hr class="infobox-hr-separator" /> <div class="infobox"> <strong><span class="subhead"><em><strong>GUARD</strong></em> Memphis&#8217; Derrick Rose (above) vs. Kansas&#8217; Russell Robinson</span></strong></p><p><strong>Edge &gt;&gt; Memphis</strong></p><p>Rose will undoubtedly be the best point guard Robinson has seen all season &#8212; and that includes first-team All-American D.J. Augustin of Texas. Rose can go from zero to 60 faster than any other guard in the country, and he can finish at the rim with the force of a wing player. History shows that Robinson will be ready, though. He helped stop Augustin in Austin, holding him to one-of-13 shooting, and shut down Scottie Reynolds of Villanova in the Sweet 16. Robinson is judged by a different set of standards than Rose. He just has to find a way to get Kansas a &#8216;W.&#8217; </p><p><strong><span class="subhead"><em><strong>GUARD</strong></em> Memphis&#8217; Antonio Anderson vs. Kansas&#8217; Mario Chalmers</span></strong></p><p><strong>Edge &gt;&gt; Kansas</strong></p><p>Anderson is asked by Memphis coach John Calipari to defend the opposing team&#8217;s best offensive player, so he&#8217;ll probably play some on Chalmers and Brandon Rush. Any scoring the Tigers get from Anderson is a bonus. Chalmers is KU&#8217;s do-it-all guard, and he plays his best in big games. Chalmers will have a big advantage guarding Anderson because it should free him to patrol the passing lanes, looking for opportunities for steals and a chance to create fast-break points. Chalmers had 30 points in the last title game KU played &#8212; against Texas in the Big 12 tournament.</p><p><strong><span class="subhead"><em><strong>GUARD</strong></em> Memphis&#8217; Chris Douglas-Roberts vs. Kansas&#8217; Brandon Rush</span></strong></p><p><strong>Edge &gt;&gt; Memphis</strong></p><p>Douglas-Roberts &#8212; his teammates call him &#8220;CDR&#8221; &#8212; is a first-team All-American and will be Rush&#8217;s toughest defensive assignment of the season. Rush is clearly the man to guard Douglas-Roberts, who is long and is normally a matchup problem for opposing wing players. He was just about unguardable Saturday night against UCLA, when he scored 28 points. Rush&#8217;s challenge will be to limit Douglas-Roberts&#8217; ability to get into the lane, but Rush will also have to save some energy for the offensive end. Talk about a great stage for Rush, a guy who has NBA ambitions after this season. Rush scored 25 points on 11-of-17 shooting against North Carolina, so he comes in with some momentum.