Tigers go after place in history

SAN ANTONIO -- Maybe no one ever wanted to believe Memphis could end up as one of the great teams in NCAA history.

The Memphis moons were lunar-eclipsed in this Final Four, engulfed by titans of basketball industry. UCLA, North Carolina and Kansas had combined for 17 national titles to none for the Tigers.

“Three blue bloods and a blue collar,” Coach John Calipari joked.

But Memphis, after dispatching UCLA with such unexpected ease in Saturday’s national semifinal game, now has a chance to separate from the Pac-10, the Big 12 and the Big Picture.

“Kansas, UCLA and North Carolina have all won it before,” Memphis sophomore forward Pierre Niles said. “This would be our first. We come from a small city that doesn’t make it to the Final Four much.”

A win over Kansas in tonight’s national title game at the Alamodome and the Tigers of Memphis would have to be mentioned alongside the Hoosiers of Indiana.

Wouldn’t they?

Memphis would end the season 39-1. The Tigers have already set the single-season record for wins and seek to become the seventh one-loss school to win the NCAA title and the first since North Carolina State in 1974.

Memphis would have ended up a four-point loss to No. 2 Tennessee on Feb. 23 from finishing 40-0.

There have been only seven unbeaten NCAA champions, the last in 1976, when Indiana finished 32-0.

Yet, somehow, Memphis seems to have sneaked into posterity position.

The Tigers were judged by the company they kept in Conference USA, a league outside the “power” six.

Memphis had to offset the perception in nonconference games by defeating the likes of Oklahoma, Connecticut, Georgetown and Arizona.

Calipari compares Memphis to Jerry Tarkanian’s powerhouse teams at Nevada Las Vegas.

“They won championships,” Calipari said. “Also did it in a league like ours.”

Tennessee’s win, actually, took some of the build-up pressure off.

“Going undefeated is very hard,” sophomore guard Willie Kemp said. “Indiana was the last team to do it and they were a great team. We are a great team, but this was never about going undefeated. We wanted to get a national championship.”

Memphis’ Saturday win over UCLA, 78-63, moved the Tigers one giant leap closer.

Reports that this was an unstructured, undisciplined rag-tag team were obviously unfounded.

UCLA guard Darren Collision found out against Memphis guard Derrick Rose and Ben Howland found out against Calipari.

Memphis even beat UCLA once on a “back-door” play.

“Some of it is scripted,” Calipari said of the offense. “That’s why I say it’s like Princeton on steroids. It’s just faster.”

Of course, all that stands between Memphis and history is the 800-pound Jolly Kansas Giant.

Memphis is trying to make history now; Kansas was there at creation.

Tradition?

“There’s other great programs that have it,” Jayhawks Coach Bill Self said, “but nobody has the inventor of the game [James Naismith] as their first coach.”

Kansas (36-3) is 81-36 in the NCAA tournament but only 2-5 in championship games, winning in 1952 and 1988. Kansas, though, has garnered a falling-short reputation in recent years, going one and out in 2005 (to Bucknell) and 2006 (to Bradley).

Instead of a jump ball, Monday’s game should start with a starter’s pistol. The teams are similar in talent and texture and the game might be played at NBA speed.

Both teams are designed outside-in. Kansas is built around guards Brandon Rush, Mario Chalmers, Russell Robinson and Sherron Collins.

Memphis boasts, arguably, the nation’s best two-man guard combination in lanky 6-foo-7 junior guard Chris Douglas-Roberts and 6-3 freshman Rose, a game changer on offense.

“We have been playing tough guards all year, but this will definitely be our toughest matchup in the biggest game,” Robinson said.

Rose, complaining of an upset stomach, was excused from Sunday’s media sessions -- now he knows what everyone else gets when they guard him -- but he is expected to play.

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chris.dufresne@latimes.com

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Memphis vs. Kansas

Starters and key reserves in tonight’s NCAA tournament championship game at San Antonio (6 PDT, Channel 2).

*--* STARTERS MEMPHIS Ht Wt PPG P KANSAS Ht Wt PPG Derrick Rose 6-3 205 14.6 G Russell 6-1 205 7.4 Robinson Chris 6-7 200 17.7 G Mario 6-1 190 12.6 Douglas-Roberts Chalmers Antonio Anderson 6-6 210 8.4 G Brandon Rush 6-6 210 13.4 Robert Dozier 6-9 215 9.2 F Darnell 6-8 250 11.3 Jackson Joey Dorsey 6-9 265 7.1 F Darrell 6-9 225 12.6 Arthur RESERVES Willie Kemp 6-2 175 5.3 G Sherron 5-11 205 9.2 Collins Doneal Mack 6-5 175 7.2 F/C Cole Aldrich 6-11 240 2.9 Shawn Taggart 6-10 230 6.0 F/C Sasha Kaun 6-11 250 7.2 *--*