When It’s All On The Line…..

When it is all on the line, and the pressure is on, can you deliver? Memphis learned the hard way last night.

I do not want to take away ANYTHING from their accomplishments this year. 38 wins and only 2 losses. Players, who time and time again, came up big throughout the year to complete one of the best seasons in college basketball history. An arduous journey through the 2008 tournament to play for the finals against a great Kansas team.

Memphis had the game under control. Kansas was down by 9 in the final minutes and forced to foul, in what is usually a futile attempt, to try and pull off a win. And what happened to Memphis on the line… they could not deliver in the pressure moments.

After hitting for over 80% from the line throughout the game, their free throw percentage tumbled when it was most important. As Billy Packer noted, “it is easy to make the shots when you are up by 9, but what happens when you most need to make them.”

I feel for Memphis. I feel for those in business who can execute flawlessly day in and day out, but slip when the pressure is on. I feel for the student who knows the material inside and out, but cannot get more than a 75% when it comes to the test.

We all have had these moments in our lives. The big story will be, how will Memphis deal with this loss? How will they step up to the ‘line’ and learn from this? What will they internalize, so as to improve next time?

Knowing John Calipari, a whole lot.

How about you?