San Antonio, TX (Best E Casino) - When the ball left Mario Chalmers' hands in the waning seconds of regulation, the Jayhawks went from a team that was facing certain defeat to a sense of renewed confidence that they'd be cutting down the nets at the Alamodome.

Chalmers' three-pointer over the outstretched hand of Memphis freshman sensation Derrick Rose with 2.1 seconds left tied the game, forcing overtime and ultimately became the impetus for Kansas scooting past the Tigers, 75-68, as the Jayhawks won their third national championship.

"It will probably be the biggest shot ever made in Kansas history," Jayhawks coach Bill Self said. "When Danny (Manning) and The Miracles won it in '88, they were up four late or whatever. There were big, great plays that were being made, but none like that."

The shot not only solidified Chalmers as the Most Outstanding Player of the Final Four, but also gave the Jayhawks the momentum to score the first six points of the overtime and claim their first national title in two decades.

Before the lightning-rod shot by the junior guard, Kansas had to overcome a nine-point deficit with 2:12 left in the second half, but did it with the smart coaching from Self.

Memphis came into the game shooting 61 percent from the foul line, and with Self directing his team to put the Memphis players at the charity stripe, the move paid off as the Tigers missed four of their final five free throws in the second half.

With Rose making 1-of-2 at the line with 10.8 seconds left for a 63-60 margin, Sherron Collins got the ball for Kansas, but was bottled up until he somehow delivered it to Chalmers, who hit a leaning shot from the top of the arc.

"I think the play was just go flat and have a penetration pitch," Chalmers said. "I saw that Sherron kind of fumbled the ball. I relocated behind him. I was able to get a good look at it."

Chalmers said he was told in 2004 watching UConn play Georgia Tech in the championship game that he'd eventually have a special moment playing on the big stage.

"I was able to watch one of my good friends, Jarrett Jack, who was playing for Georgia Tech at the time," Chalmers noted. "I talked to him after the game. He said, 'One day you'll be there. When you get here, make the most of your opportunity.' That was something, when we got here, we all believed in ourselves. Coach believed in us, and we believed in coach, and we all fought together."

Right to the end.