streaking & choking: the NCAA championship game

After Monday's game, there was a lot of talk about Memphis choking. And in a sense, that's quite true. Memphis had a nine-point lead with 2:12 to go. And they missed four straight free throws (before making the last one)-- in the last 75 seconds of the game.

But in another sense, Memphis simply bore the brunt of the final streak in a streaky game. The game was noteworthy because the game was always close (no lead more than nine points)-- and yet, it had seven significant streaks.

Check these out:
Memphis 9-3
Kansas 19-6
Memphis 11-2
Kansas 9-2
Memphis 8-2
Kansas 12-8 (the only long non-streak, with only 1-3 point leads)
Memphis 16-4
Kansas 18-3
Kansas 6-5 (as they rambled toward the end)