Lessons From Coach Self

What business strategy lessons can one take from the Kansas-Memphis NCAA men's championship game? Plenty. That goes for sports in general. No joke, if you take out all the sports metaphors from business-related articles and self-help books, total word count would drop about 15%.

Mario Chalmers' three-point shot at the end of regulation allowed Kansas to get to overtime, but the key decision of the game was Coach Swift's decision to foul Memphis with 2:12 left and Kansas down by nine.

Kansas (37-3) used the strategy any smart opponent of Memphis' would -- fouling the heck out of one of the country's worst free-throw-shooting teams -- and when Rose and Chris Douglas-Roberts made only one of five over the last 1:12, it left the door open for KU.

The fouling strategy worked. Memphis reverted to its horrible regular season free-throwing shooting. And because Kansas implemented its strategy early, it had enough time to make a comeback. Two minutes isn't much time in college ball. The 35-second shot clock doesn't allow much time for the team trying to catch up.

The lesson? Don't wait to implement your strategy. Sooner is better than later.