SAN ANTONIO — They call it the dribble-drive-motion offense. The player most responsible for running it should be described the same way.

For if Derrick Rose is anything to the Memphis Tigers, he is a constantly moving flurry of bounces, spin moves, scoop layups and floaters. He is a relentless bundle of activity, a dizzying combination of physical talent and basketball acumen.

He was the best player on the court yesterday, the biggest reason Memphis hung a way-too-easy 78-63 loss on UCLA in the first of two national semifinals at the Alamodome.

He is now one win away from the national title, with only Kansas in his way. The Jayhawks similarly dismantled the tournament's top overall seed, North Carolina, advancing with an 84-66 win in the second game. But as good as the Jayhawks looked — and they were scary in building a 40-12 lead — no player stood out like Rose.

And he is only a freshman.

If Rose is indeed about to play his final college game tomorrow night, he has quite possibly turned himself into the top overall pick in the next NBA draft. With him running the show, the dribble-drive-motion offense is on its way to being called the national-championship-winning offense. Kansas plays fast, too, and like Memphis, can suffocate on defense, and like Memphis, believes it can beat anyone.

"I definitely expected this matchup," Kansas star Brandon Rush said. "Memphis is a great team. They get up and down like we do."

They do it with Rose on the gas. Rose arrived at Memphis with a jaw-dropping resume of basketball experience, from his multitude of all-star games, his high school prowess and his national recognition on the AAU circuit. But when he joined a veteran group of players that fell one game short of the Final Four last season, he threw all those accolades away. Instead, he got into the gym and stayed longer than any of his teammates. Even though his point guard mentality told him the team was his to lead, he knew how to earn the role.

"It took a little time, some weeks or something, and I had to show by example so I could let the coaches know I was ready," he said. "I worked hard. I was all about business when I came in. I hate to be labeled as a freshman. If you can play, you can play."

He can play. And his teammates realized it right away. "We don't look at Derrick as a freshman," senior Joey Dorsey said. "Once he came here, he was coached by the veterans a little bit, but he just came in and started playing."

So long as Rose lets those upperclassmen get on the water line first and get dibs on the best seats in the bus, all remains smooth. "They didn't haze me or anything," he said. "I'm glad about that."

The rest of this happy bunch are content to let Rose get away with his collection of superstitions, from his insistence on eating pineapple before every game to his need to bounce to the same collection of songs as he gets pumped to play. They know once the ball is thrown up, he will lead them where they need to go.

Rose did his best Jason Kidd impersonation yesterday, finishing with 25 points, nine rebounds and four assists yesterday. Most impressive was his 11-for-12 from the free throw line, the area where most Memphis pre-tournament non-believers insisted the Tigers would pay for their ineptitude.

Coach John Calipari told a story about Rose's free throws, one he used to illustrate why Rose is a unique talent. Midway through the year, Calipari changed Rose's motion, instructing him to stop the ball in front of his chest instead of heaving it from below his waist. Rose worked on the switch, told his coach he loved it and planned to put it in motion the next game.

By then, Calipari panicked. What had he done? Had he wrecked the kid's free throws for the rest of the season?

"I grabbed him before the game and said, 'Derrick, if you don't feel comfortable, go back to the old way,' " Calipari said. "He said he was fine. But he would have never blamed me if he missed all of his free throws. You know why? Because he ... has the mental makeup and the physical stuff that is just ridiculous."

What he doesn't appear to have is much of an ego, casting his eyes quickly downward when asked to talk about his own game. There are plenty willing to pick up the slack, however. Penny Hardaway, the onetime NBA star who was in the Alamodome, was dazzled by Rose's performance.

"He has talent that is still untapped," Hardaway said. "And that is scary."