SAN ANTONIO — Kansas eventually broke through the door that Memphis could not quite close in 40 minutes of regulation because of poor free-throw shooting, and sent the pro-Jayhawks crowd at the Alamodome into spasms of elation last night.

Thanks in large part to 1-of-5 marksmanship from the line by Memphis in the final 1 minute, 15 seconds, the Jayhawks rallied from a nine-point deficit to force overtime and controlled the extra period, capturing the national title with a 75-68 victory over the Tigers.

Before a crowd of 43,257 at the Alamodome, Kansas won its third national championship and first since 1988, when Larry Brown led them to the ultimate victory in Kansas City, Mo.

The Jayhawks (37-3) showed heart in coming back from a 60-51 deficit in the final 2:12 of regulation. Mario Chalmers tied it at 63-all with 2.1 seconds left when he drained a 3-point basket after Memphis' Derrick Rose made just 1 of 2 free throws with 10.8 seconds remaining to give Kansas one last chance.

Chris Douglas-Roberts, who led the Tigers with 22 points, missed three straight free throws down the stretch.

"It was a fabulous game," Kansas coach Bill Self said. "We were laboring on offense, but we competed hard on every possession. It's one thing to win, but another thing to win the way we won. There's no quit in these guys."

Throughout the postseason, Memphis coach John Calipari panned the critics who said free-throw shooting would be the Tigers' downfall. Indeed, in five previous NCAA tournament games, the Tigers shot 70.2 percent from the line, and Calipari said the toughness of his team would overcome any deficiencies there.

Last night, it didn't. The Tigers (38-2) shot free throws more like the team that made just 61.3 percent from the line in their previous 39 games, finishing 12 of 19.

"It came back and bit us," said Douglas-Roberts, a 71 percent free-throw shooter entering the game. "We missed them at crucial times, but we were still up three with 10 seconds to go. I guess you can boil it down to the free throws."

The Tigers looked demoralized after Chalmers' game-tying shot. To make matters worse, Rose was favoring his left ankle as he walked to the bench, and did not score in the extra period, finishing with 18 points.

The play of Rose over an eight-minute stretch of the second half made it appear as if the Tigers would win their first national championship. He scored 14 points during that time, including an acrobatic layup and a wild 18-footer at the shot-clock buzzer that banked in.

That shot, part of a 12-2 run, put Memphis up by seven with 4:14 to play, and a basket by Shawn Taggert and two free throws by Robert Dozier increased the Tigers' margin to 60-51 at the 2:12 mark, maybe enough. Or maybe not.

Darrell Arthur, who led Kansas with 20 points, hit two baskets during the comeback, and Sherron Collins added a three-ball and assisted on the tying basket by Chalmers, who wound up with 18 points and was named the Final Four's outstanding player.

"The play was just penetrate and pitch," Chalmers said. "Sherron fumbled the ball, so I rotated behind him and got the ball. I got a good look at it."

Calipari said he wanted his team to foul on the final possession of regulation and that his team had fouled Collins away from the ball early in the possession, but nothing was called.

"They're hurting bad: How close were they to a national championship?" he said. "You've got to give Kansas credit. They made plays, and everything that had to happen to us did — missed free throws, late turnovers. We were going to foul with 10 seconds to go, and we pushed (Collins) hard to the floor. All of that is why we lost."

The Jayhawks got layups from Brandon Rush and Darnell Jackson and a dunk from Arthur in the opening 2:22 of overtime to go up by six. The Tigers, who made only one of eight shots in the extra period, didn't have enough punch to make it up.

Douglas-Roberts' 3-pointer with 56.8 seconds left got Memphis to within 71-68, but Chalmers and Collins each hit a pair of free throws to wrap things up.

"We haven't really played in that many close games, to be candid," Self said. "But there was something different. Even though we didn't look good, we felt like all we needed was a break. It was toughness and guys making plays when it didn't look good."

The Jayhawks shot 52.7 percent from the field, outrebounded the Tigers by 39-28 and outscored them in the paint, 44-26. Memphis center Joey Dorsey managed just two rebounds and fouled out with 1:23 left in regulation.

"They bothered us all night with their length," Self said. "That's a good team. If we played them 10 times, it'd probably be 5-5. We got fortunate late, but I'm really proud of our guys."