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2 is not 7.
Yes, the Florida Gators have won Back-to-Back NCAA Basketball Titles, and that's an impressive feat. But just like when people started to blather about Duke's Coach K being the Second Coming of Wooden, the superlatives are starting to rear their nauseating heads again. This time, they're calling Florida the best team ever.
Not even close. If you're talking about repeating, the Bruins won SEVEN straight, and 10 of 12. If you're talking about just this one year, did they average a margin of victory of 30, or go undefeated? Not even close on either count. Not only that, but they practically got beat by Butler, and they had trouble pulling away from the Ducks, another team that hasn't been to a Final Four since before Dick Enberg first said "Oh my."
Just because Florida is the first team to repeat since Duke in 1992, and just because Florida is the first team EVER to repeat with an identical starting five, there's no reason to start annointing this team as Legendary. In fact, they could come back next year, with a new Coach even, and do it again, and still not be half the Dynasty Wooden's UCLA was. And they could do it, too, since, of the Starters, only Lee Humphrey is a Senior.
They needed Humphrey to put OSU on ice last night, as the sharp-shooter hit 4 of their 10 3-pointers. Florida went 10-18 from behind the arc, while the Buckeyes went a tragic 4-23. That's 17%, or "curtains" for Ohio State.
The best player on the court in this game played for the losing team. 7'0" Center Greg Oden dominated the paint, with 25 points and 12 Rebounds, but his supporting cast was thoroughly outplayed by the Gator ensemble. All the Florida starters except for Joakim Noah scored in double-figures, with Al Horford leading the way with 18 (and 12 Rebounds). One of the TV Announcers thought Horford should be the Final Four MVP. His announcing partner thought that Oden should get it, despite not playing for the winning team. Like we said, he WAS the best player on the hardwood, bar none. But the voters decided to give the honor to Gator Corey Brewer, who scored 13 and pulled down 8 Boards. The fact that Brewer MISSED 8 of his 12 shots didn't seem to bother the judges, because the three Three's that he made were huge.
Florida was easily the better team, but it was painfully apparent due to the fact that on this night, the Buckeyes couldn't hit from Three, and the Gators couldn't miss. Florida led 40-29 at the Half -- just like the 11-point Halftime margin that they enjoyed in last year's Final. This time, Florida allowed a little run, as Ohio State cut it to 6 and almost 5, but the Gators hit a big Three whenever they needed breathing room.
One thing that UCLA fans should take to heart: For the last two years, it took the National Champions to knock the Bruins out. And pending several early NBA defections and non-defections, UCLA could be moving from #2 to #1 this upcoming season. You'll be (Kevin) LOVE-ing it. As for knocking Florida off of their throne in Football, don't put it past UCLA. After all, with that 13-9 drubbing of troy last year, they got some experience at pedestal-toppling.
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