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Gators Set a Double Standard
Corey Brewer hits three three-pointers and scores 13 points Monday night as Florida beats Ohio State to win its second straight national championship.
(Streeter Lecka - Getty Images)
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"Any time there was an obstacle," Noah said, "we cut down nets."
Duke, the last team to repeat, beat Michigan's "Fab Five" for the national championship, while Florida beat Ohio State's "Thad Five," a collection of high-profile recruits led by 7-footer Greg Oden. A unique team for the ages overcame the equally rare center for the ages.
Unlike much of the tournament, Oden avoided foul trouble. Oden, who had 25 points, 12 rebounds, 4 blocks and several resounding dunks, exhibited the skills that could make him the first or second pick in the NBA draft whenever he chooses to turn pro.
Noah, who spent a large amount of the second half on the bench with foul trouble, said: "I've never been so nervous in my life. Oden was scoring basket after basket."
In the first half, Florida held an 11-point lead even though both teams made 10 of their first 22 field goal attempts. The difference was three-point shooting. Florida made 6 of its first 8 attempts; Ohio State made just 2 of its first 12 shots from beyond the arc.
Florida began the game by scoring almost all of its points around the basket, mostly because of driving layups by Green and Walter Hodge. When Brewer, Green and Lee Humphrey started making long-range shots, Ohio State failed to keep pace.
In 14 months, the Gators went from a young team with largely unheralded players to one of the significant teams of the modern era. And their 41-year-old coach went from being a celebrated recruiter to college basketball's most sought-after man.
After the game, the entire Florida team sat on the makeshift stage on the floor to watch "One Shining Moment." Brewer and Noah had their arms around each other. Moments later, the group of juniors took the stage alone, perhaps for the last time, to dance and blow kisses to the crowd.
"This is the most satisfying feeling in my whole life," said Noah, who made 1 of 3 shots. "It's also humbling because we worked so hard."
Noah, Brewer and Horford will soon decide whether to return for their senior seasons. A reporter asked Noah about winning another title.
"You guys aren't going to get me to talk about a three-peat," Noah said. "I'm going to live in the moment like my coach taught me."
