fundamentals from these teams is unparalleled compared to recent years. As opposed to last year, which needed the captivating story of mid-major George Mason going where no underdog had gone before (To even a greater degree than Providence over John Thompson’s Georgetown in ’85, looking at the disparity between programs), this year in college basketball has certainly been defined by an influx in talent – greatly helped by the NBA rule barring the likes of Greg Oden and Kevin Durant from jumping ship to the pros from high school. Looking at the remaining teams, we have several individual storylines: With all five starters uncommonly returning from last year’s championship team, can Florida repeat? Will Billy Donovan’s success at Florida make him want to switch to a new challenge as a coach for the more prestigious Kentucky program? Does Ben Howland have what it takes to restore UCLA to its dominance under John Wooden in the 60’s and 70’s, or will he once again get close but fall short? Will the youthful exuberance of Greg Oden, Mike Conley Jr. and co. be able to beat the more experienced squads? Is Oden leaving if he has a defining performance on the big stage? Can John Thompson III create his own legacy by winning it all? As these stories matriculate, let’s take a look at how each team got there:
#2 UCLA Bruins (Record, Pac-10 Regular Season Champions)Tournament wins over: #15 Weber State, #7 Indiana, #3 Pittsburgh, and #1 Kansas
With the loss of point guard Jordan Farmar, who left early for the NBA, the Bruins were in need of a good leader and decision-maker to fill the void. Darren Collison more than fit this description, as he is regarded as one of the most underrated point guards in the country for his poise, clutch shooting, and defensive capabilities that Farmar lacked. Also, the emergence of Josh Shipp, who was injured last year, provided another needed scoring threat. The Bruins have relied on defense, fundamentals and excellent coaching to advance to this point. While at times, their scoring has lacked (UCLA scored 20 points in the first half against Indiana), their staunch defense will keep them in games (During this same stretch, Indiana only scored 13).
Best Player: G Aaron Afflalo – 1st Team All-American speaks for itself
X-Factor: F Luc Richard Mbah a Moute – This “little” big man (He’s only 6’7”) plays with high energy, and provides an additional scoring threat to complement Afflalo, Shipp, and Collison. If he can help somewhat negate the frontcourt advantage Florida has, the Bruins will be in good shape.
#1 Florida Gators (33-5, SEC Regular Season and Tournament Champions)Tournament wins over: #16 Jackson State, #9 Purdue, #5 Butler, and #3 Oregon
The shocking story after the Gators beat UCLA, 73-57 in the Championship game last year was that Joakim Noah, Al Horford (“The Godfather”), and co. announced that they were returning to go for a repeat title. Disregarding the stretch late in the season when Florida had already locked up a Regular Season title and they lost 3 of 4, this team has been dominant; the combination of effective big men in the post along with athletic guards/forwards who can shoot the 3 makes this team dangerous. Also, the team chemistry for the Gators is incredible. Anyone who puts up with Noah’s screaming on a consistent basis deserves a gold star on behalf of The Sporting Itis. The only issue I find with this team is the fact that they start out slow, and don’t always show that a sense of urgency. While they are capable of turning the switch on and surge to victories, this tactic might not go as well against top-notch talent.
Best Player: F/C Joakim Noah – Emotional leader, athletic big man, solid defensive presence
X-Factor: G/F Lee Humphrey – When this shooter is on target with his 3-pointers, the Gators are virtually unstoppable. His shot was so on target last game that it didn’t just “tickle the twine” – it ripped the net apart.
Like last year, UCLA has struggled at times to put points on the board. They have relied on a smothering defense that has held its Tournament opponents to 50 points per contest. While this statistic is impressive, they have not faced such a complete team with the so many weapons. Pittsburgh featured size with Aaron Gray. Kansas featured skill with Brandon Rush, Russell Robinson, Mario Chalmers, and Julian Wright. Florida essentially has both. If Florida plays with the same aggressive tenacity that led them to the championship last year, the Gators will be playing for the repeat on Monday
Florida wins, 66-56.
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