April 2, 2007
Determination. Dedication. Desire.
When Joakim Noah, Corey Brewer and Al Horford came back to Florida, they had a mission, a purpose, a belief that they could make history. The trio gave up a shot at millions and the reward came in the Georgia Dome on Monday night. The Gators became the first back-to-back champions since Duke in 1991 and '92.
Florida did a great job moving the ball, screening and stepping away to get open trifectas. Ohio State had trouble finding 3-point shooters and that was a factor. With the score 24-22, three different Florida shooters hit 3s (Lee Humphrey, Corey Brewer and Taurean Green) and suddenly it was a double-digit lead.
Ball movement and spacing have been major positives when looking at Billy Donovan's offense at this Final Four.
Brewer was super, scintillating, sensational on both ends of the court. He's a big-time defender and his long arms often lead to steals and deflections. Offensively, he made big 3-pointers and drives to the hoop.
Walter Hodge and Chris Richard also made contributions off the bench. Hodge made a couple of big drives for baskets right away. Richard played Greg Oden tough inside and had a physical presence.
While the Gators were hitting trifecta after trifecta, the Buckeyes struggled from long range and could not get to the foul line enough in the first half, when Florida went into the locker room with the double-figure lead.
Oden, not plagued by early foul trouble, was so tough inside offensively. He had his share of dunks and kept the Buckeyes in the hunt. Now the big question in Columbus is, will the big man return for his sophomore season? My guess is the frustration of foul trouble in the semifinal helped form his decision and he will be in the NBA next season.
Ohio State was not the kind of team that was going to go away. Remember, the Buckeyes came back from 20 down against Tennessee and nine down late vs. Xavier.
Mike Conley Jr., who was saddled with two fouls in the first eight minutes of the game, came back and helped the Buckeyes rally.
Florida put daggers in twice. When the Buckeyes would make a great defensive stand, they saw Humphrey nail a long-range 3. One gave the Gators a 49-38 lead; the second made it 64-52.
Thad Matta's Buckeyes showed a lot of heart. Ohio State won 35 games this season and the youngsters really matured. In the end, it was meant to be for the Gators.
Very quietly Horford made some big plays. Experience, experience, experience, my friends, was also a factor.
How about a salute to Billy Donovan and those kids who came back! This was special and the Gators earned their place in the history book.
