Florida Defeats UCLA Again

Apr 01, 12:00 AM

Current Headlines: ATLANTA _ UCLA coach Ben Howland pleaded with his players after they fell behind by double digits in the second half Saturday.

"Push," he droned from the bench in his deep voice. "Push."

This was UCLA, master of physical half-court defense, so frustrated by Florida's suffocating defense that Howland was desperate for easy baskets. UCLA got almost none as the Gators rode their underappreciated defense to a 76-66 win at the Georgia Dome and a meeting Monday with fellow No.1 regional seed Ohio State in the NCAA title game.

"Our defense the whole game was pretty good," Florida coach Billy Donovan said.

With Florida one win from its second straight national title, college basketball fans are familiar with the qualities that make the Gators champions.

Post players Joakim Noah and Al Horford demonstrated in a defeat of UCLA in last year's NCAA title game that they lead the fast break brilliantly at 6-foot-11 and 6-10, respectively.

It was no surprise that forward Corey Brewer and guard Lee Humphrey combined for eight 3-pointers and 33 points Saturday, because they have scored from the perimeter throughout this NCAA tournament.

But the Bruins were the team that was celebrated for its defense. UCLA held its first four opponents in the tournament to an average of 50.2 points and 36.3percent from the field.

For the first seven minutes of the first half, that defense held Florida to two points. But the Gators were similarly stingy, and stayed that way after Brewer and Humphrey shot them into the lead.

Breakdown

WHAT IT MEANS TO FLORIDA (34-5): A defeat of Ohio State in Monday's final would make Florida the first team to capture back-to-back NCAA titles since Duke in 1991-92.

WHAT IT MEANS TO UCLA (30-6): For the second straight year, Florida sends the Bruins home from the Final Four, preventing UCLA from playing for its 12th NCAA title.

3 Key Moments

Corey Brewer made two 3-pointers and Lee Humphrey added another in a span of 86 seconds as Florida turned a 14-13 deficit into a 22-16 lead.

Humphrey sank two 3-pointers in the first 1minute, 41seconds after halftime to help Florida hold off an early second-half UCLA challenge to the Gators' 29-23 halftime lead.

Joakim Noah scored consecutive baskets in the post as the Gators extended their lead to 39-28 against the frustrated Bruins.

Observations

Five words from coach Billy Donovan expressed the sentiment many a coach (and parent, for that matter) has felt at some point after a Noah foul late in the first half. "Joakim," Donovan screamed. "What are you doing?"

At halftime, former North Carolina coach Dean Smith stood at midcourt with Bill Russell and Oscar Robertson as the college basketball Hall of Fame's inaugural class was honored. Afterward, Smith talked about current Tar Heels coach Roy Williams, a basketball Hall of Fame finalist himself. "If it happens," Smith said, "it's long overdue."

Revenge for last season's title game loss might have been a great motivator for UCLA. But that motivation was no match for Florida's superior talent.

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