University of Florida wins NCAA basketball championship
Wednesday, April 5, 2006
The University of Florida Gators beat the University of Calfornia, Los Angeles Bruins 73-57 in the RCA Dome last night. The win gave the Gators their first NCAA basketball championship. The Gators, a number three seed in the tournament, spent most of the night dominating the Bruins on both offense and defense.
Joakim Noah, center for the Gators, recorded 16 points, nine rebounds, and a NCAA tournament championship game record 6 blocks. Noah said, "It's like I'm in a cloud. Not only does this feel good, but it smells good and it tastes good. I can't even describe it."
In the previous two games the Bruins allowed only a combined 90 points, but they never seemed to get organized on defense. Florida's early lead stayed throughout the game, with the Bruins unable to re-take the lead.
Joakim Noah's father Yannick Noah was a French tennis player (now a singer) who won the Roland Garros tennis tournament. His grandfather was a soccer professional. It's the first time a french basketball player has been part of a winning NCAA basketball championship team. He'll join Tony Parker on the French national basketball team.
Sources
edit- Eddie Pells. "Florida Gators/UCLA Bruins recap" — AP, April 4, 2006
- Pat Ford. "Everyone pitched in during Gators' dominant run" — ESPN.Com, April 4, 2006
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