04/24/24
April 03, 2006
UCLA Bites The Dust: Great! Now I have to put up with weeks of complaints all over town about how they "Should" have won. Bah Humbug!
posted by commander cody to basketball at 11:20 PM - 18 comments
They shouldn't have won, and thankfully they didn't. I thought UF was the best team coming in, although I was rooting for GMU, so this doesn't surprise me at all. I mean, did any team get into the Final Four with an uglier win than UCLA?
posted by uglatto at 11:47 PM on April 03, 2006
Only thing I have to say is that all the pac-10 haters should take note, UCLA has game, even though they were horrible tonight. As for Florida, that kid Noah is freakin great, and he could not miss tonight. If he had played that dominately just a little more often this year Florida would have been a 1, and not a 3.
posted by everett at 03:26 AM on April 04, 2006
It's good to be a Florida Gator! I actually went and dug my degree out of a box in the basement last night in a fit of alma materism. Luckily my wife stopped me from nailing it up on the wall right then and there. It stands, jauntily, next to the television, but will find no purchase on the walls of our living area...unless the Gators follow up by winning the National Championship in football this year. Then, wife be damned, that bad boy's goin' UP! Lots of respect to GMU and UCLA, but this was the year the "Donovan Plan" came to fruition. Now he can dump us just like that bastard Lon Kreuger did.
posted by The_Black_Hand at 04:42 AM on April 04, 2006
So TBH are you still bitching about those friggin Gators? What I found funny was how people were making a big deal how this was Florida's first Final Four since 2000. That isn't really a big deal. There are many teams who have never been in the Final Four, many more who haven't been in a really long time, but they still make a big deal how this is Florida's first Final Four in six years.
posted by Ying Yang Mafia at 06:48 AM on April 04, 2006
Florida's an unbelievable team. It has to be demoralizing for an opponent to see those big men run the floor, even to break a press, and everyone on the Gators played well. Joakim Noah's the fastest seven footer I've ever seen. Some say he'd be a No. 1 NBA pick if he came out, but man is that guy a goofball. In the postgame scrum on the court, as Billy Donovan was being interviewed, Noah started making faces at the cameras like a five year old who discovered a mirror for the first time.
posted by rcade at 07:11 AM on April 04, 2006
So TBH are you still bitching about those friggin Gators? Dang! Thanks YYM, had to go and change that one. Oh, to be in Gainesville right now...actually, now that I'm old and broke down, those punk kids would just piss me off, drinking, screaming, fornicating, and WALKING ACROSS MY YARD!
posted by The_Black_Hand at 08:44 AM on April 04, 2006
I was most imprssed with Florida's ability to run the floor and pass the ball - by everyone. Their frontcourt was super-skilled, they played loose all night and looked like they were having a lot of fun. And my god - for a defensive team, UCLA sure does give up the dunk easily. The Gators had, what, a dozen dunks? The PAC-10 may need more respect, but they were seriously over-matched last night. Florida walked away with that one. I think Noah is easily a top five lottery pick right now. Wouldn't mind seeing him in a Raptors uniform as a Diaw-esque centre. Great energy and fantastic hands.
posted by WeedyMcSmokey at 09:23 AM on April 04, 2006
raptors?? gawd man, don't be cruel to the kid..
posted by ktown at 09:40 AM on April 04, 2006
Florida did play some awsome defense last night. And an SEC team wins it all so no complants out of me. unless the Gators follow up by winning the National Championship in football this year. What?? A college world series championship not good enough for ya? is it really the college WORLD series if all the colleges/universities around the world dont get to play?
posted by Folkways at 10:09 AM on April 04, 2006
Congrats to Billy Donovan and the Florida Gators on the title. The whole team played a great tournament and deserve all the respect in the world (as a team). I'm not sure I understand why everyone is stroking Noah's ego though. This guy reminds me of Strap from Hoosiers("don't shoot the ball unless you're right under the basket all by yourself"). The games I watched he missed more jumper than he made AND camps out under the basket on offense and waits for his teammates to create for him and it's not that hard to block shots when you're a lanky seven footer. Lottery pick? Maybe, but I personally think he should stick around for another year and polish his game. Then be a lottery pick next year. Just my opinion.......bottom line-Congrats to the Gators. They definitely earned it.
posted by ksb122 at 10:26 AM on April 04, 2006
Gay Goaters! Oops, I mean Go Gators! I'm wid'cha Black Hand... I started craving a Gator Tail sub from Joe's Inn and a wishing I was back at the Corner of 13th and University Ave. Woot!
posted by LostInDaJungle at 10:42 AM on April 04, 2006
The Gators looked very impressive last night. I'm not sure too many teams in the country could have beat them last night.
posted by dbt302 at 11:44 AM on April 04, 2006
Gators looked great, took UCLA right out of their game. 3 things: - very poor officiating, on both sides probably...but i thought noah traveled at least 4 times w/ no call and a few of his blocks/alterations were probably fouls. not a game changer, just annoying as a basketball fan. then again, this is ncaa hoops, what did i expect? - i thought this was the first tactical mistake Ben Howland made in this tournament. i realize UCLA was down big early and they had to play catchup, but putting the full court press on was a bad idea and they kept at it even though UF broke the press over and over for dunks. UCLA is not a pressing team and this lead to too many easy buckets that deflated any possibility of a comeback. - their halfcourt defense was passable, but their lack of offense (missing josh shipp here) finally caught up with them. a great effort nonetheless for a team that only graduates 2 significant seniors (bozeman/hollins) that really only contributed significantly at tourney time. congrats to both teams for a great season. as for noah's prognosis as a pro, i could paraphrase or plagiarize Charley Rosen's analysis, but I'll just paste it as I agree w/ his thoughts in this case. Can do: Run and jump. Take full advantage of his length, his quick hops and good timing to be a big-time shot-blocker when coming from the weak side. Handle, but not as good as he thinks. Secure the ball with his good hands. Show excellent lateral movement. Can't do: Play with power. Shoot consistently, mainly because he releases the ball on his way up. Play with quickness on offense from a standstill. Go to his left hand. Must do: Get stronger without losing any quickness. Improve his handle in the attack zone. Develop more offensive options: a drop step, counter moves, duck-under, turnaround-jumpers, fadeaway-jumpers, etc. Prognosis: Needs to spend long hours in the weight room and vary every aspect of his offense. Has the length and the athleticism to have a good NBA career. Needs at least one more year in school. Has the potential to be a Ty Chandler-type of player — only better.
posted by ninjavshippo at 12:07 PM on April 04, 2006
It's cold and rainy here in L.A. this morning. It's like the UCLA fans have projected their gloom over the whole city. The TV sportscasters are moving between "Oh yeah well screw you" to "What happened?" to "We beat ourselves, they didn't beat us". Sad, sad, sad. Hopefully the skies will clear when UCLA fans realize that the sun will still keep coming up everyday and their hangovers really will go away. I know, I'm a lifelong Detriot fan. (sigh)
posted by commander cody at 12:26 PM on April 04, 2006
My team(Tennessee) beat the Gators twice this season, but I never pulled harder for any team than I did for the Gators during their NCAA Tournament run. Never have I seen such teamwork and unselfishness as the Gators displayed. Hats off to Billy Donovan and his fantastic group of young men for such an accomplishment, especially at an institution known for football, and not for roundball. ETM(Still a Vol, not a Gator)
posted by earlmcc at 12:55 PM on April 04, 2006
/being magnanimous, not making any smart remarks about UT...body strong, mind weak!
posted by The_Black_Hand at 02:12 PM on April 04, 2006
As the buttons we used to wear at games against them said, (F)UCLA! LOL, but this Trojan alum is glad for the result.
posted by billsaysthis at 03:32 PM on April 04, 2006
I mean it wasn't even CLOSE!