Football-dominated Florida officially became known as a powerhouse in basketball as well by cruising past UCLA 73-57 to claim the school's first men's NCAA basketball title. Billy Donovan's team would also set up the first half of a historic feat which the football team would complete nine months later as the Gators became the first school to win national titles in both sports in the same calendar year. Joakim Noah was named the Most Outsanding Player of Florida's 2006 basketball crown.
65-Team Field
The NCAA continued its 65-team system with a play-in game between the 64th and 65th teams for the sixth consecutive year. The tournament ran from March 14 to April 3 with the Final Four being played at the RCA Dome in Indianapolis, Indiana.
Florida No. 3 Seed In Minneapolis Regional Behind Villanova, Ohio State
Billy Donovan's Florida Gators were seeded third in the Minneapolis Regional behind Villanova and Ohio State. Florida eased past South Alabama 76-50 in the first round as well as Wisconsin-Milwaukee 82-60 in the second round. The Gators struggled in the Sweet Sixteen against No. 7 seed Georgetown - winner over Ohio State in the second round - and needed a late shot by Corey Brewer for a 57-53 victory. Florida booked its spot in its first Final Four since 2000 by knocking off top seeded Villanova 75-62 in the Minneapolis regional final. The Gators used their superior size as Al Horford had 12 points and 14 rebounds and Joakim Noah had 21 points and 15 rebounds.
George Mason Leads Upsets
The 2006 tournament saw its fair share of upsets, none bigger than George Mason's magical run to the Final Four as an 11 seed in the Washington D.C. regional. George Mason beat 6 seed Michigan State in the first round and then No. 3 and defending champion North Carolina in the second round. The Patriots knocked off 7 seed Wichita State - winner over No. 2 Tennessee - in the Sweet Sixteen before fighting past top seed Connecticut in overtime in the Elite Eight.
In the Oakland Regional, 13 seed Bradley upset 4 seed Kansas in the first round and 5 seed Pittsburgh in the second round before losing to top seed Memphis in the Sweet Sixteen. In the Atlanta Regional, 14 seed Northwestern State shocked 3 seed Iowa in the first round, and No. 4 seed LSU beat top seed Duke in the Sweet Sixteen on its way to the Final Four.
No No. 1 Seeds In Final Four
None of the No. 1 seeds reached the Final Four for just the second time since seedings began in 1979. In 1980, the national semifinals included No. 2 and eventual champion Louisville, No. 5 Iowa, No. 6 Purdue and No. 8 UCLA. The four 2006 semifinalists were Minneapolis No. 3 Florida; Oakland No. 2 UCLA, in its 16th Final Four; Atlanta No. 4 LSU, in its fourth semifinal and first since 1986; and Washington DC No. 11 George Mason, a first-timer to the Final Four and first No. 11 seed in the semifinals since the 1986 LSU Tigers.
Gators End George Mason Dream, UCLA Into Final
Florida wasted no time ended the NCAA's greatest Cinderella story, blasting George Mason 73-58 to advance to the title game thanks to hitting 12 of 25 three-pointers. In the other national semifinal, UCLA's defense clamped down on LSU in easing to a 59-45 victory to reach its 13th NCAA final.
Florida Crushes UCLA
In the final, Florida went ahead by 13 points in the first half. And then Lee Humphrey nailed two of three straight Gator three-pointers to start the second half and open a 20-point lead. And Joakim Noah's defense did the rest as the Most Outstanding Player of the tournament finished with 16 points, nine rebounds and six blocked shots - an NCAA tournament record - in a 73-57 victory over the Bruins. Humphrey had 15 points, Corey Brewer added 11 points and four assists and Al Horford chipped in 14 points and eight rebounds.
Florida Sets School Record For Wins
Billy Donovan was able to lead the Gators to the six years after his Gators lost in the final in the same building. And the victory over UCLA gave Florida 33 wins for the season (33-6), besting the mark of the 29 from the 1994 and 2000 Final Four teams.
