Where Florida basketball’s title-winning teams rank among national champions last 40 years

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March Madness has finally arrived with the start of the conference basketball tournaments, opening up one of the most — if not the — most captivating months in college sports. The NCAA Tournament has a long and rich history of excitement and drama as it provides a stage for the top teams to battle in a do-or-die scenario.

Over the years, the Florida Gators have appeared in the Big Dance 24 times in total while winning the tournament twice in back-to-back seasons: 2006 and 2007. This year, the Orange and Blue are poised for a deep run as they near the end of the schedule with a 26-4 overall record and one game remaining.

Todd Golden’s resurrection of a once-proud program has fans feeling a bit nostalgic of late as many have looked back to previous successes in hopes of bringing home another banner to display inside the O’Connell Center. The Athletic writer Jim Root recently dug into history books to rank the title-winning teams over the past 40 years, dating back to Villanova’s underdog win back in 1985.

Here is where he ranked the two Florida teams that won it all.

Dec 23, 2006; Gainesville, FL, USA; Florida Gators forward (13) Joakim Noah celebrates after a basket against the Ohio State Buckeyes during the first half at the Stephen C. O’Connell Center in Gainesville, FL. Mandatory Credit: Jason Parkhurst-USA TODAY Sports Copyright © 2006 Jason Parkhurst

2006 Florida Gators (No. 33) – Tier 4: Memorable, but not elite

“After a disappointing 5-6 stretch in January/February that doomed the Gators to third place in the SEC standings, they went on a tear in both the SEC and NCAA tournaments,” Root begins.

“Joakim Noah emerged as a national icon, a boisterous winner who dominated the paint along with frontcourt bash brother Al Horford. Corey Brewer was another future pro, and the backcourt of Taurean Green and Lee Humphrey filled their roles perfectly.

“Florida’s handling of No. 1 seed Villanova in the Elite Eight emphatically announced the Gators’ arrival on the national stage….

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Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/article/where-florida-basketballs-title-winning-182919215.html

Author : Gators Wire

Publish date : 2025-03-07 18:29:00

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