Please place all related comments for tonight's game in this topic.
It's very important to be specific with your info, including location, station call letters, and source - Local over-the-air reception / Cable Company / DirecTV (channel number) / Dish Network (channel number).
All Times ET. Tonight's schedule in 1080i HDTV & DD 5.1:
The 2006 NCAA Men's Basketball National Championship Game
9pm - Pre Game Show
9:21pm - #3 Florida Gators vs. #2 UCLA Bruins
It's very important to be specific with your info, including location, station call letters, and source - Local over-the-air reception / Cable Company / DirecTV (channel number) / Dish Network (channel number).
All Times ET. Tonight's schedule in 1080i HDTV & DD 5.1:
The 2006 NCAA Men's Basketball National Championship Game
9pm - Pre Game Show
9:21pm - #3 Florida Gators vs. #2 UCLA Bruins
Quote:
| From CBS SportsLine.com The Edge - UCLA vs. Florida UCLA Bruins How they got here: Won Pac-10 Conference Tournament; Routed 15th-seeded Belmont 78-44 in the first round; Missed 7 of 9 free-throw attempts down the stretch, but escaped 10th-seeded Alabama 62-59 in the second round (Jordan Farmer 18 points, five 3-pointers); In the Oakland regional semis, they were outshot, outrebounded and didn't take their first lead until 10 seconds remained, but they got hot late to complete a spirited rally that resulted in a 73-71 victory over third-seeded Gonzaga; Smothered top-seeded Memphis in the regional final, holding the Tigers to 30 percent from the floor in a 50-45 victory. Free throws were again a problem as the Bruins were an atrocious 20 of 39 from the line; Dominated LSU offensively and defensively for a 59-45 victory and a chance at their 12th national title. Coach: Ben Howland, three years at UCLA, two years in NCAA Tournament. Go-to guys: Sophomore guards Jordan Farmar and Arron Afflalo are the Bruins' primary scorers. Farmar initiates the offense from the point and leads the Pac-10 in assists. Afflalo is an excellent 3-point shooter and an improving man-to-man defender. Few teams can comfortably match up with these two all-Pac-10 guards. Strengths: The Bruins like to play games in the 60s, dictating tempo with their defense. Very much as he did with his teams at Pitt, coach Ben Howland coaches a physical inside game, and UCLA shuffles big men in and out of the game to wear down opponents. The backcourt tandem of Farmar and Afflalo is the Pac-10's best. Weaknesses: UCLA gets sporadic scoring from its frontcourt and can become too reliant at times on getting offense from Farmar and Afflalo. When either of them has an off-game, the Bruins can sputter offensively. Most of the Bruins' depth is provided by freshmen, although they have grown during the season. Florida Gators How they got here: Won SEC Tournament; Defeated No. 14 seed South Alabama 76-50 in the first round (Joakim Noah 16 points, eight rebounds and seven assists); Crushed No. 11 seed Wisconsin-Milwaukee 82-60 (Corey Brewer 23 points). The Gators did not trail in the first two rounds; Edged seventh-seeded Georgetown 57-53 in the Minneapolis regional semis (Noah 15 points, 10 rebounds, five blocks); Overpowered top-seeded Villanova 75-62 in the regional final (Noah 21 points, 15 rebounds, five blocks; Al Horford 12 points, 15 rebounds); Tied a Final Four record with 12 3-pointers and pounded George Mason on the boards 40-27 for a 73-58 victory which pushed them into the final for the second time in school history. Coach: Billy Donovan, 10 years at Florida, eight years in NCAA Tournament with Gators. Go-to guys: Sophomore Joakim Noah has developed into one of the most effective big men in the conference. His long arms made him an especially effective defender, and he is an accurate shooter. Classmate Corey Brewer is one of the more athletic forwards around but was hampered by an ankle injury in late-January and early-February. Guard Taurean Green, another sophomore, doesn't shoot for a high percentage but is a good assist man. Strengths: Florida finished the regular season only 7-6 after winning its first 17 games, but the Gators were competitive in all their games with their worst loss by six points at South Carolina, and they closed with an impressive win at Kentucky. They are the second-highest scoring team out of the SEC and their average 15-point winning margin was by far the largest in the conference. They are young, starting four sophomores and a junior, and they bring a couple of freshmen off their bench. But they also are deep enough to play eight or nine players a game. Weaknesses: The Gators were outrebounded in five of their six losses, and turnovers were a problem in all but their loss at Alabama, where they had only nine (to Alabama's nine) but were outrebounded 42-33. Green has had his moments -- he led the Gators in scoring 10 times during the regular season -- but he shoots under 40 percent overall and under 30 percent from 3-point range. It's not a bad strategy to try to keep junior Lee Humphrey under control on the perimeter and play Green for the pass. Frontcourt Edge - Florida Backcourt Edge - Even The Ultimate Edge - Slight, to Florida! |
