Men's Basketball
Best Team Won, It's As Simple as That
By John Porentas

It doesn't require a whole lot of fancy analysis. The better team won.

The Florida Gators set out on a mission this season, to repeat as national champions, and in the final game of the season against Ohio State, the Gators left no question as to who is the best team in the country.

The Gators took the best shot of OSU's best player, Greg Oden, and still were in control all the way. The Gators had just too many playmakers at too many positions, and those playmakers stepped up and did their thing every time they were needed. It wasn't the same on the other side of the court.

Florida elected to guard Oden one-on-one and concede him his points. Florida Head Coach Billy Donovan reasoned that Oden would get his 18 or 20 if they guarded him, and would probably get 25 or so if they decided not to double him. Donovan figured that if he conceded Oden those extra seven or eight points but was able to guard the three point line better with the player that would have been doubling Oden, his team would stand a great chance to win.

The strategy worked perfectly. Oden got his 25, but OSU's outside shooting was abysmal, partly because of a poor shooting night, but also because Florida was defending the three point line better than anyone else the Buckeyes faced this year. OSU made just four-of-23 attempts. It was not a championship caliber shooting performance.

Florida, meanwhile, was able to hit shots. No, that not quite accurate. Florida was able to hit shots in a way that was close to unbelievable, in a way that was in fact a championship caliber performance. When the Gators needed a play, somebody made one. When they couldn't get the ball down low because Oden was dominating down there they shot the three with amazing precision. Florida made 55.6 percent of their three point attempts (10-18) and was six-of-nine in the first half, the half in which they established a lead they would never relinquish.

The Buckeyes scraped, clawed, hustled, and gave it their all, but when all was said and done, Ohio State simply did not measure up to Florida at any position save center. Oden had a great day, but the Gators had the edge everywhere else on the court. Starting guards Taureen Green and Lee Humprey combined for 30 points and seven assists. OSU starting guards Mike Conley and Jamar Butler combined for 23 points and seven assists. Florida wings Corey Brewer and Joakim Noah went for 21 points and came up with four steals. Ivan Harris and Ron Lewis totaled 19 points. Even in the post it wasn't a complete win for the Buckeyes. Al Horford netted 18, just seven short of Oden, but his sub Chris Richards added eight more.

Florida was simply better. They had more of the pieces necessary to win a championship, and that allowed their coach to adopt a winning strategy. It's really that simple. The Buckeyes weren't bad, the refs weren't bad, the Gators were just plain good, and that's the bald truth.

One last note. The Buckeyes needn't hand their heads. Second best, to a team like Florida this year, is nothing to be ashamed of. It was a spectacular season in OSU basketball, and the Buckeyes were much closer to the caliber of Florida at the end of the season than they were in their 26-point loss in Gainesville last December. Clearly, they have gained ground on the Gators, just not quite enough yet.

Return to the-Ozone Columns and Features

Return to the-OZone Front Page