FIBA Basketball
USA - Noah and Florida Gators storm into NCAA Championship
INDIANAPOLIS (NCAA) - Joakim Noah and the Florida Gators will play for the national championship on Monday after ending the dream run in the NCAA Tournament of George Mason. Noah, a 21-year-old Frenchman
INDIANAPOLIS (NCAA) - Joakim Noah and the Florida Gators will play for the national championship on Monday after ending the dream run in the NCAA Tournament of George Mason.
Noah, a 21-year-old Frenchman who has played so well during March Madness that speculation has mounted he may represent his country at the FIBA World Championship in Japan, helped the Gators roll to a 73-58 triumph and they will now take on UCLA in the final.
The MVP of the game was not Noah, or fellow big man Al Horford, however.
Instead it was Lee Humphrey, who scored 10 of his 19 points in the opening three minutes after half-time.
Noah said after the victory in the locker room that the biggest factor had been Florida's defense and rebounding.
“This whole tournament, defense wins games," he said. "The guards really stepped up and brought their game to a complete different level. That’s where the strength of this team is; anybody can step up and I think we did a pretty good job on the glass.
"I don’t know what the numbers are, but I think we did a pretty good job. It’s a great feeling right now. We’re excited, but the journey isn’t over until you get one more win.”
Noah, more than any other Gator and any other player in America, has stolen the limelight in this tournament and it's not just because he is the son of French tennis legend Yannick Noah.
A player who wanted to attend Georgetown coming out of high school but was not offered a scholarship by the Hoyas, Noah has displayed an all-round game in the tournament, whether it's scoring points, blocking shots or pulling down rebounds.
All he cares about, he says, is winning.
“This is what it’s all about, playing basketball," he said. "At the end of the day, the newspapers are so much better the next day after a game.
"The stories are great, the stories are fun to read, but after the game there are some facts there. It’s not all opinion.
"It’s a great feeling at the end of the day the only thing that matters is who gets the win and who gets the loss and I’m happy we beat Cinderella.”
With the win, the Gators improved to 32-6 and advanced to the championship game for the first time since 2000, when it lost to Michigan State here.
Florida have never faced UCLA before.
"It's very exciting," Humphrey said about playing for a NCAA title. "As a college basketball player, this is what you want a chance to have the opportunity to do. We do, and that's very exciting."
Capturing the nation's imagination by becoming the first team from a "mid-major" conference to reach the Final Four since 1979, the Patriots (27-8) ran out of luck against the Gators by giving up too many second-chance opportunities and struggling from the arc until the closing minutes.
"I think we've done something tremendous for college basketball," George Mason guard Tony Skinn said. "For the teams that are out there that watched us play. We showed them that all you need is an opportunity and a chance."
In all, the Gators had 16 offensive rebounds, turning them in 19 second-chance points.
"Florida's ability to get so many second shots I thought really hurt us," George Mason coach Jim Larranaga said. "It took away opportunities. We had been beating people on the boards throughout the tournament."
Meanwhile, Florida sank six three-pointers in the opening 20 minutes to grab a 31-26 lead at the half. That edge ballooned to 41-28 with 17:20 remaining in second half after Humphrey hit three of his season high-tying six three-pointers and added a free throw.
The game-deciding outburst did not surprise team-mate Taurean Green, who sank his three three-pointers in the first half to keep the Gators in the lead.
"You know, every time Lee shoots it, I think it's going in," he said. "He's just that good of a shooter."
The lead grew to 51-32 on two free throws by Joakim Noah with 11:44 remaining. More than two minutes later, Humphrey added another 3-pointer, his fifth, to make it 56-38.
"I felt good the whole night shooting the ball," said Humphrey, who made six of eight three-pointers in a first-round win over South Alabama. "I just focused on the basket and what I needed to do to help my team win."
Not going down without a fight, George Mason cut the deficit to 64-55 with 4:46 remaining on Folarin Campbell's three-pointer. It was just the second three-pointer of the contest for the Patriots, who missed their first eight shots from the arc.
However, Green and Corey Brewer both made a pair of free throws to make it 68-55 with 3:55 left.
Humphrey went six of 12 from the arc and Corey Brewer added three three-pointers en route to 19 points for Florida, who finished 12 of 25 (48%) from long range. The effort set an RCA Dome record for most three-pointers made in a Final Four contest.
Jai Lewis and Skinn scored 13 points each for the Patriots, who went two of 11 from the arc.
It was those inconsistencies from the arc that Florida coach Billy Donovan thought might be the deciding factor.
A 35% shooting team on three-pointers during the regular season, George Mason were making 42% of their shots from there in the NCAA Tournament.
"Coming into the game against George Mason, one of the things besides the great story that I didn't think that was really talked about with their team was the fact that they were shooting 32% from the three-point line," Donovan said. "To me, the reason why they skyrocketed so much in the NCAA Tournament is because of the three-point line."
With the length of sophomore swingman Brewer and bigmen Noah and Al Horford racing out from down low to contest shots, the Gators held the Patriots to their lowest three-point output since a 61-56 overtime win over Georgia State on March 4.
Noah scored 12 points and blocked four shots and Horford pulled down 13 rebounds for Florida, who improved to 10-0 in games held at a neutral site this season.
By PA Sport
Noah, a 21-year-old Frenchman who has played so well during March Madness that speculation has mounted he may represent his country at the FIBA World Championship in Japan, helped the Gators roll to a 73-58 triumph and they will now take on UCLA in the final.
The MVP of the game was not Noah, or fellow big man Al Horford, however.
Instead it was Lee Humphrey, who scored 10 of his 19 points in the opening three minutes after half-time.
Noah said after the victory in the locker room that the biggest factor had been Florida's defense and rebounding.
“This whole tournament, defense wins games," he said. "The guards really stepped up and brought their game to a complete different level. That’s where the strength of this team is; anybody can step up and I think we did a pretty good job on the glass.
"I don’t know what the numbers are, but I think we did a pretty good job. It’s a great feeling right now. We’re excited, but the journey isn’t over until you get one more win.”
Noah, more than any other Gator and any other player in America, has stolen the limelight in this tournament and it's not just because he is the son of French tennis legend Yannick Noah.
A player who wanted to attend Georgetown coming out of high school but was not offered a scholarship by the Hoyas, Noah has displayed an all-round game in the tournament, whether it's scoring points, blocking shots or pulling down rebounds.
All he cares about, he says, is winning.
“This is what it’s all about, playing basketball," he said. "At the end of the day, the newspapers are so much better the next day after a game.
"The stories are great, the stories are fun to read, but after the game there are some facts there. It’s not all opinion.
"It’s a great feeling at the end of the day the only thing that matters is who gets the win and who gets the loss and I’m happy we beat Cinderella.”
With the win, the Gators improved to 32-6 and advanced to the championship game for the first time since 2000, when it lost to Michigan State here.
Florida have never faced UCLA before.
"It's very exciting," Humphrey said about playing for a NCAA title. "As a college basketball player, this is what you want a chance to have the opportunity to do. We do, and that's very exciting."
Capturing the nation's imagination by becoming the first team from a "mid-major" conference to reach the Final Four since 1979, the Patriots (27-8) ran out of luck against the Gators by giving up too many second-chance opportunities and struggling from the arc until the closing minutes.
"I think we've done something tremendous for college basketball," George Mason guard Tony Skinn said. "For the teams that are out there that watched us play. We showed them that all you need is an opportunity and a chance."
In all, the Gators had 16 offensive rebounds, turning them in 19 second-chance points.
"Florida's ability to get so many second shots I thought really hurt us," George Mason coach Jim Larranaga said. "It took away opportunities. We had been beating people on the boards throughout the tournament."
Meanwhile, Florida sank six three-pointers in the opening 20 minutes to grab a 31-26 lead at the half. That edge ballooned to 41-28 with 17:20 remaining in second half after Humphrey hit three of his season high-tying six three-pointers and added a free throw.
The game-deciding outburst did not surprise team-mate Taurean Green, who sank his three three-pointers in the first half to keep the Gators in the lead.
"You know, every time Lee shoots it, I think it's going in," he said. "He's just that good of a shooter."
The lead grew to 51-32 on two free throws by Joakim Noah with 11:44 remaining. More than two minutes later, Humphrey added another 3-pointer, his fifth, to make it 56-38.
"I felt good the whole night shooting the ball," said Humphrey, who made six of eight three-pointers in a first-round win over South Alabama. "I just focused on the basket and what I needed to do to help my team win."
Not going down without a fight, George Mason cut the deficit to 64-55 with 4:46 remaining on Folarin Campbell's three-pointer. It was just the second three-pointer of the contest for the Patriots, who missed their first eight shots from the arc.
However, Green and Corey Brewer both made a pair of free throws to make it 68-55 with 3:55 left.
Humphrey went six of 12 from the arc and Corey Brewer added three three-pointers en route to 19 points for Florida, who finished 12 of 25 (48%) from long range. The effort set an RCA Dome record for most three-pointers made in a Final Four contest.
Jai Lewis and Skinn scored 13 points each for the Patriots, who went two of 11 from the arc.
It was those inconsistencies from the arc that Florida coach Billy Donovan thought might be the deciding factor.
A 35% shooting team on three-pointers during the regular season, George Mason were making 42% of their shots from there in the NCAA Tournament.
"Coming into the game against George Mason, one of the things besides the great story that I didn't think that was really talked about with their team was the fact that they were shooting 32% from the three-point line," Donovan said. "To me, the reason why they skyrocketed so much in the NCAA Tournament is because of the three-point line."
With the length of sophomore swingman Brewer and bigmen Noah and Al Horford racing out from down low to contest shots, the Gators held the Patriots to their lowest three-point output since a 61-56 overtime win over Georgia State on March 4.
Noah scored 12 points and blocked four shots and Horford pulled down 13 rebounds for Florida, who improved to 10-0 in games held at a neutral site this season.
By PA Sport