Florida 2007 NCAA Tournament Capsule

Florida Gators - SEC (29-5, 13-3)

Seed: #1 - Midwest Region

Big Wins: 12/23 Ohio State (86-60), 2/3 Tennessee (94-78), 2/10 at Kentucky (64-61)

Bad Losses: 12/3 at Florida State (66-70), 2/17 at Vanderbilt (70-83), 2/24 at LSU (56-66)

Last NCAA Appearance: 2006, National Champions

Coach: Billy Donovan (16-7 in 8 NCAA appearances)

Probable Florida Starters:

• Taurean Green, Junior, Guard, 13.1 ppg, 3.5 apg

• Lee Humphrey, Senior, Guard, 9.9 ppg, 1.4 apg

• Corey Brewer, Junior, Forward, 12.7 ppg, 3.1 apg, 4.5 rpg

• Joakim Noah, Junior, Forward, 12.1 ppg, 8.2 rpg, 1.8 bpg

• Al Horford, Junior, Center, 13.2 ppg, 9.1 rpg, 1.9 bpg

Key Roleplayers for Florida :

• Walter Hodge, Sophomore, Guard, 6.4 ppg, 1.5 apg

• Dan Werner, Freshman, Forward, 2.1 ppg, 1.3 rpg

• Chris Richard, Senior, Forward, 5.7 ppg, 3.6 rpg

Why They Can Surprise:
All five starters nearly average ten points per gameand the danger starts with the best frontcourt in the nation. Small forward Corey Brewer is a prolific scorer and a versatile defender. The 6-9 junior is a match-up nightmare and can easily shoot over most small forwards he faces. Joakim Noah is scoring a little less than he did last year, but his passion and team leadership skills have not diminished. Like Noah, Al Horford is another great rebounder and a major scoring presence in the post.

As a team, the Gators shoot nearly 53% from the floor. That is the best in the nation and a testament to the smart, efficient offense that Coach Billy Donovan employs. What makes that 53% even more impressive is the fact that Florida is not opposed to taking quite a few three-pointers; they just happen to make 40.8% of those they take. Very rarely will anybody put up a bad shot.

Why Florida Can Disappoint:
It is not easy to find something bad about the reigning national champions that returned five starters. But if we look hard enough, we will find the free-throw shooting numbers. Shooting 68 % from the charity stripe is not that great. The two players that get to the line the most, Noah and Horford, shoot under 66%.In Florida’s first three loses on the season, Horford had his worst games, shooting 3 for 8 against Kansas, scoring just four points at Florida State and going 1 for 7 from the floor against Vanderbilt. If the inside presence is not established, the Gators weakness on the offensive end is exposed.

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Who To Watch:
Somehow the backcourt is still underappreciated. Taurean Green runs the show and keeps the offensive machine running smoothly. Not only that, but he does average more points per game than Brewer, Noah and Horford. His backcourt mate, Lee Humphrey, is the catch and shoot three-point marksman who will make the opposition pay for dropping down in the paint to stop the frontcourt. Speedy guard Walter Hodge has increased his production as a sophomore and, if the starting five was not scary enough, provides another threat off the bench.

By the Numbers:

Scoring Offense: 79.3 (14th in nation, 2nd in conference)

Scoring Defense: 61.6 (31, 1)

Field-Goal Percentage: 52.7 (1, 1)

Field-Goal Defense: 40.4 (30, 2)

Free-Throw Percentage: 68.0 (196, 7)

Rebound Margin: 7.4 (7, 1)

Assists Per Game: 15.8 (37, 4)

Turnovers Per Game: 14.0 (118, 5)

Joel’s Bracket Says: 2007 National Champions

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