****National Champ Game****POD!

[AlexTheGreat]

Hey guys. Just got back to town last night. UCLA is playing great defense and shut down LSU. Moute had a great game scoring 17 (avg. 9.2 pg). LSU was a one dimensional team and it showed during the game. Florida is a complete team, a great inside and outside game. Florida is dominant in the tourney and will have too much offense for UCLA.

Florida Gators -1 Big POD
Florida/UCLA over 128 small play

Go Gators and GL guys!

[bhs4life]

Gl And Go Gators

[Kaptain]

gl to ya ATG---kapt

[bhs4life]

ORANGE

BLUE

[kbsooner21]

Good luck The Great one!

[meaiken]

ORANGE

BLUE

DITTO

[jcindaville]

Gl

[CheCheBoFumbe]

Again with the Fla. I need UCLA but good luck Buddy

[ChuckLazar]

I'll be rooting Buddy....

[Spearit]

This looks and feels like a terrific matchup. Both teams have good balance, defend and rebound well, and are capable on offense. They also are athletic, get good contributions from the bench and are very well coached – and judging from their performances Saturday, are extremely focused.

The way I see it, UCLA has been the tournament's most impressive defensive team. In five tournament games, only Gonzaga has crossed 70 points (the other four opponents have averaged 48 points per game).

Ben Howland has great confidence in his bench and this allows UCLA to keep the defensive pressure up for 40 minutes. An overlooked element of this defense is how physical and tough the Bruins are. They go after teams with speed and physicality, no matter how much of a size disadvantage they face.

The perimeter is anchored by Jordan Farmar and Arron Afflalo, but Darren Collison, Cedric Bozeman and Michael Roll all contribute, too. Collison is a game-changer with his ability to pressure the ball on defense and penetrate on offense. When Farmar and/or Afflalo shoot it well, the Bruins are very hard to beat..

Florida, meanwhile, has been the tournament's best and most consistent offensive team. The Gators have averaged 73 points per game in five tournament matchups and have shot close to 48 percent in doing so. Five players average double figures and all five can give you 20-plus. Joakim Noah, Al Horford, Corey Brewer, Lee Humphrey and Taurean Green give Florida a potent fivesome.

The Gators' defense has been solid, too. Florida has good team speed and plenty of length – length that has kept its opponents to 35-percent shooting throughout the tournament. Billy Donovan doesn't have quite the depth that Ben Howland has, but he gets good minutes from Chris Richard, Adrian Moss and Walter Hodge.

These teams are so evenly matched that it's hard to really say who has the advantage. But barring any significant foul trouble, I'll give Florida a slight edge because I think the Gators can handle UCLA's defense and physicality, and they are a bit more potent on offense. However, the Gators must minimize turnovers in a game where possessions could be limited. I also think that Florida is comparable to UCLA defensively, albeit in a different way: intimidation inside versus pitbull determination on the perimeter. At 6-foot-8, Brewer had the ability to defend on the perimeter and score from anywhere – he could be a difference maker for Florida.

For UCLA, the keys will be defense (as usual), bench play and offensive execution. I think the Bruins will need timely perimeter shooting from Afflalo, Farmar or Roll, and strong play off the bench from Mata and Aboya down low. But it is Collison that could be the game changer. When he's on the floor with Afflalo and Farmar, he helps them get easier perimeter shots. He's also a pest on defense and a threat to score himself. UCLA's D' has been so impressive lately that it has overshadowed the fact that the Bruins shot 49 percent from the field during the regular season. In other words, they have the offense they need to win games; it's just been a bit sporadic lately.

But when push comes to shove, my pick is Florida. But my hope is for both teams to play a high-level game for themselves and for us fans. However it ends, we'll have a classy, deserving champion.

[Spark]

Good Luck Alex

[AlexTheGreat]

Everyone seems to talk about UCLA's defense, but if you look closely at the numbers Florida's defense is also dominating, holding opponents to 59 points pg, with UCLA 63. That is not a big margin. Florida's offense is very good, frontcourt and backcourt, and very consistent. Florida is my pick.

[shoeman530]

good luck atg

[AlexTheGreat]

congrats to all Gators backers! Wasn't even a close game