2007 NCAA Division I men's basketball championship game
National championship game | |||||||||||||
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Date | April 2, 2007 | ||||||||||||
Venue | Nielsen Ratings | 12.2 | |||||||||||
The 2007 NCAA Division I men's basketball championship game was the finals of the
For the second time in three years, the national title game was played between two No. 1 seeds. This game was a rematch of the game at
Participants
Ohio State Buckeyes
Ohio State entered the South region of the tournament as the overall No. 1 seed. In the first round, Greg Oden had a double-double to beat Central Connecticut State 78–57.[4] In the second round, Ohio State overcame a late deficit for a 78–71 overtime win over Xavier.[5] In the Sweet 16, Oden blocked a last second shot by Ramar Smith to beat Tennessee 85–84.[6] In the Elite Eight, Ohio State used Oden's 17 points to beat Memphis 92–76 for a trip to the Final Four.[7] In the Final Four, Oden's 13 points were six points short of Roy Hibbert's 19 points but it was Ohio State who got the victory beating Georgetown 67–60 for a trip to the National Championship Game for the first time since 1962.[8]
Florida Gators
Defending champion Florida entered the tournament as the No. 1 seed in the Midwest Region. In the first round, Florida played a dominant second half against Jackson State outscoring them 71–34 in the 2nd half to take a 112–69 win.[9] In the second round, Florida beat Purdue 74–67 to stay alive in their quest for a 2nd straight national title.[10] In the Sweet 16, Florida took another step closer to becoming the first team to win back-to-back championships since the 1991–92 Duke Blue Devils with a 65–57 win over Butler.[11] In the Elite Eight, Florida beat Oregon 85–77 to advance to the Final Four.[12] In the national semi-final, Florida beat UCLA 76–66 to advance to the championship game.[13]
Starting lineups
Ohio State | Position | Florida | ||
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Jamar Butler | G | Taurean Green 2 | ||
Mike Conley Jr. 1 | G | Lee Humphrey | ||
Ron Lewis | G/F | Corey Brewer 1 | ||
Ivan Harris | F | Joakim Noah 1 | ||
Greg Oden 1 | C | Al Horford 1 | ||
Players selected in an NBA draft (number indicates round) |
Source[14]
Game summary
CBS
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April 2, 2007
9:21 PM ET |
#MW1 Florida Gators 84, #S1 Ohio State Buckeyes 75 | ||
Scoring by half: 40–29, 44–46 | ||
6 | Pts: Greg Oden 25 Rebs: Greg Oden 12 Asts: Mike Conley Jr. 6 |
Georgia Dome, Atlanta, Georgia
Attendance: 51,458 |
In a rematch of a regular season meeting which had been won 86–60 by Florida in Gainesville, the Gators survived 25 points and 12 rebounds from Buckeyes center Greg Oden with stellar play from guards Lee Humphrey and Taurean Green with inside contributions coming from Al Horford (18 points) and tourney Most Outstanding Player Corey Brewer. Billy Donovan became the third-youngest coach (at age 41) to win two titles. Only Bob Knight (at Indiana) and San Francisco's Phil Woolpert both won two titles at the age of 40.
The Gators are the first team ever to hold the NCAA Division I college football and basketball titles in the same academic year (2006–07) and calendar year (2006 and 2007). Coincidentally, Florida also beat Ohio State (by a score of 41–14) in the College Football Championship, the first time in college sports history that identical match-ups and results have occurred in both football and basketball championships. This was also the first time in NCAA D-I men's basketball history that exactly the same starting five were able to win back-to-back titles (Joakim Noah, Corey Brewer, Lee Humphrey, Al Horford, Taurean Green). Florida's Lee Humphrey also set the all-time NCAA Tournament record for three-point field goals made with 47. Humphrey surpassed Bobby Hurley's record of 42.[15]
References
- ^ "2006-07 Men's College Basketball Rankings". ESPN. Retrieved February 16, 2024.
- ^ "Horford's return sparks Gators in surprising rout". ESPN.com. December 23, 2006. Retrieved May 4, 2014.
- ^ "Gators attack: Florida gets title with rout of Ohio State". ESPN.com. January 8, 2007. Retrieved May 4, 2014.
- ^ "Oden's double-double leads top seed Ohio State over CCSU". ESPN.com. March 15, 2007. Retrieved May 4, 2014.
- ^ "Ohio State overcomes late deficit, wins in overtime". ESPN.com. March 17, 2007. Retrieved May 4, 2014.
- ^ "Oden blocks Smith's last effort; Buckeyes top Vols". ESPN.com. March 22, 2007. Retrieved May 4, 2014.
- ^ "Ohio State rides Oden past Memphis to Final Four". ESPN.com. March 24, 2007. Retrieved May 4, 2014.
- ^ "Hibbert wins matchup with Oden, but Ohio St. moves on". ESPN.com. March 31, 2007. Retrieved May 4, 2014.
- ^ "Gators turn it on in second half, blow out Jackson St". ESPN.com. March 16, 2007. Retrieved May 4, 2014.
- ^ "Repeat still possible: Gators win 14th straight in postseason". ESPN.com. March 18, 2007. Retrieved May 4, 2014.
- ^ "Gators closer to becoming first team to repeat since '92 Duke". ESPN.com. March 23, 2007. Retrieved May 4, 2014.
- ^ "Gators stretch postseason winning streak to 16". ESPN.com. March 25, 2007. Retrieved May 4, 2014.
- ^ "Florida runs over UCLA, sets up another battle with Ohio St". ESPN.com. March 31, 2007. Retrieved May 4, 2014.
- ^ "Ohio State vs. Florida Box Score (Men), April 2, 2007". Sports Reference. Retrieved March 29, 2023.
- ^ "Florida becomes first team in 15 years to repeat; Brewer is MOP". ESPN.com. April 2, 2007. Retrieved May 4, 2014.