University of Florida wins NCAA basketball championship

April 5, 2006

The Gators beat the  Bruins 73-57 in the  last night. The win gave the Gators their first  championship. The Gators, a number three seed in the tournament, spent most of the night dominating the Bruins on both offense and defense.

Joakim Noah, center for the Gators, recorded 16 points, nine rebounds, and a NCAA tournament championship game record 6 blocks. Noah said, "It's like I'm in a cloud. Not only does this feel good, but it smells good and it tastes good. I can't even describe it."

In the previous two games the Bruins allowed only a combined 90 points, but they never seemed to get organized on defense. Florida's early lead stayed throughout the game, with the Bruins unable to re-take the lead.

Joakim Noah's father was a French tennis player (now a singer) who won the  tennis tournament. His grandfather was a soccer professional. It's the first time a french basketball player has been part of a winning  championship team. He'll join on the French national basketball team.