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2007 NCAA Division I men's basketball championship game

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See also: 2007 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament

2007 NCAA Tournament Championship Game
National championship game
Ohio State Buckeyes Florida Gators
Big Ten SEC
(35–3) (34–5)
75 84
Head coach:
Thad Matta		 Head coach:
Billy Donovan
1st half2nd half Total
Ohio State Buckeyes 2946 75
Florida Gators 4044 84
DateApril 2, 2007
VenueGeorgia Dome, Atlanta, Georgia
MVPCorey Brewer, Florida
FavoriteFlorida by 3
RefereesKarl Hess, Tony Greene, Edward Corbett
Attendance51,458
United States TV coverage
NetworkCBS
AnnouncersJim Nantz (play-by-play)
Billy Packer (color)
Sam Ryan (sideline)
Nielsen Ratings12.2
← 2006
2008 →

The 2007 NCAA Division I men's basketball championship game was the finals of the 2007 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament and determined the national champion for the 2006–07 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The game was played at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta, Georgia between the South Regional Champion and the overall No. 1 seed Ohio State Buckeyes and the Midwest Regional Champion and defending national champion, the No. 1-seed Florida Gators. Florida won 84–75, to successfully defend their national championship, becoming the seventh school to repeat as national champions, and were the last to accomplish such a feat until Connecticut in 2024.

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 O'Connell Center on December 23, 2006, which was won by Florida who defeated Ohio State in an 86–60 victory.[2] This game featured the same two teams that participated in the 2007 BCS National Championship Game marking the first time (and only current in Tournament history) that the same two schools were competing for the football and basketball national championships which saw Florida beat Ohio State 41–14 to be the national champions of college football.[3]

Participants

[edit]

Ohio State Buckeyes

[edit]
Main article: 2006–07 Ohio State Buckeyes men's basketball team

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

[edit]
Main article: 2006–07 Florida Gators men's basketball team

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

[edit]
Ohio State Position Florida
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

[edit]
CBS
April 2, 2007
9:21 PM ET
#MW1 Florida Gators 84, #S1 Ohio State Buckeyes 75
Scoring by half: 40–29, 44–46
Pts: Al Horford 18
Rebs: Al Horford 12
Asts: Taurean Green 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]

With the loss to Florida, Ohio State's record in the national championship game fell to 1–4.

References

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  1. ^ "2006-07 Men's College Basketball Rankings". ESPN. Retrieved February 16, 2024.
  2. ^ "Horford's return sparks Gators in surprising rout". ESPN.com. December 23, 2006. Archived from the original on October 17, 2020. Retrieved May 4, 2014.
  3. ^ "Gators attack: Florida gets title with rout of Ohio State". ESPN.com. January 8, 2007. Archived from the original on September 26, 2018. Retrieved May 4, 2014.
  4. ^ "Oden's double-double leads top seed Ohio State over CCSU". ESPN.com. March 15, 2007. Archived from the original on October 17, 2020. Retrieved May 4, 2014.
  5. ^ "Ohio State overcomes late deficit, wins in overtime". ESPN.com. March 17, 2007. Archived from the original on October 17, 2020. Retrieved May 4, 2014.
  6. ^ "Oden blocks Smith's last effort; Buckeyes top Vols". ESPN.com. March 22, 2007. Archived from the original on October 17, 2020. Retrieved May 4, 2014.
  7. ^ "Ohio State rides Oden past Memphis to Final Four". ESPN.com. March 24, 2007. Archived from the original on September 15, 2016. Retrieved May 4, 2014.
  8. ^ "Hibbert wins matchup with Oden, but Ohio St. moves on". ESPN.com. March 31, 2007. Archived from the original on March 27, 2018. Retrieved May 4, 2014.
  9. ^ "Gators turn it on in second half, blow out Jackson St". ESPN.com. March 16, 2007. Retrieved May 4, 2014.[dead link‍]
  10. ^ "Repeat still possible: Gators win 14th straight in postseason". ESPN.com. March 18, 2007. Archived from the original on August 5, 2020. Retrieved May 4, 2014.
  11. ^ "Gators closer to becoming first team to repeat since '92 Duke". ESPN.com. March 23, 2007. Archived from the original on October 17, 2020. Retrieved May 4, 2014.
  12. ^ "Gators stretch postseason winning streak to 16". ESPN.com. March 25, 2007. Archived from the original on September 15, 2016. Retrieved May 4, 2014.
  13. ^ "Florida runs over UCLA, sets up another battle with Ohio St". ESPN.com. March 31, 2007. Archived from the original on April 10, 2020. Retrieved May 4, 2014.
  14. ^ "Ohio State vs. Florida Box Score (Men), April 2, 2007". Sports Reference. Retrieved March 29, 2023.
  15. ^ "Florida becomes first team in 15 years to repeat; Brewer is MOP". ESPN.com. April 2, 2007. Archived from the original on September 15, 2016. Retrieved May 4, 2014.
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