Washington Week: Student Voices (O)

Gators earn NCAA top seed
By Louis Anastasis
Independent Florida Alligator (U. Florida)
03/14/2007

(CSTV U-WIRE) ATLANTA — Just hours before the NCAA Selection Committee revealed its tournament field, ESPN Bracketology guru Joe Lunardi predicted UF would be a No. 2 seed.

Not so much.

The Gators not only earned a No. 1 seed in the Midwest Region but have been dubbed the No. 1 team of the entire field.

This marks the first time UF has ever been a No. 1 seed.

The Gators will play No. 16 Jackson State (21-13) in New Orleans on Friday.

"Florida, based on what the committee felt and what I felt, deserved to be there," CBS college basketball analyst Clark Kellogg said on TV. "I'm not really surprised."

The Gators are thrilled.

Sort of.

"What does being favored mean?" UF forward Joakim Noah said in anticipation of the No. 1 seed. "The No. 64 team can beat the No. 1 seed. How many No. 1seeds were in the Final Four last season?"

None, so maybe Noah has a point.

The Gators (29-5) thrived as a No. 3 seed last season.

UF also was able to avoid the powerhouses throughout the tournament.

"We just want to win championships," UF forward Corey Brewer said. "You can seed us wherever you want. One, two, three, four — we can win with any of these seeds. But of course I think we deserve a No. 1 seed."

What Brewer might not realize is that UF's seed has landed the Gators into arguably the weakest region.

The other three regions include dangerous No. 2 seeds like UCLA, Memphis and Georgetown.

The Midwest has Wisconsin and Oregon but is thinner top-to-bottom than the other regions.

"I think Florida has the smoothest path to Atlanta (for the Final Four)," CBS analyst Seth Davis said.

Sunday, the Gators decimated Arkansas in the Southeastern Conference Tournament Championship 77-56. UF cruised through the tournament, outscoring Georgia, Mississippi and Arkansas by a combined 57 points.

The NCAA's Selection Committee seems to have placed an onus on tournament play.

For example, UCLA, which was upset by California in its first game of the Pacific-10 Tournament, whiffed on a No. 1 seed.

The Gators, meanwhile, have as much momentum as any other team.

"Here's where I do credit the committee — If you're a basketball coach at the collegiate level and asked what team do you not want to face in the NCAA Tournament, it is Florida," CBS sportscaster Billy Packer said. "They're a veteran team and without question, I think, the best team in college basketball."

If the Gators win their first round game, they will play the victor of the Arizona-Purdue game Sunday.

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