Starting fives power Final 4

By Wendell Barnhouse - Mcclatchy Newspapers     Mar 26, 2007

So much for depth. Forget about 10-man rotations. Next weekend’s Final Four in Atlanta is all about team play.

North Carolina, No. 1 seed in the East, and Kansas, No. 1 seed in the West, didn’t make it to the ultimate college basketball weekend although both teams have enough talent to divide up and stage their own final four.

But that’s lowercase stuff. The 2007 Final Four is all about the starting fives and teamwork overcoming a lack of firepower from the bench.

Florida is two victories from a rare national championship double. The Gators don’t have a player averaging more than 13.2 points, but any of their starters can score 20.

In Sunday’s Midwest Regional final victory over the plucky Ducks of Oregon, Florida’s guards – Taurean Green and Lee Humphrey – combined for 44 points as Oregon tried to limit the Gators’ big men.

UCLA is back in its second consecutive Final Four. The Bruins have 11 national championships and their 17th Final Four trip puts them ahead of North Carolina for the most in college basketball history.

Coach Ben Howland, in his fourth season in Westwood, has been a wizard preaching a swarming, team-oriented defense. UCLA’s opponents in four NCAA Tournament games are shooting 36.3 percent.

Ohio State brings a gaudy 34-3 record and 21-game winning streak to Atlanta. The Buckeyes have been in the national spotlight all season because of a freshman class headed by center Greg Oden.

But Ohio State is still playing because senior Ron Lewis made a clutch three-pointer to force overtime in the second round against Xavier. And with Oden on the bench after fouling out, Mike Conley Jr. took over to ensure the Buckeyes’ victory.

Georgetown’s teamwork was evident in its overtime defeat of North Carolina in the East Regional final Sunday. All five starters scored in double figures.

Beyond the teamwork on the court, storylines will be abundant this weekend:

¢ Florida’s quest to become the first team since Duke in 1991-92 to win consecutive national championships.

¢ Saturday’s semifinal between Florida and UCLA, a rematch of last year’s title game that the Gators won easily, 73-57.

¢ Saturday’s Georgetown-Ohio State semifinal features a rare matchup of 7-foot centers – the Buckeyes’ Oden against the Hoyas’ 7-2 Roy Hibbert.

¢ Should Florida and Ohio State win their semifinal games, Monday night’s national championship will match the schools whose football teams played in the Bowl Championship Series title game.

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