Helena Frye
The Florida Gators men's basketball team has won two national championships. The Gators won their first NCAA Championship in 2006, and their second in 2007, becoming the first team since Duke in 1992 to win back-to-back national championships.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Team | Florida Gators men's basketball team |
| Year of National Championship win | 2006, 2007 |
| Opponent | UCLA Bruins |
| Score | 73-57 |
| Date | 3rd April 2006 |
| Coach | Billy Donovan |
| Venue | Indianapolis |
| Tournament | NCAA Division I |
| Championship | First men's basketball national championship for the school |
| Record | 26–5 |
| Previous year | Lost to Michigan State in the National Championship Game |
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What You'll Learn
Florida Gators' 2006 NCAA Championship win
The Florida Gators' 2006 NCAA Championship win was a historic moment for the school and the sport. The Gators, representing the University of Florida, competed in Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and the Eastern Division of the Southeastern Conference (SEC). Led by head coach Billy Donovan, the Gators entered the 2006 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament as a No. 3 seed, ranked No. 10 by the AP with a 27-6 record.
The Gators' road to the championship began with wins against No. 14 seed South Alabama and No. 11 seed Milwaukee. They then advanced to the Minneapolis regional, where they defeated the No. 7 seed Georgetown Hoyas and upset the No. 1 seed Villanova Wildcats 75–62, avenging their loss to Villanova in the previous year's tournament. This set the stage for their second consecutive appearance in the Final Four.
In the national semifinals, the Gators faced the upstart No. 11 seed George Mason Patriots from the Washington, D.C. regional. Florida emerged victorious with a score of 73–58, setting up a showdown with the UCLA Bruins in the national final. On April 3, 2006, the Gators defeated UCLA 73–57 to claim the school's first men's basketball NCAA Championship. This win also marked the first time a school had won both the basketball and football national championships in the same year.
The 2006–07 Florida Gators men's basketball team returned all five starters from their championship campaign and began the new season ranked as the preseason No. 1 in both major media polls, a first for the Gators. They continued their dominance by winning their third straight SEC tournament championship and finishing the regular season with a 26–5 record. As the No. 1 overall seed in the NCAA tournament, they advanced to the Final Four and defeated the Ohio State Buckeyes 84–75 to become the first team since Duke in 1992 to win back-to-back national championships. This Gators team set numerous records, including the most wins in school history (35) and the best combined two-year record (68–11) over the 2005–06 and 2006–07 seasons.
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Florida Gators' 2007 NCAA Championship win
The Florida Gators' 2007 NCAA Championship win was a historic moment in college basketball. The Gators, led by head coach Billy Donovan, entered the 2006-07 season as the reigning national champions and were ranked preseason No. 1 in both major media polls for the first time in the program's history.
The Gators returned all five starters from their 2006 championship team, including Joakim Noah, Al Horford, Corey Brewer, Taurean Green, and Lee Humphrey. They started the season strongly, winning their first few games before a setback against Kansas in Las Vegas. Despite an injury to Junior Al Horford in December, the Gators bounced back and entered the SEC play with an impressive 13-2 record. They dominated the SEC, winning the SEC Championship and earning a 26-5 record entering the NCAA tournament.
In the NCAA Tournament, the Gators were the No. 1 overall seed and advanced to the Final Four with wins against No. 5 seed Butler and No. 3 seed Oregon. They defeated the UCLA Bruins in the national semifinal, setting up a rematch of the 2006 title game. The Gators then faced the Ohio State Buckeyes in the championship game, whom they had beaten earlier in the season. Florida showcased their depth and teamwork, with each starter except Noah scoring in double figures, led by Horford's 18 points and 12 rebounds. The Gators ultimately defeated Ohio State by a score of 84-75, becoming the first team since Duke in 1992 to win back-to-back national championships.
The 2007 Florida Gators will be remembered as one of the greatest teams in college basketball history, with their unselfishness and talent earning them comparisons to the legendary UCLA teams of John Wooden. They were also the first team to win both the NCAA football and men's basketball championships in the same academic year, solidifying their place in sports history.
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Florida Gators' 2006-07 season
The 2006-07 Florida Gators men's basketball team represented the University of Florida in the 2006-07 college basketball season. The Gators competed in Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and the Eastern Division of the Southeastern Conference (SEC). They were led by head coach Billy Donovan, and played their home games in the O'Connell Center on the university's Gainesville, Florida campus. The Gators were looking to repeat as national champions.
The Gators started the regular season strongly, returning all five starters from their 2006 championship team. They won their first few games, then lost to Kansas in Las Vegas. On December 13, Junior Al Horford injured his ankle in practice and missed a few games. However, he was able to play against Ohio State on December 23. The Ohio State-Florida game was a highly anticipated match-up, featuring three of the top players in the country: Horford, Joakim Noah, and Greg Oden. The Gators held Oden to 7 points and won 86-60. The Gators entered SEC play with a 13-2 record. They started out dominating the SEC. With a 12-0 SEC record, the Gators headed to Nashville, Tennessee, to take on the Vanderbilt Commodores. They had 17 straight wins, close to a school record, when they lost to Vanderbilt 70-83.
The Gators locked up the SEC Championship relatively early in the 2006-07 season and had a 24-2 record before going on a late-February skid, mirroring their run a year earlier. However, these would be their last losses of the season. Florida closed out Kentucky on Senior Night to end the regular season 26-5. They won their third straight SEC tournament championship with relative ease, beating Georgia, Ole Miss, and Arkansas 77-56.
Florida entered the 2007 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament as the No. 1 overall seed. They advanced to the Final Four after wins against No. 5 seed Butler and No. 3 seed Oregon. In a rematch of the 2006 title game, the Gators again eliminated the UCLA Bruins in the national semifinal. The Gators played in the National Championship game against Ohio State and won 84-75, becoming the first team since Duke in 1992 to win back-to-back national championships. They were also the first team to repeat as national champions with the same starting line-up.
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Florida Gators' 2005-06 season
The Florida Gators' 2005-06 season was a historic one, as they won their first NCAA Championship in men's basketball. The Gators entered the 2006 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament as a No. 3 seed with a 27-6 record and ranked No. 10 by the AP. They beat No. 14 seed South Alabama and No. 11 seed Milwaukee to advance to the Minneapolis regional, where they defeated the No. 7 seed Georgetown Hoyas and upset the No. 1 seed Villanova Wildcats 75-62, avenging their loss in the previous year's tournament. In the national semifinals in Indianapolis, the Gators defeated the upstart George Mason Patriots, the No. 11 seed from the Washington, D.C. regional, by a score of 73-58. On April 3, 2006, the Gators defeated the UCLA Bruins 73-57 in the national final to claim the championship.
The 2005-06 Gators were led by head coach Billy Donovan and played their home games in the O'Connell Center on the University of Florida's Gainesville campus. The team was built around a trio of players who accounted for 60% of their offense in 2005, and they returned all five starters from the previous year's team. The Gators' success in the 2005-06 season built upon a strong foundation, having made consecutive appearances in the NCAA Final Four in 2005/06 and 2006/07, and winning the SEC tournament championship in 2005/06.
The 2005-06 Gators set numerous school records, including:
- School record 37 consecutive foul shots – Green
- School record 113 3-point shots in a season – Humphrey
- School record 39 consecutive games with a 3-point shot – Humphrey
- School record only triple-double – Brewer
- School record 288 career 3-point shots – Humphrey (2003/04-2006/07)
- School record 112 career wins – Humphrey, Richard
- School record 141 career games played – Richard
- School record 261 career wins – Coach Donovan (1995/96-2006/07)
- School record 22 career NCAA tournament wins – Coach Donovan
The Gators' 2005-06 season was a dominant campaign that set the stage for their repeat championship run in 2006-07, becoming the first team to win back-to-back NCAA titles since Duke in 1991-92.
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Florida Gators' head coach Billy Donovan
The Florida Gators men's basketball team won the NCAA national championship in 2006 and 2007 under head coach Billy Donovan. Donovan was hired in 1996 to revive the Florida basketball program, which had only fleeting success in its history. In his first two seasons, Donovan's teams had losing records of 13-17 and 15-16. However, after rebuilding the roster, his Gators began a streak of 16 straight 20-win seasons, including four Final Fours and four SEC championships.
Donovan, born and raised in Rockville Centre on Long Island, New York, is a former basketball player himself. He played as the starting point guard for Rick Pitino's Providence College squad and led the Friars to the 1987 Final Four. He then served as an assistant coach for the Kentucky Wildcats men's basketball team from 1989 to 1993 before accepting his first head coaching position at Marshall University in 1994.
In 1996, Donovan was hired as the head basketball coach at the University of Florida, where he remained for 19 seasons until 2015. During his time with the Gators, he led the team to two national championships, back-to-back in 2006 and 2007, as well as an NCAA championship appearance in 2000. He is the winningest coach in Florida Gators history, with a record of 467-185 at the university.
After his successful tenure at the University of Florida, Donovan went on to coach in the NBA, becoming the head coach of the Oklahoma City Thunder in 2015. He spent five years with the Thunder, consistently reaching the playoffs, before moving on to coach the Chicago Bulls in 2020.
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Frequently asked questions
The Florida Gators won their first NCAA Championship in 2006.
The Florida Gators have won two national championships, in 2006 and 2007.
The Florida Gators defeated the Ohio State Buckeyes 84-75 to win the 2007 national championship.
