2006-07 Florida Gators men's basketball team
Encyclopedia
The 2006–07 Florida Gators men's basketball team represented the University of Florida
in the sport of basketball
during 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.
They started the season as the defending national champions, and were looking to repeat as national champions. The Gators finished the season with a 26–5 record entering the SEC
Championship. They won all three games and received the No. 1 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament
. They raced through the tournament and reached the final against Ohio State. They beat them 84–75 to become the first team since Duke in 1992 to repeat as National Champions.
| colspan="7" style="padding-left:10px;" | Overall Recruiting Rankings: Scout
– 22 Rivals
– 20 ESPN
– '
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!colspan=8| Exhibition
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!colspan=8| Regular season
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!colspan=8| SEC Tournament
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!colspan=8| NCAA Division I Tournament
. On December 13, Junior Al Horford
injured his ankle in practice, and missed a few games in December. Horford however, was able to play against Ohio State
, on December 23. The Ohio State-Florida game was a high anticipated match-up, featuring 3 of the top big men in the country(Horford, Joakim Noah
, and Greg Oden
). The Gators stopped Oden from scoring a lot of points and went on to win 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.
University of Florida
The University of Florida is an American public land-grant, sea-grant, and space-grant research university located on a campus in Gainesville, Florida. The university traces its historical origins to 1853, and has operated continuously on its present Gainesville campus since September 1906...
in the sport of basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
during the 2006–07 college basketball season. The Gators competed in Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association
National Collegiate Athletic Association
The National Collegiate Athletic Association is a semi-voluntary association of 1,281 institutions, conferences, organizations and individuals that organizes the athletic programs of many colleges and universities in the United States...
(NCAA) and the Eastern Division of the Southeastern Conference
Southeastern Conference
The Southeastern Conference is an American college athletic conference that operates in the southeastern part of the United States. It is headquartered in Birmingham, Alabama...
(SEC). They were led by head coach Billy Donovan
Billy Donovan
William John "Billy" Donovan, Jr. is an American college basketball coach and a former college and professional basketball player. Donovan is the current head coach of the Florida Gators men's basketball team of the University of Florida...
, and played their home games in the O'Connell Center on the university's Gainesville, Florida
Gainesville, Florida
Gainesville is the largest city in, and the county seat of, Alachua County, Florida, United States as well as the principal city of the Gainesville, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area . The preliminary 2010 Census population count for Gainesville is 124,354. Gainesville is home to the sixth...
campus.
They started the season as the defending national champions, and were looking to repeat as national champions. The Gators finished the season with a 26–5 record entering the SEC
Southeastern Conference
The Southeastern Conference is an American college athletic conference that operates in the southeastern part of the United States. It is headquartered in Birmingham, Alabama...
Championship. They won all three games and received the No. 1 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament
2007 NCAA Tournament
This is a list of the 2007 NCAA Tournament winners:Basketball* 2007 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament* 2007 NCAA Women's Division I Basketball TournamentIce hockey* 2007 NCAA Men's Division I Ice Hockey TournamentBaseball...
. They raced through the tournament and reached the final against Ohio State. They beat them 84–75 to become the first team since Duke in 1992 to repeat as National Champions.
Class of 2006
|-| colspan="7" style="padding-left:10px;" | Overall Recruiting Rankings: Scout
Scout.com
Scout.com is an integrated sports publishing company that produces both an Internet and print product. Scout has more than 2.1 million visitors...
– 22 Rivals
Rivals.com
Rivals.com is a network of websites that focus mainly on college football and basketball recruiting. The network was started in 1996 and currently employs more than 300 personnel.-Schools:The individual collegiate sites can be found...
– 20 ESPN
ESPN
Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming....
– '
|}
Roster
| Name | Number | Position | Height | Weight | Class | Hometown |
| Jack Berry | 22 | G | 6–6 | 215 | Junior | Windermere, Florida Windermere, Florida Windermere is a town in Orange County, Florida, in the United States. As of the 2000 census, the town population was 1,897. According to the U.S. Census Bureau's 2006 estimates, the town had a population of 2,019. It is expected that the 2010 census will show the town with almost 3000 people... |
| Corey Brewer Corey Brewer Corey Wayne Brewer is an American professional basketball player who is a small forward and shooting guard for the Dallas Mavericks of the National Basketball Association . He played college basketball for for the University of Florida, where he starred on the Florida Gators teams that won... |
2 | F | 6–9 | 185 | Junior | Portland, Tennessee Portland, Tennessee Portland is a city in Sumner and Robertson counties in the U.S. state of Tennessee, and is also a part of the Nashville Metropolitan Statistical Area The population was 10,986 according to 2007 estimates by the US census bureau.-History:... |
| Taurean Green Taurean Green Taurean Green is an American-born professional basketball player who is a point guard for CB Gran Canaria, the Canary Islands affiliate of the Spanish basketball league Liga ACB. Green played college basketball for the University of Florida, where he was a member of the Florida Gators teams that... |
11 | G | 6–0 | 177 | Junior | Ft. Lauderdale, Florida |
| Walter Hodge | 15 | G | 6–0 | 170 | Sophomore | Guaynabo, Puerto Rico Guaynabo, Puerto Rico Guaynabo is a municipality in the northern part of Puerto Rico, located in the northern coast of the island, north of Aguas Buenas; south of Cataño; east of Bayamón; and west of San Juan... |
| Al Horford Al Horford Alfred Joel Horford Reynoso is a Dominican professional basketball player who is a center and power forward for the Atlanta Hawks of the National Basketball Association... |
42 | F/C | 6–10 | 245 | Junior | Grand Ledge, Michigan Grand Ledge, Michigan Grand Ledge is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. The city lies mostly within Eaton County, though a small portion extends into Clinton County, and sits above the Grand River 12.7 miles directly west of downtown Lansing. The population was 7,813 at the 2000 census... |
| Lee Humphrey Lee Humphrey Lee Anthony Humphrey is an American professional basketball player who is currently a shooting guard for Ratiopharm Ulm in the German basketball league Basketball Bundesliga. Humphrey played college basketball for the University of Florida, and was a key member of the Florida Gators teams that... |
12 | G | 6–2 | 192 | Senior | Maryville, Tennessee Maryville, Tennessee Maryville is the county seat of Blount County, Tennessee, in the Southeastern United States. The city is located south of Knoxville. Maryville's population was 27,258 at the 2010 census. It is included in the Knoxville Metropolitan Area. Maryville has received a number of accolades for its... |
| Jonathan Mitchell | 0 | F | 6–7 | 243 | Sophomore | Mount Vernon, New York Mount Vernon, New York Mount Vernon is a city in Westchester County, New York, United States. It lies on the border of the New York City borough of The Bronx.-Overview:... |
| Joakim Noah Joakim Noah Joakim Simon Noah is a professional basketball player for the Chicago Bulls of the National Basketball Association . Born in New York City to a Swedish mother and French father, he holds American, Swedish and French citizenship... |
13 | F/C | 6–11 | 230 | Junior | New York, New York |
| Brandon Powell | 3 | G | 6–3 | 187 | Freshman | Memphis, Tennessee Memphis, Tennessee Memphis is a city in the southwestern corner of the U.S. state of Tennessee, and the county seat of Shelby County. The city is located on the 4th Chickasaw Bluff, south of the confluence of the Wolf and Mississippi rivers.... |
| Chris Richard Chris Richard (basketball) Chris Richard is an American professional basketball player. Richard, a power forward, played college basketball for the University of Florida. He has a wingspan of 7'4½". His role was that of the sixth man that came off the bench for the Florida Gators national championship men's team during the... |
32 | F/C | 6–9 | 255 | Senior | Lakeland, Florida Lakeland, Florida Lakeland is a city in Polk County, Florida, United States, located approximately midway between Tampa and Orlando along Interstate 4. According to the 2008 U.S. Census Bureau estimate, the city had a population of 94,406... |
| Marreese Speights Marreese Speights Marreese Akeem Speights is an American professional basketball player who is a center for the Philadelphia 76ers of the National Basketball Association . Speights played college basketball for the University of Florida, where he was a freshman member of the Florida Gators' NCAA national... |
34 | F/C | 6–10 | 245 | Freshman | St. Petersburg, Florida St. Petersburg, Florida St. Petersburg is a city in Pinellas County, Florida, United States. It is known as a vacation destination for both American and foreign tourists. As of 2008, the population estimate by the U.S. Census Bureau is 245,314, making St... |
| Brett Swanson | 1 | G | 6–2 | 180 | Senior | Pace, Florida Pace, Florida Pace is a census-designated place in Santa Rosa County, Florida, United States. The population was 7,393 during the 2000 census. It is part of the Pensacola–Ferry Pass–Brent Metropolitan Statistical Area.According to Pace CDP Census 2010 results, the population of the area was... |
| Garrett Tyler | 25 | G/F | 6–7 | 200 | Junior | Palm Harbor, Florida Palm Harbor, Florida Palm Harbor is a census-designated place and an unincorporated community in Pinellas County, Florida, United States. As of the 2000 census, the CDP had a total population of 59,248.-Culture:... |
| Dan Werner Dan Werner Dan Werner is a professional basketball player currently playing in Europe. He played collegiately at the University of Florida and was a freshman member of Florida's 2007 national champion team... |
21 | F | 6–7 | 235 | Freshman | Middletown, New Jersey |
Coaches
| Name | Type | College | Graduating year |
| Billy Donovan Billy Donovan William John "Billy" Donovan, Jr. is an American college basketball coach and a former college and professional basketball player. Donovan is the current head coach of the Florida Gators men's basketball team of the University of Florida... |
Head Coach | Providence College Providence College Providence College is a private, coeducational, Catholic university located about two miles west of downtown Providence, Rhode Island, United States, the state's capital city. With a 2010–2011 enrollment of 3,850 undergraduate students and 735 graduate students, the College specializes in academic... |
1987 |
| Donnie Jones Donnie Jones (basketball coach) Donnie Jones is an American college basketball coach and former college basketball player. Jones is currently the head coach of the UCF Knights men's basketball team that represents the University of Central Florida in Orlando, Florida.After spending three years as head coach at Marshall, amassing... |
Associate Head Coach | Pikeville College Pikeville College The University of Pikeville is a private, liberal arts university affiliated with the Presbyterian Church, located in Pikeville, Kentucky. The university is home to one of three medical schools in the state of Kentucky. It's current president is former Kentucky Governor Paul E... |
1988 |
| Larry Shyatt Larry Shyatt Larry Shyatt is the men's basketball coach at the University of Wyoming. He previously served as the head coach at the University of Wyoming and Clemson University. He also previously served as an assistant coach at the University of Florida.... |
Assistant Coach | College of Wooster | 1973 |
| Lewis Preston Lewis Preston (basketball coach) Lewis Preston is an American college basketball coach and the current head coach of the Kennesaw State University Owls men's basketball team in Kennesaw, Georgia... |
Assistant Coach | Virginia Military Institute Virginia Military Institute The Virginia Military Institute , located in Lexington, Virginia, is the oldest state-supported military college and one of six senior military colleges in the United States. Unlike any other military college in the United States—and in keeping with its founding principles—all VMI students are... |
1993 |
| Darren Hertz | Assistant to the Head Coach | University of Florida University of Florida The University of Florida is an American public land-grant, sea-grant, and space-grant research university located on a campus in Gainesville, Florida. The university traces its historical origins to 1853, and has operated continuously on its present Gainesville campus since September 1906... |
1997 |
| Adam Beaupre | Video Coordinator | University of Florida University of Florida The University of Florida is an American public land-grant, sea-grant, and space-grant research university located on a campus in Gainesville, Florida. The university traces its historical origins to 1853, and has operated continuously on its present Gainesville campus since September 1906... |
1999 |
| Matt Herring | Strength & Conditioning Coordinator | University of Texas Southwestern University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center is one of the biomedical research institutions of the University of Texas System, incorporating three degree-granting institutions, four affiliated hospitals, including Parkland Memorial, the teaching hospital, and biomedical research... |
1994 |
| Dave Werner | Athletic Trainer | Eastern Kentucky University Eastern Kentucky University Eastern Kentucky University, commonly referred to as Eastern or by the acronym EKU by local residents, is an undergraduate and graduate teaching and research institution located in Richmond, Kentucky, U.S.A.. EKU is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools... |
1991 |
| Tom Williams | Academic Counselor |
Schedule and results
|-!colspan=8| Exhibition
|-
!colspan=8| Regular season
|-
!colspan=8| SEC Tournament
|-
!colspan=8| NCAA Division I Tournament
| Poll | Pre | Wk 1 | Wk 2 | Wk 3 | Wk 4 | Wk 5 | Wk 6 | Wk 7 | Wk 8 | Wk 9 | Wk 10 | Wk 11 | Wk 12 | Wk 13 | Wk 14 | Wk 15 | Wk 16 | Wk 17 | Wk 18 | Wk 19 | Final |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AP | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 1 |
| Coaches | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 4 | 7 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 6 | 1 |
Regular season
The Gators started the regular season trying to repeat as National Champions. They returned all five starters since none of them decided to go into the NBA early. They won their first few games, then they lost to Kansas in Las VegasLas Vegas metropolitan area
The Las Vegas Valley is the heart of the Las Vegas-Paradise, NV MSA also known as the Las Vegas–Paradise–Henderson MSA which includes all of Clark County, Nevada, and is a metropolitan area in the southern part of the U.S. state of Nevada. The Valley is defined by the Las Vegas Valley landform, a ...
. On December 13, Junior Al Horford
Al Horford
Alfred Joel Horford Reynoso is a Dominican professional basketball player who is a center and power forward for the Atlanta Hawks of the National Basketball Association...
injured his ankle in practice, and missed a few games in December. Horford however, was able to play against Ohio State
Ohio State Buckeyes
The Ohio State Buckeyes are the intercollegiate sports teams and players of The Ohio State University, named after the state tree, the Buckeye. The Buckeyes participate in the NCAA's Division I in all sports and the Big Ten Conference in most sports...
, on December 23. The Ohio State-Florida game was a high anticipated match-up, featuring 3 of the top big men in the country(Horford, Joakim Noah
Joakim Noah
Joakim Simon Noah is a professional basketball player for the Chicago Bulls of the National Basketball Association . Born in New York City to a Swedish mother and French father, he holds American, Swedish and French citizenship...
, and Greg Oden
Greg Oden
Gregory Wayne Oden, Jr. is an American basketball player at the center position. Oden is a member of the Portland Trail Blazers of the NBA....
). The Gators stopped Oden from scoring a lot of points and went on to win 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
Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville is the capital of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat of Davidson County. It is located on the Cumberland River in Davidson County, in the north-central part of the state. The city is a center for the health care, publishing, banking and transportation industries, and is home...
to take on the Vanderbilt Commodores
Vanderbilt Commodores
The Vanderbilt Commodores are the NCAA athletic teams of Vanderbilt University, located in Nashville, Tennessee. The university fields 16 varsity teams , 14 of which compete in the Southeastern Conference...
. They had 17 straight wins, close to a school record, when they lost to Vanderbilt 70–83.
Accomplishments
- Longest winning streak in school history – 17 games (3 times) (2005/6, 2006/7)
- Consecutive 20 + win seasons – 9 years in a row (1998/9-2006/7)
- The most wins in school history prior to NCAA tournament – 29 (2006/7)
- The most wins in a season in school history – 35 (2006/7)
- Combined 68–11 record over two years (2005/6 – 2006/7)
- Led nation in field goal percentage (2005/6, 2006/7)
- All 5 starters with positive assists/turnover ratio (2005/6, 2006/7)
- All 5 starters with 1,000 + career points scored (2006/7)
- 2nd out-right SEC regular season championship (2006/7)
- Consecutive SEC tournament championships – 3 years in a row (2004/5–2006/7)
- Consecutive SEC tournament title games – 4 years in a row (2003/4–2006/7)
- SEC record 6 consecutive wins over Kentucky Wildcats (2004/5-2006/7)
- Consecutive appearances in NCAA tournament – 9 years in a row (1998/9–2006/7)
- Two consecutive appearances in NCAA Final Four (2005/6, 2006/7)
- First NCAA national championship (2005/6)
- Second NCAA national championship (2006/7)
- Highest seed (#1) ever in NCAA tournament (2006/7)
- One of 3 teams (UF, Duke, Kansas ) to be #6 seed or higher 9 years in a row
- Champs of Coaches vs. Cancer Classic tournament in Madison Sq. Garden (2005/6)
- Coaches vs. Cancer Classic MVP – Green (2005/6)
- SEC Co-Defensive Player of the Year – Brewer (2005/6)
- SEC 6th Man of the Year – Richard (2006/7)
- SEC tournament MVP – Green (2005/6)
- SEC tournament team – Green, Brewer (2005/6)
- SEC tournament MVP – Horford (2006/7)
- SEC tournament team – Horford, Noah, Brewer, Green (2006/7)
- Never trailed in all 3 SEC tournament games
- 3 SEC Players of the Week – Green and Noah (twice) (2005/6)
- 2 SEC Players of the Week – Humphrey and Brewer (2006/7)
- SEC Scholar Athlete of the Year – Humphrey (twice)
- ESPN First Team Academic All-American – Humphrey
- NCAA Minneapolis Regional MVP – Noah (2005/6)
- NCAA Minneapolis Regional All-Regional Team – Noah, Green, Horford (2005/6)
- NCAA Final Four MOP – Noah (2005/6)
- First player with 4 or more blocks in all 6 NCAA Tournament games – Noah (2005/6)
- NCAA tournament individual record 29 blocks – Noah (2005/6)
- NCAA Final Four individual record 10 blocks – Noah (2005/6)
- NCAA Championship Game individual record 6 blocks – Noah (2005/6)
- NCAA tournament 2nd place team record 44 blocks (2005/6)
- 3rd youngest coach to win NCAA title – Coach Donovan (2005/6)
- First team since UCLA in 1968 to win both Final Four games by 15+ points (2005/6)
- NCAA Midwest Regional MVP – Green (2006/7)
- NCAA Midwest Regional All-Regional Team – Green, Humphrey (2006/7)
- NCAA Tournament record + 43 (62–19) rebound margin vs Jackson St (2006/6)
- NCAA Final Four MOP – Brewer (2006/7)
- NCAA Final Four record 17 rebounds vs. UCLA – Horford (2006/7)
- 84.6% shooting percentage in NCAA tournament – Richard (2006/7) (better than Laettner's 78.8% in 1989, but not enough shots to hold record)
- NCAA Tournament career record 47 3-point shots – Humphrey (2003/4-2006/7)
- NCAA Tournament career 4th place 41 blocked shots – Noah (2004/5-2006/7)
- First team since Duke (91–92) to win back-to-back NCAA titles (2005/6-2006/7)
- First group of 5 starters to win back-to-back NCAA titles (2005/6-2006/7)
- 2nd most consecutive NCAA tournament wins (12) since expansion (2005/6-2006/7)
- Never trailed in second half of 4 Final Four games (2005/6-2006/7)
- Average scoring margin of +12.5 points in 4 Final Four games (2005/6-2006/7)
- Average scoring margin of +15.1 points in 12 NCAA T games (2005/6-2006/7)
- School record 37 consecutive foul shots – Green (2005/6)
- School record 113 3-point shots in a season – Humphrey (2005/6, 2006/7)
- School record 39 consecutive games with 3-point shot – Humphrey (2006/7)
- School record only triple double – Brewer (2005/6)[/COLOR]
- School record 288 career 3-point shots – Humphrey (2003/4-2006/7)
- School record 112 career wins – Humphrey, Richard (2003/4-2006/7
- School record 141 career games played – Richard (2003/4-2006/7)
- School record 261 career wins – Coach Donovan (1995/6-2006/7)
- School record 22 career NCAA tournament wins – Coach Donovan [/COLOR]
- School record 112 points scored in a tournament game – UF vs Jackson St. (2006/7)
- School record 71 points scored in a half – UF vs Jackson St., 2nd half (2006/7)
- School record 9 assists in a half – Taurean Green, UF vs Jackson St., 2nd half (2006/7)
- School record 62–19 rebounding margin – UF vs Jackson St. (2006/7)
- School record most points in NCAA tournament career – Brewer (2006/7)
- 18 post-season wins in a row (2005/6-2006/7)
- 22–1 post-season record in the last three years (2004/5-2006/7)
- 14 consecutive wins in a dome, including national semis and finals (2004/5-2006/6)
- 19 consecutive wins in the O'Connell Center
- NBA Draft record, with three players in Top 9 selections