2008 Woodie Awards
Cono's Corner: Bracketbusters abound, and Florida emerges on top
Steve Conoscenti
Issue date: 4/6/06 Section: Sports
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Even though you probably lost money, even though the championship game was never really close, if you didn't have fun watching this year's tournament, then I don't know if you can be considered a basketball fan. I know I did, and here is my take on this year's 2006 NCAA Tournament.
This year's tournament proved a point that I have stood behind since I've been old enough to understand the concept of team sports: when a team plays as a team rather than five separate people, great things will happen. That's why George Mason made it to the Final Four. That's why Wichita State and Bradley turned heads early on. Most importantly, that's why the Florida Gators are your National Champions.
Lets put Florida under the microscope for a second. Two years ago they weren't even close to being a .500 team. Last year they lost 60 percent of their scoring. Most people would have thought Florida was doomed. Not Billy Donovan. He got his team to play the right way. He rolled with the punches and now he's responsible for Florida's first national title. Not a bad monkey to have on your back.
The tournament always affects a player's draft status, but I don't think anyone's was affected more than Joakim Noah's. It's odd, because as of right now, he hasn't even entered his name in the draft. He's still using the old company line stating that he's staying at Florida, but didn't Vince Young say the same thing before he won the national title with Texas?
While the Gators won the title by playing "the right way," the ringleader was Joakim Noah. He averaged a double-double throughout the whole tournament, but also averaged nearly five blocked shots per game. That stat alone will boost him into the lottery of the NBA draft. Couple that with his passion and desire to play the game, and you're looking at a potential top five pick.