Colleges

This call is easy: UF No. 1

NCAA agonizes over decisions such as leaving out FSU, but says Gators deserve the top seed.

By ANTONYA ENGLISH
Published March 12, 2007

Florida's Joakim Noah celebrates after the Gators routed Arkansas in the SEC championship game. Photo gallery Download brackets: Men's (PDF) Women's (PDF) Gary Shelton: Bigger nets than this for UNC to cut Florida, Ohio St., KU, UNC get top seeds Gators take third SEC title Old-timer's day for UNC
	[Times photo: James Borchuck]

ATLANTA - The Florida basketball players may finally have to stop complaining about not getting enough respect.

Three hours after winning their third straight SEC tournament championship Sunday, the Gators were given the ultimate respect when they were rewarded with the No. 1 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament, the first in school history.

Florida, the defending national champion, 29-5 will play No. 16 seed Jackson State at the New Orleans Arena on Friday.

The 65-team tournament begins Tuesday. Florida A&M will play Niagara in the opening-round game.

The Gators join perennial powers North Carolina, Ohio State and Kansas as the tournament's No. 1 seeds. Florida, which lost three of its last five regular-season games, ended the season with a win over Kentucky and three more wins on the way to the SEC tournament title. UCLA, Memphis, Georgetown and Wisconsin were among the possible contenders for a top seed, but all received No. 2 seeds.

"The fact that Florida, North Carolina, Ohio State and Kansas were winners of the regular season and conference tournaments, that was a very differentiating factor that led to them being placed on the first line," Gary Walters, chairman of the NCAA Division I selection committee, said on a teleconference Sunday night. "... We looked at the overall quality of (Florida) and we felt they were deserving of being a No. 1 (overall) seed."

At the same time, the committee left out several teams that could make a case for inclusion. Among them: Florida State, which beat Florida this season, Syracuse and Kansas State. Mid-major favorite Drexel, which defeated several big-name teams, was also left out.

Walters said Florida State "fell just short," that leaving Syracuse out was "a tough decision" and that Drexel's play within its own conference was a deciding factor in Old Dominion being chosen over it. Walters said Arkansas played its way into the tournament by advancing to the SEC tournament final, UCLA played its way out of a No. 1 seed by losing its first conference tournament game and although Kansas State won 10 games in the Big 12, overall there were other teams that deserved a spot more. Only six teams from mid-major conferences are in the tourney.

"It would be the height of arrogance to assume the committee is 100 percent right," Walters said. "I don't presume we are 100 percent right. All we're doing is taking the best information we can, and we have more information than we've ever had, and trying to make the best decisions we can."

The East region includes the Tar Heels, Georgetown, Washington State and Texas, arguably the toughest bracket. The Gators are the top seed in the Midwest region, which includes Arizona (20-10) and Purdue (21-11), both of whom could cause Florida problems.

"They have size, they have experience, they have a great backcourt," CBS analyst Billy Packer said of Arizona. "I think they are a dangerous team."

Florida is trying to become the first repeat champion since Duke in 1991 and 1992.

"We're very excited about returning to the NCAA Tournament for the ninth straight year," Florida coach Billy Donovan said in a statement Sunday night. "It's certainly an honor to be a No. 1 seed for the first time in school history and it's a compliment to our season as a body of work. At the same time, we fully realize that we're going to have to prepare well and play our best basketball."

Of the 20 No. 1 seeds in the past five years, only six have advanced to the Final Four.

Last season, the Gators were a No. 3 seed. No champion since 1989 has been seeded lower than fourth.

"It doesn't matter what seed you are, the bottom line is you got to win six games," UF junior guard Taurean Green said.

Count Arkansas among those who believe in Florida to repeat.

"I'll be very surprised if they don't win it all," Arkansas coach Stan Heath said. "It would take an off-night for them to get upset."

Antonya English can be reached at english@sptimes.com.

[Last modified March 12, 2007, 00:52:12]