From left to right: Jordan Farmar, Arron Afflalo, UCLA coach Ben Howland, Luc Richard Mbah a Moute, Alfred Aboya and Cedric Bozeman huddle up during UCLA’s 2006 National Championship game loss to Florida. (Daily Bruin file photo)
UCLA sophomore guard Josh Shipp goes under the defense of Florida junior center Al Horford in the 2007 National Semifinal in Atlanta. (Daily Bruin file photo)
UCLA sophomore guard Darren Collison passes the ball as Florida junior forward Joakim Noah defends in the 2007 National Semifinal. Both players went on to become NBA first-round picks and are currently starting for the Indiana Pacers and Chicago Bulls, respectively. (Daily Bruin file photo)
TAMPA, Fla. “”mdash; No. 7 seed UCLA will face No. 2 Florida in a NCAA Tournament third-round matchup on Saturday at 11:45 a.m. PT.
Though none of the players in this game will have faced each other before in their collegiate careers, the two programs have a rather substantial recent history.
UCLA, under coach Ben Howland, and Florida, under coach Billy Donovan met twice in the Final Four last decade. The Gators won both games, the first was for the 2006 national title and the second came in the 2007 NCAA Semifinal.
Below you can find a multimedia chronicle of what happened, who was involved and why it mattered.
Articles from the DB Archives
2007 National Semifinal (Atlanta): Florida 76, UCLA 66 (Box score)
Still no answer for the Gators
Gator big men crush Bruins’ inside game
Darren Collison’s effort falls short
Performance leaves Arron Afflalo disappointed
2006 National Championship game (Indianapolis): Florida 73, UCLA 57 (Box score) (Video Highlights)
UCLA tradition fails to stop Gators
Florida’s Joakim Noah dominates tourney, debilitates Bruins
Seniors close out college careers
NBA Draft Selections
A look at the players who were on the court for either of the two UCLA-Florida games that went on to play in the NBA, and where they are now.
UCLA PG Jordan Farmar
2006 first round, No. 26 overall, Los Angeles Lakers (currently with New Jersey)
UCLA C Ryan Hollins
2006 second round, No. 50, Charlotte (currently with Minnesota)
Florida F/C Al Horford
2007 first round, No. 3, Atlanta (currently with Atlanta)
Florida F Corey Brewer
2007 first round, No. 7, Minnesota (currently with Dallas)
Florida F Joakim Noah
2007 first round, No. 9, Chicago (currently with Chicago)
UCLA G Arron Afflalo
2007 first round, No. 27, Detroit (currently with Denver)
Florida F Chris Richard
2007 second round, No. 41, Minnesota (currently a free agent)
Florida G Taurean Green
2007 second round, No. 52, Portland (currently playing in Spain)
UCLA G Russell Westbrook
2008 first round, No. 4, Seattle (currently with Oklahoma City)
UCLA F Luc Richard Mbah a Moute
2008 second round, No. 37, Milwaukee (currently with Milwaukee)
UCLA G Darren Collison
2009 first round, No. 21, New Orleans (currently with Indiana)