INDIANAPOLIS “”mdash; At one point during Monday’s second
half, Florida’s Joakim Noah gave a little wink and a smile to
the UCLA dance team and cheer squad.
Heckled all game, teased about his hair and called
“ugly” by UCLA fans, he just wanted a little love.
“They were just talking crazy to me like,
“˜You’re so ugly,'” Noah said. “It
hurts when you have so many beautiful girls out there just telling
you how ugly you are and stuff. I just had to focus on the
game.
“I mean, when somebody is screaming all that stuff at you,
the best thing I could do was just blow a kiss and maybe they like
me.”
After what he did to UCLA, it’s pretty certain that no one
in Westwood particularly likes Noah right now.
The Gator sophomore and Final Four Most Outstanding Player
finished Monday’s game with 16 points, nine rebounds and a
title-game record of six blocks.
Every time the Bruins tried to get to the basket, it seemed like
Noah was there to either block or significantly alter the shot.
He also terrorized UCLA on the offensive end, finishing with
three second-half dunks and a number of other easy
opportunities.
“He’s a very skilled basketball player, very
talented,” Cedric Bozeman said of Noah. “He’s
definitely going to make some money someday. Credit to him, credit
to their team.”
For Noah, Monday represented the culmination of an incredible
NCAA Tournament.
He scored in double digits in every tournament game and never
finished with fewer than seven rebounds or four blocks in a game.
His 29 blocks in six games are an NCAA Tournament record.
“I’m just so proud of my teammates, my coach, my
family being here,” Noah said. “It’s just,
you’re like in a cloud. Not only does it feel good, it smells
good, it tastes good. I just can’t even describe
it.”
UCLA didn’t have much trouble describing how Noah was able
to have such a profound influence on the game.
The Bruin big men, who have been so important throughout the
course of the team’s tournament run, were very ineffective
Monday.
Luc Richard Mbah a Moute was 3-for-9, Ryan Hollins was 4-for-10
and Lorenzo Mata was 0-for-4.
“He’s very good,” Hollins said. “He
changed the game on defense. He took us out of what we wanted to do
and I didn’t score the way I have been.”
Hollins, Oakland Regional’s Most Outstanding Player,
wasn’t the same player against Noah and the Gators.
He appeared tentative inside and even missed a short layup with
no one around him.
“It’s not just that they force shots, but they play
together as a team,” Hollins said. “They’re
unselfish, they rebound. They bought into the true team concept.
They deserve to be national champs.”
While Florida coach Billy Donovan gushed about Noah after
Monday’s victory, he said that Noah’s success was made
possible by the play of point guard Taurean Green. Though Green was
1-for-9 from the field, he finished with eight assists.
Then again, it looked like Noah would have been dominant with or
without Green.
“He just went out there and worked every single
day,” Donovan said. “You could see him getting better
and better. First guy in the gym, last guy to leave.”
And now he’s the Final Four’s Most Outstanding
Player.
Though just a sophomore, Noah’s performance against UCLA
is sure to contribute to more NBA speculation regarding the
player.
On Monday, however, he just wanted to savor the shining
moment.
“The Gator boys are hot right now,” Noah said.
“It’s just a great feeling, and I can’t wait to
get back to Gainesville.”
Then a beaming Noah turned to coach Billy Donovan.
“And Coach, don’t get mad at us because we are going
to do it very, very, very big when we come back.”