All Night Long Endless Love One Shining Moment

As if we didn't already know it, the Gators kick ass. They play great defense, they can run with anybody in the country, and their shooting can be downright scary (in a good way...except for Noah). After their victory Billy Donovan kept insisting that his guys had to be considered one of the greatest teams of all time.

Well no shit Billy!

Unfortunately the next time he opened his mouth it was to hedge his declarations so as not to come off as an arrogant prick who could have waxed the great UNLV teams (or even somebody who wasn't cheating). Granted, it was probably a good move from a political standpoint, but it does raise an interesting question. Just how great are these Florida Gators in a historical sense?

Well I'd break it down for you but it looks like Gregggg Doyle has already solved the unsolvable (CBS has got to give that guy a raise!). After literally hours of research and analysis Doyle has concluded that the Florida is the fourth best college basketball team of all time. Damn, I sure am glad he cleared that up.

Unlike the omniscient Mr. Doyle I'm not overly concerned with ridiculously subjective historical rankings. No, I'm afraid I don't know how Havlicek's Ohio State team would stack up against this year's Gators and I'm not afraid to admit it. I'd rather just compare this group with the last team to go back-to-back.

I'm not going to lie to you right now, I used to be a Duke fan. Keep in mind I was young and I had a thing for polish guys. Seriously though, I loved Bobby Hurley and Grant Hill (I still do) and nothing was better than watching teams like Kentucky fall at their collective hand. But how would that team match up with our current champions?

Just like last night's game the focus would be on the big men and just like last night's game it would be decided on the perimeter. First things first, nobody was going to stop Hurley. He could score, distribute, and control the tempo better than any college point guard I've seen. Green and Humphrey would have their hands full but both are such adept on-ball defenders that Hurley would have to work for everything he got.

The triumvirate of Noah, Horford, and Richard would cause serious problems for the smaller and less athletic Blue Devil front line (although Cherokee Parks was coming into his own in '92). They'd be able to bang inside all night long but the Dukies were equally adept at stretching out the defense in front of them. Laettner, Brian Davis, and Thomas Hill would get their points but I doubt they could hang with Florida on the glass.

The one matchup that gets me truly excited (in a totally non-sexual way) is Corey Brewer vs. Grant Hill. They're both incredibly gifted athletes and all-around basketball players. They'd go up and down making life hell on one another at both ends of the court. Hill would try to work the ball inside and fill up the bucket with his deadly mid-range game. Without much in the way of an interior shot blocker to worry about Brewer would look to slice his way towards the rim while hoisting up the occasional trey to keep Hill honest.

Yes, these are the things I think about when I'm trying to fall asleep after watching a masterful performance. I'm not going to say who I think would win, mostly because I've got no clue. I do know that the game would feature two magnificently coached teams, which is more than I can say of last night's contest.

And now, just because, here's One Shining Moment.