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Who Is The Greatest College Team In Florida’s History

Florida has been a hotbed of college football for many years, producing national champions, Heisman Trophy Winners, and Hall of Famers at a higher rate than almost any other state. In basketball, the state hasn’t been quite so prolific, but there have been great teams. None in the history of Florida basketball, though, approached what the Florida Gators did in the time span of 2005-2007.

Starting the 2005 season unranked after losing most of its major contributors from the previous year to graduation, the Gators began the year on a 17-0 streak.The full explanation can be found at http://bleacherreport.com/articles/852941-florida-gators-2011-10-keys-to-beat-the-tennessee-volunteers Starting four sophomores and a junior, the team had a strong SEC season and then won the SEC tournament for the second straight year. Seeded third for the NCAA tournament, Florida then tore through the field with gusto, hardly even needing to sweat out a close game en route to the first national title in school history. Coach Billy Donovan, a former Rick Pitino assistant coach and point guard, became a darling in the NCAA community. The Gators took out the cinderella George Mason Patriots in the Final Four, followed by a 16-point thrashing of overmatched UCLA in the National Finals.

It would be tempting to call that squad the greatest in Florida Gators history, but something unusual happened the following year: the entire starting five returned for another run at the national title. This time, playing as favorites instead of upstart underdogs, the Gators raced out to a 24-2 record before a brief February stumble. They recovered to win a third straight SEC title, then blew through the NCAA field again for a second straight national title. Joakim Noah, Corey Brewer, Al Horford, and Taurean Green had become household names and were bound for the NBA, easily carrying the distinction of “Greatest College Team in Florida’s History.”