Florida Has Quite a Racket Going

Standing on a ladder, perched above the Metrodome floor, Joakim Noah clutched a pair of scissors in one hand and a cellphone in the other.

On the other end of the line was his famous father, Yannick, the French tennis star of the 1980s who knows a thing or two about winning championships.

And as he snipped a strand of nylon early Sunday evening, his thick ponytail jutting out from underneath a souvenir hat given to the winners of the Minneapolis Regional, the younger Noah could relate.

“I know he heard it and felt the vibes,” said the sophomore forward, whose 21 points, 15 rebounds and five blocks had just helped third-seeded Florida topple Villanova, the last remaining top-seeded team in the NCAA tournament, in a regional final, 75-62.

Florida will play George Mason, the 11th-seeded champion of the Washington Regional, in a national semifinal Saturday at the RCA Dome in Indianapolis. Noah said he hoped his father would travel from France to watch the Gators play in their first Final Four since 2000.

Noah was giddy and goofy after making three free throws in the final 40 seconds to seal the victory. With arms outstretched, he clapped his hands together in the familiar “Gator bait” taunt. He then kissed two fingers, touched them to his chest and saluted the Florida cheering section.

Minutes later, as he hopped onto the back of a cart that would take him to the interview room, Noah became perhaps the first NCAA regional most valuable player to break into a Spice Girls song.

His elation was justified. Florida started four sophomores and a junior, while Villanova’s starting five featured two juniors and two seniors, including dynamic guards Randy Foye and Allan Ray, who had helped the Wildcats knock off the Gators in the second round of last year’s tournament.

But Foye and Ray, who had lived to play another day despite horrid shooting performances against Boston College in the regional semifinals, couldn’t pull the same trick twice in three days. They combined to make only 12 of 37 shots, three of 15 from behind the three-point arc.

“They did a good job finding our shooters,” said Foye, who scored 25 points for a Wildcat team that shot only 24.7%. “Every time we took a shot, they made sure it was a contested shot.”

By contrast, Florida (31-6) wasn’t having much trouble scoring against Villanova’s undersized lineup, especially inside. The Gators made 17 of 22 baskets in the lane, with big men Noah, Corey Brewer and Al Horford combining for 44 points. Like Noah, Horford had a double-double with 12 points and 15 rebounds.

Nevertheless, for about 30 minutes the game was almost a carbon copy of the Wildcats’ 60-59 victory over Boston College. Villanova (28-5) fell behind early by double digits, made it a game again by halftime and had a chance to take the lead early in the second half.

When a floater by Foye in the lane pulled Villanova to within 45-42 with more than 11 minutes remaining, it seemed as if the Wildcats were on their way.

“We got it to three and I thought, OK, we’re not making shots, we’re battling, we’re at three, now we’re going to get this,” Villanova Coach Jay Wright said.

Just as they did against the Eagles, the Wildcats missed a flurry of shots that would have put them ahead. A three-point attempt by Foye fell off the rim. Another by guard Mike Nardi bounced over the backboard.

Given an opening, Florida extended its lead to nine points with just under nine minutes to play. Boston College had done exactly the same -- and still lost.

But this is where the games took divergent paths.

After a scoop layup by Ray cut the deficit to seven, Florida guards Taurean Green and Lee Humphrey made three-pointers and Noah made five free throws over the next few minutes to extend the Gators’ lead to 12. Villanova would get no closer than eight the rest of the way.

Asked to make sense of it all -- this extended run by a Florida team that was not expected to do much after the departure of its top three players, including two who left with eligibility remaining -- Noah didn’t even try.

“If we worried about the things that you guys worried about, our heads would really explode,” said Noah, whose Gators could be the favorites in a Final Four field that includes no top-seeded teams for the first time since 1980.

“I think we realized that we can’t worry about what people are saying and we just have to stick together and play basketball the way we know how we are capable of playing the game.”

Game, set and match, as it turned out.