TWICE AS NICE

1. It’s great to be a Florida Gator: Al Horford didn’t have it quite right when he stuck a No. 1 finger into the air as he dribbled out the clock in the Gators’ victory over Ohio State in the title game. That should have been No. 2 -- because his determined Florida team became the first NCAA champion to repeat since Duke in 1992 -- and only the second since the UCLA dynasty.

2. UCLA runs into Florida again: Arron Afflalo picked up his third foul less than midway through the first half of an NCAA semifinal -- and one season after losing to Florida in the title game, the Bruins lost to Florida again, 76-66.

3. Glimpse of things to come: The officials might not have gotten the block-charge call right, but when Ohio State’s Greg Oden soared down the lane to try a ferocious dunk against Georgetown in the semifinals, it was a hint of the NBA career that awaits. Georgetown’s Jeff Green looked as if he was set, but referee Ted Valentine signaled a block.

4. Bruins beat the clock: UCLA’s Darren Collison, falling backward, made a three-pointer at the shot-clock buzzer to turn a five-point lead over top-seeded Kansas to eight in the West Regional final. Kansas never got closer than seven points again, and the Bruins’ 68-55 victory sent them to their second consecutive Final Four.

5. USC’s collapse: Leading North Carolina by 16 points in the second half of an East Regional semifinal, USC was hit with an 18-0 blitz and lost, 74-64. The Trojans’ Gabe Pruitt, inconsolable on the court, pulled his jersey over his face to hide his anguish.

6. Carolina’s collapse: One game later, North Carolina blew a 10-point lead against Georgetown and lost in overtime, 96-84. Carolina Coach Roy Williams, introduced Monday as a member of the Basketball Hall of Fame’s class of 2007, double-checked his name card at the interview table. “After the Georgetown game, I was trying to change my name,” he said.

7. Not done yet: Ohio State was in trouble in the second round against Xavier after trailing by 11, but Ron Lewis made a long three-pointer with two seconds left to force overtime, and the Buckeyes came back for a 78-71 victory on their way to the Final Four.

8. Feast -- and famine: Tajuan Porter, the 5-foot-6 freshman point guard for Oregon who made eight three-pointers against Nevada Las Vegas, went ice cold in the Midwest Regional final against Florida, missing his first eight three-point attempts before making two in the final minute of the Ducks’ 85-77 loss.

9. So long, and see you somewhere: USC ended the phenomenal season of Texas freshman forward Kevin Durant in the second round. Now Durant, a near-unanimous pick for national player of the year, must decide whether to leave school early for the NBA draft, where he is a likely top-two pick, or return for another year on campus.

10. Duke’s downfall: Virginia Commonwealth guard Eric Maynor grew up in North Carolina, but he didn’t draw much interest from Atlantic Coast Conference schools. Maynor made sure the Blue Devils remembered his name in the first round, making a driving 16-foot jumper with 1.8 seconds left for a 79-77 upset -- marking Duke’s first exit in the first round since 1996.