NCAA Basketball: Ranking of 20 best college teams from last 20 years
By Joey Loose
3. 2007 Florida
There may never be another team in college basketball quite like the Gators were in 2007. The previous year, Florida won their first national title and surprisingly nearly all of the roster remained intact, returning to school for another year. Coach Billy Donovan hit on a ton of prospects, and none of them were exactly blue-chip recruits and their second tour turned out just as successfully as the first.
Those four junior studs were all back, and all deserved the praise they received. Guard Taurean Green (13.3 ppg, 3.7 apg), forwards Al Horford (13.2 ppg, 9.5 rpg), and Corey Brewer (13.2 ppg, 4.7 rpg), and center Joakim Noah (12.0 ppg, 8.4 rpg) were all essential pieces to another title run. All four made an impact in the NBA as well. This roster also had some solid pieces behind them, including fellow starter Lee Humphrey and backup center Chris Richard.
After massacring their opponents in the SEC Tournament, these Gators took care of business in the Big Dance, knocking off Purdue, Butler, Oregon, UCLA, and Ohio State (all by at least three possessions) en route to that second straight title. It’s the fact that those star juniors won the title as sophomores and came back for one final season that makes 2007 Florida even more special. Do you really think any other team will ever do something like this again?