These days, winning the NCAA Basketball tournament two years is a row is no simple feat.
Long gone are the days of dynasties like John Wooden's UCLA teams of the 1970's. Since the tournament expanded to 64 teams in 1985, Duke is the only team to accomplish a double-header, winning back-to-back titles in 1991 and 1992. Arkansas, Kentucky and Georgetown all won once but fell in the national championship game the following year. Michigan made it to the finals two years in a row but lost in both contests.
Although the task is a tough one, the formula for completing it is fairly straightforward, and the circumstances at Florida are similar enough to those during the Blue Devils' repeat that it's very conceivable that these Gators could reach this milestone.
Duke was able to retain almost the entire core of their championship team for the run at the title in 1991-92. Bobby Hurley, Christian Laettner, Grant Hill and Thomas Hill all returned following the first title, while guard Billy McCaffrey transferred to Vanderbilt. They had veterans like Brian Davis and Antonio Lang who were able to compensate for McCaffrey, and newcomers like Cherokee Parks further swelled the Devils' roster. Incredibly, all eight of these players were selected in NBA Drafts between 1992 and 1995.
The Blue Devils were led by Mike Krzyzewski, one of the best college coaches of all time. Krzyzewski resurrected Duke from an also-ran program into a perennial contender. He and the Blue Devils arrived on the national stage when they advanced to the 1990 finals before bowing out to UNLV. The following year began their unprecedented run, and Krzyzewski never looked back.
The Blue Devils had a talented, balanced and well-coached squad that was able to perform despite having every other competitor gunning for them. They also had a good win at their back, exemplified by Laettner's miracle buzzer-beater that beat Kentucky in the 1992 National Semifinals.
Florida has the first part of the equation in place: all five starters returning, an adequate bench, and coach Billy Donovan at the helm. Whether the Gators have good fortune a la Duke, or even need it, remains to be seen.
The unique thing about this group of Gators is their collective decisiveness in returning to school after the championship win. Forwards Al Horford and Joakim Noah were surefire lottery picks in the draft in the wake of their performances last March. Swingman Corey Brewer would have been a first-round pick, and point guard Taurean Green probably would have gone late in the second round. Despite the lure of the NBA, the players, along with guard Lee Humprhey, all chose Gainesville for another year.
The Gators have a deeper bench this year, buoyed by the influx of new talent as well as the return of some key reserves. Chris Richard, Walter Hodge and Adrian Moss all contributed significant minutes to last year's team and will be counted on again to supplement the starters. They also have four talented freshman recruits who will improve under the tutelage of Donovan and the veterans.
Then there's Donovan, one of 19 assistant coaches under former Kentucky coach Rick Pitino who has gone on to a coaching job of his own. He coached at Marshall for two years before taking over a struggling Florida program in 1996. His arrival on the national scene came in 1996, when the Gators lost to Michigan State in the 2000 national championship as a fourth seed. After that initial breakthrough, success was initially elusive for Florida, who failed to make it beyond the second round of the tournament as a five seed or better. Donovan, however, turned the tables last March, battling all the way to an NCAA championship.
This year's Gators are ready to make a run at history. Fortunate to retain their players in the age of early draft declarations and the pursuit of millions, the team now has the opportunity to become a legendary one.
