INDIANAPOLIS, April 3 (UPI) -- The Florida Gators won their first NCAA Tournament title in school history Monday night with a 73-57 victory over the UCLA Bruins.
Florida's only other appearance in an NCAA basketball final was in 2000 when the school lost to Michigan State.
Florida Coach Billy Donovan, 40, became the second-youngest active coach to win the national title. Bobby Knight won at age 35.
Joakim Noah led the Gators with 16 points and six blocked shots. Lee Humphrey 15, Al Horford 14, and Corey Brewer 11 for Florida (33-6). The Gators, who won the SEC Tournament, won their final 11 games.
Jordan Farmer scored 18 for the Bruins (32-7), who came into Monday with the nation's longest winning streak at 12 games, but failed in their bid for a record 12th title. The Bruins fell to 11-2 in championship games, with their only other defeat coming in 1980 to Louisville. Their last title came in 1995 with a win over Arkansas.
