Florida vs. UCLA Recap

Impressive. That's all that can be said about that performance by the defending champs. They kind of flaked out for the last six or seven minutes but other than that it was a supremely business-like victory.

Obviously the big story of the game was Aaron Afflalo. He picked up three early fouls and wasn't a factor at all until he started hitting shots in the last few minutes. It can be argued that they were questionable calls against Afflalo, but frankly I don't think it would have mattered. Brewer played a brilliant game on both ends and if Afflalo was in the game, he wouldn't have made up the difference. It was complete dominance. Al Horford was a manchild on the glass with 17 rebounds. Someone lit a fire under Noah in the second half and we saw that raw and uncontrollable emotion that is going to make him a lot of money. What shocked me was Humphrey getting open looks. I felt that Florida's guards would not have the types of games they did against Oregon because of UCLA's superior perimeter defense, but Brewer and Humphrey both had big games which ended up being the main difference.

It was clear with Afflalo out, UCLA had very few other scoring options and couldn't keep up with the Gators. They were fortunate to be down by only six at the half, and then Florida asserted its dominance and the game was over. The final margin is nowhere near indicative of how the game went in the second half. Florida was the better team, with or without Afflalo.

As far as the future pros, Brewer helped himself the most. His shot was on and his defense was superb as always. Afflalo's first extended playing time was early in the second half and Brewer frustrated him every time down the floor. His versatility is impressive. At times he got matched up against Collison on switches and was able to keep up with his quickness. There are a lot of guards who can't say that. Brewer also made a block on a fast break that displayed his outstanding athleticism. He is certainly a lottery pick. As far as Noah, I still don't necessarily see why he is a top five pick, but I love his fire. I just don't see how his game translates. He doesn't have a go-to offensive move, he can't shoot. His value is on defense and on the glass and I'm not sure that's enough to justify a lottery pick. I love Horford's game. As I said, his performance on the boards was outstanding, and he displays some developing offensive moves. I would rank the three Florida guys 1. Brewer 2. Horford 3. Noah. Afflalo could benefit from another year but I wouldn't blame him for coming out. He has a warrior's mentality but he can back it up on the offensive end, unlike Noah. His defense is solid. Today's game really isn't indicative of the season he has had.

Bottom line is the two best teams are moving on. Preview and prediction tomorrow.