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Home , Alfred Aboya, Al Horford, Anthony Roberson, Arron Afflalo, Billy Donovan, Billy Packer

E8 SATURDAY, APRIL 1, 2006 SATURDAY, APRIL 1, 2006 E9 College

GEORGE MASON [11] GAME 1 [3] FLORIDA PATRIOTS GEORGE MASON GATORS STARTING LINEUP BENCH VS. FLORIDA BENCH STARTING LINEUP Does it matter? The starters stayed in the game The Gators get very little production from their 1 | GUARD (Sr.) for the defining moments of the second half and the 6:07 P.M. reserves. Adrian Moss has been part of 100 11 | GUARD (Soph.) The team’s quickest starter was moved to a wing entire overtime session against Connecticut. Gabe victories in his four years, tied for the highest total Green has made 91 percent of his free throws in con- position this year, allowing him to catch the ball more Norwood is usually the first player off the bench, SITE: RCA Dome, in school history. He has started 24 games during ference play, and he has gotten to the line 10 or more frequently in scoring situations and to attack the offering steady ballhandling and high-flying TELEVISION: his career, but he played a combined eight times on six occasions this year. Green has had five basket. Still, he has eight assists and only three or more assists in 14 of the last 25 games, but he athleticism. Freshman Sammy Hernandez is still WUSA (Channel 9), WJZ (Channel 13) minutes the past two games. Chris Richard turnovers since returning from his suspension and has raw offensively but is a solid rebounder, while grabbed four rebounds, including three offensive, can also be turnover-prone. When the Gators are pulled the plug on several out-of-control fast breaks. Jordan Carter has had several nice moments. TV ANNOUNCERS: in 11 minutes against Villanova. most effective in the open court, Green is the reason. Ht. Wt. G FG% 3PT% FT% Reb. Ast. Pts. The Patriots usually avoid foul trouble, and the and Billy Packer and each had three rebounds in Ht. Wt. G FG% 3PT% FT% Reb. Ast. Pts. 6-1 175 33 .396 .342 .805 3.5 2.8 12.6 tournament’s lengthier TV timeouts have kept RADIO: limited action against Villanova. 6-0 177 37 .374 .394 .887 2.9 4.8 13.6 the starters rested. WTEM-980 No. Pos. Name G FG% FT% Reb. Ast. Pts. No. Pos. Name G FG% FT% Reb. Ast. Pts. RECORDS: 1 G Brett Swanson 16 .364 1.000 0.3 0.1 0.9 22 | LAMAR BUTLER GUARD (Sr.) 2 G Jordan Carter 27 .524 .333 0.7 0.7 1.0 12 | GUARD (Jr.) George Mason 4 F Adrian Moss 37 .467 .658 2.4 0.5 3.1 The fifth-year guard is the face of the team, his smile Humphrey has taken 7.8 shots per game, almost 3 G-F Makan Konate 10 .167 .000 0.4 0.0 0.2 15 G Walter Hodge 37 .398 .667 1.1 1.2 4.1 infiltrating the national media. The most prolific (Colonial Athletic Association at-large), 27-7 double what he attempted per game last season. three- shooter in school history is making 50 5 G-F Gabe Norwood 34 .431 .588 2.0 1.9 3.4 Florida 22 G Jack Berry 15 .375 .500 0.4 0.0 0.5 Humphrey has made 45.6 percent of his three- percent of his attempts in the NCAA tournament. 12 G Tim Burns 19 .400 .000 0.5 0.4 1.9 ( champion), 31-6 25 G-F Garrett Tyler 16 .417 .857 0.6 0.0 1.1 point attempts and has made three or more 20 He also held his own against in the 24 G Charles Makings 13 .250 .000 0.7 0.2 0.2 WINNER FACES: times this season. At various points this season, COACH32 F Chris Richard 37 .696 .692 3.7 0.5 6.1 region final, despite weighing 50 pounds less. 40 F Chris Fleming 27 .440 .500 0.7 0.0 1.0 LSU-UCLA winner on Monday in Indianapolis 33 G David Huertas 34 .378 .765 1.5 0.7 2.6 Humphrey led the nation in three-point accuracy. Ht. Wt. G FG% 3PT% FT% Reb. Ast. Pts. Ht. Wt. G FG% 3PT% FT% Reb. Ast. Pts. 50 F Sammy Hernandez 34 .525 .278 3.1 0.5 2.8 TOURNAMENT HISTORY: 6-2 170 34 .452 .382 .733 2.5 2.2 12.0 6-2 192 36 .473 .456 .583 1.9 1.9 10.6 George Mason, 4-3, first Final Four Florida, 21-12, third Final Four COACH 55 | JAI LEWIS 13 | (Sr.) In the past, Donovan signed CENTER (Soph.) Lewis takes advantage of each of his 275 pounds high-profile recruits such as Only State’s has helped his with a series of deceptively polished low-post He believes in the of Mike Miller, Brett Nelson and NBA stock as much as Noah has in this year’s tourna- moves. His shooting has been erratic — sports psychology, and he has KEYS TO THE GAME . But except ment. The most outstanding player of the Minne- he made 2 of 10 foul shots in the Patriots’ first been a masterful locker room for 2000, when the Gators apolis Region has improved his scoring average by three tournament games before making 8 of 14 motivator this month. On the DIALING LONG DISTANCE: George more than 10 points over last season. Noah has reached the Final Four, in the region final. court, he has toppled three Mason made 6 of 7 three-point scored in double figures in 26 of the last 30 games. impressive recruiting classes haven’t translated Ht. Wt. G FG% 3PT% FT% Reb. Ast. Pts. legends: , Roy attempts in the second half Ht. Wt. G FG% 3PT% FT% Reb. Ast. Pts. 6-7 275 34 .528 .356 .644 7.7 1.9 13.7 Williams and . against Connecticut. But into tournament success. This season, Donovan 6-11 227 37 .629 .000 .727 7.1 2.0 14.2 1 has thrived with players — aside from Corey Florida’s perimeter defense has limit- Brewer — who weren’t top-tier prospects. ROAD TO INDIANAPOLIS ed opponents to 26.5 percent shoot- 42 | FOLARIN CAMPBELL FORWARD (Soph.) ing from three-point range during 2 | FORWARD (Soph.) Campbell became the Patriots’ primary ballhandler George Mason 75, Michigan State 65: the Gators’ current nine-game win ROAD TO INDIANAPOLIS A versatile player, Brewer can score inside and on the this season and finished 10th in the Colonial Folarin Campbell went 8 for 8 from the field. streak. Georgetown and Villanova perimeter. He made 5 of 8 three-point attempts Florida 76, South Alabama 50: Lee Humphrey Athletic Association in assists per game. He has George Mason 65, North Carolina 60: made a combined 9 of 44 three-point against Wisconsin-Milwaukee. Brewer’s triple-double shots against the Gators. finished with 20 points. against Jacksonville on Dec. 18 was the first in school been more assertive on offense since Tony Skinn’s Patriots trailed 16-2 before pulling off shocker. Florida 82, Wisconsin-Milwaukee 60: one-game suspension, leading the team in points George Mason 63, Wichita State 55: history. He has made at least 50 percent of his shots Corey Brewer led the rout with 23. and assists in four NCAA tournament games. Patriots jumped out early, never looked back. PARTY: Joakim Noah from the field in eight of his last 13 games. Florida 57, Georgetown 53: Gators overcame Ht. Wt. G FG% 3PT% FT% Reb. Ast. Pts. George Mason 86, Connecticut 84 (OT): and have combined Ht. Wt. G FG% 3PT% FT% Reb. Ast. Pts. 6-4 200 34 .489 .340 .755 4.3 3.5 11.0 to block 151 shots this season, an early deficit behind Joakim Noah. 6-8 185 37 .471 .333 .778 4.7 3.3 12.5 Jai Lewis and outdueled taller Huskies. Florida 75, Villanova 62: the highest total by a tandem Noah dominated with 2 21 points, 15 rebounds and 5 blocks.

in school history. Noah has 19 blocks

34 | WILL THOMAS FORWARD (Soph.) SEASON RESULTS in the tournament. U-Conn. blocked 42 | AL HORFORD FORWARD (Soph.) After reaching double digits in points and rebounds 79 . . . . UC Irvine. . . 56 71 . at Northeastern 68 73. . at Va. Cmnwlth. 61 seven George Mason shots Sunday, SEASON RESULTS Horford made improvements in every area of his 78. . at Wake Forest 83 73 . . Va. Cmnwlth. . 60 65. . . . . Towson . . . 53 but the front-line duo of Will » game as a sophomore, but most noticeably in his three times during the regular season, he has 52. . . . Creighton . . 72 70 . . . . Delaware. . . 56 67 . . . . . Drexel . . . . 48 80. . . . St. Peter’s . . 51 93 . . . Morgan St. . . 49 73 . . at Vanderbilt . 68 already matched that number in four NCAA tourna- 72 . . at Manhattan . 66 65. . at Wlm & Mary 46 70 . . at Wichita St. . 67 Thomas and Jai Lewis combined to 83 . . . Albany, N.Y.. . 64 90 . . . at Georgia . . 72 81 . . . at Arkansas. . 85 shooting percentage. He has proved to be an effec- 81 . . at Georgia St. . 51 65 . . at J. Madison . 43 66. . . . at Hofstra . . 77 77. . at Wake Forest 72 75. . Mississippi St.. 60 72 . . . Tennessee . . 76 ment games while shooting 56 percent. He has not 75 . . at American. . 35 74 . . Northeastern . 63 95 . James Madison 68 make 14 of 24 shots. 75 . . . . Syracuse. . . 70 69. . . . . Auburn. . . . 57 77 . . . at Alabama . . 82 tive shot blocker and rebounder, most recently on fouled out since early November, and played 44 bril- 53 . at Old Dominion 54 63 . . at UNC Wilm. . 69 61 . . Georgia St.-y . 56 74. . . . Florida St. . . 66 113 . Savannah St. . 62 77 . . . . Georgia . . . 66 the offensive end. Horford has averaged four offen- 81. . . . . Radford . . . 69 81. . . Wlm & Mary . 58 49 . . . . Hofstra-y. . . 58 87. . . Alabama St.. . 60 76 . . at Tennessee . 80 79 . . . at Kentucky. . 64 liant minutes in the overtime win over Connecticut. 79 . . . . Hampton. . . 66 66 . . Old Dominion . 47 y-CAA Tournament BOARD ROOMS: U-Conn. had 80 ...... UCF . . . . . 47 62 . . at S. Carolina . 68 74 . . . Arkansas-y . . 71 sive rebounds per game in the tournament. 87 . . at Providence . 77 81. . . . Vanderbilt . . 58 81 . . . . . LSU-y . . . . 65 Ht. Wt. G FG% 3PT% FT% Reb. Ast. Pts. 71 . . . Holy Cross . . 38 57. . . at Delaware. . 52 Ht. Wt. G FG% 3PT% FT% Reb. Ast. Pts. 61. at Mississippi St.63 69 . . . UNC Wilm. . . 62 three starters who towered 88 . Beth.-Cookman 58 69 . . at Mississippi . 58 49. . . S. Carolina-y . 47 6-7 200 34 .590 .000 .517 7.3 1.2 11.8 over every George Mason 101. . Jacksonville. . 58 95 . . . . Kentucky. . . 80 y-SEC Tournament 6-8 235 37 .616 .000 .603 7.4 1.9 11.4 77 . . . . at Miami . . . 67 67 . . . S. Carolina . . 71 starter by at least two inches, 84. . . Florida A&M . 47 71 ...... LSU . . . . . 62 BY TONI L. SANDYS — 3 but the Patriots still won the rebounding battle, 37-34. Florida has outrebounded its last nine opponents by an average of seven per game. Scoring Average (Points) Percentage Three-Point Percentage Free Throw Percentage Average Noah and Horford combined for 30 Scoring Average (Points) Field Goal Percentage Three-Point Percentage Free Throw Percentage Rebound Average in the region final victory over GMU 69.7 GMU 48.4% GMU 35.9% GMU 66.3% GMU 35.1 UF 78.5 UF 50.4% UF 39.0% UF 74.2% UF 35.9 » Villanova. OPP 59.7 OPP 38.7% OPP 31.1% OPP 67.9% OPP 32.6 — Eric Prisbell and Dan Steinberg OPP 63.9 OPP 39.9% OPP 32.3% OPP 66.2% OPP 32.2

GAME 2 LSU TIGERS [4] LSU VS. [2] UCLA BRUINS STARTING LINEUP BENCH UCLA STARTING LINEUP 8:47 P.M.

Forward Darnell Lazare, who started 15 games this , the heir apparent to at 14 | 1 | JORDAN FARMAR

GUARD (Fr.) season, is great at penetrating the lane and scores a SITE: RCA Dome, Indianapolis , is lightning quick up the floor and handles GUARD (Soph.) An outstanding defender who held Duke’s J.J. Redick the basketball extremely well. Michael Roll, a three- One of the country’s best point guards, Farmar lot on putbacks and tip-ins, but he doesn’t have much TELEVISION: BENCH » to 11 points in the region semifinals, Temple also shooting range. is a good shot blocker, point shooting specialist, has played only 17 minutes thrives in the open floor and has great court vision. WUSA (Channel 9), WJZ (Channel 13) limited Tennessee’s to two points in the but needs to get much stronger and add weight combined in the last three NCAA tournament games. He likes to take big shots, but was only 1 for 9 regular season. Temple is not a great shooter, but before he becomes a real low-post threat. Ben Voogd RADIO: Lorenzo Mata missed 14 games because of a broken against Memphis in the Oakland Region final. Farmar has made key baskets and runs the offense, freeing is a good zone breaker and handles the basketball WTEM-980 leg but surprisingly returned in time to play in the sometimes gets too fancy and turns over the ball. to move on the perimeter. He has been plagued by ankle injuries all season. pretty well. He is still a liability on defense and seems RECORDS: NCAA tournament. He had his best game against Ht. Wt. G FG% 3PT% FT% Reb. Ast. Pts. unsure of himself on offense. Memphis in the region final, scoring four points and Ht. Wt. G FG% 3PT% FT% Reb. Ast. Pts. 6-5 176 35 .344 .252 .686 2.7 2.8 5.2 Louisiana State grabbing six rebounds in only nine minutes. 6-2 180 35 .410 .337 .724 2.5 5.2 13.4 No. Pos. Name G FG% FT% Reb. Ast. Pts. (Southeastern Conference at-large), 27-8 4 G Ben Voogd 35 .382 .643 0.8 1.8 1.1 UCLA No. Pos. Name G FG% FT% Reb. Ast. Pts. 2 G Darren Collison 37 .405 .784 1.7 2.3 5.6 10 G David Fleshman 8 .000 .000 0.3 0.0 0.0 (Pacific-10 Conference champion), 31-6 22 | DARREL MITCHELL GUARD (Sr.) 5 G DeAndre Robinson 11 .000 .000 0.1 0.0 0.0 4 | GUARD (Soph.) LSU’s career leader in three-pointers, Mitchell 15 F Magnum Rolle 32 .453 .500 2.3 0.2 2.2 TOURNAMENT HISTORY: UCLA’s best perimeter threat, Afflalo is at his best 10 G Janou Rubin 17 .600 1.000 0.7 0.3 0.9 struggled in the last two games, making only 21 F Chris Johnson 10 .333 .500 0.7 0.3 1.3 LSU, 23-21, fourth Final Four coming off screens, squaring up and shooting. He 11 F Ryan Wright 30 .566 .419 1.5 0.1 2.4 2 of 8 three-point attempts in wins over Duke and 35 F Darnell Lazare 35 .492 .700 3.4 0.6 6.8 UCLA, 89-32, 16th Final Four was one of the best three-point shooters in the Texas. The senior made game-winners against 12 F-C 31 .644 .489 2.5 0.4 3.8 Pacific-10 and improved his foul shooting. Afflalo is Texas A&M in the NCAA second round and West 14 C Lorenzo Mata 19 .521 .611 3.6 0.1 3.8 not a great defender, but helped hold Memphis’s to only five points in the region final. and Arkansas during the regular season. 20 G-F Michael Roll 36 .373 .714 1.0 1.0 3.6 Ht. Wt. G FG% 3PT% FT% Reb. Ast. Pts. Ht. Wt. G FG% 3PT% FT% Reb. Ast. Pts. 5-11 178 35 .438 .400 .759 3.8 4.5 17.0 22 G Kelvin Kim 7 .000 .000 0.0 0.0 0.0 6-5 210 37 .471 .372 .801 4.2 1.8 16.2 KEYS TO THE GAME 45 C Michael Fey 17 .481 .556 1.4 0.1 1.8 CONTROL THE PAINT: On paper, 55 G Nican Robinson 4 .000 .000 0.0 0.3 0.0 0 | CENTER (Soph.) COACH LSU seems to have a huge 15 | CENTER (Sr.) The bubbly sophomore is a wide load in the paint but In and out of Coach ’s doghouse during advantage in the paint with COACH has incredibly soft hands and surprisingly quick feet. Glen “Big Baby” Davis and much of the past two seasons, Hollins was named He doesn’t allow defenders to get in front of him, In his ninth season at LSU, Brady 1 Ben Howland most outstanding player of the Oakland Region with Tyrus Thomas. Thomas blocked yet beats larger players off the dribble and steps out is finally getting the recognition eight shots against Duke and Texas Howland left a solid program he 12 points and eight rebounds vs. Gonzaga and 14 to shoot mid-range shots. Davis is prone to getting many thought he already and scored most of his points on built at Pittsburgh to restore points and nine rebounds vs. Memphis. He is a in foul trouble and has tired late in games. deserved. Brady has coached dunks. UCLA’s Ryan Hollins will UCLA’s strong legacy. He tremendous liability at the foul line. Ht. Wt. G FG% 3PT% FT% Reb. Ast. Pts. with a chip on his shoulder have to be physical with Davis, who requires his players to play dis- Ht. Wt. G FG% 3PT% FT% Reb. Ast. Pts. 7-0 225 31 .631 .000 .587 4.6 0.3 6.9 6-9 310 35 .502 .261 .688 9.8 1.4 18.7 because he played at a small is able to bull through defenders ciplined offense and give every- school and coached at Samford University in with his extraordinary strength. thing they have on defense. Birmingham before going to LSU. 12 | TYRUS THOMAS FORWARD (Fr.) 21 | CEDRIC BOZEMAN FORWARD (Sr.) PUSH THE ENVELOPE: LSU must ROAD TO INDIANAPOLIS The redshirt freshman’s NBA stock has skyrocketed ROAD TO INDIANAPOLIS find a way to attack UCLA’s He missed all of last season because of torn knee during the tournament, and some have suggested defense, which held a Memphis UCLA 78, Belmont 44: Luc Richard Mbah a Moute ligaments. This season, he has played with torn LSU 80, Iona 64: he could be the No. 1 pick in June’s draft. Thomas Glen Davis scored 17 of his 22 team averaging 80 points to scored a career-high 17 and had eight rebounds cartilage in his left shoulder, as well as knee and is an agile shot blocker with a wide wingspan. He is points in the second half. 2 UCLA 62, Alabama 59: Jordan Farmar scored 18, ankle injuries. That limited his scoring — he’s put just 45 in the Oakland Region final. LSU 58, Texas A&M 57: an explosive dunker, passes and handles the ball Darrel Mitchell made LSU must be patient in its half-court and Arron Afflalo made several key baskets late. up 10 or more points in just two of the last 19 well, and has shooting range to about 15 feet. » winning three-pointer with 3.9 seconds left. sets and needs to score in transition, UCLA 73, Gonzaga 71: The Bruins overcame a games — but he plays defense and rebounds well. LSU 62, Duke 54: Ht. Wt. G FG% 3PT% FT% Reb. Ast. Pts. The Tigers held Blue Devils star something it has done as well as any five-point deficit in final 1 minute 48 seconds. Ht. Wt. G FG% 3PT% FT% Reb. Ast. Pts. 6-9 215 31 .610 1.000 .654 9.3 1.3 12.6 J.J. Redick to 3-for-18 shooting. UCLA 50, Memphis 45: The Bruins held the 6-6 207 29 .503 .400 .769 3.2 2.3 7.7 LSU 70, Texas 60 (OT): team in the NCAA tournament. That Tyrus Thomas and Davis won’t be easy against the Bruins, who Tigers 36 points below their scoring average. combined for 47 points and 22 rebounds. have held 10 of their last 11 opponents 1 | FORWARD (Fr.) 23 | LUC RICHARD FORWARD (Fr.) to 60 points or less. SEASON RESULTS The freshman scored 20 points three times late in SEASON RESULTS MBAH A MOUTE the season when Thomas was out because of a FIND ANOTHER SCORER: The 83 . New Mexico St. 70 71 . . . . Stanford . . . 54 84. . . . . Arizona . . . 73 The freshman from Cameroon is playing only his 84 . . . Southern U.. . 56 75 . . . . . Tulane . . . . 58 62 . . . . at Florida. . . 71 54. . . . . Temple. . . . 47 61 . . . . California. . . 68 50 at Washington St.30 fifth season of organized basketball. His 7-foot-2 sprained ankle. Mitchell doesn’t have Thomas’s 104 . . Nicholls St. . . 57 66. . at Connecticut 67 72. . Mississippi St.. 59 heart of UCLA’s defense is 56 . . Delaware St. . 37 85. . . . at Arizona . . 79 67. . at Washington. 70 explosiveness, but he is a little heavier and stronger 71 . at 68 63 . . . at Arkansas. . 58 65. . . . at Auburn . . 61 80 . . . . Memphis. . . 88 61 . . at Arizona St. . 60 68 . at Southern Cal 71 wingspan makes him play taller. He doesn’t have 83 . . . . Houston . . . 84 88 . . . Tennessee . . 74 77 . . at Vanderbilt . 66 containing the opponent’s best 57 . . . . . Drexel . . . . 56 63 . Washington St. 61 78 . . . Oregon St. . . 60 and rebounds well. He can shoot the three-pointer 90 . . McNeese St. . 70 71. at Mississippi St.57 71 . . . . Kentucky. . . 67 scorer. The Bruins held 73 . . . Albany, N.Y . . 65 65 . . . Washington. . 69 70. . . . . Oregon . . . 53 much range, but is a solid foul shooter. He is a ver- 94 . . New Orleans . 53 68 . . . . Alabama . . . 57 64 . . at S. Carolina . 61 69 . . . Coppin St. . . 57 66 . . Southern Cal . 45 67. . . at California. . 58 satile wing player who slashes to the hoop well. and is one of LSU’s better free throw shooters. 3 67. . . . . Nevada . . . 56 56 . . West Virginia . 60 75 . . . at Stanford . . 54 81. . . La-Lafayette . 62 81 . . . . Georgia . . . 52 55 . . . Mississippi . . 52 Memphis’s Rodney Carney to only Ht. Wt. G FG% 3PT% FT% Reb. Ast. Pts. 50. . . . . N. Iowa . . . 54 79 . . at Mississippi . 73 92. . . Vanderbilt-y. . 73 five points on 2-for-12 shooting. 68 . . . at Michigan. . 61 56. . . . at Oregon . . 49 79. . . Oregon St.-y . 47 Ht. Wt. G FG% 3PT% FT% Reb. Ast. Pts. 6-7 230 35 .445 .295 .753 5.6 2.8 11.4 75 . Ark.-Monticello 48 84. . . . . Auburn. . . . 69 65 . . . . Florida-y . . . 81 74. . . . . Wagner . . . 72 63 . . at Oregon St. . 54 71 . . . . Arizona-y. . . 59 6-7 215 37 .545 .143 .712 8.1 1.4 8.9 72. . . at Cincinnati . 75 62 . . . at Alabama . . 67 y-SEC Tournament Guards Darrel Mitchell and Garrett 86 . Sacramento St. 56 69 . . . Arizona St. . . 60 71 . . . California-y . . 52 76 . . . at Ohio St. . . 78 78 . . . . Arkansas. . . 77 Temple must find a way to comple- y-Pac-10 Tournament ment the inside punch of Davis and Thomas, which means three-point shooting better than their 1-for-12 Scoring Average (Points) Field Goal Percentage Three-Point Percentage Free Throw Percentage Rebound Average performance against Texas or their Scoring Average (Points) Field Goal Percentage Three-Point Percentage Free Throw Percentage Rebound Average 2-for-5 performance against Duke. LSU 73.9 LSU 46.8% LSU 32.8% LSU 69.8% LSU 40.4 — Mark Schlabach UCLA 68.3 UCLA 47.8% UCLA 35.2% UCLA 69.0% UCLA 33.0

OPP 64.0 OPP 39.8% OPP 34.6% OPP 69.3%OPP 32.1 OPP 58.6 OPP 41.7% OPP 33.3% OPP 71.1% OPP 28.6