2006 NCAA Division I men's basketball championship game

See also: 2006 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament

The 2006 NCAA Division I men's basketball championship game was the finals of the 2006 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament and it determined the national champion for the 2005-06 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The game was played at the RCA Dome in Indianapolis, Indiana and featured the Oakland Regional Champion, No. 2-seeded UCLA and the Minneapolis Regional Champion, No. 3-seeded Florida.

2006 NCAA Tournament Championship Game

National championship game
Florida Gators UCLA Bruins SEC Pac-10 (32–6) (32–6) 73 57 Head coach: Billy Donovan Head coach: Ben Howland
AP: 11 Coaches: 10 AP: T-7 Coaches: 8 ^[1]
1st half 2nd half Total Florida Gators 36 37 73 UCLA Bruins 25 32 57
Date	April 3, 2006
Venue	RCA Dome, Indianapolis, Indiana
MVP	Joakim Noah, Florida
Favorite	Florida by 1
Referees	James Burr, John Cahill, Tony Greene
Attendance	43,168
United States TV coverage
Network	CBS
Announcers	Jim Nantz (play-by-play) Billy Packer (color) Dan Bonner (sideline)
Nielsen Ratings	11.2
← 2005 2007 →

This was the last national championship game to feature a team from the Pac-12 Conference, which folded in 2024.

Participants

Florida

Main article: 2005–06 Florida Gators men's basketball team

Florida entered the tournament as the No. 3 seed in the Minneapolis Regional. In the 1st round, Lee Humphrey scored 20 points, Joakim Noah scored 16 points, and Al Horford scored 14 points to lead Florida past South Alabama with a 76–50 victory.^[2] In the 2nd round, Corey Brewer scored 23 points and Joakim Noah scored 17 points to rout Milwaukee with an 82–60 victory.^[3] In the Sweet 16, Corey Brewer made a twisting falling down shot which became a three-point play with 27.5 seconds remaining to defeat Georgetown 57-53 and advance to the Elite Eight.^[4] In the Elite Eight, Joakim Noah had a monster night by scoring 21 points which led to Florida beating Villanova 75-62 and advancing to the Final Four.^[5] In their semifinal matchup against Cinderella team George Mason, Florida had a successful night from outside the arc and won 73-58 for a trip to the title game.^[6]

UCLA

Main article: 2005–06 UCLA Bruins men's basketball team

UCLA entered the tournament as the No. 2 seed in the Oakland Regional. In the 1st round, UCLA routed Belmont with a 78–44 victory in the battle of the Bruins.^[7] In the 2nd round, Jordan Farmar scored 18 points making five three-pointers which was supported by Arron Afflalo's 13 points and Ryan Hollins's 12 points to beat Alabama 62-59 for a trip to Oakland for the Sweet 16.^[8] In the Sweet 16, UCLA finished the game with an 11–0 run to complete a 17-point comeback for a 73–71 win over Gonzaga.^[9] In the Elite Eight, Arron Afflalo scored 15 points to beat Memphis 50–45 in the lowest scoring Regional Finals during the shot-clock era to send UCLA to the Final Four.^[10] In the national semifinal, UCLA shut down LSU 59–45 to advance to the title game.^[11]

Starting lineups

Florida	Position		UCLA
Taurean Green	G		Jordan Farmar 1
Lee Humphrey	G		Arron Afflalo
Corey Brewer	F		Cedric Bozeman
Joakim Noah	F		Luc Richard Mbah a Moute
Al Horford	C		Ryan Hollins 2
Players selected in an NBA draft  (number indicates round)

Source^[12]

Game summary

April 3 9:21 PM ET

Recap

No. 2 UCLA Bruins	57–73	No. 3 Florida Gators
Scoring by half: 25–36, 32–37

RCA Dome, Indianapolis, Indiana Attendance: 51,458

References

1. "2005-06 Men's College Basketball Rankings". ESPN. Retrieved February 16, 2024.
2. "Humphrey nets 20, sparks Florida past South Alabama". ESPN.com. March 16, 2006. Retrieved May 11, 2014.
3. "Brewer leads balanced attack as Florida routs UW-Milwaukee". ESPN.com. March 18, 2006. Retrieved May 11, 2014.
4. "Brewer's late heroics have Gators feeling Elite". ESPN.com. March 24, 2006. Retrieved May 11, 2014.
5. "Noah's monster night sends Florida to Final Four". ESPN.com. March 26, 2006. Retrieved May 11, 2014.
6. "Florida's outside shooting vaults Gators into national title game". ESPN.com. April 1, 2006. Retrieved May 11, 2014.
7. "UCLA routs Belmont in battle of the Bruins". ESPN.com. March 16, 2006. Retrieved May 11, 2014.
8. "Farmar's five 3s have UCLA heading to Oakland". ESPN.com. March 18, 2006. Retrieved May 11, 2014.
9. "UCLA scores final 11 points in stunning comeback over Gonzaga". ESPN.com. March 23, 2006. Retrieved May 11, 2014.
10. "Afflalo, UCLA clamp down on Memphis, stamp Final Four ticket". ESPN.com. March 25, 2006. Retrieved May 11, 2014.
11. "UCLA shuts down Baby, LSU in advancing to title game". ESPN.com. April 1, 2006. Retrieved May 11, 2014.
12. "UCLA vs. Florida Box Score (Men), April 3, 2006". Sports Reference. Retrieved March 29, 2023.