GATOR-MADE

INDIANAPOLIS -- As Joakim Noah came off the RCA Dome floor Monday night, he turned to the corner full of Florida fans and flexed every inch of his seven-foot wingspan.\nThose arms had just risen up and tallied 16 points and six blocked shots -- an NCAA tournament record. Now, finally for Gator fans, those arms spread out and welcomed Florida to its first NCAA tournament title celebration. \nGator guard Lee Humphrey had 15 points and forward Al Horford added 14, complementing Noah and sealing the 73-57 rout of UCLA.\n"Those guys are pro players," UCLA coach Ben Howland said. "Noah, Horford, even (Florida guard Corey) Brewer, all of those guys are top-level players."\nNoah and Horford dominated in the second half, benefiting from their guards' ability to draw double teams away from them. \nWhile scoring relatively at will down the stretch, Noah and company provided the night's defensive stops as well.\nMeanwhile, UCLA's vaunted defense -- called the best in the country by Florida coach Billy Donovan on Sunday -- looked weak by comparison. \nHumphrey found himself open for four 3-pointers. Noah pushed the ball inside for physical buckets. And Brewer worked off screens to make himself available in the paint. \nDonovan's Gators provided the defensive clinic instead, wielding Noah and Horford's long arms to prevent the Bruins from inside scores. \nFlorida opened the game with an 11-6 lead and rarely allowed UCLA to crawl back into the contest. \nUCLA's Jordan Farmar showed early signs of brilliance, such as making a long grab over Florida's press defense for a layup, or stripping Brewer and taking the ball coast to coast for a bucket. The guard had 18 points and four assists. \nBy halftime, the Gators led 36-25. \nUCLA couldn't crack the Gator defense in the second half and was forced into up-and-down possessions, barely securing eight points in the first 10 minutes of the second period. \nFlorida never relented its full court press, picking up the ball immediately and doubling the pressure once Farmar or guard Alfred Aboya crossed half court. \nIn his second touch of the second half, Farmar looked to penetrate the lane and get his defender in the air. Instead, he was stifled and forced to toss up a prayer. That prayer eventually turned into one of Humphrey's several 3-pointers.\n"Everybody was talking about their defense," Brewer said. "We proved who's the best defensive team and we're national champions."\nThe game closed a month of NCAA tournament competition, a tourney that saw no No. 1 seeds in its Final Four for the first time since 1980 and an unknown No. 11 seed rise to national prominence in its first-ever Final Four. \nThat team, George Mason, was overwhelmed by Florida Saturday on the Gators' run to a national title.\nUCLA defeated LSU on Saturday to advance to its first Final Four since 1995. \n"My message to the team is that we'll be back," Howland said. "We've got to move on and get ready for next year."\nFlorida's youth, including its coach -- the second youngest in history to win an NCAA championship besides Bob Knight -- has a chance to retain its core talent and make a run at next year's title as well.\n"A faculty rep said to me before the game, 'you know something, Billy? When you can start something from scratch and build it up to win a championship, that's the second part of it,'" Donovan said. "There are a lot of people that were a part of it. The administration, the players, the assistant coaches, our fans ... I'm just happy for everybody. I'm very blessed and very thankful for the opportunity to coach these kids"