No. 2 – Florida

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The court was supposed to be the surprise. Al Horford, Corey Brewer and Joakim Noah had a better idea. During a celebration four days after Florida claimed the 2005-06 national title with a rout of UCLA in Indianapolis, Gators officials revealed that they’d bought the court from the Final Four to use as Florida’s new home court. But by the time the court was unveiled, Horford, Brewer and Noah had grabbed the microphone and trumped the surprise.

“We back, baby!” Noah had yelled moments earlier as the O’Connell Center crowd roared.

The trio of sophomores who could have left for NBA millions would instead stay in Gainesville and try to win a second title. Suddenly, a repeat didn’t seem like such a stretch.

“If we stick together like we did last year and we’re on top of our games, I feel like we’re almost unstoppable,” says Noah, who admits the Gators must work to avoid the distractions that will come with the expectations.

Florida returns all five starters and two of its top three reserves. The Gators also welcome four freshmen who — even if they don’t crack the regular rotation — should push the veterans hard enough to eliminate any sense of complacency.

Coach Billy Donovan now faces a new challenge — motivating players who have already reached the pinnacle of their sport. “To me, it’s about 2006-07 and what kind of team can we become then,” Donovan says. “Can we build off of what we’ve done? Can we be a better team? Those are the things I’m looking at.”

FRONTCOURT – Down low, the Gators are a matchup nightmare. Horford, a 6'10" center, is athletic enough to outrun many small forwards but strong enough to do the dirty work required to play in the lane. If teams scheme to stop him offensively, he typically defers to his teammates and concentrates on rebounding and defense. If teams load up to stop Noah or the Gators’ guards, Horford can score at will.

Noah, a 6'11" forward, learned early last season that no one his size could match his speed and no one with his speed could overcome his size advantage. He left a trail of exhausted opponents as he filled up boxscores with points, rebounds, blocks and assists. Unfortunately for Florida’s opponents, he’s only gotten better.

Off the bench, center Chris Richard can bang underneath better than anyone on Florida’s roster. Richard can either spell Horford or team with Horford and Noah in a big lineup that Florida used with devastating results late last season.

The graduation of Adrian Moss leaves an open spot in the rotation for a big man, and freshman Dan Werner could be an intriguing fit. Werner, a 6'7" forward who originally signed with North Carolina State, can play inside or float outside for 3-pointers.

BACKCOURT – Point guard Taurean Green grew up late last season, and that maturity showed as Green calmly guided the Gators through the NCAA Tournament. Now that Green has learned that forcing the offense only leads to turnovers, look for him to make better choices about when to pass and when to take his favorite shot — a high-percentage 3-pointer from the top of the key.

Shooting guard Lee Humphrey blew open the national semifinal and final with streaks of 3-pointers, and his teammates’ improvement will only help him get open more often. Also, look for Humphrey to spell Green at point guard on occasion. Humphrey worked much of the summer on his passing and ball-handling skills.

Brewer, a small forward who plays mostly on the wing, has packed on muscle in the offseason. The extra weight could help him when he slashes to the basket, and Florida’s offense is at its best when Brewer is slicing through the lane.

Sophomore Walter Hodge will play shooting guard when Humphrey plays the point, or Hodge may join Humphrey and Green in a three-guard lineup.

FINAL ANALYSIS – The Gators have the tools to repeat as national champions, but they will face an entirely new set of challenges. They began last year under the radar. This season, they’ll get more attention than they want or need. How they handle that attention, from the media and from opponents, will determine whether the Gators reach March in a position to repeat.