It’s easy to forget how much pressure was on the Florida Gators back in 2007. Honestly, everyone just expected them to win. They were the first team in ages to return their entire starting five after winning a title, and the college basketball world was basically just waiting to see if anyone—literally anyone—could trip them up. They didn't. They just kept rolling. The 2007 NCAA March Madness tournament wasn’t just a showcase of dominance; it was a masterclass in chemistry that we haven't really seen since in the "one and done" era.
Joakim Noah. Al Horford. Corey Brewer. Taurean Green. Lee Humphrey. These guys were everywhere. You couldn't turn on a TV in March without seeing Noah’s wild hair or Brewer’s wingspan disrupting some poor guard's rhythm. While people love to talk about the upsets—and we had plenty of those—the real story of 2007 was the inevitability of Florida.
Why the 2007 NCAA March Madness field was secretly terrifying
Don't let the Gators' repeat fool you into thinking the field was weak. It was loaded. This was the year Kevin Durant arrived. He was a freshman at Texas, scoring at will, looking like a seven-foot spider with a jumper that shouldn't have been legal. He won the Naismith and Wooden awards, becoming the first freshman to ever do it. Then you had Greg Oden at Ohio State. Before the injuries changed his career trajectory, Oden was a terrifying physical force in the paint.
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The bracket was a minefield. You had Mike Krzyzewski’s Duke squad (though they took a shocking first-round exit to VCU), a gritty UCLA team that had made the finals the year before, and a Kansas roster that was overflowing with future NBA talent.
The VCU stunner that changed everything for Eric Maynor
If you want to talk about the "Madness" part of 2007 NCAA March Madness, you have to start with VCU vs. Duke. People forget VCU wasn't a household name yet. This was the game that put them on the map. Eric Maynor hit a mid-range jumper with 1.8 seconds left to sink the Blue Devils, and the image of him celebrating is burned into the brains of Duke haters everywhere. It wasn't just a lucky shot. VCU outplayed them. It signaled a shift in the landscape where mid-majors weren't just happy to be there; they were coming to ruin your bracket.
Greg Oden vs. The World
Ohio State was the number one seed in the South, and they had to claw through some absolute wars to get to the end. That game against Xavier in the second round? Absolute heart-attack material. Ron Lewis hit a three to save their lives and send it to overtime. If he misses that, the 2007 narrative is completely different.
Oden was playing with basically one hand for part of the season due to a wrist injury, yet he was still blocking shots into the third row. Watching him navigate that tournament was a lesson in pure grit. By the time they hit the Final Four in Atlanta, the Buckeyes looked like a team of destiny. They had the size, they had Mike Conley Jr. running the point with surgical precision, and they had the momentum. But they ran into a buzzsaw.
The Florida Gators and the "Oh-Fives"
The 2007 Florida team was nicknamed the "Oh-Fives" because they all came in together in the 2004-2005 recruiting class. They were roommates. They were best friends. They decided to skip the NBA draft in 2006 just to see if they could do it again. Who does that now? Nobody.
Their path through the 2007 NCAA March Madness bracket was clinical.
- Jackson State (Easy)
- Purdue (A bit of a fight, but not really)
- Butler (The Bulldogs made them sweat, but Florida’s size was too much)
- Oregon (The Elite Eight clash where Aaron Brooks tried his best, but the Gators were just too deep)
By the time the Final Four rolled around, Florida looked bored. Not arrogant, just... prepared. They dismantled UCLA in the semifinal. It was a rematch of the previous year's title game, and the result was the same. Florida won 76-66, but it felt wider than that.
The National Championship: A Clash of Giants
The title game on April 2, 2007, was exactly what the committee wanted: Florida vs. Ohio State. The two best teams. The two best frontcourts. It was the first time since 1991 that the championship game featured the same two schools that had played for the football national championship in the same academic year.
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Florida had beaten Ohio State for the football title just months earlier. The Buckeyes wanted revenge.
Oden was a monster in the championship game. He had 25 points and 12 rebounds. He was the best player on the floor for large stretches. But basketball is a five-man game, and Florida’s five-man unit was a literal machine. Al Horford was a rock. Lee Humphrey hit back-breaking threes from the Georgia Dome logo. Taurean Green never lost his cool.
The Gators won 84-75. They became the first team since Duke in '91-'92 to repeat. They are still the last team to do it.
Lessons from the 2007 tournament that still apply today
We often look back at 2007 NCAA March Madness as the end of an era. It was the last time we saw a championship team stay together. Shortly after, the NBA's age limit rule really took hold, and the "one-and-done" phenomenon changed recruiting forever.
If you're looking for why some teams fail in March today, look at the 2007 Gators. They didn't win because they had the highest-rated recruits (though they were talented). They won because they had 100+ games of experience playing together. Chemistry isn't a cliché; it's a defensive rotation that happens without anyone saying a word.
Actionable insights for the modern fan or bettor
- Watch the "Returning Starters" metric. While the portal has changed things, teams that bring back 3 or 4 starters often overperform their seed. Florida proved that continuity is a weapon.
- Don't ignore the "Handicapped Giant." Greg Oden’s run proved that a truly elite rim protector can carry a team to the finals even if they aren't at 100% health. Look for teams with elite defensive efficiency in the paint.
- The Mid-Major "Fear Factor" is real. VCU’s 2007 run was the precursor to the modern era where teams like Florida Atlantic or San Diego State can make deep runs. When a small school has a senior guard like Eric Maynor, pay attention.
The 2007 tournament was a celebration of what college basketball used to be—and perhaps a reminder of what it can still be when the right group of players decides to stick around for one more run. It wasn't just about the wins; it was about the fact that they did it together.
To truly understand the greatness of that year, you should go back and watch the second half of the Florida-Ohio State final. Pay attention to the way Florida moves the ball. There’s no hesitation. No one is looking for their "draft stock" highlights. They’re just looking for the open man. That’s the real legacy of 2007.