It’s time to review the best all-time Florida Gators Final Fours. Will the Florida Gators basketball team win this season’s national championship? As March Madness looms, let’s review the team’s best all-time Final Four appearances. We’ll briefly summarize each team’s season, remarking on the coach and top players. Then, we’ll recap their tournament journey, highlighting pivotal moments leading up to the Final Four.
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Table of Contents
Florida Gators Final Fours
The following are the best Florida Gators Final Fours of all-time. We’ll discuss each Final Four result, touching on the team’s season leading up to their tournament appearance.
1994 Final Four
- Final Four Result – 71-65 loss vs. Duke (national semifinal)
- Coach – Lon Kruger
- Top Players – Andrew DeClercq, Craig Brown, and Dan Cross
- Final Standing – 29-8 Overall, 12-4 SEC
The 1993-94 Florida Gators were a strong team, but the Gators were not known as a powerhouse basketball school. This Gators team won more games than any previous team in school history, and it was impressive. Head coach Lon Kruger had gone from an 11-17 squad in 1990-91 to 19 wins in 1991-92 and fell back to 16-12 in 1992-93.
Florida had three double-digit scorers — Dan Cross, Craig Brown, and Dametri Hill — to go along with junior Andrew DeClercq, who was close to averaging a double-double. This Gators team was not full of NBA talent, as it was only DeClercq who would be in the professional ranks.
For Kruger though, he had experience. He made four NCAA Tournaments with Kansas State before taking over the Florida job. He made the Gators into a strong defensive team that fought hard in the SEC Conference Tournament. Florida won its first two games, but lost, 73-60, against Kentucky. However, the NCAA Tournament was a different story. Florida was impressive as a #3 seed. The Gators did get a tough test in the first round — a 64-62 win over #14 James Madison. #11 Penn could not handle Florida’s strong defense, as Florida won 70-58. #2 UConn was a tough test in the Sweet Sixteen, but Florida won, 69-60, in overtime. #9 Boston College was a Cinderella — the Gators extinguished that fire with a 74-66 win. Unfortunately, Coach K’s Duke Blue Devils were too much for Kruger’s Gators, as Florida’s first Final Four game was a 70-65 loss against No. 2 Duke.
2000 Final Four
- Final Four Result – 71-59 victory vs. North Carolina (national semifinal), 89-76 loss vs. Michigan State (championship)
- Coach – Billy Donovan
- Top Players – Mike Miller, Udonis Haslem, and Brett Nelson
- Final Standing – 29-8 Overall, 12-4 SEC
Billy Donovan changed everything for Florida basketball when he took over in 1996. His coaching style — along with tremendous basketball talent — ushered in a new era of college basketball. For the 1999-2000 Gators, it was a similar script as in 1994, but with a twist.
In the SEC Conference Tournament, the Gators once again just did not get it done. Florida was still searching for its first conference tournament title. After a 22-point win against Ole Miss, the Gators were unable to continue their success against Auburn in the semifinals. However, Florida was able to make a quick turnaround and fight hard in the NCAA Tournament.
As a #5 seed, Florida knew it was not going to be too easy. The #12 Butler Bulldogs made it difficult in the first round, as they took Florida to overtime (69-68 Florida win). Then, after a big win over #4 Illinois, it was time for #1 Duke. In Syracuse, New York, these underdog Gators upset the mighty Blue Devils, 87-78, as they got revenge from 1994. Then after a couple of double-digit wins, Florida made the Final Four. Unfortunately, the Gators’ magical run ended with an 89-76 loss at the hands of the Michigan State Spartans.
2006 Final Four
- Final Four Result – 73-58 victory vs. George Mason (national semifinal), 73-57 victory vs. UCLA (championship)
- Coach – Billy Donovan
- Top Players – Joakim Noah, Al Horford, Corey Brewer, and Taurean Green
- Final Standing – 33-6 Overall, 10-6 SEC
Donovan made his mark as the head coach of the Florida Gators throughout the 2000s, but it was in 2005-06, that his Gators shined. Although the Gators lost their final three games of February 2006, they bounced back with two double-digit wins before the SEC Tournament.
After a regular season of 24 wins and six losses, Florida headed into the SEC Tournament in a pretty good spot. The Gators played some very interesting games in the tournament: 74-71 over Arkansas, 81-65 over LSU, and 49-47 over South Carolina. The SEC Tournament title was Florida’s second in a row.
Then, the NCAA Tournament began: Florida, a #3 seed, faced #14 South Alabama in the first round and #11 UW-Milwaukee in the second. The Gators dominated those games. Then in the Sweet Sixteen, #7 Georgetown, it was the closest game of the tournament for Florida: a 57-53 win. Arguably, the biggest game for the Gators came with the Elite Eight game against #1 Villanova. Florida won, 75-62. Florida then won, 73-58, against George Mason in the semifinal and then by the score, 73-57, against #2 UCLA to win the championship.
2007 Final Four
- Final Four Result – 76-66 victory vs. UCLA (national semifinal), 84-75 victory vs. Ohio State (championship)
- Coach – Billy Donovan
- Top Players – Joakim Noah, Al Horford, Corey Brewer, and Taurean Green
- Final Standing – 35-5 Overall, 13-3 SEC
Can you believe that Florida made the Final Four — in fact, the championship game — in back-to-back years? The Florida Gators’ dynasty continued into 2006-07 when they dominated the regular season yet again. This time, it was 25 regular season wins by the time the SEC Tournament began.
In the SEC Tournament, Florida had huge victories over Georgia, Ole Miss, and Arkansas. The Gators dominated the tournament at the Georgia Dome in 2007, and that would be the eventual site of the Final Four. After their 77–56 SEC Tournament title win, the Gators were fired up and ready for the NCAA Tournament.
The defending champion Gators were rewarded with a #1 seed for the tournament, and they opened with an easy victory over #16 Jackson State. #9 Purdue gave Florida a decent battle, as Florida won by just seven points. #5 Butler was always sneaky, but Florida still won, 65-57. Next up was the Sweet Sixteen, with another eight-point win: 85-77 over #3 Oregon. Florida continued to have tough opponents at the Georgia Dome for the last two games of tournament. First was a 76-66 win over #2 UCLA. Then, in the National Championship Game, Florida won its 10th straight game, an 84-75 win over #1 Ohio State.
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Florida Gators Game Odds
The following are the latest point spread, total, and moneyline odds for the next Florida Gators basketball game, including any NCAA March Madness or Final Four tournament game.
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Florida Gators Standings
Have a look at Florida’s current and past regular season standings before their next big matchup. Performance trends can often indicate the best way to bet on a game. Don’t forget to handicap the opposing team, too.
| Team | W-L | Win% | Home | Away | Conf | CGB | Conf% | Strk |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| #5 Florida | 25-4 | 0.862 | 14-1 | 6-3 | 12-4 | +2.5 | 0.750 | W1 |
Tournament Resources
March Madness
- March Madness Betting Bonuses – See our recommendations for the best new and existing customer betting bonuses.
- March Madness Bracket Betting – Learn to bet on the March Madness tournament bracket, plus pick up some invaluable tournament betting strategies.
- March Madness Point Spreads – Review the latest point spreads for upcoming March Madness events.
- March Madness Moneylines – We’ve got the latest March Madness moneylines, plus a handy tutorial explaining how to place this simple bet.
- March Madness Prop Bets – We’ve got the latest March Madness prop bets and handy betting tutorial all in one article.
- March Madness Final Four Appearances – See which teams have made the most Final Four appearances in recent history.
- March Madness Bracket Busters – Have a look back at the best all-time bracket busting teams.
- March Madness Underdogs to Bet On – We’ve preselected a list of moneyline underdogs worth betting on.
- March Madness Over Under Trends – Our classic study looks at over-under total betting trends for the tournament broken down by seed and conference to identify unique betting opportunities.
Final Four
- Odds to Make the Final Four – See current futures odds to make the Final Four.
- Best Final Four Overtime Games – Review the best Final Four overtime games in history, including game results and summaries.