ATLANTA -- There was a point late Monday when it became clear, though it's difficult to isolate the exact moment or sequence.
It might've been when Lee Humphrey, Corey Brewer and Taurean Green hit consecutive jumpers. Or when Joakim Noah skied for that rebound. Or when Al Horford threw the ball so high into the Georgia Dome that by the time it landed, the game was finished and we had our first repeat national champions in 15 years.
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| Here's a clue about Florida's win: Corey Brewer, Lee Humphrey and Taurean Green shoot a combined 10-for-18 from 3-point range. (Getty Images) |
But it happened, and one thing was clear.
Florida was too good.
Ohio State wasn't good enough.
That was the bottom line of this title game.
I realize it sounds simplified, but basketball isn't a Rubik's Cube. Sometimes this stuff is easy to figure out. And after 40 minutes of passes and dunks, what we know -- what we know again, rather -- is that Florida is unquestionably better than Ohio State.
In basketball. In football. In December. In January. In April.
And all points in between.
"I thought we fought about as hard as we could," said Thad Matta, whose Buckeyes lost 84-75. "But we just couldn't turn the corner on them, which is what teams like that do to you."
In other words, when the lights come on and the big stage is set, teams like that -- teams like these Gator Boys, as Noah likes to call them -- outshoot you (49.1 percent to 46.9 percent), outrebound you (38 to 28) and, most importantly, outscore you en route to cementing their legacy before an announced crowd of 51,458.
Then they put beads on.
