Why should Talk Left readers root for the Florida Gators? Here's another reason why:

Some of Noah’s statements are nonverbal and are made off the court. When his championship team was invited to the White House this season, Noah at first was reluctant to go because he said he opposed President Bush and the war in Iraq.

Seriously though, Florida is an admirable team because it is a TEAM, evenly spreading the scoring among the 5 starters, averaging between 11 and 13 points per game each. The star at Florida is the TEAM, not Noah, not Horford, not Brewer, not Green, not Humphrey. You don't see that so much in this day of diaper dandies and sneaker contracts. Three of the players put a hold on the NBA in order to have another year of the college experience. That seemed pretty smart to me.

On the games, Florida is the best team, but the best team does not always win. UCLA is clearly much improved. It will be a close game. I think and hope the Gators will prevail. In the opening game, the matchup of Hibbert and Oden will be compelling. I think Georgetown is the better team and will win.