The 2006 NCAA Division I men's basketball championship game was the finals of the

2006 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament The 2006 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament involved 65 teams playing in a single-elimination tournament to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division I college basketball as a culmination of the 2005–06 basketball seaso ...

and it determined the national champion for the 2005-06 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The game was played at the

RCA Dome The RCA Dome (originally Hoosier Dome) was a domed stadium in Indianapolis. It was the home of the Indianapolis Colts NFL franchise for 24 seasons (1984–2007). It was completed at a cost of $77.5 million, as part of the Indiana Convention ...

Indianapolis, Indiana Indianapolis ( ), colloquially known as Indy, is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Indiana, most populous city of the U.S. state of Indiana and the county seat of Marion County, Indiana, Marion ...

, and featured the Oakland Regional Champion, No. 2-seeded

UCLA The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Its academic roots were established in 1881 as a normal school then known as the southern branch of the C ...

and the Minneapolis Regional Champion, No. 3-seeded

Florida Florida ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders the Gulf of Mexico to the west, Alabama to the northwest, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the north, the Atlantic ...

Participants

Florida Gators

Florida entered the tournament as the No. 3 seed in the Minneapolis Regional. In the 1st round, Lee Humphrey scored 20 points,

Joakim Noah Joakim Simon Noah ( ; born February 25, 1985) is a former professional basketball player. Born in New York, Noah was a member of the France national team and played college basketball for the Florida Gators, winning back-to-back NCAA championsh ...

scored 16 points, and

Al Horford Alfred Joel Horford Reynoso (born June 3, 1986), nicknamed Big Al, is a Dominican professional basketball player for the Boston Celtics of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He is a five-time NBA All-Star and won the NBA championship wi ...

scored 14 points to lead Florida past South Alabama with a 76–50 victory. In the 2nd round,

Corey Brewer Corey Wayne Brewer (born March 5, 1986) is an American former professional basketball player who serves as an assistant coach for the New Orleans Pelicans. He played college basketball for the Florida Gators, winning back-to-back NCAA national c ...

scored 23 points and

scored 17 points to rout

Milwaukee Milwaukee is the List of cities in Wisconsin, most populous city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. Located on the western shore of Lake Michigan, it is the List of United States cities by population, 31st-most populous city in the United States ...

with an 82–60 victory. In the Sweet 16,

made a twisting falling down shot which became a three-point play with 27.5 seconds remaining to defeat Georgetown 57–53 and advance to the Elite Eight. In the Elite Eight,

had a monster night by scoring 21 points which led to Florida beating Villanova 75–62 and advancing to the Final Four. In their semifinal matchup against

Cinderella "Cinderella", or "The Little Glass Slipper", is a Folklore, folk tale with thousands of variants that are told throughout the world.Dundes, Alan. Cinderella, a Casebook. Madison, Wis: University of Wisconsin Press, 1988. The protagonist is a you ...

team

George Mason George Mason (October 7, 1792) was an American planter, politician, Founding Father, and delegate to the U.S. Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia in 1787, where he was one of three delegates who refused to sign the Constitution. His wr ...

, Florida had a successful night from outside the arc and won 73–58 for a trip to the title game.

UCLA Bruins

UCLA entered the tournament as the No. 2 seed in the Oakland Regional. In the 1st round, UCLA routed Belmont with a 78–44 victory in the battle of the Bruins. In the 2nd round,

Jordan Farmar Jordan Robert Farmar (born November 30, 1986) is an American-Israeli former professional basketball player who played in the National Basketball Association (NBA). In high school, he was named the ''Los Angeles Times'' High School Player of the Y ...

scored 18 points making five three-pointers which was supported by

Arron Afflalo Arron Agustin Afflalo (born October 15, 1985) is an American former professional basketball player in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the UCLA Bruins. As a junior, he was named a consensus All-America ...

's 13 points and

Ryan Hollins Ryan Kenwood Hollins (born October 10, 1984) is an American former professional basketball player who is a color commentator for the Houston Rockets of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the UCLA Bruins. H ...

's 12 points to beat

Alabama Alabama ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Deep South, Deep Southern regions of the United States. It borders Tennessee to the north, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gu ...

62–59 for a trip to Oakland for the Sweet 16. In the Sweet 16, UCLA finished the game with an 11–0 run to complete a 17-point comeback for a 73–71 win over Gonzaga. In the Elite Eight,

scored 15 points to beat

Memphis Memphis most commonly refers to: * Memphis, Egypt, a former capital of ancient Egypt * Memphis, Tennessee, a major American city Memphis may also refer to: Places United States * Memphis, Alabama * Memphis, Florida * Memphis, Indiana * Mem ...

50–45 in the lowest scoring Regional Finals during the shot-clock era to send UCLA to the Final Four. In the national semifinal, UCLA shut down

LSU Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, commonly referred to as Louisiana State University (LSU), is an American Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Baton Rouge, Louis ...

59–45 to advance to the title game.

Starting lineups

Game summary

References

{{2006 Florida Gators men's basketball navbox NCAA Division I men's basketball championship game NCAA Division I men's basketball championship games Florida Gators men's basketball UCLA Bruins men's basketball Basketball competitions in Indianapolis College basketball tournaments in Indiana NCAA Division I men's basketball championship game NCAA Division I men's basketball championship game 2000s in Indianapolis