Power Forward

Florida's Al Horford
Soph., 6-9, 242
Stats: 11.3 ppg, 7.6 rpg

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A terrific rebounder with steadily improving post moves, Horford is the unsung Gator. He may not get as much attention as some of his teammates, but he does all the dirty work inside. He has 28 rebounds in his last two games, including 14 offensive. If he continues to play the way he's been playing, Florida will have a good chance of winning. He'll likely be matched up against a quicker player in Mbah a Moute, but he must stay home and avoid silly grab and reach fouls.

UCLA's Luc Richard Mbah a Moute
Fr., 6-8, 224
Stats: 9.2 ppg, 8.1 rpg

He likes to slash to the basket and use his athleticism to get rebounds and put-backs. He had a team-high 17 points in the win over LSU, and the Tigers had no answer for him. But he'll be at a size disadvantage against Horford and must use his quickness to his advantage. He also has to be aware of Florida's shot blockers and take Horford & Co. away from the basket. It will be a challenge, but the resourceful Mbah a Moute usually finds a way to get the job done.

EDGE: FLORIDA

Center

Florida's Joakim Noah
Soph., 6-11, 227
14.1 ppg, 7.1 rpg

Noah has had a terrific tournament, but he didn't have his best game in the win over George Mason. He was effective with 12 points and eight rebounds, but not dominant like he has been. Noah is an emotional player and may have been too hyped up on Saturday night. Against UCLA, he needs to be patient and take better shots. If Noah plays his game, he'll help the Gators exploit their significant advantage inside.

UCLA's Ryan Hollins
Sr., 7-0½, 230
Stats: 6.9 ppg, 4.6 rpg

Hollins isn't flashy or even pretty, but he can rebound and block shots and give the Bruins second chances on offense. He needs to keep Noah in front of him and must stay out of foul trouble. Hollins has been banged up, and his biggest challenge will be getting up and down the floor and preventing Noah from getting easy baskets in transition.

EDGE: FLORIDA

Bench

Florida

Coach Billy Donovan doesn't expect to get much scoring here, but he can get valuable minutes from forwards Chris Richard (5.9 ppg) and Adrian Moss and guard Walter Hodge. Richard is the most effective of the three and the first off the bench. As long as the starters don't get into foul trouble, the bench won't play a major role, which is exactly the way Donovan wants it.

UCLA

The Bruins are a little stronger in this area and have a talented slasher who can make things happen in Darren Collison, an athlete in Alfred Aboya and a good three-point shooter in Michael Roll. UCLA's reserves won't win or lose the game, but coach Ben Howland can pick up some valuable points here.

EDGE: UCLA

Coaching

Donovan has led Florida to the championship game for the second time and has the Gators playing very well. He's smart and knows how to motivate his team. He made terrific adjustments at halftime of the George Mason game, enabling Florida to blow it open in the final 20 minutes. To beat UCLA, Florida must control the tempo and make shots. The Gators have an advantage inside, and you can bet Donovan will exploit it whenever possible.

UCLA is extremely difficult to prepare for because Coach Howland runs so many sets on offense and has instilled a defensive-minded approach. He's turned UCLA around from a mess to a championship-caliber team in just three short years, and his players have bought into his system. Against Florida, UCLA will try to slow the game down and limit the Gators in transition. If the Bruins can make the game ugly and dictate the tempo, they'll have Florida exactly where they want them.

EDGE: EVEN