Ray Glier

INDIANAPOLIS - It was J.J. Redick’s and Adam Morrison’s party in the regular season. Washington’s Brandon Roy crept into the national consciousness in late February and we figured it was only a matter of time before UConn’s Rudy Gay showed us how brilliant he could be.

Then we were all taken by Big Baby, LSU’s Glen Davis, and his sidekick, Tyrus Thomas.

Meanwhile, Joakim Noah looked like a nice player, but we kind of shrugged. Maybe it was the ponytail, but more likely it was the four other Florida starters who scored in double figures, while Noah just looked like part of the act.

Also, didn’t he play for a football school?

Monday night, the player who really never got on the radar until March, never was included in the discussion for national player of the year, and was on no All-American teams, dominated the national championship game.

He was a tour de force UCLA couldn’t stop. Noah made 7-of-9 shots and scored 16 points, which earned him Most Outstanding Player honors.

But that was only a third of what he did to the Bruins as Florida won its first national championship, 73-57.

Noah was a moat around the rim, a gator laying low near the bank ready to snap. He blocked six shots. It sure seemed like more.

NCAA championship videos SNS 'Indescribable' feeling April 3: Florida players Joakim Noah, Lee Humphrey and Tauren Green talk about how they feel after winning the national championship. Donovan says Florida still might not be best Cheerleaders talking trash, Noah says Bitter end to great season for UCLA players UCLA coach: 'Our goal is to get back here'

While the Bruins kept making head fakes, Noah stayed on his feet. They would jerk their heads, contort their faces, pump with the ball and beg for him to commit to the block so they could try and get a foul.

Noah waited them out. When they shot, he smothered the ball.

Noah also made that vaunted, steel-trap UCLA defense look like a fraud. The Bruins got spread out and one of them would always find himself face-to-face with a snarling Noah. He took them off the dribble and down the lane and rammed the ball through the rim.

Noah averaged 16 points and 9 rebounds in the six tournament wins. He had 29 blocks and made better than 50 percent of his shots, even though he does not have a jump shot. He never had a bad game in the tournament.

March Madness slide shows AP   Title time Best images from Florida-UCLA in men’s championship game. AP   Turtle wax Top images from Maryland’s overtime win over Duke for its first NCAA title. Reuters   The Final Four See images of Saturday's games where four teams become two. Getty Images   Eight is great Click to see images from the Elite Eight round of the 2006 NCAA tournament. Getty Images   Super Sweet 16 The best images from NCAA Tournament's second weekend. AP   Round 1 & 2 Best images from opening weekend of Big Dance.

Noah looked like one college basketball’s best players Monday night and has likely landed in the NBA lottery. Only Marquette’s Dwayne Wade has made a more startling ascension in the NCAA Tournament in the last few years.

Noah, of course, took the opportunity to crow in the postgame press conference how he and the Gators showed everybody how wrong we were about them. He has been a relentless shot-blocker and rebounder, and just as relentless whining about the lack of respect for the Gators.

We’re happy for you, kid. You came out of nowhere. Be quiet. Plenty of players have walked to the podium as champions and not carried a season of resentment with them.

Donovan had a lot more class and no bombast. He is as big a hero for this program as Noah.

That Florida had 21 assists and 26 baskets is a reflection on Donovan, who asked that egos be kept small enough to fit into a sock and that one basketball would be enough for five players.

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