After a timeout, Humphrey hit a 3 to make it 53-47 with 15:35 to play, and Oregon never got closer than four rest of the way. Humphrey’s seven 3s gave him 280 for his career, a Florida record.

The Gators being the Gators, though, they had to make it interesting.

Florida didn’t make a field goal in the last 8:14 and missed seven free throws in the last two minutes, allowing Oregon to whittle a nine-point deficit down to four.

Porter’s second 3 — his second basket of the game — made it 81-77 with 17.2 seconds left, but Florida put it away as Green went 3-of-4 from the line and Porter was called for traveling with nine seconds left.

“I don’t think they beat us at our own style at all. No way,” Oregon coach Ernie Kent said. “There were opportunities.”

Not enough, though. As the final seconds ticked down, Florida’s celebration was on.

Noah screamed, “Keep hating!” and “We win, we eat!” as the Florida fans roared with approval. The MVP of last year’s Final Four, sprinted across the court, grabbed Donovan and hefted him in the air, shaking him.

“People really doubted us, especially when things were not going well,” Noah said, referring to a stretch of three loss in four games late in the season. “People were trying to divide this team.”

Nothing is going to separate this group, though. After the Gators accepted yet another trophy, they huddled together on the podium and rocked back and forth, whooping and hollering.

Then they climbed the ladders to cut down the nets — something they’ve gotten quite good at over the last two seasons.

But make no mistake: A regional title isn’t why Noah, Horford and Brewer — all certain to have been lottery picks with Noah the likely No. 1 — put their NBA millions on hold last spring.

They want another title, and anything less will be a bitter disappointment.

“Just being able to come back and enjoying the process and playing with the guys, it’s something I would never give up for anything,” Horford said. “I’m really glad that we got the opportunity to come back and play.”

Florida’s slow starts in the NCAA tournament are getting to be a habit, and this game was no different. Just as Purdue and Butler did, the Ducks dictated the tempo of the game early, getting their guards free for easy shots and even dumping the ball inside to Hairston. They flustered Florida just as much on the other end, and the Gators had nine turnovers before the game was even 10 minutes old.

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But after that ninth turnover, Florida settled in. Humphrey hit a 3-pointer that sparked a 20-9 run. Over the next 6½ minutes, the Gators didn’t have a single turnover and turned a five-point deficit into a 33-27 lead.

Humphrey capped the spurt with another 3. If ever a basket could be costly, though, this one was because it snapped a string in the net and brought Florida’s momentum to a sudden halt.

It took almost 10 minutes to fix the net. When the break finally ended, Brooks scored nine straight points and Bryce Taylor dunked to pull Oregon within 40-38 at the break.

Ultimately, though, the Gators were too much for the Ducks. Just as they’ve been for everybody the last two years.

“To get into the Final Four like this, it’s an unbelievable feeling,” Noah said. “We’re happy but we’re not satisfied.”