GATORS

Fans Rock O'Connell Center

By ANTONIO GONZALEZ

Published: Mar 4, 2007

GAINESVILLE - For many Gator fans, it's where it all began. It was only fitting it should end there, too.

On Oct. 14 fans crowded into the O'Connell Center for Midnight Madness, a pep rally for the University of Florida basketball team and a preview of the upcoming season. Few would have guessed they'd be back in April.

The home of the Gators was deafening once more Monday night, as 5,996 Gator fans assembled to watch UF win its first NCAA basketball championship. Never mind that it was thousands of miles away.

Covered in orange and blue and waving pompoms, fans of all ages came to the arena to cheer the Gators on a big-screen television hanging from the north end.

"This season has been a dream," said UF senior Justin Orlando, a four-year Rowdy Reptile. "I couldn't have picked a better place for it to end."

Orlando said he couldn't afford the trip to Indianapolis, and quite frankly, he didn't want to go.

"How could you not be in Gainesville to see this happen?" he said. "I wouldn't miss it for the world."

The night had all the elements of a UF home game.

The Rowdy Reptile section was full of students who had been given an orange Gator T-shirt, cheerleaders danced at center court and just like they've done for every home game this season, the Gators faithful jumped and cheered for the opening tip while members of the UF band played on.

Fans did the Gator chomp after UF sprinted out to an early 21-13 lead.

When UF guard Lee Humphrey made a 3-pointer and was fouled to stretch the Gators' lead to 25-15, security had to restrain fans from pushing the gates in the front row over.

The Gators held a 36-25 halftime lead over the Bruins, and the fans could sense a national championship.

"The Gators are 20 minutes away from history," the public address announcer said.

The crowd on hand erupted again when the screen came back on for the second half.

When Humphrey connected from beyond the arc to stretch the UF lead to 42-25, the crowd leaped, moving the metal bleachers on the lower sidelines up and down.

The dream of so many soon became a reality. The Gators had won the national title.

The party was on.

"It's absolutely amazing," UF senior Nestor Ramos said. "I can't even describe the feeling.

"This might be a football town, but tonight basketball is king."