While there is no scientific proof, it seems like this tournament has had the most exciting finishes and near heart attack inducing moments ever.  What else can be said about a tournament where none of the number one seeds make the Final Four? 

In fact, would you be surprised that I already wrapped up a pool amongst my friends?  Seriously, and only one of my Final Four picks was right.

Picking LSU to beat Duke in the Sweet 16 was clutch, and stands as the deciding margin in my victory.  Fortunately, my only correct Final Four pick is Florida and the Gators are also my pick my to win the championship. 

With everyone in the my home region, the D.C. area, picking either the University of Connecticut or Duke, you may be wondering why would I pick Florida?

The most glaring reason is the number of top NBA prospects on the roster.  Joakim Noah may be a top five pick in the draft after his recent play.  Additionally, Al Horford and Corey Brewer have chances to be lottery picks if they elect to leave school early.

History explains this trend.

Last year’s champions, UNC, had four lottery picks and the year before UConn’s Emeka Okafor and Ben Gordon went second and third in the draft.  In 2003, Syracuse was lead by Carmelo Anthony, the eventual third pick in the draft, and Hakim Warrick who was a first round pick this past year. 

The 2002 champions, Maryland Terrapins, had four future NBA players in the starting lineup including first rounder Juan Dixon and lottery pick Chris Wilcox.  Keep going back and you will find NBA first round talent on every recent championship roster.

In addition to the NBA talent on the roster, the Gators are also an extremely efficient team on offense.  Florida averages a ridiculous 1.45 points per shot (PPS), with only Duke rating higher at 1.47.  The team leads the nation in field goal percentage shooting 50.8 percent and also hits nearly 40 percent from behind the arc, giving them a balanced attack. 

With Noah sporting a gaudy 63.3 field goal percentage and Horford right behind at 62.1 percent, the Gators have a formidable inside duo that would make any team envious.  On the perimeter, Taureen Green is a shade under 40 percent from behind the arc and Lee Humphrey hits an absurd 46.5 clip – better even than J.J. Reddick – with 101 three pointers made.

Defensively, too, Florida is solid, especially inside where Noah averages 2.2 blocks in only 24 minutes of action with Horford a more than respectable 1.8 blocks every game where he usually sees about 27 minutes of playing time.  As the players on Villanova now know, it can be pretty difficult to get a lay-up amongst the tall Florida trees.

Although they are a young team, the Gators know how to take care of the ball, as each starter averages more assists than turnovers.  In close games – like the Georgetown contest – Corey Brewer also showed that he can hit a clutch shot. 

But if the game needs to be iced, they can simply give the ball to Taureen Green, who is money from the line, sinking 88.4 percentage of his free throws.  That, too, is better than Reddick.

Yet some people still gave me strange looks for picking Florida; others saw the team’s potential and called the pick “gutsy”. 

With just the Final Four yet to be played, I am supremely confident that the Florida Gators are going to be cutting down the nets in Indianapolis.

Angus Crawford is a contributing reporter to Atomic Sports Media.com. He can be reached at angus.crawford@atomicsportsmedia.com.