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spt_BKC_returning_5s[i-1].body = "History isn't with the Florida Gators, but they're doing their best to defy the odds against them repeating as champs.They beat Oregon for the Midwest Regional title and will play UCLA in their Final Four game on Saturday. Still, they're two games away from making history.
The Gators returned all five of their starters from last year's national title team, the first NCAA men's champion to do so since the 1996-97 Arizona Wildcats. That Wildcats team, which featured five future NBA draft picks, including three in the 1998 draft, failed to defend its title. But those 'Cats are in good company.
Only one team in the last 30 years that returned all five of its starters or at least 4 starters defended its title -- the 1991-92 Duke Blue Devils team with Christian Laettner, Bobby Hurley and Grant Hill. Star-studded teams like North Carolina, UNLV and Arkansas all came up short despite stellar regular-seasons.
What's that mean for this year's Gators? Their repeat hopes won't be easy to fill. Here's a look at how past hopefuls have fared.";
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spt_BKC_returning_5s[i-1].body = "
Title time: No. 4 seed stunned three No. 1 seeds in the 1997 NCAA tournament en route to a 25-9 record and its first national title in coach Lute Olson's fourth trip to the Final Four.
Who was back: guards Miles Simon, Michael Dickerson, Mike Bibby; forwards Bennett Davison, A.J. Bramlett; key reserves Jason Terry, Eugene Edgerson and Donnell Harris.
Second time around: Started season ranked No. 1 until a loss to Duke in the Maui Invitational in last November. Never dropped out of the top 10, went 17-1 in the Pac-10 and entered the NCAA tournament as a No. 1 seed. The Wildcats crushed their first two opponents, held off Maryland in the Sweet 16, then collapsed against Utah in the West regional finals, 76-51. Arizona finished 30-5.
The fallout: The NBA loved this roster. Three Wildcats were drafted in 1998 (Bibby at No. 2 to the Memphis Grizzlies, Dickerson No. 14 to the Houston Rockets and Simon No. 42 to the Orlando Magic), and two more in 1999 (Terry went No. 10 to the Atlanta Hawks and Bramlett was drafted 39th by the Cleveland Cavaliers). In '99, the Wildcats were a 4 seed in the Big Dance and lost in the first round to 13th-seeded Oklahoma. But Olson got back to the Final Four in 2001, losing Duke in the title game.
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spt_BKC_returning_5s[i-1].body = "
Title time: Using coach Nolan Richardson's famed \"40 minutes of hell,\" the No. 1 seed rolled through the 1994 tournament and beat Duke for the title when Scotty Thurman's high-arching, last-minute three-pointer over Antonio Lang helped seal the win.
Who was back: guards Corey Beck, Clint McDaniel, Scotty Thurman; forwards Corliss Williamson, Dwight Stewart; reserves Darnell Robinson, Al Dillard, Davor Rimac, Lee Wilson; Lost forward Ken Biley and guard Roger Crawford.
Second time around: Entered as No. 1 ranked team and lost its opener to Massachusetts in the Tip-Off Classic. The Razorbacks dropped out of top 10 for one week, but was always considered the nation's most dangerous team. Entered NCAA tournament as No. 2 seed and just missed on a repeat title, losing to UCLA in final.
The fallout: Only two Hogs were drafted from this team, Williamson (No. 13 to the Kings in '95) and Robinson (58th to the Mavs in '96). Once this core graduated, Arkansas hasn't had the same kind of success, making just one Sweet 16 since then and missing the NCAA tournament for four straight years.
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spt_BKC_returning_5s[i-1].body = "
Title time: Dean Smith's second national title came in his ninth appearance when his Tar Heels beat Michigan. The 1993 game is more remembered for Chris Webber's infamous called timeout in the final seconds when the Wolverines were out of timeouts, resulting in a technical foul. Still, the Tar Heels (34-4) were deserving of the crown, entering as a No. 1 seed with one of Smith's best recruiting classes.
Who was back: guards Brian Reese, Derrick Phelps, Donald Williams; center Eric Montross; reserve Pat Sullivan. UNC added freshmen Jerry Stackhouse and Rasheed Wallace, but lost forward George Lynch.
Second time around: Began season atop the polls, but lost third game of the season. Losing Lynch turned out to be a problem; he was the glue of the previous season and Stackhouse and Wallace complained about playing time and created riffs between the players during the rest of the season. Still entered NCAA tournament as a No. 1 seed, but was stunned by Boston College in the second round.
The fallout: Dean Smith did reach a Final Four with Stackhouse and Wallace in 1995, but lost to Arizona. His 11th and last Final Four came in 1997. Of his championship team, only Lynch (No. 12 to Lakers in 1993) and Montross (No. 8 to Celtics in 1994) were drafted. Stackhouse and Wallace would both become All-Stars in the NBA.
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spt_BKC_returning_5s[i-1].body = "
Title time: Coach Mike Krzyzewski won his first title in his fourth consecutive trip to the Final Four and fifth overall. The Blue Devils lost by 30 points to UNLV in the 1990 title game, but upset the Rebels the next year in the national semifinals and beat Kansas for the crown.
Who was back: guards Bobby Hurley, Thomas Hill; forwards Brian Davis, Grant Hill, Christian Laettner; reserve Tony Lang. Added center Cherokee Parks and lost guards Greg Koubek and Billy McCaffery.
Second time around: The Devils went wire-to-wire atop the polls, finishing the year 34-2 with their second straight title, the first team since John Wooden's Bruins to do so. A March 1 win over then No. 4 UCLA in Los Angeles entrenched Duke as the top team. But the most memorable game that season came in the NCAA tournament's East regional finals. Rick Pitino had Kentucky in the Elite Eight for the first time since 1986 and looked ready to pull off the upset when Laettner hit a turn-around jumper off a full-court pass from Grant Hill for the win. Duke would beat Indiana and Michigan for the crown.
The fallout: Laettner swept just about every postseason honor, played with the original Dream Team at the Barcelona Olympics, and was drafted No. 3 overall (behind Shaquille O'Neal and Alonzo Mourning). Davis was selected No. 48 by the Suns in the same draft. Hurley (seventh to the Kings) and Thomas Hill were drafted in 1993. Krzyzewski, Grant Hill and Lang just missed their third title when Arkansas won the '94 title. Coach K would claim his third title in 2001, though.
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spt_BKC_returning_5s[i-1].body = "
Title time: The Runnin' Rebs tore through their regular season with few stumbles, then crushed Duke, 103-73, for the 1990 national title. Coach Jerry Tarkanian had taken UNLV to two previous Final Fours, but his loaded roster had little trouble giving him his only title.
Who was back: guards Greg Anthony, Anderson Hunt; forwards Larry Johnson, Stacey Augmon. Lost David Butler, Moses Scurry; added center George Ackles.
Second time around: This was one team no one thought would lose. They were almost right. Johnson (an All-American and Wooden Award winner) and Augmon (second-time All-American) provided most of the highlights, Anthony ran the show and Hunt did just about everything else. Entered the 1991 Final Four at 34-0, matched against a similar Duke team the Rebs had crushed the year before. But when the Devils kept it close, UNLV couldn't make plays down the stretch.
The fallout: Charlotte made Johnson the top pick of the 1991 NBA draft, Augmon went No. 9 to the Hawks and Anthony was picked 12th by the Knicks. Ackles was drafted in the second round. More importantly, 1992 was Tarkanian's last year at the school, which was hit with NCAA sanctions for multiple violations. It hasn't returned to such heights since.
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// END editorial data