ATLANTA - As the site of one of the most lustrous stages in all of sports, there are luminaries everywhere you look in this town.

There are the defending national champion Florida Gators, relentlessly driven to solidify their legacy with five starters back, four postponing NBA riches in anticipation of this very moment.

There are the defensively daunting UCLA Bruins, aching to erase the painful memories of their title-game loss to Florida 12 months back.

There are the Ohio State Buckeyes, led by a 7-foot freshman force of nature surrounded by a young and surpassingly talented supporting cast.

There are the patient and precise Georgetown Hoyas, reprising their glory days under the impressive command of their legendary coach's son.

No dark horses. No George Masons. No glass slippers. Just four supremely gifted and balanced and history-laden college teams jostling for the whole bag of NCAA marbles in a Final Four played in Dixie but made for Hollywood.

This evening's appetizer is a delicious concoction of high-end basketball skill and know-how, Ohio State and Georgetown tipping off at 4:07 MDT on CBS 4. The entree will be served up at 6:47, hauntingly similar Florida and UCLA teams reconnecting after the Gators chomped down on the Bruins to close things out last April in Indianapolis.

Hyperbole is unnecessary for today's games at the Georgia Dome, but there still was plenty of it hanging in the thick Georgia air during Friday's Final Four media sessions.

"This is probably the toughest Final Four field any of us can remember in a long time," said Billy Donovan, the indefatigable young Florida coach who expertly guided the Gators to the title last spring. "Every one of these teams has had a terrific year. These teams have gotten to this point because they're able to do multiple and different things."

No less than 10 players set to grace the court under the Georgia Dome's giant white top today will play in the NBA.

More than half of those almost certainly will become professional stars. Barring injury or other unforeseen misfortune, Ohio State's Greg Oden, Florida's Joakim Noah, Al Horford and Corey Brewer, UCLA's Arron Afflalo, and Georgetown's Jeff Green and Roy Hibbert will be heard from loudly for years go come.

Probably never have so many projected pro difference-makers appeared on the same college basketball court on the same night. But only the here-and- now matters to these guys at this point of their young lives, and the here-and- now should provide one extraordinarily entertaining evening of top-shelf basketball.

Ohio State-Georgetown isn't too shabby for an undercard. The Buckeyes, a No. 1 seed, and the Hoyas, a No. 2, have been the class of eminently classy conferences from the get-go. They are a combined 64-9 on the season while facing some of the saltiest competition in the land.

No college player on the planet makes NBA teams drool like Oden, the large man with the large upside who patrols the paint for Ohio State. The only reason he's in college at all is the new NBA rule prohibiting phenoms from entering the draft until one year past their high-school graduation day.

Oden, a native of basketball-crazy Indianapolis, figured as long as he had to matriculate somewhere, it might as well be at a place where he could lead a school to the ultimate prize.

In a much-anticipated head-to-head matchup, Oden will lock arms and elbows with ever-improving Georgetown post man Roy Hibbert. Hibbert, a 7-2 junior, didn't share Oden's prep pedigree but has improved exponentially since coming to the Hoyas as an unvarnished project Georgetown patriarch John Thompson once called "a big stiff."

Georgetown junior forward Green and Ohio State point guard Mike Conley Jr. don't get the ink of their larger and more well-known teammates, but their roles also will be crucial.

Green, a fabulous all-around athlete called "the smartest player I've ever coached" by Georgetown coach John Thompson III, does a bit of everything. A powerful 6-9, he's the kind of versatile talent who can impact a game in a major way even if he doesn't score a boatload of points.

Conley, the son of Olympic-champion triple-jumper Mike Conley, is a wise- beyond-his-years freshman who quarterbacks his team like a senior. Oden is the Buckeyes' front man, but Conley, his high school teammate, is the glue holding the package together.

In the nightcap at the dome, fans with no allegiance to either side are hoping for a more riveting game than the one last spring in Indianapolis in which Florida ran away from UCLA for a 73- 57 win.

Both teams are arguably better than last year, the Gators spurred on by their passion to repeat and the Bruins motivated by last year's subpar effort in the most crucial game of them all.

Florida is a virtual carbon copy of the team that raised the trophy last year. UCLA is pretty much the same except for the presence of fast and dynamic sophomore point guard Darren Collison, who impressively has replaced 2005-06 floor leader Jordan Farmar.

"I mean, this is an incredible team," UCLA coach Ben Howland said of the Gators. "This is one of the great basketball teams in college basketball history. You have to give that to 'em. They would be the first team to win back-to-back championships since the Duke teams in the early '90s. So we know we're facing a very, very daunting challenge."

So is Florida. UCLA is deep, strong, tough-minded. So is Ohio State. So is Georgetown.

The basketball buffet to be laid out today, both appetizer and entrée, should be an unforgettably tasty treat for hoops lovers.

Georgetown vs. Ohio State

• When: 4:07 p.m. MDT today.

• Where: Georgia Dome, Atlanta.

• TV/radio: CBS4, KEPN-AM (1600).

• Records: Georgetown, 30-6; Ohio State, 34-3.

• Coaches: John Thompson III (72-29 in third season at Georgetown) and Thad Matta (80-21 in third season at Ohio State)

• How they got here

Georgetown beat Belmont 80-55 in the first round, Boston College 62-55 in the second round, Vanderbilt 66-65 in the East regional semifinals and North Carolina 96-84 in overtime in the East Regional final.

Ohio State beat Central Connecticut State 78-57 in the first round, Xavier 78-71 in overtime in the second round, Tennessee 85-84 in the South regional semifinals and Memphis 92-76 in the South Regional final.

• Series history: Tied 2-2.

• Previous meeting: Georgetown won 70-52 in the second round of the NCAA Tournament last year.

• Stats that matter

The Hoyas' 30 wins are most since the 1984-85 team went 35-2 before losing to Villanova in the NCAA title game.

The Buckeyes' 21-game winning streak is their longest since the 1961-62 team opened with 22 straight victories but wound up losing to Cincinnati in the NCAA title game.

• Starting lineups

Georgetown Pos Ht Pts

Jeff Green F 6-9 14.4

Roy Hibbert C 7-2 12.7

Jonathan Wallace G 6-1 11.2

Jessie Sapp G 6-3 8.9

DaJuan Summers F 6-8 8.9

Ohio State Pos Ht Pts

Ivan Harris F 6-7 7.6

Greg Oden C 7-0 15.4

Mike Conley G 6-1 11.0

Jamar Butler G 6-2 8.6

Daequan Cook G 6-5 10.2

• Outlook: This one probably hinges on who wins the tough inside battle between Green and Hibbert vs. Oden and Harris. In the Hoyas' NCAA win last year, Green and Hibbert dominated Oden-less OSU with a combined 39 points, 22 rebounds, six assists and four blocked shots. The Hoyas must deal with rising Buckeyes guard Ron Lewis, and the Buckeyes have a similar concern with Wallace. The first one to 70 points probably wins. The Hoyas are a perfect 16-0 when scoring 70 points or more, and the Buckeyes are 22-1.

Florida vs. UCLA

• When: 6:47 p.m. MDT today.

• Where: Georgia Dome, Atlanta.

• TV/radio: CBS 4, KKFN-AM (950).

• Records: Florida, 33-5; UCLA, 30-5.

• Coaches: Billy Donovan (259-103 in 10th season at Florida) and Ben Howland (91-40 in fourth season at UCLA).

• How they got here

Florida beat Jackson State 112-69 in the first round, Purdue 74-67 in the second round, Butler 65-57 in the regional semifinals and Oregon 85-77 in the Midwest Regional final.

UCLA beat Weber State 70-42 in the first round, Indiana 54-49 in the second round, Pitt 64-55 in the regional semifinals and Kansas 68-55 in the West Regional final.

• Series history: Florida leads 1-0.

• Previous meeting: Florida won 73-57 in the NCAA championship game last year.

• Stats that matter

The Gators are 26-0 when leading at the half and 7-5 when behind or tied at intermission.

In UCLA's four NCAA wins, the Bruins' opponents averaged only 50 points on 36 percent shooting from the floor.

• Starting lineups

Florida Pos Ht Pts

Taurean Green G 6-0 13.3

Lee Humphrey G 6-2 10.1

Joakim Noah F 6-11 12.2

Corey Brewer F 6-9 13.1

Al Horford C 6-10 13.2

UCLA Pos Ht Pts

Darren Collison G 6-1 12.8

Arron Afflalo G 6-5 16.9

Josh Shipp F 6-5 13.1

Luc Richard Mbah a Moute F 6-8 8.4

Lorenzo Mata C 6-9 6.8

• Outlook: Revenge is on the Bruins' minds, but are the Gators just a bad match-up for them? In the title romp last year, Florida shredded the UCLA defense for numerous dunks, layups and open three-pointers en route to the easy win. Horford and Noah dominated inside with a combined 30 points, 16 rebounds and eight blocked shots. Speedy freshman Collison gives the Bruins an extra gear and weapon this time, but UCLA must play well early to have any chance.

holtzr@RockyMountainNews.com

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