Self likes Florida to win title

With zero No. 1 seeds in the field for the first time in 26 years, this year’s Final Four truly is up for grabs.

“The entire Final Four going in is a little surprise, with the exception of UCLA,” Kansas University coach Bill Self said. “Not too many picked Florida going in. They (experts) didn’t pick LSU going in with LSU in Duke’s bracket, and nobody picked George Mason.

“Really, to me, the one team that you would say would have had the best shot of making it is UCLA.”

The way it’s panned out, of course, is No. 2-seed UCLA will play No. 4-seed LSU in tonight’s second semifinal following the opener between No. 3-seed Florida and No. 11-seed George Mason.

“Florida has to be favored, but hey, George Mason could beat Florida,” Self said. “The other game I believe is a coin flip.”

As much as Self likes UCLA’s defense – “they held Memphis to 39 points with a minute left (in 50-45 win), not many teams can do something that” – KU’s coach says the national champion figures to be … Florida.

“Florida starts four sophomores and a junior, but those guys are really playing,” Self said. “Florida is playing better than anybody right now. It’s a perfect situation for Florida. Everybody’s talking about George Mason, and they (Gators) are flying under the radar from an attention standpoint. LSU … there’s not a more athletic frontline anywhere, (but) I love Florida’s chances of winning it all.”

If it happens, a Florida-LSU final Monday night in Indianapolis would mark the first championship game to match conference rivals since the 1988 contest between KU and Oklahoma of the Big Eight.

Recruiting?: Darrell Arthur, a 6-foot-9 forward from Dallas’ South Oak Cliff High, tells rivals.com he likely will make an unofficial visit to Arizona this week prior to heading to Chicago for the April 9 Roundball Classic. He said he would make the trip with his mom and AAU coach.

Arthur told sportsstarsoftomorrow.com that LSU had tried to get involved this week. He’s also considering KU, Texas and Baylor.

Of Arizona, Arthur said: “They weren’t recruiting me as hard as they started off. I didn’t know they were still interested, but now they’re really trying.”

Christie decides: J.D. Christie, a 6-6 senior from SM East, on Friday committed to Evansville. He also considered Illinois State, Northern Illinois and others.