Ducks looking forward to facing Florida.

Byline: Steve Mims The Register-Guard

ST. LOUIS - The third-ranked defending national champions are next, and Oregon says it can't wait for the challenge of facing Florida.

"It's going to be tough, but I'm looking forward to the challenge, because everyone wants to knock off the defending national champions," Oregon forward Maarty Leunen said. "For us to get to the Final Four,

we're going to have to go through them. It's a great opportunity for us, we're just going to get ready and give it our best shot."

The Ducks got a live look at Florida when the Gators defeated Butler, 65-57, before Oregon's 76-72 win over UNLV on Friday night. However, that was not the first time the Ducks saw Florida this season.

"I've seen them a lot," Oregon's Malik Hairston said. "Pretty much every time I turn on the TV they are on, so I just know they are a tough team."

Added forward Adam Zahn: "They've had a lot of national TV games, so we've gotten to see them a bit."

It is unlikely Florida saw much of Oregon on television this season, but Oregon point guard Aaron Brooks said the Gators have seen it all.

"They're an experienced team," Brooks said. "I don't think anything shocks them. They've been around for a while and they've got the experience."

Zahn, Leunen and Joevan Catron would appear to have the toughest defensive challenge, stopping Florida's 6-foot-11 Joakim Noah and 6-10 Al Horford.

"They have a lot of size down there with Horford and Noah, so we have to try to run up and down and beat those guys down the court so they don't have a chance to block our shots," Catron said. "That will be fun. A big challenge for me, but we will also try to make it tough for them."

The Gators are also solid on the perimeter with guards Lee Humphrey and Taurean Green to go with 6-9 forward Corey Brewer.

"They are a great team, well-rounded," Hairston said. "They probably have pros at every position. They are a very good basketball team, but we are a very good basketball team and we plan to make some noise."

Oregon has had some national analysts picking against them in each of their three tournament victories, and the Ducks know the nation will see them as underdogs against Florida.

"They are a very tall, athletic team, the defending national champions and they have the experience," Zahn said. "I think looking on paper they might have the advantage, but that might put us in a good situation as underdogs. This is the first team we have played that has been a higher seed than us. We have to bring our `A' game and have all our guns firing."

Catron said the Ducks have been ignoring the critics all season.

"A lot of people doubted us from the beginning of the season," he said. "Even after the big wins over UCLA, Arizona and Georgetown on the road, people still doubted us. Now we use that as motivation to make a run in the tournament."

The Ducks took some time to savor their ninth straight victory, but said the work to prepare for Florida begins at practice today.

"We're in the Elite Eight, that's all I can say," Hairston said. "It's an amazing feeling. I've never been there before; we're trying to make history."

A win over the Gators would certainly do that.

"The defending national champions: what better way to get to the Final Four than to beat them?" Zahn said.