ATLANTA - Maybe all the Florida Gators needed was a tournament.

The same guys who looked so out of sync down the stretch of the regular season suddenly are reminding you why they won the national championship last year.

The Gators routed Ole Miss 80-59 in an SEC men's basketball semifinal game in the Georgia Dome on Saturday afternoon. They won their first tournament game, against Georgia, just as easily Friday night.

And in each case, they established their dominance in the first half, a stark contrast to the second half of the regular season when they so often struggled at the outset.

Florida led Georgia 35-14 after the first half en route to a 74-57. It took care of Ole Miss just as quickly.

Florida opened Saturday's game with a 13-2 run and led 37-22 at the half against the Rebels, who might have earned an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament with an upset victory.

"When you play them, you've got to be able to match their intensity," said Ole Miss' Clarence Sanders. "We couldn't do that in the first half."

Florida's versatility was as obvious as its intensity. The Gators drove to the basket and hit from the perimeter with similar effectiveness. They parlayed a balanced offense with a defense that never allowed Ole Miss to get in rhythm.

"What separates them is their defense," Ole Miss coach Andy Kennedy said. "We talked about that for the last 24 hours."

But the Rebels couldn't talk their way through that defense. They couldn't pass around it either. Seemingly intimidated by Florida's long arms and quickness, the Rebels tried to dribble their way into shooting range. That didn't work, either.

Joakim Noah blocked three Ole Miss shots, and Al Horford blocked two. If they weren't blocking shots, they were at least creating doubts.

Or, as Kennedy put it, "When you break through, you're looking for somebody to jump out of the rafters and block the shot, so you miss shots."

The Gators also clicked on offense. Maryville's Lee Humphrey made five of eight 3-pointers on his way to 17 points, and Corey Brewer combined three 3-pointers with repeated drives to the basket for a game-high 22 points.

Although Noah had only eight points, his passing played a prominent role in Florida's offense, which was so sporadic in the last two weeks of the regular season when the Gators lost three of their last five games. After two one-sided tournament victories, coach Billy Donovan finds it easier to put that mini-slump in perspective.

"A lot of people bring up the end of the season," he said. "These kids are not robots. They're not machines. They're kids.

"I think they understand the reason that we lost games at the end of the (regular) season was our defense. We were giving up such a high percentage from the field."

Those percentages have dropped dramatically in Florida's two tournament victories. Georgia made 33.8 percent of its shots, and Ole Miss was even worse at 33.1.

Arkansas, which defeated Mississippi State in Saturday's other semifinal game, will get its shot at Florida this afternoon. The Razorbacks, who have won three consecutive games in the tournament, lost by only seven points to Florida during the regular season.

But reviewing that game won't prepare them for this afternoon. Instead, the videotape of last year's Final Four would be more appropriate.

Sports editor John Adams may be reached at 865-342-6284 or adamsj@knews.com.