ATLANTA — It’s the déjà vu Final Four.

On Saturday, we got a rematch of last year’s NCAA Tournament Final — no, make that a re-play of last year’s final — as Florida once again dominated UCLA en route to a double-digit win.

And tonight, we get a repeat of Florida vs. Ohio State for the national championship. Only this time, instead of 11 men on the gridiron, it will be five guys in shorts battling for the crown.

The similarities don’t end there. Ohio State enters the game ranked no. 1 in the polls, just as it did three months ago in Glendale, Ariz. And if you believe the experts, the Buckeyes are in grave danger of getting blown out just as they did in the football game.

But this matchup is compelling for many more reasons than just the coincidence of a football repeat. For starters, there’s the Gators’ quest to be the first repeat national champions since Duke went back-to-back 15 years ago. While it seemed preordained when their top seven players from a year ago decided to forgo NBA riches and come back for another shot, the Gators had a rough ride early in the season and didn’t seem to hit their stride until the tournament started.

Ohio State has a great story as well, as the so-called “Thad Five” freshman class of Greg Oden, Mike Conley, Daequan Cook, Jamar Butler, and David Lighty has the Buckeyes poised to win its first basketball championship since 1960. Coach Thad Matta might only get one shot with this group too, as Oden seems likely to be one of the top two picks in next year’s NBA draft, and Conley is a surefire lottery pick.

Beyond that, there’s a contrast in the two teams’ emotional approaches to the game. I sat about 10 feet behind each team’s bench on Saturday, and the difference was striking. Ohio State’s is almost clinical, politely clapping after positive plays and shrugging their shoulders after bad ones, but never getting too high or too low. In that sense, they mirror their big man Oden, who is 18 but looks and acts like he’s about 50 and shows almost no emotion whatsoever on the court.

Florida, on the other hand, might be the most energetic team in college basketball. Their players were constantly jumping up and down on the bench, even while shots were in flight and did all kinds of crazy fist-pumping and chestbumping after positive plays. Again, they mirror their big man in this respect — Joakim Noah is as enthusiastic as any player you’ll ever see.

Finally, I’ll give you one more reason this matchup is interesting, and it fits our déjà vu theme. These two teams met once before, on December 23 in Gainesville, Fla., and Florida beat the Buckeyes senseless. The Gators won 86–60 in a game that was tied at 40 three minutes into the second half before Oden checked out with foul trouble. At that point, Florida went on a mammoth 33–9 run to put Ohio State away.

“We weren’t mentally ready to get into the fight with them,” said Matta of that day, but he had a good excuse. For one, his freshmen still were getting their feet wet. That’s especially true of Oden, who was playing just his fifth game after several months of inactivity due to a broken wrist. So don’t expect the rematch to be so one-sided.

In fact, I’m expecting a close contest throughout. But let’s take a closer look at the matchups before I get to my prediction (in each, the Ohio State player is listed first):

Point guard: Mike Conley Jr. vs. Tauren Green. Conley, not Oden, is the Ohio State player most likely to give Florida problems. He will have a huge quickness edge on whomever defends him, be it Green, Lee Humphrey or Walter Hodge, and his ability to penetrate may set up easy shots for the Buckeyes’ deadly 3-point shooters or allow Oden to get easy finishes at the basket. Edge: Buckeyes

Shooting guard: Jamar Butler vs. Lee Humphrey. This isn’t your typical one-on-one matchup: Both are complementary types who rely on their teammates to generate their shots, especially Humphrey. As such, think of them as indicators. If one is piling up points, it’s not necessarily that he’s outplaying the other guy. It’s more a case that the four other guys are doing more to get him good shots. Edge: Even

Small forward: Ron Lewis vs. Corey Brewer: Here’s a spot where Florida has a big edge. Lewis has a sweet jumper, but he’s no match athletically for Brewer and he may encounter the same frustrations that UCLA’s Arron Afflalo did on Saturday. Brewer was a pleasant offensive surprise for the Gators against the Bruins, hitting four 3-pointers, but normally his contributions come mainly in transition opportunities that result from his long arms deflecting passes. Edge: Gators

Power forward: Ivan Harris vs. Joakim Noah. This is the most problematic matchup for Ohio State, because the 6-foot-7-inch Harris is too small to play either Noah or Horford – which means one of Florida’s post players will have a huge advantage.

“We’re playing zone the whole game,” Matta joked when I asked him yesterday how he’d match up, but the real answer probably involves dipping into his bench. Harris has played 18, 10, and 15 minutes the past three games, and might play even less tonight. Look for 6-foot-9-inch junior Othello Hunter — who gave several good minutes against Georgetown giant Roy Hibbert on Saturday — to play the extended minutes at this spot, especially if Oden avoids foul trouble and he’s not needed at the center spot.

Not that this changes the big picture much. Noah’s combination of size and speed is a problem for any opponent, especially because he can beat opposing big men down the floor so easily. As a result, Oden will be playing 1-on-2 in the paint for much of the night. Edge: Gators

Center: Greg Oden vs. Al Horford. Oden guarded Horford in the first meeting and figures to get the assignment again, as he’s the only one who can handle Florida’s top post player. On the defensive end, Horford has it easier — he and Noah are likely to trade off guarding Oden depending on who has fouls, with burly backup Chris Richard also playing a major role.

The key for Oden is avoiding fouls. He mentioned yesterday that he felt refs were calling the game more tightly in the tournament than they did in the Big 10 season — a common refrain from teams in that conference. He’ll have to adjust to the officiating to avoid Saturday’s fate, when two early fouls sent him to the bench for 17 minutes (though one of the zebras in that game was veteran Big 10 official Ted Valentine).

Incidentally, Matta isn’t wedded to the idea that Oden has to sit out the whole half if he picks up two fouls. He was playing it by ear on Saturday against Georgetown and probably would have put Oden back in if a) Georgetown’s Roy Hibbert also didn’t have fouls and b) his team wasn’t winning. Edge: Buckeyes

Bench: Ohio State has far more weapons here than Florida. Hunter can be an impact player defensively, as can Lighty on the wings, while Cook has big-time scoring potential, and the Buckeyes have a third big man to bang with Horford in 6-foot-8-inch Wayne Terwilliger. “They can change the complexion of their game with their bench,” said Florida coach Billy Donovan, an option his team lacks. Richard and Hodge are their only reliable reserves, making it imperative that Donovan’s club avoid fouls. Edge: Buckeyes

Coaching: Both coaches impressed me on Saturday. Matta confused Georgetown by throwing a matchup zone at it when Oden left in the first half, taking away the Hoyas’ backdoor plays and allowing the Buckeyes to lead at the break despite getting zilch from their best player. As for Donovan, he was smart enough to realize UCLA’s double-teaming of the post would turn his big men into passers, and he game-planned for it accordingly to get his guards tons of open 3-pointers. Edge: Even

Intangibles: Donovan has alluded to this all week, but the amazing part about Florida’s run for a repeat title is that they’ve remained coachable — nobody has let the success get to their heads. The more I’ve watched them and talked to the them, the more I get a sense that this Florida team is truly special. While it’s rare to see a team this talented, it’s even rarer still to see one that’s so cohesive and unselfish, and one that has stayed that way after it has reached the top of the mountain. Just watching the players interact this weekend, it’s obvious they all like one another and enjoy playing together — which is one reason everybody came back when several could have turned pro.

For Ohio State, it’s not the same vibe — Oden and Conley usually are on the same page because they played together in high school, but the others look as if they’re reading a different book. The Buckeyes seem to ignore Oden for long stretches and fire too many long jumpers early in the clock. With five freshman playing key roles, perhaps this is to be expected. Edge: Gators

Prediction: “I feel like we’re the underdog,” Matta said. “We don’t have the experience they have.” You’re not the only one, Thad. While this wouldn’t be a Villanova-over- Georgetown type of shocker if Ohio State won, the smart money is on the Gators crew to carry home the trophy for a second straight season, and repeat the agony Buckeyes fans suffered in January. Florida 74, Ohio State 70

jhollinger@nysun.com