The Gators led for a grand total of 64 seconds in the game and trailed by as many as 12 points with 16:24 to go in the second half. Houston’s vaunted defense held Florida and its star guard Walter Clayton Jr. in check for much of the game.
But, as they had so often in this tournament, the Gators came back. Slowly but surely throughout the second half, head coach Todd Golden and his team reeled in the Cougars. As the game got to crunchtime, Florida went on a 15-3 run to come all the way back to tie the game.
It wouldn’t be until the final minute that the Gators took the lead for the first time since the opening minutes of the contest. And, in a battle of Florida’s high-flying offense against Houston’s elite defense, it was the Gators’ making the key defensive plays in the final minutes to seal the championship.
“Our guys knew that it wasn’t going to be easy. Didn’t panic when it got tough,” Golden said after the game, in which he became the youngest coach to win a national title since the tournament expanded to 64 teams at 39 years old.
He added, “They did a great job of never getting too high, never getting too low. When we went down 12 in the second half, we stayed the course. We didn’t point fingers, didn’t start to try to make hero plays, gambling defensively. We got rewarded because of that toughness that we displayed.”
With 19 seconds remaining, Houston leisurely took the ball up the court, with Cougars head coach Kelvin Sampson content to hold the ball for the last shot of the game. Point guard Milos Uzan probed the perimeter but couldn’t find an opening and passed to guard LJ Cryer at the top of the key. With Florida guard Will Richard draped all over him, Cryer dished the ball off to Emanuel Sharp with just five seconds left on the clock. Sharp went up for a deep 3-point attempt, but with Clayton flying at him, he pulled the shot down and put the ball on the floor.
Sharp couldn’t touch the ball again without a double-dribble being called and the ball bounced three agonizing times with no one else able to make it to the loose ball to get a shot off.
Gators forward Alex Condon was the first to dive on the loose ball and the final horn sounded before either team could gain control, cementing Florida’s third-ever national championship, and first since 2007.
It’s heartbreak again for the Cougars. Houston was in the school’s seventh Final Four and third national title game. The Cougars are still looking for the program’s first national championship in men’s basketball.
“I told our guys after the game to be disappointed you lost, but do not be disappointed in your effort. Defending Florida is difficult. They got a really, really good team. Coach Golden runs great schemes over there,” Sampson said after the game.
“We guarded ‘em. We held that team to 65 points. Thought if we held Duke to under 70, we’d have a good chance to win. I felt like if we held Florida under 70, we’d have a good chance to win. Saturday we found a way to win. Tonight maybe not so much. Two great teams. Two tough teams. We lost by two points. They made one more play than we did tonight.”
In pictures: Florida wins a thriller to claim third national title
The first half of the contest was an explosion of energy and both teams came out with their hair on fire. Florida used their size to get early buckets against the vaunted Houston defense, but the Cougars soon locked down and forced the Gators into nine turnovers in the first half.
After Richard hit Florida’s first 3-pointer, and then followed that up with two more, the Gators pulled even at 21-21. But the Cougars again used their defense to turn into offense and went on a lighting quick 8-0 run to open up the half’s biggest lead. It was Richard again who helped cut down on that lead with another big 3-pointer as the first half entered the final minutes.
With Clayton being shutout in the first half, Richard put the Gators on his back and kept them into the game. After a tough game on Saturday against Auburn – he scored seven points and shot just 16% from the field – Richard caught fire in the first half against the Cougars. He tallied 14 points on 5-of-8 shooting, including 4-of-6 from long range.
“Houston was guarding us great. They do a great defense out there. Everyone knows them for that. We have multiple guys on this team that can go,” Clayton said after the game. “Tonight was one of those nights with Will. He showed it multiple times this year. Never know whose night it’s going to be, and we showed that as a team.”
The Gators came out of the locker room looking to amp up the physicality and racked up five fouls in the first few minutes of the half, including a technical foul on the team’s bench as frustration boiled over and Houston’s lead continued to grow.
Clayton’s silence became the story for Florida for most of the game. The star guard didn’t attempt a shot between the 5:14 mark of the first half and 14:30 in the second and was completely held in check by Emanuel Sharp, the Houston guard tasked with tracking his every move. Clayton finally scored on some free throws to break his goose egg on the score sheet.
Houston’s run to start the half built the Cougars’ lead to as many as 12 points. The Gators’ shooting woes got worse in the second half as Houston locked down on the defensive end; Florida was shooting just 28.6% from the field in the opening six minutes of the second half.
national championship game on Monday, April 7.” class=”image__dam-img image__dam-img–loading” onload=’this.classList.remove(‘image__dam-img–loading’)’ onerror=”imageLoadError(this)” height=”2000″ width=”3000″/>
women’s national championship game on Sunday, April 6. The most storied program in women’s college basketball won its 12th national championship, dethroning South Carolina 82-59.” class=”image__dam-img image__dam-img–loading” onload=’this.classList.remove(‘image__dam-img–loading’)’ onerror=”imageLoadError(this)” height=”2000″ width=”3000″ loading=’lazy’/>
The Cougars pulled off a comeback for the ages, winning 70-67 to advance to the title game for the first time since 1984.” class=”image__dam-img image__dam-img–loading” onload=’this.classList.remove(‘image__dam-img–loading’)’ onerror=”imageLoadError(this)” height=”1600″ width=”2401″ loading=’lazy’/>
Florida outlasted Auburn in a heavyweight bout between the two best teams in the SEC, using a second-half charge to take home a 79-73 victory.” class=”image__dam-img image__dam-img–loading” onload=’this.classList.remove(‘image__dam-img–loading’)’ onerror=”imageLoadError(this)” height=”1600″ width=”2400″ loading=’lazy’/>
Final Four win over UCLA on Friday, April 4. UConn crushed the Bruins 85–51.” class=”image__dam-img image__dam-img–loading” onload=’this.classList.remove(‘image__dam-img–loading’)’ onerror=”imageLoadError(this)” height=”1600″ width=”2399″ loading=’lazy’/>
Final Four win over Texas on April 4. The freshman came off the bench to score 13 points and grab 11 rebounds.” class=”image__dam-img image__dam-img–loading” onload=’this.classList.remove(‘image__dam-img–loading’)’ onerror=”imageLoadError(this)” height=”1067″ width=”1600″ loading=’lazy’/>
defeated TCU to clinch a spot in the Final Four.” class=”image__dam-img image__dam-img–loading” onload=’this.classList.remove(‘image__dam-img–loading’)’ onerror=”imageLoadError(this)” height=”2000″ width=”3000″ loading=’lazy’/>
Elite Eight win over USC on March 31. The Huskies have only missed one Final Four since 2008.” class=”image__dam-img image__dam-img–loading” onload=’this.classList.remove(‘image__dam-img–loading’)’ onerror=”imageLoadError(this)” height=”2000″ width=”3000″ loading=’lazy’/>
suffered a season-ending knee injury earlier in the tournament.” class=”image__dam-img image__dam-img–loading” onload=’this.classList.remove(‘image__dam-img–loading’)’ onerror=”imageLoadError(this)” height=”2000″ width=”3000″ loading=’lazy’/>
scary elbow injury during the second half and had to leave the game, but he returned from the locker room to help the Tigers secure a 70-64 win. Broome finished with a game-high 25 points and 14 rebounds.” class=”image__dam-img image__dam-img–loading” onload=’this.classList.remove(‘image__dam-img–loading’)’ onerror=”imageLoadError(this)” height=”2000″ width=”3000″ loading=’lazy’/>
Houston won 69-50 after limiting the Volunteers to just 15 first-half points. All four No. 1 seeds advanced to the men’s Final Four for the first time since 2008.” class=”image__dam-img image__dam-img–loading” onload=’this.classList.remove(‘image__dam-img–loading’)’ onerror=”imageLoadError(this)” height=”1999″ width=”3000″ loading=’lazy’/>
Elite Eight victory over Duke on March 30. Under Staley, the Gamecocks have made the Final Four in five straight seasons.” class=”image__dam-img image__dam-img–loading” onload=’this.classList.remove(‘image__dam-img–loading’)’ onerror=”imageLoadError(this)” height=”2000″ width=”3000″ loading=’lazy’/>
Elite Eight win over LSU on March 30. It’s the first time that UCLA’s women’s team has made the Final Four.” class=”image__dam-img image__dam-img–loading” onload=’this.classList.remove(‘image__dam-img–loading’)’ onerror=”imageLoadError(this)” height=”2000″ width=”3000″ loading=’lazy’/>
furious comeback to win 84-79. He finished with 30 points.” class=”image__dam-img image__dam-img–loading” onload=’this.classList.remove(‘image__dam-img–loading’)’ onerror=”imageLoadError(this)” height=”2043″ width=”3000″ loading=’lazy’/>
they crushed Alabama 85-65 in the Elite Eight on March 29.” class=”image__dam-img image__dam-img–loading” onload=’this.classList.remove(‘image__dam-img–loading’)’ onerror=”imageLoadError(this)” height=”2000″ width=”3000″ loading=’lazy’/>
scored a career-high 40 points during the Huskies’ Sweet Sixteen win over Oklahoma on March 29. Bueckers is widely expected to become the No. 1 overall pick in the upcoming WNBA Draft.” class=”image__dam-img image__dam-img–loading” onload=’this.classList.remove(‘image__dam-img–loading’)’ onerror=”imageLoadError(this)” height=”3425″ width=”2283″ loading=’lazy’/>
TCU advanced with a 71-62 victory.” class=”image__dam-img image__dam-img–loading” onload=’this.classList.remove(‘image__dam-img–loading’)’ onerror=”imageLoadError(this)” height=”2000″ width=”3000″ loading=’lazy’/>
Sweet Sixteen win against Ole Miss on Friday, March 28.” class=”image__dam-img image__dam-img–loading” onload=’this.classList.remove(‘image__dam-img–loading’)’ onerror=”imageLoadError(this)” height=”2151″ width=”3000″ loading=’lazy’/>
Sweet Sixteen victory over Michigan on March 28.” class=”image__dam-img image__dam-img–loading” onload=’this.classList.remove(‘image__dam-img–loading’)’ onerror=”imageLoadError(this)” height=”1600″ width=”2400″ loading=’lazy’/>
62-60 victory over Purdue in the Sweet Sixteen. The score came off a brilliant inbounds play.” class=”image__dam-img image__dam-img–loading” onload=’this.classList.remove(‘image__dam-img–loading’)’ onerror=”imageLoadError(this)” height=”1600″ width=”2400″ loading=’lazy’/>
Betts went 15-for-16 during the game and scored 31 points as the Bruins advanced to the Elite Eight.” class=”image__dam-img image__dam-img–loading” onload=’this.classList.remove(‘image__dam-img–loading’)’ onerror=”imageLoadError(this)” height=”2000″ width=”3000″ loading=’lazy’/>
The Blue Devils won a 100-93 shootout to move on to the Elite Eight. Flagg, who is likely to be the top pick in the NBA Draft, had a team-high 30 points and seven assists.” class=”image__dam-img image__dam-img–loading” onload=’this.classList.remove(‘image__dam-img–loading’)’ onerror=”imageLoadError(this)” height=”2000″ width=”3000″ loading=’lazy’/>
Red Raiders won 85-83. At one point in the second half, Texas Tech trailed by 16 points.” class=”image__dam-img image__dam-img–loading” onload=’this.classList.remove(‘image__dam-img–loading’)’ onerror=”imageLoadError(this)” height=”1600″ width=”2342″ loading=’lazy’/>
an NCAA Tournament record — as they won 113-88.” class=”image__dam-img image__dam-img–loading” onload=’this.classList.remove(‘image__dam-img–loading’)’ onerror=”imageLoadError(this)” height=”2000″ width=”3000″ loading=’lazy’/>
ruled out for the rest of the tournament.” class=”image__dam-img image__dam-img–loading” onload=’this.classList.remove(‘image__dam-img–loading’)’ onerror=”imageLoadError(this)” height=”2000″ width=”3000″ loading=’lazy’/>
second-round win over Oregon on March 23. Love scored a game-high 29 points.” class=”image__dam-img image__dam-img–loading” onload=’this.classList.remove(‘image__dam-img–loading’)’ onerror=”imageLoadError(this)” height=”2047″ width=”3000″ loading=’lazy’/>
to help the Horned Frogs win 85-70.” class=”image__dam-img image__dam-img–loading” onload=’this.classList.remove(‘image__dam-img–loading’)’ onerror=”imageLoadError(this)” height=”2000″ width=”3000″ loading=’lazy’/>
knocked out of the tournament by Duke on March 23. Roach played for Duke last season.” class=”image__dam-img image__dam-img–loading” onload=’this.classList.remove(‘image__dam-img–loading’)’ onerror=”imageLoadError(this)” height=”2000″ width=”3000″ loading=’lazy’/>
the Gators’ 77-75 win over defending champion UConn on March 23. UConn also won it all two years ago.” class=”image__dam-img image__dam-img–loading” onload=’this.classList.remove(‘image__dam-img–loading’)’ onerror=”imageLoadError(this)” height=”2001″ width=”3000″ loading=’lazy’/>
second-round loss to Florida.” class=”image__dam-img image__dam-img–loading” onload=’this.classList.remove(‘image__dam-img–loading’)’ onerror=”imageLoadError(this)” height=”3119″ width=”2079″ loading=’lazy’/>
second-round win against Oregon on March 23. Jackson scored 20 points — all in the second half.” class=”image__dam-img image__dam-img–loading” onload=’this.classList.remove(‘image__dam-img–loading’)’ onerror=”imageLoadError(this)” height=”2400″ width=”3000″ loading=’lazy’/>
second-round win over Kentucky on March 23. Kansas State won 80-79 in overtime.” class=”image__dam-img image__dam-img–loading” onload=’this.classList.remove(‘image__dam-img–loading’)’ onerror=”imageLoadError(this)” height=”2000″ width=”3000″ loading=’lazy’/>
shoots a game-winning bank shot as time expires, lifting the Terrapins to a 72-71 second-round win over Colorado State on March 23.” class=”image__dam-img image__dam-img–loading” onload=’this.classList.remove(‘image__dam-img–loading’)’ onerror=”imageLoadError(this)” height=”2000″ width=”3000″ loading=’lazy’/>
BYU won 91-89.” class=”image__dam-img image__dam-img–loading” onload=’this.classList.remove(‘image__dam-img–loading’)’ onerror=”imageLoadError(this)” height=”2000″ width=”3000″ loading=’lazy’/>
their upset win over St. John’s on March 22. Arkansas, a 7 seed, knocked off the second-seeded Red Storm 75-66.” class=”image__dam-img image__dam-img–loading” onload=’this.classList.remove(‘image__dam-img–loading’)’ onerror=”imageLoadError(this)” height=”2250″ width=”3000″ loading=’lazy’/>
longtime rival coaches: Arkansas’ John Calipari, left, and Rick Pitino. Both men won national championships at Kentucky, and they often faced each other when Calipari coached Kentucky and Pitino coached Louisville.” class=”image__dam-img image__dam-img–loading” onload=’this.classList.remove(‘image__dam-img–loading’)’ onerror=”imageLoadError(this)” height=”2037″ width=”3000″ loading=’lazy’/>
first-round victory over Georgia Tech on March 21. It was the first tournament win ever for Richmond’s women’s team.” class=”image__dam-img image__dam-img–loading” onload=’this.classList.remove(‘image__dam-img–loading’)’ onerror=”imageLoadError(this)” height=”2000″ width=”3000″ loading=’lazy’/>
first-round victory over Memphis on March 21. Colorado State, a 12-seed, defeated the No. 5 seed 78-70.” class=”image__dam-img image__dam-img–loading” onload=’this.classList.remove(‘image__dam-img–loading’)’ onerror=”imageLoadError(this)” height=”2000″ width=”3000″ loading=’lazy’/>
the team’s most vociferous hype-man, rapping with the players and holding a boombox as they exit from the tunnel.” class=”image__dam-img image__dam-img–loading” onload=’this.classList.remove(‘image__dam-img–loading’)’ onerror=”imageLoadError(this)” height=”2000″ width=”3000″ loading=’lazy’/>
first-round upset over Missouri on March 20. Drake was an 11-seed and Missouri was a 6-seed.” class=”image__dam-img image__dam-img–loading” onload=’this.classList.remove(‘image__dam-img–loading’)’ onerror=”imageLoadError(this)” height=”2000″ width=”3000″ loading=’lazy’/>
scoring with under a second left to win 70-68 in their “First Four” game against St. Francis on March 18.” class=”image__dam-img image__dam-img–loading” onload=’this.classList.remove(‘image__dam-img–loading’)’ onerror=”imageLoadError(this)” height=”2000″ width=”3000″/>
The best photos from this year’s March Madness
Things turned around just after that. The Gators went on a 7-0 run in a little more than a minute to cut the lead down to four with about 12 minutes to go. Notably, that run came with Clayton sitting on the bench as his struggles continued.
That 7-0 run ballooned into a 15-3 run over five-and-a-half minutes in the second half, bringing the Gators even after Clayton hit his first field goal of the game and then converted the and-1 free throw to make it 48-48 with about eight minutes to go.
“It was our defense. It was stops. It was finding a way to be able to get some run-outs. As we talked about, we didn’t get a lot of transition, but we were able to break and get a couple,” Golden said. “Walt saw the ball go through the net with some free throws and the and-one layup. I thought that loosened him up a little bit. After that we were starting to get some good stuff, hit some shots, get downhill and get to the foul line. We were able to flip the game and the momentum a little bit.”
The game went back-and-forth in the latter stages as the Cougars held onto their lead and the Gators repeatedly answered back to tie the game. The Cougars had a chance to put some more distance between themselves and the Gators after Ja’Vier Francis rocked the rim with a massive dunk as the clock went under the four-minute mark and then the Cougars got a stop. But star guard LJ Cryer stepped out of bounds as he drove to the rim with 3:24 left, and a big moment passed Houston by.
It was a moment that Houston would come to regret.
Florida tied the game on the next possession as Clayton finally found his shooting touch. Cryer would put his team up again with a jumper, but Richard brought the Gators back even with a pair of free throws. Joseph Tugler put the Cougars back on top by one with two minutes to go with a free throw, but couldn’t stretch the lead by more than that.
The next 90 seconds were a defensive struggle – Clayton missed, Milos Uzan had a 3-pointer blocked by Richard and then Cryer missed another jumper and Tugler turned the ball over after he grabbed the rebound. Alex Condon for the Gators couldn’t put his team in front and Cryer turned the ball over after a steal by Condon with 52 seconds to go.
Florida clamps down and wins a title
The critical moment came a few seconds later. Alijah Martin drew a foul by Tugler, forcing him out of the game after he fouled out. Martin made both his free throws and gave the Gators the lead with 46.5 seconds to go, their first lead since they were up 8-6 with 15:37 left in the first half.
On Houston’s penultimate possession, the Gators got a huge defensive stop from Richard, the team’s best player on the night. Richard got his hand on the ball as Sharp drove to the baseline and the ball bounced off the Cougars’ guard and went out of bounds. It was Florida’s ball.
Denzel Aberdeen hit the second of two free throws after Houston fouled, giving the Cougars one last chance to win or tie the game with 19 seconds to go.
The game’s final play will live long in the memories of the Florida faithful. It ensured that Clayton’s night won’t be remembered for his 3-10 shooting, 11 points or three turnovers.
Instead, the defensive play he made on Sharp – the Cougar who had foiled him for the previous 39 minutes and 55 seconds – on the last play of the game will be what is seared in the minds of Gator fans.
When Sharp caught the ball at the top the key, Clayton was 15 feet or so away. He wasn’t even at the free-throw line. Before Sharp could shoot, Clayton closed down and got a hand in his face, forcing Sharp to drop the ball because he didn’t want his shot to be blocked.
“I’m just going through those last two possessions more than anything else. Incomprehensible in that situation we couldn’t get a shot, couldn’t get a shot. We’re down two, and obviously we didn’t need a three,” Sampson said. “But with Emanuel, we were struggling to score the entire second half. We got good looks. But Florida was doing a good job running us off the line and forcing us to score it. We just didn’t do a very good job of finishing some shots.”
The ball fell to the court in no-man’s land and the final seconds ran off the clock.
“I think there was 18 seconds or so on that last possession. We guarded ‘em hard. I saw the ball loose. I was just hoping that we beat them to the ball. When (Alex Condon) got on the floor, I figured it was either going to be a jump ball or we were going to come away with it. Next thing I knew, game was over,” Golden said.
“Just an incredible moment and something I won’t forget.”
Market Of Bliss
