1 week Ago By Bryan Armen Graham at the Alamodome
The Gators looked cooked. Down 12. Their star scoreless.
The crowd roaring for the hometown favorites. And yet, Florida found a way – erasing the deficit, quieting the red sea inside the Alamodome, and capturing the program’s third NCAA men’s basketball championship. Florida 65, Houston 63.
The Gators trailed by double digits in the second half, and didn’t lead again until the final minute – but it was enough. Alijah Martin calmly knocked down two free throws with 46.5 seconds left to give Florida a 64-63 edge, their first since 8-6.
After a frantic final sequence, the Gators held on to win their first national title since 2007. It was a comeback born of grit, poise and the kind of big-moment performances that championships require. Florida trailed 42-30 with just under 16 minutes to play, reeling from an 11-2 Houston run that included two LJ Cryer threes and five personal fouls on the Gators in less than four minutes.
But they responded with an eight-point burst in a 78-second blur to get within three, then tied it on a Walter Clayton Jr free throw at 48-all. Clayton, the All-American guard who had been held scoreless in the first half, never found his shooting rhythm – but became the engine of Florida’s comeback in other ways. He finished with just 11 points – a far cry from his back-to-back 30-point outbursts against Texas Tech in the Elite Eight and Auburn on Saturday night – but had seven assists and set up multiple easy baskets for Alex Condon and Thomas Haugh as the Gators clawed back.
Will Richard carried the offense early, scoring 14 of his team-high 18 in the first half and keeping Florida afloat during a ragged opening stretch. Houston, seeking their first NCAA title in the program’s 80-year history, led 31-28 at halftime and looked to be in control early in the second half with an estimated win percentage of more than 90% with 14 minutes left. Cryer finished with a game-high 19 points and Wilson added a spark off the bench with nine points, but the Cougars couldn’t deliver the final blow.
Despite the loss, this Final Four delivered everything. Both of Saturday’s semi-finals went down to the wire, and Monday’s final – with the score tied for the 12th time inside the last minute – capped one of the most thrilling Final Fours in recent memory. For Florida, the title is their third overall, joining the back-to-back wins in 2006 and 2007.
For Golden, just 39, it cements his place in history as the youngest coach to win a national title since North Carolina State’s Jim Valvano – whose own stunning victory came at Houston’s expense in 1983. Full report to follow..
