Mary Gilmore, Staff Writer
The Florida Gators won the NCAA title with a 65-63 win over the Houston Cougars in the March Madness championship game. The Gators secured their third national title, having won their second title 18 years prior in 2007.
The game was a nailbiter, with the Cougars winning in the first half by three. They built this lead in the second half, maintaining a twelve point lead against the Gators with sixteen minutes to go. In the final minute of the game, the Gators finally took the lead with free throws by Alijah Martin. This was their first lead since early-on in the first half.
Houston attempted to retaliate when they got possession of the ball in the final twenty seconds of the game. With about five seconds left, the ball was passed to Houston guard Emmanuel Sharp, who went for the three-point shot. Unfortunately, Florida guard Walter Clayton Jr. was there for defense, so Sharp didn’t shoot the ball. Since he didn’t shoot but still jumped, Sharp had to release the ball or it would be called a double-dribble. He attempted to box out Clayton and other Florida players in hopes that someone from his team would be able to grab the ball before the time ran out. Unfortunately for Sharp, Alex Condon from Florida jumped on the loose ball as the game ended, leaving the win to the Gators.
Florida coach Todd Golden became the youngest coach, at 39 years old, to win a national title since the tournament expanded to 64 teams. After the game, Golden expressed, “Our guys knew that it wasn’t going to be easy. Didn’t panic when it got tough. 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.”
Another impressive feat was by Florida’s star guard Walter Clayton Jr. He was the most talked-about player coming into this game due to his impressive shooting earlier in the tournament. Clayton became the first player since Larry Bird in 1979 to score at least 30 points in the Elite Eight and national semifinals. In the championship game, Clayton went scoreless in the first half as he couldn’t get open to make a shot. By the second half, he pulled through with a total of eleven points, helping bring his team to the lead. He also contributed seven assists, five rebounds, a block, and a steal.
This victory solidified the Gators as a dominant force in college basketball. With several key seniors set to graduate, it will be fascinating to watch how the team sustains its excellence in the upcoming season.
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