March Madness: Florida wins National Championship in thrilling comeback over Houston

The Florida Gators are back on top of the college basketball world. The team led by head coach Todd Golden defeated Houston, 65-63, in a thriller that came down to the wire at the Alamodome in San Antonio. It is the school’s first national championship since winning back-to-back titles in 2006 and 2007.

Florida’s Walter Clayton Jr. was named the Final Four’s Most Outstanding Player, though he had a relatively quiet night with 11 points and 7 assists on just 3-10 shooting.

A war of attrition

The game was an absolute rock fight, with both teams shooting below 40% from the field. This played into Houston’s favor for much of the contest. The team lead by head coach Kelvin Sampson had built its identity on suffocating defense, allowing teams to average fewer than 60 points per game on 38% shooting on the season.

Neither team could find its stroke from 3-point range, shooting a combined 12-49 from deep. Houston won the turnover battle and was also superior on the offensive glass, allowing them to shoot 16 more field goal attempts than Florida. However, this led to only three more made baskets, and the teams each made six 3-pointers.

One area where Florida held a firm advantage was from the free-throw line, where they converted on 17 of 21 attempts, compared to 9-14 shooting from Houston at the charity stripe.

Florida held the lead for just 17 seconds out of the first 39 minutes, and Houston’s largest lead was 12 with just under 16 minutes to play in the second half.

However, from that low point, Florida responded immediately with a 12-3 run to bring themselves back within one possession, and the game was tight for the final 10 minutes.

Senior guard Will Richard was key to keep the Gators in the game, shooting 4-7 from the 3-point arc on his way to team highs of 18 points and 8 rebounds.

Clayton Jr., despite his struggles, was also key in setting up scoring opportunities for the Gators, and he converted two and-one layups that were key for Florida in chipping away at Houston’s lead.

With 46 seconds to go, Florida senior guard Alijah Martin was fouled with his team down 63-62. He went to the free throw line and calmly made both shots, putting the Gators in the lead.

Houston had two more opportunities to score, but both of its final possessions resulted in turnovers from junior guard Emanuel Sharp, who finished the game with 8 points on 3-11 shooting.

The Cougars were led once again by senior guard L.J. Cryer, who had 19 points and 2 assists, both team highs. He was the only player for Houston to score in double figures.

It is the first national title for the Gators since they won back-to-back titles in 2006 and 2007, led by future NBA stars Joakim Noah, Al Horford and Corey Brewer as well as current Chicago Bulls head coach Billy Donovan.