Florida downs Houston in thriller, captures first title since 2007
๐ Florida downs Houston 65-63 for third title
Florida took down Houston , preventing the Cougars from getting a shot off in the closing seconds and denying Houston its first-ever title.
This is the Gators' third championship and their first since going back-to-back in 2006 and 2007.
HOW IT FEELS TO BECOME A NATIONAL CHAMPION ๐๐
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Houston (35-5) led 42-30 early in the second half after holding a 31-28 lead coming out of the break. But as the Gators have done all tournament, Todd Golden's squad hung around, responding with a 12-3 run to cut the deficit to just 45-42.
The Gator's 12-point rally ties the third-largest comeback in national championship history. The largest came in 2022 when Kansas erased a 16-point deficit against North Carolina.
The teams were not separated by more than three points over the final 8:31 of game time. Florida took its first lead since 15:37 in the first half with 46 seconds remaining. In total, the Gators lead for only 64 seconds compared to Houston's 30:44 in front.
The teams were tied 12 times, but the championship only featured three lead changes.
After just four total fouls in the first 20 minutes, Houston tallied 16 in the second half and Florida had nine. Fifteen of the Gator's 37 second-half points came at the line, including their final five points.
Houston had five turnovers entering the final two minutes, but the Cougars coughed the ball up four times over the final 2:05 โ a pivotal swing that turned the game in Florida's favor. Meanwhile, Florida turned it over nine times in the first half, but the Gators protected the rock in the second, only committing four all half.
Walter Clayton Jr. was awarded Most Outstanding Player after dropping 34 in the Final Four against Auburn and 11 points and seven assists against Houston. Will Richard provided a huge spark in the first half with 14 points, finishing with a team-high 18 points.
Houston's L.J. Cryer paced the game with 19 points on 6-18 shooting. He was the only Cougar in double digits.
Florida's two-point win is the smallest margin of victory in a men's title game since Duke held off Butler, 61-59, in 2010.
โฎ๏ธ Back-and-forth down the stretch | 2H โ 3:24
Houston leads 60-57 with under four to play. The Cougars have led for over 29 minutes to Florida's 17 seconds in front, but the Gators are hanging around.
The two are trading buckets, and taking care of the ball as Florida has just four turnovers in the second half. But fouls are stacking up as Florida sits in the double bonus and the Gators are two fouls away from putting the Cougars there as well.
FRANCIS ON THE FOLLOW ๐ช
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๐ฅถ Scoring struggles in San Antonio | 2H โ 7:54
Houston still holds the lead, 48-47, but the Cougars have gone cold from the field, connecting on just one of their last 12 attempts. Sampson's squad is in serious foul trouble as well, with Ja'Vier Francis and Joseph Tugler sidelined for now with four a piece.
Each team is still shooting below 40% on the night.
Before the under-10 media timeout, Walter Clayton Jr. found his first field goal of the night and will have the opportunity to tie the game from the line.
TOUGH TAKE FROM WALTER CLAYTON ๐ค
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๐ Florida clawing back | 2H โ 12:06
After Houston's 11-2 run, the Gators are on an 11-3 run into a Kelvin Sampson timeout, trailing 45-41. Walter Clayton got on the board with two free throws, and Alijah Martin also found the points column with a 3-pointer. Thomas Haugh just blocked an LJ Cryer three before getting down the court and finishing a layup through contact.
HERE COME THE GATORS ๐
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๐ฅ Hot start for Houston | 2H โ 15:48
Houston is on an 11-2 run to open the second half, powered by two 3-pointers from LJ Cryer. The Cougars lead 42-30 โ the largest lead of the night and the Gators' largest deficit of the tournament.
Florida has already committed three more turnovers out of the locker room, and the Gators have five fouls after just committing one in the first 20 minutes. Will Richard and Alex Condon each were called for an off-ball offensive foul.
The Cougars have opened up the largest lead of the night ๐
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๐ฟ Houston leads 31-28 at half
The Cougars control a 31-28 lead heading to the locker rooms. Kelvin Sampson's squad has been relentless, forcing nine first half turnovers with just two on their end.
Both teams are shooting 38% from the field, unable to get in a rhythm offensively. Walter Clayton Jr. was held to zero points in the first 20 minutes, going 0-4 from the field. But Florida's Will Richard has kept the Gators in striking distance, accounting for 14 of Florida's 28 points at the break. He is 4-6 from 3-point landโ the only player on the Gators that has a 3.
The charity stripe has been almost a non-factor, with only four total fouls called in the first half and just four free throw attemptsโ two from each team.
Here are the full team stats at the half:
๐ผ Cougars heating up | 1H โ 4:46
Houston went on an 8-0 run over the last minute, taking the biggest lead of the game, 29-21. The Cougars finally connected from downtown, with LJ Cryer and Mylik Wilson finding the bottom of the net.
WILSON FOLLOWS IT UP WITH A TRIPLE ๐ฟ
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โ Defensive battle | 1H โ 7:42
Will Richard fires one off from the corner ๐ฅ
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๐ฅ Dunk fest early
Houston's Ja'Vier Francis drops a hammer and Florida's Thomas Haugh responds with the follow-up jam on the other end.
JA'VIER FRANCIS POSTER OMG ๐ฑ
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Thomas Haugh follows the miss for the easy jam ๐ช
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โ๏ธ Tight start in San Antonio | 1H โ 15:05
Florida and Houston are knotted 8-8 into the first media timeout. The Cougars' physicality is on display early with a block, steal and four offensive rebounds in the first five minutes. Neither team has connected from downtown yet, combining 0 for 6 from beyond the arc.
Alex Condon leads Florida early with four points, and Joseph Tugler leads Houston with four as well.
HOUSTON STANDS TALL DEFENSIVELY ๐ค
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๐ Starting lineups 10 minutes to tip
We are just 10 minutes until Houston and Florida clash in the national championship. Here are the starting lineups for the title contenders:
The trophy represents the hard work. It represents the dedication. It represents everything.
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Tonight, a beautiful dream comes true for Florida or Houston.
8:50 PM ET | CBS and Paramount+
