Hit the clock at midnight, the Florida Crocodile stands on the central court with the NCAA Championship Trophy. Everything that stayed in the crowd was a sea of ​​orange and blue shirts representing the crocodile country, fascinated by orange and blue confetti and fell from the sky.
As the Gator logo hangs on the championship banner between the teams, head coach Todd Golden, his players and crowds began the iconic Gator Chomp celebration as they lifted the trophy.
Since then, a message has been sent to the entire country.
Florida basketball is back.
The second half dropped as much as 12 points in the second half, with the Florida rally defeating the Houston Cougars 65-63 to win the program's third NCAA title for the first time since 2007.
Will Richard leads the Gators with 18 points and 8 rebounds. Alex Condon followed suit with 12 points and Walter Clayton Jr. ended his legendary tournament with 11 points and 7 assists.
LJ Cryer led Houston with 19 points and 4 three-pointers. No other Cougars finished with double-digit scores. Mylik Wilson added nine points to the bench, and Jwan Roberts completed his college career with eight points, eight rebounds and three blocks.
Both teams fought in the opening frame, resulting in three leading changes and five tie.
In Wilson's triple-leading 29-21, the Cougars threatened to evacuate in the first half with a five-minute game in the opening half.
However, Florida's response ended in the final minutes, with Conton steals and layups and a 7-2 run led by two three-pointers from Richard.
Florida's run reduced their deficit to three, giving Houston a 31-28 lead. Clayton struggled in the first half, ending the opening frame with zero points after missing four attempts over the arc.
Half of Houston was hot in the second half. Cryer tripled the game in half the start, starting with the 11-2 Houston game, giving the Cougars a 42-30 lead. Houston's defense suffocated Florida in the game, forcing three Alligators to make a turnover that resulted in eight Cougar points.
However, Florida began raising funds. Clayton stole the ball from Milos Uzan, fouled, scored from the free throw line. The Gators played a tough defense, fouled and beat the jumper, even as Roberts grabbed the offensive rebound to expand the property.
On the offensive end, Florida scored eight consecutive layups with Denzel Aberdeen, Alijah Martin Triple and Thomas Haugh and one. After hitting an 8-0, the Crocodile cut the double-digit deficit by three points.
Houston maintained their slender lead over the next five minutes. The Crocodile continued to score but was unable to break through to take the lead. In the end, they forced their tie and had only more than three minutes of the game.
Clayton spent a non-shooting night while guarded by Emanuel Sharp, showing up when his team needed him the most. As Crunch Time approaches, Clayton curls on the screen, pulls up from the right wing, burying the triple match, tied up the match with a 60-point score.
After missing the layup, Cryer responded quickly with follow-up prompts, but Richard fouled and calmly sank two free throws to keep Florida equal. Florida's defense strengthened after Joseph Tugler split two free throws.
One man, Cryer drove hard to paint, but his shot was turned down. Condon pushed the ball to the court and Alijah Martin ended up fouling against Tugler in a quick breakout layup attempt.
Martin sank his two free throws, giving the Gators a 64-63 lead.
In Houston's subsequent property, Sharp took the ball to the top of the wing. He drove to the right with Roberts' screen, but was stripped of by Richard as he approached the paint. The ball stood out from Sharp's hand, forcing Houston to another turnover.
After Aberdeen, the Cougars deliberately fouled, he split the free throws, giving Houston a chance to deal with the two or a chance to win three times.
In the last possession, Houston began to bleed. When the clock was clicked in seconds, Sharp flew to the top of the key and received a Cryer pass. He pulled up from the depths, but Clayton competed fiercely, forcing Sharp to stab the ball to the ground. Sharp, unable to touch the ball due to travel, tried to get the player out and let his teammates catch the ball. Conton was busy playing, ensuring possession and bleeding effectively.
Houston was unable to shoot in the last three games of the game.
The crocodile bench started the celebration as Kelvin Sampson watched blankly, and Clayton jumped into Micah's arm. Clayton will be named the most outstanding player in the game, and it is natural.
Both teams are inefficient on the offensive end, which is the product of their elite defense. Florida shot 39.6% from the field and more than 25% from the arc, Houston's 34.8% increased slightly, while the distance arc was more than 24%.
Florida's ability to get into the free throw line proved to be one of the differences in the game, as 19 Cougars' fouls would be 17 points free throws.
With the victory, Florida won the third NCAA title in program history, and Golden became the youngest coach to win the championship since Jim Valvano in 1983.
Throughout the circle, the Valvano team beat that iconic 1983 champion – the Houston Cougars.
But for now, Florida will enjoy a shining moment for them and hope to try to do that next year like 2006 and 2007.
