The Florida Gators accomplished their aim by defeating Houston. They did so with a less-than-stellar performance from the floor, making less than 40% of the shots and only 25% from outside, but they made up for it at the free-throw line while dominating one of the best rebounding fields in the nation. Most importantly, they did not allow a shot to be taken at their end of the final possession.
Such a day was not out of the ordinary for Florida, a team that has been through hell and high water since then during the Men’s NCAA Hockey Tournament . They eked out a second-round victory against Dan Hurley’s two-time defending champs; barely got by a gritty Texas Tech team; and put up a furious fight in the Final Four with SEC rival Auburn.
For stretches during the championship, it indeed appeared that Houston was in the driver’s seat. The stormy atmosphere contributed to Florida’s floundering a bit on more than a few occasions, drawing technicals against both the bench and Rueben Chinyelu. Even late in the game, it seemed Houston would pull off a last-gasp victory.
But once more, just as against Duke in the Final Four, Florida hounded the ball, forcing a flailing shot from Emanuel Sharp that fell well short. The ball tumbled to the floor, leaving Houston’s coach Kelvin Sampson beside himself on the sideline.
Houston vs. Florida scores updates in the NCAA championship:
Team 1H 2H F Florida 28 37 65 Houston 31 32 63
When the last whistle blew, Todd Golden joined Billy Donovan as the only coach in Florida’s history to win national championships. Donovan won the Gators titles in 2006 and 2007. Houston couldn’t launch a shot when Emanuel Sharp tried a 3-pointer but jumped early to avoid contact because he didn’t want to travel. Florida exploited the moment as the clock struck zero, sealing a dramatic 65-63 win.
