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In what can only be described as a stunning turnaround, the Houston Cougars were within 14 seconds of tying and possibly winning the NCAA basketball championship over the Florida Gators. They were up 31-28 at the half; they were up by 12, 42-30, midway through the second half. In fact, they didn’t relinquish the lead until 45 seconds left in the game. They did everything right up to that point, limiting All-American Florida guard Walter Clayton Jr. scoreless throughout most of the game.
They played such great defense that the game had the lowest scoring first half of a men’s championship game since 2011. The Gators only held a lead in this game for just over a minute, literally 64 seconds in total. However, the last 14 seconds were all they needed.
Houston’s Ja’Vier Francis battles Duke’s Chaman Maluach for the ball. PHOTO: Robert Deutsch, Imagn
The Houston program was built on the back of heralded coach Kelvin Sampson, whose grind-it-out and win style brought the Cougars to the championship game. This contest was going to be the icing on the cake, giving the Houston coach his first title and 800th win. That was not to be.
“They made one more play than we did tonight,” said the coach, who’s had a great ten-year run at the school. “We lost by two points. That’s what it came down to.”
Sampson’s record is stellar at Houston, leading his teams to six Sweet 16 contests, three Elite Eight appearances, and two Final Four games. This game had to hurt worse than any other loss.
What happened to the Cougars could be explained in one word: turnovers. The Houston five had only four in the first half, enabling them to take the lead. But they committed five in the last three minutes of the second half, four on their previous four possessions, and one at the end of the game. During this stretch they got off no shots.
Florida’s Alijah Martin goes for a layup. PHOTO: U FLORIDA ATHLETICS
The final blow came with five seconds to go in the front court. Houston’s Emanuel Sharp got the ball and prepared to take a game-winning three-point shot, but Florida’s Clayton met him at the three-point line. Sharp dropped the ball in the middle of his dribble and couldn’t pick it up or he would be called for travelling. A scrum for the loose ball ensued, and the Houston dream became a nightmare.
Clayton, who averaged 22 points per game during the tournament, was named NCAA Final Four Most Outstanding Player. His back-to-back 30 plus point games against Texas Tech and Auburn tied Larry Bird’s record as he was the only player to hit that milestone so late in the tournament.
Houston’s LJ Cryer led all scorers with 19 points in the final.
Walter Clayton Jr. sets up the Florida offense. PHOTO: U FLORIDA ATHLETICS
The two teams reached the final with come-from-behind wins against number one seeds, Duke and Auburn. This year marked the first time since 2008 and only the second time that all four number. one seeds made the Final Four.
In the first contest, the tournament’s number one overall seed, Auburn Tigers, champions of the South Region, faced off against their SEC rival, the Florida Gators. In a riveting up-and-down, fast-paced, back-and-forth battle that featured 15 lead changes, and 10 ties, All-Americans Johni Broome and Walter Clayton Jr. led their teams down the stretch as they have been doing all tournament long. Both were selected as First Team All-Americans by the Associated Press.
Broome, playing through a right elbow injury, finished the game with 15 points and seven rebounds, while Auburn’s other senior leader, Chad Baker-Mazara, led the Tigers with 18 points and grabbed four steals in the loss.
The Gators trailed Auburn 46-38 at halftime but stormed back in the second frame, outscoring the Tigers, 41-21, over the final 20 minutes and winning 79-73. Clayton was the spark for the Gators, scoring 34 points. Alijah Martin, who played with FAU in the Final Four in 2022, added 17 points for Florida. After the game, Gator’s coach, Todd Golden, had this to say about his All-American guard: “‘I’m so proud of him and happy for him that everybody nationally is able to see what he’s been doing for us all year. Best guard in the nation.”
The Cougar’s J’Wan Roberts celebrates the win over Duke. PHOTO: U HOUSTON ATHLETICS
The second game of the night featured the East Regional champion Duke Blue Devils, many people’s favorite to win the national championship, against the Houston Cougars, winners of the Midwest region. This game appeared to be a blowout but went right down to the wire.
With 8 minutes to go, the Blue Devils led the Cougars by 14 points, seemingly with the game in hand. But the vaunted Cougar defense held the star-studded Duke roster to 1 field goal over the last 10.5 minutes.
With 20 second left in the game, First Team All-American and the consensus number one pick in the NBA Draft Cooper Flagg missed a turnaround jumper, that would’ve been the go-ahead bucket, but Duke was left short.
After the game, LJ Cryer, who led the Cougars with 26 points and had a national championship with the Baylor Bears in 2021, said, “We just had to keep that belief and keep the faith.” Cougars’ coach, Kelvin Sampson, echoed the sentiment, saying, “Even when we were down 14, these guys will tell you what I was talking about in the huddle was, ‘Just hang in there, hang in there.’”
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