SAN ANTONIO — It’s the golden moment of the Todd Golden era, and it comes in the 39-year-old’s third season at the helm. The Florida Gators fittingly continued the theme of their tournament run, coming back for a third straight game — this time from 12 down — to stun Houston, 65-63, and win the program’s first national championship since 2007.
On a night where Florida superstar Walter Clayton Jr. was silenced by Houston, being held without a made field goal for the first 32 minutes, the senior guard awoke in crunch time with several clutch buckets, including a massive 3-pointer with 3:14 remaining in the game to tie it at 60-60. But this night belonged to Will Richard, who was Golden’s first-ever recruit at Florida. It was a full-circle moment for the senior guard, who began his career at Belmont and lifted the Gators to a national title on Monday night with a team-high 18 points.
Free throws proved to be critical in this national championship thriller. With 2:18 remaining and the Gators down by two, Richard tied the game with two free throws. With Florida down 63-62 with less than a minute left, Alijah Martin took a foul and went to the line to try to give the Gators their first lead since it was 8-6.
The Florida Atlantic transfer had been a part of a Final Four before, but he came to Gainesville to compete for a championship.
Swish. Swish. He buried them both.
The Gators closed by giving Houston a taste of its own medicine. Clayton stepped up with the defense this time, guarding Emanuel Sharp and forcing him to fake his shot, but the ball hit the floor. Sharp couldn’t pick up his dribble, Alex Condon dove to secure it and the Gators sprinted to the court in full joy.
The buzzer sounded. The Gators closed with stops. They closed with free throws. And this team, which was the class of the SEC all season, has given the league its first national title since 2012 by following the comeback trail that it did all season long.
John Fanta is a national college basketball broadcaster and writer for FOX Sports. He covers the sport in a variety of capacities, from calling games on FS1 to serving as lead host on the BIG EAST Digital Network to providing commentary on The Field of 68 Media Network. Follow him at @John_Fanta.
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