Source: Sam Hodde / Getty
Florida is back on top of the college basketball sports world.
Monday night, April 7, the Florida Gators took on the Houston Cougars in the Men’s NCAA championship game. As they had several times throughout the tournament, the Gators rallied after fans watched them dig themselves into a deficit.
When the second half began, they were down 42-30 when they started to fight back and eventually tied the game at 53 with about five minutes left.
However, Houston, which proved itself tough on the defensive end, didn’t give up thanks to a put-back dunk and a clutch three-pointer. So, they maintained the lead until there was under a minute left until Florida’s Alijah Martin sank two free throws.
On its next possession, Houston turned it over, and Florida used the mistake to go up 65-63 after another made foul shot. Suddenly, there were 10 seconds left, and Houston had a chance to make a quick clutch bucket.
Emanuel Sharp caught a pass at the top of the arch and was about to take a game-winning three when Walter Clayton Jr. immediately switched on to him. However, he was already in shooting form and in the air when the defense adjusted, so he had to drop the ball immediately and was unable to regain possession because he’d be called for traveling.
Seconds were dwindling, and his teammates all made a last-ditch effort to hop onto the ball, but Florida’s Alex Condon was able to wrestle it away as the final buzzer sounded.
After securing the 65-63 win, Condon spoke about the moment he left his defensive assignment to chase the loose ball.
“I was kind of just thinking about what to do, if I should go for it and leave my man,” Condon told ESPN. “But once he kind of backed off and tried to guard off Walt, I realized he is not going to pick up the ball. So I dived as hard as I could and got the ball. It was great.”
Sharp’s only two turnovers came in the final two possessions of the game, and the team was visibly upset in the locker room after the loss when he owned the moment, as Joseph Tugler told the media, “That broke everybody’s heart.”
What was an unexpected ending to March Madness also made history as the third biggest comeback in NCAA title game history. It also marks Florida’s third win after back-to-back championships in 2006 and 2007.
See how social media is reacting to the tense finish below.