The Houston Cougars had their first national championship in their hands the entire matchup. They dominated the first half, racing out to a 12-point lead at the half. The second half wasn’t as strong, but they kept the lead until the final minute. Yet somehow when the buzzer sounded and the confetti started falling, it wasn’t Houston’s colors falling from the sky. The Florida Gators were able to complete the comeback and win 65-63 for their first national championship since 2007, and the Cougars only had themselves to blame.
Lately, it’s been close but no cigar for the Cougars: UH lost to Michigan in the second round of the 2018 NCAA Tournament, to Villanova in the 2022 Elite Eight, and to Miami (2023) and Duke (2024) as the top regional seed the past two seasons. It would have been an historic title for head coach Kelvin Sampson, trying, at 69, to become the oldest coach to ever win the NCAA Tournament.
Florida had other plans. Its comeback began in the second half as potential lottery pick Walter Clayton Jr. finally started hitting shots. Clayton, who had been lighting it up during March Madness, including back-to-back 30-point games against Texas Tech and Auburn, was held without a field goal until the final eight minutes. It couldn’t have come at a worse time for Houston as the Cougars went more than four minutes without making a single field goal made, even missing 13 of 14 shots during a cold stretch.
The Cougars really lost the game in the final minute, and guard Emanuel Sharp was a chief culprit. First, his turnover led to the free throws that gave Florida its first lead since early in the game. In Houston’s final possession, he had the ball and questionably pulled up for a logo three-pointer with his team only down two. Even more mind-blowing was that he stopped in the middle of his shot, fearing it would be blocked, and the ball came out of his hands. He couldn’t pick it up again without committing a traveling violation. A Gator dove on the ball, which killed the remainder of the clock, cementing Florida’s first basketball national championship since winning back-to-back titles in 2006 and 2007.
Seeing how the Cougars folded in the second half, I truly don’t even feel bad for them. The moment was too big for them, and most of the blame will go to Sharp, but he is truly only the scapegoat. The Cougars cost themselves a national championship, and sadly when they watch the tape of this game, the entire team will see that they only have themselves to blame for this loss.
