Courtesy of Todd Greene
Cougars vs. Gators were the matchup of the night on March 7. The culmination of five months of intense matchups, buzzer-beaters, and excitement in the arena of DI Men’s basketball was upon us in the Alamodome. The University of Houston’s Cougars, only a three-hour drive from the stadium, were effectively the hometown heroes taking on the University of Florida’s Gators.
Both teams had been absolute juggernauts in their respective conferences with both teams going 30-4 before the tournament including an SEC championship win for Florida while Houston captured the crown in the Big 12 championship. The Gators excelled on the offensive side of the ball going top five in offensive efficiency and points per game. Led by senior guard, Walter Clayton Jr., who shot the lights out of the ball all season long. The Cougars were better regarded for their defensive prowess, holding opponents to the fewest points per game in the entirety of DI Men’s basketball while also being first in defensive efficiency. The defensive effort was led by sophomore forward, Joseph Tugler who won the Lefty Driesell Award which recognizes the best defender in DI men’s basketball. This game was shaping up to be another classic as two number one seeds with opposite strengths matched up in the biggest game of the year.
The Cougars started their NCAA tournament first up in Wichita, Kansas as the #1 seed of the Midwest side of the bracket. Taking on the #16 Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, Vegas saw the matchup, effectively, as a bye-week with a 29.5 point spread for Houston to cover. For anyone daring to bet the over, the red and white paid their supporters with a 78-40 domination of SIUE forcing the lowest team point total in a game since West Virginia in the Sweet 16 of the 2014-2015 season of March Madness. The scoring was led by junior guard Milos Uzan’s 16 points on 89% true shooting while the junior Emanuel Sharp wracked up an impressive four steals.
The next day the Gators began their journey to the championship from the western side of the bracket in Raleigh, North Carolina versus #16 Norfolk State University. Florida went into the game as 28.5 point dogs but were unable to clear the spread in a 95-69 point victory. Clayton Jr. led scoring with 23 with three other players reaching double digits points to bury Norfolk.
After two days of rest, Houston was running back onto the court to take on a red hot #8 Gonzaga team coming off a dominating win over Georgia. The Cougars were 5.5 point favorites, a mark they just missed with an 81-76 victory over the bulldogs. The final score does not accurately represent the supremacy of the Houston team that had a double digit lead most of the game. Guard L.J. Cryer led the team in scoring with 30 points on 70% true shooting while the team pulled together 20 defensive rebounds, five blocks, and seven steals to stifel Gonzaga’s offense before it even got started.
Florida’s second matchup came against CBS sports’ #11 NBA draft prospect Liam McNeely and the #8 defending champion UConn Huskies. The Gators were massive favorites in the matchup with a 9.5 point spread in Florida’s favor. The game turned out nowhere near expectations with six lead changes in a duel that was scarily close up until the final moments. Clayton Jr. again led the team in scoring with 23 total points while the entire team shot well, especially from beyond the arc.
Houston’s Sweet 16 started less sweet that analysts expected going into the matchup with last year’s runner up, #4 Purdue University’s Boilermakers. The spread, set at 8.5 in favor of the red and white turned into a grueling 40-minute bout of trench warfare. The two teams traded leads 11 times with the game ending on a layup by Uzan with exactly one second left on the clock for the Cougars to squeak by with a 62-60 victory. Uzan once again led the team in scoring, with his 22 points accounting for over 35% of the team’s total. Both teams struggled shooting but Houston had just enough juice to launch them into the Elite Eight.
The orange and blue faired much better in their matchup, taking down #4 Maryland 87-71 in a game that was essentially over at the start of the second half. The Gators were favored, once again, this time by 6.5 points which by the first half may have been the expected outcome. However Maryland was unable to find a stable footing in the second half, struggling from the field and the three. Florida was able to turn up their strong first half performance to a second gear, burying their opponent in a team win that saw six players go over double digit points while Maryland was out rebounded 2:1. This was just the game the Gators needed to gain their momentum back.
The Cougars were able to get their identity back as a defensive juggernaut, taking down #2 Tennessee 69-50 in their final matchup at Lucas Oil Stadium. Houston, favored by 3.5 points, obliterated the spread by forcing the Volunteers to funnel their offense through only two players while dominating the opposing defense in the paint. Led by Cryer and Sharp, who put up 17 and 16 points respectively, the Cougars started off hot and never let off the gas. It was massive for the team to get such a convincing win over a strong opponent as their final four matchup would be against the Cooper Flagg led Duke roster.
The Gators were ending their time in San Francisco against a #3 Texas Tech Team who had only taken on double digit seeded teams on their way to the Elite Eight. Vegas saw Florida as massive favorites giving them a 7.5 point spread however the Red Raiders proved more substantial of a challenge than expected. After going back and forth for most of the first half Texas Tech took firm grasp of the lead in the second until the 1:47 minute mark where the two teams were at the final tied score of the game. From that point on, the Gators took the reins, dropping nine points in the last two minutes to squeak out the victory. Claytorn Jr. once again led the team in scoring with 30 points in 36 minutes while the difference in free throw percentage proved to be the difference maker between the two teams.
This was the first time all tournament Houston would be the underdog, and they were sizable ones at that. Duke was the 4.5 point favorite primed to end the Cougar’s defensive run. For most of the game, the end seemed imminent for Houston. Duke captured the lead in the first half and held onto it until there was 19 seconds left in regulation. From a double-digit deficit, the Cougars had clawed back for a chance to upset the Blue Devils. A set of free throws by forward J’wan Roberts gave Houston the lead and another set by Cryer sealed the deal. Cryer’s 26 points were able to get the team over the finish line and to the NCAA championship game for the first time since 1984.
For Florida’s first game in San Antonio they were matched up against #1 Auburn University. Once again the Gators were favorites but by the slimmest margin up until this point at 2.5 points showing the competitiveness expected for this game. The beginning of the game reflected that point win, the lead being traded back and forth before an Auburn layup led to the Tigers taking control of the game for 12 and a half straight minutes. After a three from guard Alijah Martin, the Gators tied the game back up and both teams geared up for another collection of lead changes. After a neck and neck battle for most of the game, Auburn ran out of the juice to hold on and the lead swung in Florida’s favor for the last time ending in a 79-73 point win for the Gators. Clayton Jr. was seemingly improving by the game, putting up 34 points while shooting 63% from beyond the arc. Having a player that they could rely on to take over the game was going to be a huge luxury for the Gators as they enter their fourth championship game all time.
The two schools were finally meeting each other on April 7 in the Alamodome for the championship game. One of the best scoring offenses in college basketball versus the best defense was shaping up to be a match up for the ages. This game would be able to settle the debate for sports fans, ‘does defense truly win championships?’ Vegas did not think so, favoring Florida in a 1.5 point win to push their championship game record to 3-1. Houston was not prepared to settle for such a result, with their defense locking down the Gator offense to below average shooting metrics for the entire first half. While the Cougars were able to take the lead to end the first period, they struggled to consistently drain the three ball shooting and an abysmal 14% on the half.
Going into the second half, Houston continued to build on their lead, extending it to 12 points. At the 7:54 minute mark the Gators had brought the game back to even and for the next few minutes the Cougars would retake the lead just for Florida to immediately respond, keeping the game tight down to the wire. However, Houston’s fatal flaw would become apparent throughout the entire half. Whether it was fatigue or they had not run into an offense this potent, the Cougars defense was crumbling and they started getting into foul trouble. The Gators got to the free-throw line 19 times in the half, capitalizing with 15 points. Those free throws would prove to be instrumental in the outcome of the game, accounting for all of Florida’s points in the final three minutes and sealing their win as Houston ran into more offensive troubles. In this matchup, Houston had done a good job shutting Clayton Jr. down forcing other starters to step up as senior guard Will Richard led the team in scoring with 18 points.
For Houston, the entire offense was funneled through Cryer who was the only player to score double digit points. The entire team struggled offensively and from all spots on the court while their lack of discipline on the defensive side led to Houston’s magical run ending with more of a whimper than a bang. For Florida, they cemented themselves as the best college basketball team in the country for the third time in the past 20 years. As they hoisted the National Championship trophy the confetti that filled the room signified the end of another exciting season and a historic March Madness.
