John Fanta
College Basketball Broadcaster and Reporter
Golden’s team came back from 10 down to beat Texas Tech in the Elite Eight. They came back from a nine-point deficit to knock out SEC foe Auburn in the Final Four. And then, 48 hours later, they came back from being 12 down to beat Houston in the national championship game.
The Gators’ run was as improbable as it was magical, but their ability to close out games against the sport’s best is a reflection of their championship through a Final Four that delivered the lowest combined margin of points (11) in three games since the tournament expanded to 64 teams in 1985.
“We didn’t have to pump those guys up. [We said] ‘let’s get back to being ourselves and do what we do,'” Golden said when asked about the 12-point deficit Florida faced with just over 16 minutes left in the game. “I was definitely concerned about the deficit, but at this point in the season, my guys don’t need those words of encouragement. It’s kind of embedded in our DNA. They did what they always do. They stepped up.”
Florida won despite not having a made field goal in the final 3:13. But the Gators out-defended a program that entered the night with the No. 1-ranked defense in America. They swarmed Houston with ball pressure, forcing four turnovers on as many possessions to close the game while shooting 5-of-6 from the line to seal it.
Was it pretty? No. But if you’re going to defeat the Cougars, you have to find a way to beat them at their own game, and that’s exactly what Florida did.
“That’s been a strength of ours all year long, was winning close games, but tonight we didn’t,” Houston coach Kelvin Sampson said. “Give credit to Coach Golden and Florida. They’re a very worthy champion.”
Heading into Monday night’s title game, Houston was 33-0 when holding opponents to under 70 points. There’s now a one in the loss column after this result.
“This win is just a testament to who we are as a team,” Richard said. “I feel like we’re going to fight until the end and do whatever it takes to give ourselves a chance to win. It just goes back to how connected we are as a team. We all don’t have any quit.
“I feel like as long as there’s time on the clock, if we take it possession by possession, I just like our resiliency and how we fight through adversity throughout the game.”
With both Clayton and Martin struggling on Monday night, shooting a combined 5-for-20 from the field, it was others who stepped up for the Gators.
When it was 45-39 with 12:38 left, Haugh came up with a block, transition bucket and a finish with the foul. Aberdeen and Rueben Chinyelu both knocked down big free throws before Clayton tied the game. Condon cut the lead back to one with just over five minutes on the clock. Richard rotated defensively to force the ball off Sharp’s leg in the final minute before Clayton closed out on him to avoid a game-winning shot attempt even going up.
Golden called Houston the toughest program in America in his press conference on Sunday.
That’s the only thing the young coaching star was wrong about all season. Because for his team to come back from 12 down to defeat a program that was 30-1 in its last 31 games, well, if there’s a toughness crown, that belongs in Gainesville.
“These guys around me,” Clayton said as he pointed to his teammates, “my motto is that we all can go.
“I understand that if it ain’t my night, somebody is going to pick me up,” Clayton added. “We understand we are all just picking each other up throughout the year. We’ve been doing that all year. The way we won tonight, it’s just an exclamation mark on the year.”
Perhaps we should put exclamation marks in October and November when looking at rosters that have six of their top nine scorers back. Perhaps player development and roster retention still matter in this chaotic climate. If anything, it matters more than it ever did when a lot of programs are trying to accumulate talent before figuring out how it actually fits rather than doing it the other way.
But Golden bet on a couple of kids from Belmont, Iona, Florida Atlantic, Washington State and Marshall, among others.
“We have great guys that are unselfish and enjoy playing together,” Golden said. “Our staff has done a good job of defining roles so everybody understands their job to help us win.
“This has all been three years in the works. We’re very analytical in everything we do. We try to bridge that gap also of being analytical while also using a little bit of a human element to make some certain decisions. Life is not perfect. You want to give yourself the best chance to be successful and live with the results.”
The genius of Golden, the sacrifice of his players, and the heart and connectivity as a result of knowing what you’re supposed to do to be successful has led Florida to the mountaintop of the sport.
Life can be chaotic in college basketball. But having a process and having everyone on the same page can pay off in dividends, and, as a result, the life of the Gators is about as perfect as it can be after all, and the party has only just begun in Gainesville.
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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College Basketball
Florida Gators
Houston Cougars
