Florida’s comeback title win encapsulates 2024-25 season and journey in a nutshell

San Antonio – How did this happen? When Florida Gators jumped into the other’s arms when the blue and orange confetti shower was raining down and Houston Guard Emanuel Sharp on the floor and pulling his jersey on his face, an anxiety picture?

How did the team, which committed seven turns before lifting its first foul, watched by 12 points in the second half, was ahead of us for only 63 seconds and never by more than two points and did not get from his All-American Guard after the first 25 minutes on Monday night?

Why is Florida a national champion today and Houston is not?

We could ask a 39 -year -old coach, the youngest who won the National Championship in 42 years, because the NC Jim Valvano coach turned around the playground in Albuquerque.

“It’s a kind of rooted in our DNA,” Todd Golden said. “They did what they always do. They got off”

He meant the comeback of nine points down to beat Auburn on Saturday and from 10 to beat Texas Tech in Eight Eight and a 7-4 record this season when he withdrew. And on Monday evening, the third largest comeback ever in the National Championship. Gators stubborn on stage because they felt – with the wind of the big teams of Florida the past in the back – that was their mission.

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“We got the basketball program back where it belongs,” Golden said, “which increases trophies.”

We could ask one of the gears that landed in Gainesville about a chance for a night when he could make two throws free to build his team forward to stay. “We did it all year round. We were too many times. We never blinked, we never died,” said the guardian of Alijah Martin. “I think it’s self -explaining. We’re right here.”

“If we have to suit, we’ll do it tomorrow.”

We could ask the most important player of the tournament that set fire to Auburn for 34 points, and Texas Tech for 30 and on the NCAA tournament we diameter almost 25 points, took the month of March and made it our own. With the exception of Monday evening, when 13 players on both sides scored half -time, but none of them was named Walter Clayton Jr. His first point would not come until 14:57 the second half, his first basket until 7:54.

“We say that all year is our motto”We all can go“” He said. “We have a team full of people who can go. It’s not just about me, we have a few people who can go to get a bucket and do anything.”

“We have people who cover each other’s shortcomings.”

Yet in the last 15 minutes there were 11 fundamental points and brought his team three times. There were seven assists that were two more than the whole team of Houston. And in the last irony, after his rush of big shots for a month, she had to be his game, which secured the legend of his team at a defensive end.

Five seconds remain, Florida Adreal 65-63, Cougars Sharp ready to win with a 3-proofer from above. Was open until he was. It was Clayton, who raced like Usain Bolt Out to close to Sharp, who, when he went up to suddenly have Gator in his face. When he returned down, he dropped the ball, he could not get him because it would be a disruption of traveling and the ball moved around and carried Houston’s dying hope. Florida Alex Condon recovered it as a quarrel. He is from Perth and it could also be Australian football.

And then the time expired.

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“Just go 100 percent,” Clayton said about the game. “Honestly, my mind was just a little empty. I’m trying to stop.”

His coach appreciated it.

“The last game was an absolutely amazing game,” Golden said. “Walter recovered, closed, flew on his right side so that he couldn’t allow fouling.”

“I saw the ball relaxed. I just hoped we defeated them on the ball. When Condon got to the floor, I thought it either would be a jump ball or we came up with it

We could even ask the mother’s most important player. Cherie Quarg was on the pitch as her son Walter celebrated. He looked into the TV cameras and said, “I can’t wait to see my mom.”

Mama talked about what led to it.

“She worked seven days a week,” she said. “It deserves it all. I am amazed. A lot of extreme happiness and extreme sadness. A lot of emotions.”

But not so many nerves when Gators and her son had to work from another hole. “We have done so many times that I wasn’t really stressed this game as the other games. I was actually quite good,” she said. “I shouted it all before we got here.”

As her son posed for trophy images, it was important to think about the two biggest decisions of his young life.

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Five years ago he was the star of two sports in the geographical center of the Peninsula in Florida. Which sport would be his future? He hated football practice. “I like to play basketball, I improve in it. That’s one of the main reasons I stopped playing football,” he said. “I was naturally good in football. I felt like I stayed with football, I wouldn’t work so hard and some guys who would eventually get in front of me.”

Two years ago, which proved to be in Iona, he tried to convert the food chain. His coach Iona Rick Pitino headed for St. John’s. That looked like a great idea. But then this young new coach in Florida was interested and it was at home. Home won. Barely.

Two decisions that were really bad news for 2024-25 Houston Cougars. They just didn’t know.

They do now. It was here that night, for the moment to hit big shots late and then in Houston’s heart got the last share of defense.

“God blessed us with all the right calls,” her mother said about his son’s fork decisions. “He certainly led us on this journey.”

It was as if all the Gators roads were closer to so many places on one trophy stage. They came from it and Yon and appeared in bright SEC lights from quieter foundations and chased this very shining moment.

Few of them predicted that they would be here on Monday evening. No when this season started, anyway. Were selected to complete sixth in sec. Their league full of Barracudas would certainly chew these people from … anywhere. But they were here when they defeated two seeds No. 1 in San Antonio and a week ago they pulled out the champion of Uconn.

“I feel like we have a team full of boys with chips on our shoulders,” Guard Will Richard said. “Also coaching staff.”

The coach came from San Francisco, where they won the National Championship, but that was 70 years ago, 31 years before the birth of Todd Golden. Martin of Florida Atlantic, Center of Rueben Chinael from Nigeria. There is a reason why he was wearing No. 9. Last year he was sitting in a church and wondering whether he should be converted from Washington to Florida and hit Joshua 1: 9 in the Bible: “I did not bring you strong and courageous. And that included Alamodom.

There was Australian Condon, which is more than 11,000 miles from home when he plays in Gainesville in Florida. Forever he will be the last Gatore to touch the ball at the championship on Monday and ended another tense court by fire. “We’re always worried about our fans,” he said.

There was Richard, who kept Florida alive with 18 points until Clayton released. He began his career in Belmont. “We love playing each other,” he said. “We love to be Gators.” And there was Clayton, who approached St. Jana Red Stormer.

All their journeys, winding into the same title celebration.

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“It took a little bit for all these pieces to join,” Golden said. “But for a man, everyone will pull out the same direction. There is no sufficiency in our dressing. A guy like Walt asked all the questions, all attention … But there is no hostility, no one worries about it. These guys are just trying to win the championship.”

It was as perfect as it all worked.

Ideal for Golden.

He saw all his building plans work. Not everyone who plays the transmission portal eventually smiles. However, he put steel in this program. Gators have 13 double -digit comebacks that will win in their three seasons.

“To become part of our program in the last few years, you had to buy our vision, you had to buy a program above you,” he said. “Four of our appetizers are gears. They are all the boys who bought. They all have from the moment they got into the campus.”

Ideal for Florida.

It has been 18 years since Gators ruled Sport, with famous repetitions in 2006-07, Billy Donovan trained. Now Florida is back and who was in the city to be introduced as a member of the latest class listed in the Basketball Hall of Fame? Donovan. “Just an incredible moment with a full circle,” Golden said.

Ideal for sec.

Yeah, yeah, everyone knew about regular noise. As Sec created the last three undefeated teams to fall – Tennessee, Florida and Oklahoma. As the conference won 88.9% of their not league games during the regular season (record) and absolutely equalized ACC. How the conference sent a tidal wave of 14 teams to the tournament console and seven to Sweet 16.

But without mastery, everything would be so pale? Florida made sure no one would ever know.

The Gators did it by rejection by rejection by refusing to give against the opponent for the renowned because he saw the world on Saturday when Houston threw the Duke.

“We found a way to win,” Kelvin Sampson said. “Maybe not so much this evening. That was our strength all year round, won the nearby games. But we’re not this evening.”

The other team did something about it. The team that was intended to be in this place all the time.

“When we put on the jersey,” Martin said, “That means more.”

Especially now.