Walter Clayton Jr.’s final defensive play will definitely live in his dreams for years to come. The Florida Gators survived and came up with a huge defensive stop in the dying seconds of the championship as they forced a mishap for the Houston Cougars, with the latter failing to get a shot off as the buzzer sounded, signaling the Gators’ return to the top of the NCAA world in a 65-63 win.

Gators head coach Todd Golden now becomes the second head coach in the history of the school to win a championship – with the first two being won by Chicago Bulls head coach Billy Donovan back in 2006 and 2007. It is also the third national championship for the University of Florida and is the first time they have reached the final since 2007.

The Cougars initially looked like they were going to come up with an impressive win from start to finish, but the Gators were able to capitalize on their mistakes – forcing back to back turnovers in the closing moments of the game to regain the lead and then holding on for the final possession. Confetti of blue and orange rained down the Alamodome as Gator fans celebrated in delight at another championship for the first time in 18 years.

The Final Moments

After leading at 8-6 in the first quarter, the Florida Gators trailed the whole game and never had another lead of their own. It wasn't until 64-63 coming off a free throw by Alijah Martin with 46.5 seconds to play that they had a lead in the game – and the timing couldn’t be more impeccable for the team. The Gators came back from a 12-point deficit and looked to close the gap in the final minute of the game.

From that point, Florida never trailed again, and Houston would go on to turn the ball over in the next possession. The Gators quickly attacked and came up with a Denzel Aberdeen free throw to extend the lead to 65-63 with 19.7 seconds left in the game. That’s when Houston opted to call time out and draw up a play for the tie or for the win.

The Cougars opted to go for the win, with Milos Uzan getting a good look before passing up the shot and giving it to LJ Cryer. The latter would then pass it right away like a hot potato, this time landing in the hands of Emanuel Sharp at the top of the key. Except, Sharp had nowhere to go after he didn’t throw up the shot with a Clayton Jr. closing on him.

He could not touch the ball as it would then result in a traveling violation. And that led to a scramble before Alex Condon successfully dived for the ball and earned possession before the buzzer sounded – signaling a massive victory for the Gators and completing their comeback.

By the Numbers

No player scored more than 20 points in the game, with LJ Cryer being the closest at 19 points and six rebounds for Houston – and no other player in the Cougars’ squad reached double digits in that loss. On the other hand, Florida’s Will Richard led the scoring charge at 18 points and seven boards, while Condon tallied 12 points and seven rebounds of his own.

Perhaps Clayton Jr. stole the spotlight for this win by the Gators. He finished with an all-around game of 11 points, seven rebounds, and five assists, but it was his huge defensive play that sealed the deal for the Gators in their victory.