Scott Stricklin, Todd Golden embrace after national championship game (Photo by Chris Spears) Consider the 6-year extension that will keep Todd Golden at the University of Florida at least through 2031 as both a reward for the 2025 national championship and an investment into the future. Golden’s new deal will pay $40.5 million, making him one of the five highest paid Division I basketball coaches.   “Todd has done an incredible job getting Florida men’s basketball back where it belongs,” athletic director Scott Stricklin said. “We believed in his vision, his competitive nature and his modern approach to the game back in 2022, and he has validated that belief in a relatively short time and helped create memories of a lifetime for another generation of Gator fans.”   Stricklin hired Golden from San Francisco just five days after former UF coach Mike White was announced as Georgia’s new coach. At San Francisco, Golden compiled a 57-36 record with an NCAA appearance in 2022.   In his three years on the job at Florida, Golden is 76-33 overall. His first UF team went 16-17, finishing the season with a loss to UCF in the NIT. The Gators made it to the SEC Tournament championship game and the first round of the NCAA Tournament in year two, finishing 24-12. The Gators won the SEC Tournament and their last 12 games in 2025, beating Houston in the NCAA championship game in San Antonio.   Golden was paid $4 million in 2024-25, the first year of a 2-year extension he received after taking the Gators to the NCAA last season.   “My family and I are grateful to be a part of Gator Nation and for the opportunity to lead this great program three years ago,” Golden said. “As we’ve shown during our time in Gainesville, the University of Florida is an institution that has the resources, support, and people in place to compete and win national championships. I am so appreciative of each and every player and staff member who have been critical to the success we’ve experienced here. My family and I look forward to our future here at UF and to the continued success of our men’s basketball program.”   ***   Just when it seemed the Gators were about to sign Southern Cal transfer guard Desmond Claude, the deal is off the table. Claude visited Florida last week and multiple sources indicated a commitment to UF seemed imminent, but as things dragged out, it was clear there was a disconnect. A couple of sources have confided that Florida made an offer but when Claude wanted to shop the offer, Golden slammed the door shut on the deal.   Florida still has some very good options from the transfer portal, plus there are some very talented international players.   Portal possibilities for UF Kris Parker (6-9, 210, FR, from Villanova): The Quincy native is being linked to Florida, Miami and Florida State.   Cade Tyson (6-7, 200, JR, from North Carolina): Don’t judge him on what happened at UNC, where he was a terrible fit. When he was killing it at Belmont he narrowed his transfer options to UNC and Florida. Belmont is where Will Richard came from.   Dovydas Butka (6-9, 215, FR, from Pepperdine): This would be a great fit for Florida. He’s strong, rebounds, plays defense and he has three years eligibility remaining.   Trent McLaughlin (6-6, 190, SR, from Northern Arizona): One and done who averaged 22.1 points, 3.6 rebounds and 3.1 assists per game last season. Can score or play the point.   Julian Hammond III (6-2, 180, SR, from Colorado): Averaged 12.5 points, 2.5 rebounds and 3.2 assists in an up tempo offense where he shot 37.5 percent from the 3-point line and 90.4 percent at the foul line.   Savo Drezgic (6-4, 200, FR, from Georgia): He was a star for Serbia’s U18 silver medal team in the FIBA Euros. Georgia was clueless. UF had him on the radar before he signed with Georgia. Point who can score who should have four years eligibility.   Hayden Gray (6-4, 190, SO, from UC-San Diego): Defensive player of the year in the Big West. Point guard who can shoot.     Isaiah Hawthorne (6-8, 210, from Northern Colorado): Got his start   playing for Todd Golden at San Francisco. At Northern Colorado this past season he averaged 17.1 points and 5.5 rebounds per game while shooting 35 percent on his threes.   International possibility Ben Henshall (6-7, 200, Perth, Australia): Alex Condon’s buddy from Perth. Hybrid perimeter/post guy.   The SEC and the transfer portal ALABAMA Goners: PF Jarin Stephenson (6-11, 210, SO, to North Carolina ); SF Mouhamed Dioubate (6-7, 215, SO, to Kentucky ); SF Naas Cunningham (6-7, 175, FR, to UNLV ); SF Derrion Reed (6-8, 220, FR, to Oklahoma ) Newbies: PG Jalil Bethea (6-5, 190, FR, from Miami ); PF Taylor Bol Bowen (6-10, 205, SO, from Florida State ); C Noah Williamson (7-0, 224, JR, from Bucknell ); SF Keitenn Bristow (6-8, 190, FR, from Tarleton State ) ARKANSAS Goners: C Zvonimir Ivisic (7-2, to Illinois ); PG Casmir Chavis (6-0, 180, FR); PG Boogie Fland (6-2, 210, FR) Newbies: C Nick Pringle (6-10, 220, SR, from South Carolina ); PF Malique Ewin (6-10, 220, SO, from Florida State )   AUBURN Goners: SG Jahki Howard (6-6, 185, FR, to Utah ); SG Chad Baker-Mazara (6-7, 180, SR, to Southern Cal ); PG JP Pegues (6-1, 175, SR); PF Addarin Scott (6-9, 207, FR, to UM-Kansas City ) Newbies: Keyshawn Hall (6-7, 240, JR, from UCF ); PF KeShawn Murphy (6-10, 245, JR, from Mississippi State ); SG Kevin Overton (6-5, 190, SO, from Texas Tech ); SF Elyjah Freeman (6-8, 200, FR, from Lincoln Memorial )   FLORIDA Goners: PG Kajus Kublicas (6-2, 180, SO, to Pacific ); PG Denzel Aberdeen (6-5, 190, JR, to Kentucky ); PF Sam Alexis (6-9, 240, JR, to Indiana ) Newbies: PG Xaivian Lee (6-4, 180, SR, from Princeton ); SG AJ Brown (6-5, 200, RSO, from Ohio U )   GEORGIA Goners: Silas Demery Jr. (6-5, 195, JR, to UConn ); PG Savo Drezgic (6-4, 200, FR); PF RJ Godfrey (6-7, 225, JR, to Clemson ); SG DeShayne Montgomery (6-4, 190, SO, to Dayton ); SG Jordyn Kee (6-3, 185, FR, to Miami ) Newbies: Justin Bailey (6-3, 185, JR, from Wofford ); PG Jeremiah Wilkinson (6-1, 185, FR, from California ); SF Kanon Catchings (6-9, 190, FR, from BYU ); PG Smurf Millender (5-11, 180, SO, from UT-San Antonio ); PG Jordan Ross (6-3, 175, SO, from Saint Mary’s )   KENTUCKY Goners: PG Kerr Kriisa (6-3, 180, JR, to Cincinnati ); SG Grant Darbyshire (6-2, 190, JR); SG Walker Horn (6-1, 200, JR); PG Travis Perry (6-1, 188, FR, to Ole Miss ) Newbies: C Jayden Quaintance (6-9, 225, FR, from Arizona State ); SF Mouhamed Dioubate (6-7, 215, SO, from Alabama ); PG Jaland Lowe (6-2, 170, SO, from Pittsburgh ); PF Kam Williams (6-8, 190, FR, from Tulane ); PG Denzel Aberdeen (6-5, 190, JR, from Florida ); C Reece Potter (7-1, 210, SO, From Miami Ohio )   LSU Goners: SG Vyctorius Miller (6-5, 185, FR, to Oklahoma State ); PF Corey Chest (6-8, 220, FR, to Ole Miss ); PF Daimion Collins (6-9, 202, SR); PF Noah Boyde (7-0, 245, JR, to Western Kentucky ); SG Mike Williams (6-3, 180, SO); SG Tyrell Ward (6-6, 195, JR, to VCU ); PG Curtis Givens (6-3, 185, FR) Newbies: PF Marquel Sutton (6-7, 205, JR, from Nebraska-Omaha ); SG Max McKinnon (6-5, 200, JR, from Pepperdine ); SG Rashad King (6-6, 198, JR, from Northeastern ); PG Dedan Thomas (6-0, 175, FR, from UNLV ); C Michael Nwoko (6-10, 245, SO, from Mississippi State ); PF Lassina Traore (6-10, 230, SR, from Xavier ); SF Pablo Tamba (6-6, 220, JR, from UC-Davis ); SG PJ Carter (6-5, 175, JR, from Memphis )   MISSISSIPPI STATE Goners: C Michael Nwoko (6-10, 245, SO, to LSU ); PF KeShawn Murphy (6-10, 245, JR to Auburn ); SG Riley Kugel (6-5, 210, JR, to UCF ); PG Kanye Clary (5-11, 190, JR, to Oklahoma State ); SF Adrian Myers (6-6, 205, FR, to San Jose State ); C Jeremy Foumena (6-11, 235, SO, to UCF ); SF Harrison Alexander (6-4, 190, FR, to Southern Illinois-Edwardsville ); PF EJ Paymon (6-9, 230, FR) Newbies: C Quincy Ballard (6-11, 240, SR, from Wichita State ); PG Ja’Borri McGhee (6-0, 200, FR, from UAB ); SF Amier Ali (6-8, 185, FR, from Arizona State ); PF Achor Achor (6-9, 222, SO, from Kansas State )   MISSOURI Goners: C Josh Gray (7-0, 260; SR); SG Marcus Allen (6-7, 200, FR, to Miami ); SF Aidan Shaw (6-9, 210, JR, to Boston College ); C Peyton Marshall (7-0, 300, FR, to Georgia Tech ) Newbies: SG Sebastian Mack ( from UCLA ); C Luke Northweather (6-11, 240, RSO from Oklahoma ); PF Jevon Porter (6-11, 235, JR, from Loyola Marymount ); C Shawn Phillips (7-0, 245, JR, from Arizona State ); SG Jayden Stone (6-4, 180, SR, from West Virginia )   OKLAHOMA Goners: C Luke Northweather (6-11, 240, RSO to Missouri ); SG Duke Miles (6-2, 175, SR, to Texas A&M ); SF Jacolb-Fredson Cole (6-7, 220, FR to McNeese); C YaYa Keita (6-9, 241, JR) Newbies: PG Nijel Pack (6-0, 180, SR, from Miami ); SF Tae Davis (6-9, 240. from Notre Dame ); PG Xzayvier Brown (6-2, 165, SO, from Saint Joseph’s ); SF Derrion Reed (6-8, 220, FR, from Alabama )   OLE MISS Goners: C John Bol (7-2, 210, FR); SG TJ Caldwell (6-4, 190, JR, to Arkansas State ); SG Robert Cowherd (6-5, 200, SO); PF Ja’Von Benson (6-7, 251, SR) Newbies: PF Corey Chest (6-8, 220, FR, from LSU ); PG Koren Johnson (6-2, 175, RSO, from Louisville ); SF AJ Storr (6-6, 200, JR, from Kansas ); PG Travis Perry (6-1, 188, FR, from Kentucky ); PF Augusto Cassia (6-8, 220, SO, from Butler )   SOUTH CAROLINA Goners: PF Okku Federiko (6-8, 220, FR); SF Morris Ugusuk (6-4, 170, SO, to West Virginia ); PG Jamarii Thomas (6-0, 185, SR); PG Meechie Johnson (6-2, 175, SR, to Ohio State ); SG Austin Herro (6-3, 180, FR, to St. Thomas ); C Nick Pringle (6-10, 220, SR, to Arkansas ); SG Arden Conyers (6-7, 204, FR); SG Zachary Davis (6-7, 200, JR, to Memphis ) Newbies: SG Kobe Knox (6-5, 185, JR, from South Florida ); C Christ Essendoko (7-0, 285, SO, from Providence ); PF Elijah Strong (6-8, 220, SO, from Boston College ); PG Mike Sharavjamts (6-9, 180, JR, from Utah ); PF Nordin Kapic (6-8, 245, FR, from UC-San Diego )   TENNESSEE Newbies: PF Jaylen Carey (6-8, 265, SO, from Vanderbilt ); PG Ja’Kobi Gillespie (6-1, 175, JR, from Maryland ); SG Amaree Abram ( from Louisiana Tech )   TEXAS Goners: PF Jamie Vinson (6-11, 225, FR, to Texas A&M ); SF Devon Pryor (6-7, 180, FR, to Oregon ); SG Malik Presley (6-6, 200, FR) Newbies: SF Dailyn Swain (6-7, 200, SO, from Xavier ); SF Camden Heide (6-7, 205, SO, from Purdue ); C Matas Vokietaitis (7-0, 245, FR, from Florida Atlantic ); PF Lassina Traore (6-9, 215, JR, from Xavier ); SG Simeon Wilcher (6-4, 180, SO, from St. John’s )     TEXAS A&M Goners: George Turkson (6-7, 220, JR, to Maryland ); SG Andre Mills (6-4, 200, FR, to Maryland ); C Pharrel Payne (6-9, 230, to Maryland ); SF Solomon Washington (6-7, 225, JR); PF Janus Ratowski (6-11, 225, FR); SF Jaelen Lee (6-6, 195, S0); SF Rob Dockery (6-6, 215, FR) Newbies: SF Zach Clemence (6-10, 225, RFR, from Kansas ); PG Jacari Lane (6-0, 178, JR, from North Alabama ); SF McKenzie Mgbako (6-8, 217, SO, from Indiana ); PG Josh Holloway (6-2, 160, SO, from Samford ); SG Duke Miles (6-2, 175, SR, from Oklahoma ); SG Marcus Hill (6-4, 185, SO, from North Carolina State ); PF Federiko Federiko (6-11, 220, JR, from Texas Tech ); SG Rylan Griffin (6-5, 180, JR, from Kansas ) VANDERBILT  Goners: PF Jaylen Carey ( to Tennessee ); PG Jason Edwards (6-1, 175, JR, to Providence ); PG Jordan Williams (6-2, 215, JR); SF Alex Hemenway (6-4, 190, SR, to Evansville ); PF Jaqualon Roberts (6-8, 230, SO, to Davidson ); PG Karris Bilal (6-2, 190, FR, to Louisiana ); PF Kijani Wright (6-9, 200, FR); PG MJ Collins (6-4, 190, JR, to Utah State ) Newbies: PG Frankie Collins (6-1, 185, JR, from TCU ); C Mason Nicholson (6-10, 280, JR, from Jacksonville State ); PF Jalen Washington (6-10, 225, JR, from North Carolina ); Mike James (6-6, 195, RSO, from North Carolina State ); SF AK Okereke (6-7, 220, SO, from Cornell ); SF Tyler Harris (6-8, 190, SO, from Washington )

Luke Heyman rounds second after launching a home run (UAA Photo) Perhaps you were thinking to stick a fork in the Florida Gators because their baseball season was done after a 1-11 start to the Southeastern Conference portion of the season. Well, think again.   Since that dreadful start, the Gators are 12-2, 10-2 in the SEC. With their sweep of South Carolina in Columbia, the Gators are 33-16 overall, 11-13 in the SEC. With six SEC games remaining – three roadies at Texas next weekend and three at home against Alabama in the final regular season series – the Gators have a legitimate chance to finish break even in SEC play.   At 1-11 the Gators were next to last in the SEC and needing a miracle finish to sniff the NCAA Tournament. Barring disaster in the last two weekends, pencil the Gators in the tournament. Hosting a super regional is essentially out of the question, but hosting a regional is indeed a possibility.   The sweep of South Carolina began with a barrage of home runs Thursday night. Hayden Yost hit a 2-run homer in the fourth, then in the fifth Luke Heyman homered to left field and Ty Evans hammered a grand slam over the fence in center field. From a 4-1 deficit, the Gators earned a 9-5 win.   It wasn’t all about the hitting. The bullpen came through in a big way. Billy Barlow went 1-2/3 innings, striking out three before turning it over to Jake Clemente who went the final three, shutting down South Carolina while striking out six for his sixth save of the season.   When Saturday’s game two was interrupted by weather after 2-2/3 innings, the Gators finished things off with two wins on Sunday, the first a 22-3 massacre that featured an 11-run ninth, and the second a 7-inning, 8-0 shutout in which Pierce Coppola, Jackson Barberi and Christian Rodriquez limited the Gamecocks to four hits.   Liam Peterson, pulled Friday night in the first inning when rain began to fall, took the mound Sunday when the game picked up in the third inning. Florida’s ace went 3-1/3 innings to pick up his eighth win. Clemente and Carson Montsdeoca split up the final three innings.   The Gators led 4-0 in the fifth when Luke Heyman hit a solo homer, his second of the series. Heyman wasn’t through. In the seventh he hit his second homer of the game to put the Gators up 6-2.   That’s when the wheels came off for South Carolina. The Gators scored five in an eighth inning that saw Ty Evans hit a bases-loaded double down the left field line to put Florida ahead 11-3.   Then came as bizarre a ninth inning as you would ever wish to see. Florida sent 14 men to the plate and scored 11 runs despite only three hits. South Carolina pitchers couldn’t find the strike zone, walking eight Gators. The big hit of the inning was a grand slam by freshman Brendan Lawson, his ninth home run of the season.   Seven South Carolina pitchers were tagged for 15 hits including three home runs. They walked 13 batters, hit another and threw 220 pitches.   Hayden Yost went 3-5 with three RBI, while Bobby Boser, Lawson, Heyman, Blake Cyr and Evans all had two hits. Lawson finished with five RBI while Boser, Heyman and Evans had three each.   South Carolina pitchers did a better job of throwing strikes in game two (two walks) but Florida hitters teed off for 12 hits, three of which left the yard. Evans, who only recently returned to the lineup after missing most of the season injured, hit a solo home run in the first for the only run the Gators would actually need. Yost, who also had a squeeze bunt for a third inning RBI, hit a 2-run homer in the sixth. In the top of the seventh, Brody Donay hit his 13thhomer of the season.   Ashton Wilson delivered a 3-3 performance with two RBI. Boser, Lawson and Donay each had two hits.   In a very important development, lefty Pierce Coppola made his first appearance since a March 1 injury. If Kevin O’Sullivan can get Coppola in good enough shape to pitch even 3-4 innings it will be a major plus for the Gators moving forward.   Coppola was replaced after an inning by Jackson Barberi, who went 3-1/3 innings, allowing four hits and no walks while striking out four to improve to 2-1 on the season. Christian Rodriguez picked up the save, going the last 2-2/3 innings while giving up just one hit.   Over the weekend, Yost went 5-10 with two homers and eight RBI. Evans went 5-13 with a double, two homers and eight RBI. Heyman had three homers and five RBI. Lawson went 5-14 with a home run and six RBI.   Speaking of the big weekend by Evans, O’Sullivan said, “No doubt, we’re not going to get where we want to without him in the lineup, so I’m really, really pleased for him. You know, the other guy that probably gets overlooked sometimes is Hayden Yost. He swung the bat extremely well today. You know his home run there really opened up that second game.”   The Gators will face South Florida in their final non-conference game of the season Tuesday night at Condron Family Ballpark.

The Gators showdown with Oklahoma blended exciting plays with a unique sense of community and togetherness. By Loren Meadows, GatorBaitMedia.com , Host, The Lowdown Gators ready to roll!!! (UAA photo) On Saturday evening, the Florida Gators prepared for the conclusion of their first SEC series with top-ranked Oklahoma in what was certainly the center of the softball universe this weekend. Florida wanted to make a statement going into the postseason while Oklahoma was looking to assert its dominance against a program many see as the boulder that could loosen the Sooners’ four-year stranglehold. The game of softball has become increasingly popular with sports fans due to its fast pace, interactive atmosphere and growing interest among young women. The Gators have a unique group of young people that include the nation’s best outfielder, the 2024 national player of the year, the daughter of a former NFL quarterback making her own legacy, a gator prodigy and two transfers that saw Florida as the perfect place to recommit themselves to the love of the game. What stood out the most this weekend was the community that has been built between the casual fan (to put it modestly), and the people that love them most, their parents. While Florida softball has long battled baseball for most popular sport not named football or basketball at Florida, the last four years has awakened something that none of those sports can duplicate. As one walks past the “grove” or the “pit” below Katie Seashole Pressley Stadium, they will see scores of Florida Gators fans engaged in laughs, deep conversations, tailgate games and music. What is most impressive is those conversations and interactions exist among parents of the players and the fans that have come to call each other friends. Jennifer and Kent Falby, the parents of Gold Glove centerfielder Kendra Falby, have spearheaded a blend of people, culture and backgrounds that has created a family atmosphere seen nowhere else in Florida athletics. Within this community are fans from Gainesville, Jacksonville, Bartow, Tampa, Orlando Texas, and California all ingrained into the community and all willing to participate in the pre-game rituals that make the action inside the stadium even more special. For reference, paint the picture of a Gators 9-4 win Friday evening that ended close to 10 pm. On this night the Gators honored seniors Brooke Barnard, Kendra Falby, Reagan Walsh, Korbe Otis, Rylee Holtorf and Kara Hammock. While the players were honored with video montages and framed jerseys on the field what followed in the “grove” is what has made the blending of fan and family special. The community gathered together for song, dance and personal tributes that capped off a wonderful evening. Each family came with emotional heart-felt stories about their children and siblings. There was dessert, laughs, tears and it was witnessed by a mix of over a hundred people who had contributed to making sure the seniors knew how much they are loved and respected. All with one more game to show the Sooners who was boss. The next day the atmosphere was again electric as emotions turned to sending the Sooners home with a loss in the rubber match. In a scene reminiscent of a hoops Final Four, each seat in Pressley Stadium was adorned with either a blue or orange shirt for fans to create a collage of the state’s grandest colors. The crowd was electric as the starting lineups were announced and it was time for two of the nation’s best teams to get after it. Florida would lead off the scoring in the first with a Jocey Erickson run scored via a sacrifice fly from Reagan Walsh, a lead they would never relinquish. Despite leading the game throughout, Saturday was not without drama and excitement and much of it from the glove of Kendra Falby. Falby would put her personal stamp on this series by providing one of the greatest defensive performances in Gator history. On a deep fly ball hit by Cydney Sanders, Falby would turn to her glove side first and would then turn to her backhand to make a Sportscenter Top Ten play, thievery of a certain Sanders home run which would have tied the game. For Falby, whose vertical jump has been recorded at 34 inches, it was the second pilfer of an Oklahoma ball that was headed out if the ball park in this series. The electricity that ensued were chants of “Kendra Falby” by the more than 2,600 fans (3rd largest in school history) and a warning shot that playing these Gators are a different animal when you have Ike Hilliard in center field. With the crowd still buzzing, the Gators would add two more runs in the third and hold a 3-2 lead in the top of the sixth inning. Once again Falby would put a definitive stamp on the series and her All-American status as Oklahoma’s Isabela Emerling hit a shot that in most cases would have been an extra base hit and tied the game. Unfortunately, for Emerling this is Kendra’s Cove and reminiscent of a Wuerffel to Hilliard post route, Falby methodically tracked the ball into the gap and snagged it for another Top Ten worthy play. The crowd, stunned and amazed by Falby’s feat, was speechless as Falby returned the ball to the infield. Once their breath returned to their lungs, the chants of “Kendra Falby” rang out again and the Sooners were again put on notice that hitting the ball to center field is bad for business.  Coach Tim Walton has often referred to his senior outfielder “as the straw that stirs the drink.” Her glove shined brightest but Falby electrified the crowd on the base paths as well. After a hit and a throwing error that advanced her to third, Falby again proved to be the spark that sent Pressley Stadium into a frenzy. On a passed ball by Oklahoma, Falby would again flash her grit and athleticism, beating the Oklahoma catcher to the plate and knocking the ball from her glove for the Gators fifth run. Falby, forever humble, noted that her feats are never without the help of her teammates and her use of the term “we” as opposed to “I” to explain her success that resonates throughout her team. Barnard would score from third a pitch later and the Gators would end Oklahoma pitcher Sam Landry’s day as the Gators took a commanding 6-2 lead. Touchdown Kendra Falby!!!! (UAA photo) While the Gators would hold on to take the deciding game 6-4, it was again the scene after the game where fans enjoyed the chant of “it’s great to be a Florida Gator” and “Por Ti Valore” that again had fans and parents celebrating, hugging one another and enjoying bonds that have made these relationships so special. Plays were replayed, plans were made, but one thing is certain — the relationship among the team, fans, and the ones that love them the most is special.   As the words of Andrea Bocelli continued to play it was “time to say goodbye” to the Sooners and everybody felt they had a part in Saturday’s win.

#6 Florida won its first softball series against a number one team, defeating the Sooners 6-4

Walter Clayton Jr. sliced through four Auburn defenders to score and draw a foul with 1:33 left in the game (Photo by Chris Spears) As the winners of the regionals converged on San Antonio, a substantial portion of the national media thought this was nothing more than the Duke Invitational. The Florida Gators had some support. Jay Bilas and Seth Greenberg of ESPN were sticking with Florida as their choice to cut down the nets, but there was this obsession with Duke and Cooper Flagg. Nobody was giving Auburn or Houston much chance to win.   Once in San Antonio, Flagg, to no one’s surprise, took home the big trophy as the national player of the year. When I watched him play two games in Raleigh a couple of weeks earlier, I thought Flagg is a very good player, but I didn’t feel compelled to call him the greatest thing since the elimination of the center jump after every made basket. When I turned in my National Association of Basketball Writers ballot, my national player of the year choice was Florida’s Walter Clayton Jr. with Johni Broome of Auburn No. 2.    I confided in some friends that I thought Duke benefitted from a very weak ACC and would have struggled to win more than 10-12 games in the SEC. I’ve never seen such a weak ACC nor have I ever seen such a strong SEC.     Before taking off for San Antonio, I tell Gator great Gary Keller Florida is the best team in the country and will win a national championship. He agrees but cautions first things first. To get to the national championship game the Gators have to play Auburn.   Thursday, April 3, 2025, Orlando, Austin and San Antonio   The combination of the Final Four and the annual coaches convention makes getting in and out of San Antonio a problem I don’t want to deal with so ace photographer Chris Spears and I are flying to Austin, then driving to San Antonio.   Going through security I put everything on the trays and last second put my Airpods on top of my computer. This lady that I would want on my side if I’m in a barroom and a brawl breaks out, chats with me as I go through the metal detectors. On the other side as I start putting everything back in my pockets this guy reaches on top of my computer and grabs my Airpods. I politely tell him to put them back, those are mine.   “No, no! These are mine,” he tells me. I disagree and he pulls out his iPhone to show that he has a connection to Airpods. “See, these are mine,” he says and tries to walk off.   I suggest he is a thief, which he comes back at me with a barrage of words that rhyme with fire truck. He’s trying to walk off and I call him thief again, this time loud enough that the Homeland Security lady comes over and asks what is the matter.   As I’m telling her what happened, and open my phone, the light on the Airpods the guy is holding turns green, proof they are mine. He reaches into his pocket and pulls out Airpods, says, “Little mistake. I’m sorry.”   He tries to walk off and the lady grabs him by the arm with one hand, grabs his carry-on luggage with the other. As I’m putting my computer back into my bag and getting ready to put my shoes back on, the lady discovers maybe 12 Airpods cases in his bag.   I’m hoping this isn’t an omen for the weekend.   ***   When the plane touches down on the runway in Austin we see this beautiful terminal, part of which is under construction. Very nice, so why are we turning and heading out to the north 40? And when the plane stops there is no jetway. It’s down the stairs and a walk to what looks like a very large converted doublewide. This is the Frontier terminal. Swell.   And considering there is only one plane on the tarmac, why, pray tell, does it take 25 minutes for the luggage to arrive. In my mind, Karen Carpenter’s mellow voice starts singing “We’ve Only Just Begun.” The Airpods incident at the airport in Orlando is feeling like an omen.   Outside it looks like it’s going to rain. We get to stand in line for a bus that takes us to the main terminal. We wait. We wait some more. We continue to wait. Nearly 20 minutes later this bus pulls up. Not very big. Maybe 30 people squeeze in. Chris, who brought his lovely wife Kelly for this trip, and I wait. My knee, which took a pounding on the San Francisco hills, is hurting. I’m hungry. I don’t want to get rained upon. Give me another five minutes and I’ll have at least 10 new things to gripe and complain about.   The bus arrives and we go on a 15-minute ride on roads so narrow I hope nobody comes at us from the opposite direction. The guy sitting to my right hasn’t bathed in weeks. Either that or he sweats a lot. The lady on the left must have had three cloves of garlic for breakfast. Swell.   When we finally are dumped at the main terminal it’s a hike to Alamo to rent my car. Finally, something goes easy. Four minutes and I’m on my way to decide which midsize SUV I’ll be driving. Chris and Kelly have another car rented so they can detour on the way to San Antonio through Wacky Waco to stay at Hotel 1928, owned by HGTV stars Chip and Joanna Gaines.   ***   Larry Gross took me to the original Rudy's in Leon Springs for fantastic barbecue Once in San Antonio, credentials secured, Whataburger is the next stop. We used to have one in Gainesville, another in Starke, but they went belly-up due to financial difficulties of the owner. No such problem in San Antonio where the chain is headquartered. The Whataburger double with cheese and extra jalapenos, fries and a drink comes to $7.24 which is only slightly more expensive than a Happy Meal.     Home for the next few days is at the home of friends Larry and Pauline Gross. Larry is a longtime Gator fan who grew up in Tampa playing golf with Eddie Pearce and making his way to the armory to watch rassling with Gordon Solie on the microphone going from spinning toe hold to atomic elbow drop to sleeper hold without a blink. Pauline is a retired Army colonel. Upstairs I’ve got an office to use, a seriously comfortable bed and an Airedale named Boss who has adopted me and will stand guard over me until I depart.   Dinner is just up the interstate from their neighborhood to the original Rudy’s Barbecue at Leon Springs. We wait in line, order the brisket, some ribs, pork and cole slaw. While waiting a lady offers us a slice of jalapeno sausage, which melts in our mouths with a rather nice kick at the end. When we grab our cardboard carton with the food on it, she tosses in a link with a smile, then hands a few sheets of wrapping paper. “Our fine china,” she tells us.   It has been years since I was at the original Rudy’s. The barbeque is still incredible and the sauce tangy but not thermonuclear. Larry has been sending me Rudy’s sauce and cases of Dink’s barbecue sauce (from Bartlesville, Oklahoma) for years.   Back at Casa Gross, we sit by the pool under a high Texas sky. Boss and Charlie the lab keep us safe from intruders.   Friday, April 4, 2025, San Antonio   Friday is traditionally fan day before the Final Four. Fans who only dream of finding a ticket at a reasonable price come to watch all four teams practice. The bands, cheerleaders and mascots are all there along with thousands of fans. The Alamodome is a rocking place and we’re still more than 24 hours before the Gators will tip off against Auburn.   At his press conference, a very confident Todd Golden talks about how he sealed the deal to land Walter Clayton Jr. out of the portal. Clayton was the MAAC Player of the Year at Iona, playing for Rick Pitino. When Pitino took the St. John’s job expectations were that Clayton would go with him, but Golden made a convincing case for Florida.   Just when it seemed Clayton was going to be a Gator, Walt went to New York to visit Iona teammate and close friend Daniss Jenkins. On Easter Sunday 2023, Walt’s mom let Golden know St. John’s and Pitino seemed to be making headway with a last ditch pitch.  “I guess one of the benefits of being Jewish is that we don't celebrate Easter,” Golden said. “Got on a plane that afternoon, flew up, met with Walt on Easter Sunday evening, me and Coach Korey McCray. Had a great meal talking through everything with him. Before we left that night, he let us know he was going to come home. “I think that extra effort, going up there and sitting with him, reconfirming our vision for him, what our program would be like was really important. Obviously I'm really glad we got on that plane. It was really well worth it.”    In a little more than 24 hours, that spur of the moment flight will prove to be one of the smartest decisions Todd Golden ever made. Alijah Martin soars for a breakaway dunk for a 66-63 Florida lead (Photo by Chris Spears) Saturday, April 5, 2025, San Antonio   Game day. The pregame meal will be at San Antonio landmark Chris Madrid’s along with Larry, Pauline and daughter Morgan. This is the new Chris Madrid’s. The original, where I first got to know the food, burned down replaced by this one which is jam packed. No reservations so it’s grab a seat soon as you find one open. We spot one with four chairs out on the patio. Larry secures it. We order, food is brought to our table, and it’s every bit as good as it was way back when at the old restaurant. The burger is huge and the jalapenos have some extra kick to them. Life is good.   At the Alamodome I arrive early. Walking into an empty arena I think back to the first Final Four I covered in St. Louis in 1973. The late great Bill Walton scored 44 points, hitting 21-22 from the field in an era when there was no dunking allowed. UCLA won its seventh straight NCAA title. No one will ever break that record and no one will ever have a night like the one Walton had as UCLA walloped Memphis State 87-66. A year later the Final Four was in Greensboro. In the semifinals Norm Sloan and North Carolina State ended UCLA’s run of national titles with an 80-77 double overtime in which the Wolfpack came from 11 down in regulation, seven down in the second overtime.   Today, I believe, is going to be a war. Bruce Pearl and Auburn are looking for their first national championship. Florida coach Todd Golden is like a second son to Bruce Pearl. Steven Pearl, Bruce’s son and assistant, is Todd’s best friend and close as a brother. These guys really love each other but on this day only one team can win the game.   Thirty minutes before the opening tip, I am greeted by a Duke writer who says, “Going to be a fun game Monday night. Can’t wait until we play the Gators.” I do believe the Gators are going to win, but I’m not all that impressed with Duke, which I saw twice in Raleigh. I watched on TV in November when Duke lost to Kansas and Kentucky. I thought Duke got a home job when it beat Auburn in December.     My press seat is next to Kenny Cross, the fine basketball writer from Lindy’s and long time friend. Next to him is Mike Bianchi of the Orlando Sentinel. I tell Kenny what the Duke writer said and he responds, “They’ll be lucky to beat Houston. They’ve never played anyone as physical as Houston.”   Ten minutes before the opening tip I go to get something to drink. I run into an Auburn guy who tells me, “We’re screwed. Roger Ayers is calling this game.” A couple of minutes later, a Gator fan tells me, “We’re screwed. Roger Ayers is the most overrated official in the country and we had Courtney Green when we played UConn.”   That seems to settle it. The fans have spoken. Both teams will get screwed by the officiating.     Walter Clayton Jr. turns the corner on Auburn's Johni Broome (Photo by Chris Spears) Saturday, April 5, 2025, San Antonio   I love the last couple of minutes before the opening tip of a Final Four game. Although I wish the games were still played in regular basketball arenas instead of these domed stadiums, it’s still inside and the electricity in the air can’t be matched. They play most of the college football championship games indoors, too, but it isn’t the same as basketball. I’ve concluded over the years that it’s because there are four teams at the Final Four, four fan bases, four bands and the hopes and dreams of millions riding on the outcome of two games played in approximately the same time as one football game.   As the seconds tick down before the introduction of the starting lineups for Florida-Auburn, the hair stands up on my arms and the back of my neck. I feel like I’m going to be a part of a very special day. I’m 73 years old and I am wondering how many more Final Fours I’ll attend. I look at the Florida bench. Good kids. Thanks to Todd Golden and basketball SID Denver Parler we in the media have so much more access to players than with football. And, of course, at NCAA events, the locker rooms are open on practice days and after games. I know these kids and I like them. I like their chances to beat Auburn and Bruce Pearl. Bruce is a friend, but today I believe it will be heartbreak for him and his team.   Introductions done, tipoff imminent, I turn to Kenny Cross and confidently say “Florida. It’s a good day to be a Gator.” He replies, “The Gators are better than Auburn and Duke isn’t tough enough to beat Houston.”   I can live with that.   A few minutes into the first half it’s evident Auburn is well prepared and playing with confidence. The first half is Johni Broome’s game. He is looking like a first team All-American the way he overpowers Florida’s big guys in the low blocks. He is a lefty and not a high riser but he compensates by backing defenders down and getting his right shoulder in their chest so they can’t block his shot. He scores 12 in the first half, but it seems he could have scored 20. The Tigers score 26 first half points in the paint.     It's not all Broome. He gets help from Chad Baker-Mazara and Miles Kelly who both hit a pair of threes. It’s an impressive first half for Auburn, which leads by nine on three occasions before settling for a 45-38 lead at the intermission.   The Gators look very beatable as they head to the locker room. The big guys, especially, need to find some mojo because they’ve been completely outplayed. Inspiration needed. It comes in the form of a pep talk by Clayton. We see the points, the passes, the clutch plays. What we don’t see is the stuff that goes on in the locker room or at practice. He’s a leader. Not in your face, but a leader. Reminds me of those EF Hutton commercials from years past.  “When EF Hutton talks, people listen” is how they would go. That’s Walter Clayton Jr. He scored 14 points in the first half to keep the Gators within striking distance, but he needed help from the big guys.     “Walt kind of got our bigs together at halftime and gave us a nice little pep talk,” Tommy Haugh said, comments affirmed by Micah Handlogten.   It must have worked. Twelve seconds into the second half Alex Condon dribbles down low, draws a defender to him, bounce pass to Rueben Chinyelu who goes up between two Tigers for the first points. This will not be a high scoring game from Florida’s four big guys – 18 with Haugh accounting for 12 – but they dominate the boards in the final 20 minutes and more importantly, they shut down Broome.   Down 49-40, the Gators score nine straight points over a 1:20 span to tie the game. A three-point play by Will Richard, a Clayton three and a step back 3-pointer by Alijah Martin even things up at 49-49. Auburn meanwhile is 1-5 from the field out of the locker. Momentum belongs to the Gators.   Following a media timeout, Auburn’s Tahaad Pettiford drives down the right side of the lane to the rack. He goes up but so does Chinyelu. It’s like a volleyball joust at the net. Pettiford is roofed. Chinyelu not only stuffs him but takes the ball away. He casually flips the ball to Clayton who picks up speed with every dribble, going over, under, around and through four Auburn defenders, laying the ball in with his left hand over Chaney Johnson to give Florida a 51-49 lead.   Alijah Martin drives in for two second half points (Photo by Chris Spears) The Florida contingent erupts. They’re beginning to believe. The body language of Auburn’s players and fans tells a different story, but there is still a long way to go and this one will ebb and flow like waves at the beach.   With 15:12 remaining in the game, Broome scores, getting his right shoulder into Chinyelu’s chest. Lefty shot ties the game at 51-51 and Chinyelu is whistled for a foul. Broome bricks the free throw. Later on when Auburn desperately needs Broome to come through at the line, he throws up a couple of SCUDs. Broome will not score again because Florida has ratcheted up the defensive intensity. The effect on Auburn’s offense is devastating. The Tigers can’t score on the inside and Broome becomes a most ineffective rebounder and defender.   “We did a great job of guarding Johni one-on-one in the second half,” Golden said. “I think he was 1-4 from the field. We started getting out in transition a little bit, saw the ball go through the basket, started gaining some confidence. We obviously played a really, really good second half. ”   Following the Clayton dash through the Auburn defense, the Gators go into an offensive funk that lasts nearly four minutes, almost as if that 11-2 run took out their legs. There was a terrible possession that resulted in a desperation airball three by Alijah Martin. A flagrant foul on Chinyelu. A double dribble by Richard. Turnovers by Clayton and Denzel Aberdeen. All-in-all, there are seven empty possessions.   It's the perfect opportunity for Auburn to reassert itself and play strong like it did in the first half, but the Tigers manage only four points for a 55-51 lead. Bruce Pearl will look back on that four-minute stretch and determine this was when the Tigers lost the game. Florida’s defense went beast mode throughout the second half, but especially during that stretch. We pay attention to the points but we tend to overlook the fact that the kenpom.com analytics rated Florida the No. 6 team in the country when it comes to defensive efficiency.   The Florida offense gets its wakeup call from Clayton who steps back in the corner and launches over 6-7 Chad Baker-Mazara. It’s a high arcing rainbow that finds the bottom of the net cutting Auburn’s lead to a single point (55-54).   The next five minutes are a tug-o-war. Florida rediscovers its offense, Auburn refuses to buckle. It goes back and forth until the definitive defensive play of the game. It’s a hatpin that begins deflating the Auburn balloon. Pettiford tries a second time to challenge Chinyelu, this time at the foul line but as he tries to elevate for a shot, Chinyelu punches the ball out and Martin retrieves. He sprints down the court the way he used to blow past secondaries when he was an all-state QB at North Pike High School in tiny Summit, Mississippi. Baker-Mazara and Chaney Johnson converge but Martin powers up with a vicious dunk that does everything but rip the rim off the glass.   Before the crowd of 68,000-plus can roar they let out a collective gasp. The scoreboard shows Florida 66, Auburn 63. The Gators are ahead for good, but they will still need some Walter time to ensure the win.   The final five minutes were this dizzying array of Clayton showing that he’s the best player in the country and the Florida defense doing its thing. Of Florida’s final 13 points, Clayton lights up Auburn for 10. The 3-pointer from the left side of the key was off a dribble handoff from Haugh and over 6-4 Denver Jones with 4:29 left for a 69-65 lead. With 2:24 to go Clayton schools 6-11 Dylan Cardwell off the dribble. The Red Sea parts and Walt goes straight to the rack for a layup and a 71-68 Florida lead. With 1:33 left he makes four Auburn defenders look silly. He takes a hit, puts the ball in the basket and then nails the free throw. Gators lead 74-68. Fouled with 9.6 seconds to go he hit both free throws for the final margin.   “ He's poised, calm and collected, confident in himself,” Richard says of Clayton. “We have that confidence in him. We see him practice, see his work ethic. We're glad everybody else is getting to see him do it in a game. ”   Defensively, Haugh got a clean block but was called for a foul with 4:47 to go. Alex Condon stuffed Dylan Cardwell at the rim. It was clean but he was called for the foul. Cardwell made only one of two at the line. Condon got perfect position on the baseline to draw a charge from Broome with 2:44 to go when Florida was nursing a 69-68 lead. With 53.5 seconds left, Condon closes so fast on Baker-Mazara that he aborts his jump shot and comes down with the ball. Traveling.      Auburn won’t roll over and die, but the Tigers don’t have enough juice to overtake Florida. For the third time in five NCAA Tournament games, the Gators have rallied and each time Walter Clayton Jr. has delivered the critical shots.   The Florida Gators are going to play for a national championship. Sitting at my computer in the media room, I have a satisfied feeling that I’ve had before. In Indianapolis in 2006, the Gators beat media darling George Mason in the semis. A year later in Atlanta, the Gators beat UCLA in the semifinals. Both times the Gators won the national championship on Monday night.   I like Florida’s chances. In the immortal words of the late, great Jack Palance, “Confidence is very sexy, don’t you think?”   Saturday, April 5, 2025, San Antonio … three hours later   In the final eight minutes, Houston wipes out a 14-point deficit to beat Duke, 70-67. In the final 10:30, Duke manages only one made shot from the field. Trailing 68-67 with eight seconds to go, Duke puts the ball in Cooper Flagg’s hands, but the National Player of the Year chokes. He short arms a wide open shot in the lane that barely grazes the front of the rim.   The national media is in shock. Duke walks off the floor in disbelief. Cooper Flagg looks like someone stole his puppy.   It will be Florida going for its third national championship and Houston, 0-3 in the NCAA championship game.   Tomorrow: Once again the Gators stage an improbable rally to win the national championship.

Walter Clayton Jr. causes Houston's Emanuel Sharp to turn the ball over as the clock strikes zero (Photo by Chris Spears) Growing up in an era when there were only three networks ABC’s Wide World of Sports was must watch Saturday afternoon television if for nothing more than to hear Jim McKay say “the thrill of victory, the agony of defeat” as Slovenian Vinko Bogataj tumbled, flipped and careened off the end of the ski jump. I had never seen snow so every time I saw Vinko flying into space, completely out of control, I wondered how and why anyone would ever take up ski jumping as a sport.   Wide World of Sports lasted until 1998, replaced by live sporting events on multiple networks. The words thrill of victory and agony of defeat live on in my heart and mind. For every victory that unleashes spontaneous celebration there is defeat accompanied by heartbreak and tears. You can’t have one without the other.   On semifinal Saturday at the Final Four, the Florida Gators and Houston Cougars experienced the thrill of victory. Auburn and Duke experienced the agony of defeat. For both Florida and Houston, Monday would be their fourth NCAA championship game. The Gators were 2-1 in the big game with championships won in 2006 and 2007.  Houston (0-3) made it to the championship game for the first time since Phi Slamma Jamma went down in flames in back-to-back seasons (1983-84).   Houston began the season ranked No. 4. Florida began No. 21. When Monday night gave way to Tuesday, one would be celebrating the thrill of earning the final No. 1 ranking while the other would agonize at a No. 2 finish.   Sunday, April 6, 2025, San Antonio; The Alamodome   At the Alamodome just prior to the Sunday press conferences, I catch fragments of discussion that are dominated by the Duke collapse. A substantial portion of the national media is in a state of utter disbelief that Duke not only blew a 14-point lead and lost to Houston, but Cooper Flagg short-armed a makeable shot in the lane that would have won the game. There is more talk about what Duke didn’t do than what Florida and Houston did to make it to the national championship game.   I attribute it to Duke arrogance. In the minds of every Duke fan and what I believe to be most of the national media, Duke is a college basketball somebody, steeped in the rich tradition of the Atlantic Coast Conference. Neither Duke nor the ACC invented college basketball although you might think so if you talk to their fans or the media that covers them.   Here is a shocker for you. Since 2000, Duke has won three national championships, made the Final Four six times and the Elite Eight 10 times. That’s impressive except when you consider all the 5-star talent Duke has accumulated. How is it Duke has only one three national championships with all that talent? Why doesn’t someone ask that question?   Then there are the Florida Gators. Few in the national media think of the Gators as a college basketball somebody but heading into Monday night’s national championship game, Florida has won two national championships, finished runner-up once, made the Final Four five times and the Elite Eight nine times. Almost as impressive as Duke. Perhaps more impressive when you consider how few 5-stars the Gators have signed. On the back-to-back national championship teams of 2006-07, Corey Brewer was Florida’s only 5-star. On this year’s Florida team there are a lot of no-stars and not a single 5-star.   At the press conference Todd Golden explains, “To become a part of our program these last couple years, you had to buy into our vision. You had to buy into putting the program above yourself. ”   The reason the Gators are poised to win the third national championship since 2000 has everything to do with buy in. These guys believe in the mission. They believe in the coaches. They believe in the plan to succeed. As important as anything else, they believe in each other.   Walter Clayton Jr., one of those no star recruits who is proving on college basketball’s biggest stage that he, not Cooper Flagg, is the best player in the country, pinpoints what it is exactly that makes the Gators who they are. In three of the last four games, the Gators have staged improbable comebacks to beat UConn, Texas Tech and Auburn.   “Yeah, I’ve been saying it for awhile now, just the togetherness of our team, the love we all got for each other, allows us not to break apart during adversity,” Clayton says. “We just stay together in these moments.”   The Gators stayed together when adversity struck against Auburn, enabling a comeback from a 9-point second half deficit. They were down 10 to Texas Tech, six in the second half in that rock fight with UConn.   When adversity strikes, the Gators seem held together by super glue. Quite a contrast to Duke, which fell apart against Houston. The Blue Devils made only one shot from the field in the final 10:30 against Houston in one of the most monumental choke jobs in NCAA Final Four history.   “There is something about this team that makes us special,” Tommy Haugh says. “We give everything we have for each other because we don’t want to let the team down.”   Sunday, April 7, 2025, San Antonio   Dinner is at Brasao, an extraordinary Brazilian steakhouse located past the I-10 exit that takes you to Six Flags Fiesta Texas. The main course is the meat, but the salad bar is extraordinary. I could make a meal off the fresh asparagus and deviled eggs. Ribeye, sirloin, pork … it’s incredible.   I don’t do the lamb. I defer to Larry when it comes to lamb. I haven’t eaten any since April of 1997 in London when four of us went to the Fakhreldine Lebanese restaurant on Piccadilly before going to see Petula Clark in the role of Norma Desmond in Andrew Lloyd Weber’s “Sunset Boulevard.” Dinner seemed marvelous until after the play when we stopped at Haagen Das in Leicester Square for ice cream. I started feeling pale and dizzy, so we hailed a cab back to the Athenaeum Hotel.   I cannot recall a more miserable night. Maybe sometime about 3 a.m. I made a deal with God. If he would let me live through the night I would never eat lamb or Arab food ever again.   I’m still alive 28 years later because I have lived up to my end of the deal.   Sunday, April 7, 2025, San Antonio   Back at Casa Gross, it is time to write. Boss is downstairs. I’m sure he smells the meat on Larry and Pauline. I’m upstairs, guarded by Charlie the Lab.   Recalling the day, I decide writing will be done best wearing the Stetson that Larry got for me. He doesn’t realize that up until the time I decided that I would one day take over third base for the Baltimore Orioles when Brooks Robinson retired that I was going to be a cowboy. For some odd reason I couldn’t hit a curve ball, thus ending the Brooks Robinson dream. The dream of being a cowboy pretty much came to an end when Larry Finkle, older brother of my friend Dale, pointed out that nobody took a shot at Gene Autry until he finished singing his song. All the while he was singing he was moving toward cover so that the bullet ricocheted off a rock.   “It’s not real,” Larry told me. “Real cowboys wouldn’t wait until Gene Autry is behind the rock.”   Dreams die hard when you’re eight years old.   Monday, April 7, San Antonio   At breakfast, Boss informs me that I have to pay up for four days of protective services. Two strips of bacon are demanded, a small price to pay for four days of safety.   It’s checkout day as Casa Gross. The flight back to Florida is early morning from Austin so I’ll work at the Alamodome after the game then drive to Austin. It’s been a great four days spent with wonderful friends in their warm, loving home.   When I leave, Boss demands hugs and ear scratches. If he knew I wasn’t returning, I’m sure he would have demanded more bacon at breakfast.   Monday, April 7, San Antonio; The Alamodome   Two hours before tip off and I walk through the tunnel leading to a near empty arena that will soon be filled with more than 66,000 fans. My mind drifts back to 2006 when Florida and UCLA played for the national championship in Indianapolis. About 30 minutes prior to the opening tip, a large contingent of former UCLA All-Americans led by Bill Walton and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar came marching through the tunnel in a tight pack, almost with military precision. They were escorted to a special section. I wondered if they feared being mobbed by fans.   Five minutes into the second half Chris Richard nearly tore the rim off the backboard with a monster dunk that had the effect of draining all the arrogance from the faces of the UCLA All-Americans. Florida went on to win its first NCAA basketball title that night, fitting I thought against UCLA.   Just four days earlier, this was supposed to be a walk in the park for Duke, but Duke’s not here. Pity.   Alex Condon keeps J'Wan Roberts from getting to the rack (Photo by Chris Spears) Four hours later … The Alamodome   Confetti will fall from the roof and the Florida Gators will sway to the traditional recording of Luther Vandross singing “One Shining Moment” but not without one of the more bizarre endings in the history of the NCAA championship game. Despite being given every opportunity to win its first NCAA basketball championship, Houston can’t convert free throws, make critical stops or squeeze off a shot in the final seconds that could win the game.   With the Gators leading 65-63 with 19.7 seconds left, Houston elected to go for the win instead of trying a layup to tie the game and send it to overtime. The only problem with that decision was Florida’s defense. Alijah Martin took Milos Uzan out. Will Richard smothered LJ Cryer. Emanuel Sharp took a pass from Cryer about 28 feet from the basket. As Sharp went up for the shot, Walter Clayton Jr. came flying by, being careful to distract but not foul. Sharp dropped the ball to the floor but before anyone from Houston could retrieve Alex Condon dived face first, secured the ball and flipped it up to Clayton as the final horn sounded.   Florida 65, Houston 63. A fourth come-from-behind win in six NCAA Tournament games. An ending so wild that it couldn’t have been scripted. So typical of the Florida Gators who won their third NCAA basketball championship in school history and the first in Todd Golden’s three years on the job.   For Houston, a last second loss in the national championship game almost as strange as 1983 when Lorenzo Charles dunked back a missed 3-pointer to give North Carolina State a win over the heavily favored Cougars. Two hours earlier … The Alamodome   In the win over Duke, Houston’s strategy was to take its chances with Cooper Flagg. Kelvin Sampson was willing to let Flagg score in exchange for keeping the other four guys under control. Obviously, the strategy worked quite well. Against Florida, Sampson’s strategy is to bracket Walter Clayton Jr. and take his chances with the other guys.   Within the first five minutes of the game I remark to Kenny Cross, “There are men doing hard time in Raiford for less than what Houston is doing.”   This game is so physical that it makes the UConn, Texas Tech and Auburn games seem like recess at Romper Room. The zebra crew of Ron Groover, Terry Oglesby and Doug Sirmons seem to be channeling their inner Karl “No Autopsy, No Foul” Hess. It isn’t for a lack of whistle opportunities. They have plenty but either their whistles are defective or were swallowed.   At halftime, there have been four – count ‘em – free throws shot. By BOTH teams. Four! Florida is 2-2. Houston is 1-2.   Of course, if the zebras had tooted every time there was a foul the first half would have lasted two hours and both teams would have had only five players to make it through the entire second half.   Will Richard drains a first half three over Milos Uzan (Photo by Chris Spears) The physical play makes it difficult for Clayton to squeeze off a shot so Will Richard has to carry the Gators in the first half. Richard hits three 3-pointers during a 3-minute stretch to bring the Gators even with Houston, 21-21, but the Cougars respond with an 8-0 run for a 29-21 lead. Another Richard 3-pointer with 52 seconds to go in the half cuts the gap to 31-28 at the intermission.   Fourteen first half points for Richard. Zero for Walt. Worse yet, nine Florida turnovers.   “ At halftime just looking at the numbers, the only thing that really stood out that was a big issue was our turnovers,” Todd Golden said. “I thought we had such uncharacteristic turnovers. I thought some of those, majority of those nine turnovers were not forced. They were just either poor decisions or being sped up offensively. We just needed to kind of calm down.” Despite all the turnovers, Houston wasn’t capitalizing. For the entire game, the Gators turned it over 13 times, but Houston managed only nine points off the miscues. That is because Houston wasn’t the only team playing defense.   Florida was so good offensively throughout the year that it was easy to overlook how good the Gators were defensively. The Gators gave up only 69.6 points per game, ranked seventh nationally in 3-point defense (29.4 percent) and finished third in rebounding (41.82 per game).   Houston hit only 2-14 from the 3-point line in the first half, 6-25 for the entire game. In the second half, Houston was held to a miserable 31.25 percent from the field. At one point in the second half, the Gators got nine consecutive stops.   Despite the defensive effort, however, the game almost got away from the Gators during a 50-second span early in the first half. Florida was whistled for four consecutive fouls and when Todd Golden protested, he was lit up for a technical foul.   Houston’s 34-30 lead expanded to 40-30 with three free throws and a 3-pointer by LJ Cryer after the technical. When J’Wan Roberts scored in the paint with 16:24 left to make it 42-30, Mike Bianchi looked at me and said, “They aren’t going to let Florida win this game.”   Walter Clayton Jr. finally got on the scoreboard with 14:57 left in the game with a pair of free throws that cut Houston’s margin to 42-34. When the second free throw buried itself in the net, the large Florida contingent nearly blew the roof off the Alamodome. Something about Walt scoring told the Florida faithful that the Gators weren’t dead yet.   Houston scored the next three points to put Florida down 11, but that’s when the zebras whistled three straight fouls on the Cougars over a 9-second period. The Gators didn’t get a single free throw from the fouls, but they loosened up and started looking like the Florida team that was 5-0 in NCAA Tournament play. A Denzel Aberdeen layup, an Alijah Martin 3-pointer and a fast break layup and free throw by Tommy Haugh trimmed Houston’s 11-point margin to 45-42. There was still 12:06 left in the game, but no longer did it look like Houston was on track to win its first national basketball championship in school history.     “When we went down 12 in the second half, we stayed the course,” Clayton said. “We didn’t point fingers, didn’t start to try to make hero plays, gambling defensively. We got rewarded because of that toughness we displayed.”   Walter Clayton Jr. set up for a drive to the rack (Photo by Chris Spears) Clayton made his first shot from the field with 7:54 to go in the game. After walking the ball up the court after the Gators got a stop, Clayton set up Terrance Arceneaux a good 40 feet from the basket, crossed over right to left hand and blew by the Houston guard for a lefty layup high off the glass.  Fouled on the play, Clayton hit the free throw to tie the game at 48-48.   A foul and a tech on Rueben Chinyelu gave Houston three free throws for a 51-48 lead, but Clayton had his mojo back. With 7:02 remaining in the game the Gators ran a give-and-go, Clayton-to-Haugh-back to Clayton for a layup and another foul. Clayton tied the game with his free throw.   For the next five minutes the Gators played catch up. Houston scored just enough to keep the lead. The Gators scored just enough to keep it a reach out and touch game. Trailing Houston by three (60-57), Florida assistant Kevin Hovde designed a play to spring Clayton free for a 3-point shot during a media time out.   Once across midcourt, Clayton flipped the ball to Tommy Haugh to the left of the key. Clayton ran Houston guard Milos Uzan past the foul line on the right side of the lane where he was picked up by Emanuel Sharp. A couple more steps toward the rim and Clayton put it in reverse. Alex Condon slid over a couple of steps with a screen to pick off Sharp. Richard sold that he was going to take a 3-pointer from the top of the key, then cut back toward the rim, taking Uzan with him. At the top of the key Clayton got the ball back, elevated and delivered the dagger three to tie the game at 60-60 with 3:14 to go.   The Cougars got their final points from the field when Cryer tipped in his own miss with 2:29 left but Richard tied it at 62-62 with a pair of free throws with 2:18 to go. Houston’s last lead came with 2:05 left when Joseph Tugler made the first of two free throws.   In the final two minutes, the Gators are brilliant defensively. Milos Uzan goes high to launch a 3-point shot from the top of the key. Will Richard goes higher and blocks the shot. Houston gets the ball back with 4.3 seconds left but Cryer misses from the baseline. When Tugler tries to wrestle the rebound away from Condon, the ball goes off his hand. Florida ball with 1:21 to go.   Houston’s next possession ends in a blocked shot/takeway by Condon in the paint with 52 seconds to go. Alijah Martin is fouled taking the ball to the rack on 6-8 Joseph Tugler six seconds later. He drains both free throws for Florida’s first lead since the score was 8-6.   Will Richard knocks the ball off Emanuel Sharp's leg (Photo by Chris Spears) Taking the ball at the top of the key, Sharp drives right, tries to turn the corner and get to the rack, but as Condon cuts him off Richard reaches in and slaps the ball off Sharp’s leg. Florida basketball with 26.5 seconds left and a 64-63 lead.   The Gators barely avoid turning the ball over with 19.7 seconds left, bailed out by a foul that sends Denzel Aberdeen to the line. He bricks the first, makes the second. Later on it will be noted that the second free throw was worth billions. The point spread was 1.5. Florida covered.   One hour later … The Alamodome   Rueben Chinyelu with his victory cigar (Photo by Chris Spears) In a jubilant Florida locker room, Rueben Chinyelu waves a cigar. Tommy Haugh holds the national championship trophy. Alex Condon is surrounded. Will Richard calmly tells a reporter he came to Florida for moments just like this.   There is chaos everywhere but sitting quietly in front of his locker, a gentle, contented smile on his face, is Micah Handlogten.   “Worth it?” I ask him. I know the answer already, but I have to ask just because I want to see the smile that I know is coming back at me.   “Best decision I ever made,” he answers. The smile could light up an entire room.     I tell him he has a memory for a lifetime, something that no one will ever be able to take away from him. I also have a memory for a lifetime. I get to see the sense of pride and feeling of accomplishment of an unselfish young man who put team above self.   Just a few weeks earlier when Handlogten made the decision to burn his redshirt, I was on Rob Browne’s Sidelines SEC show. I told Rob that this was the missing ingredient that would take the Florida Gators to the NCAA championship.   Next season when he’s stronger and in the great basketball shape that he wasn’t these past few weeks, Micah Handlogten will be a beast. There is still room for greatness.   Before leaving the locker room, I pause for a photo with Haugh, still holding the trophy.   “You only dream about something like this … and now it’s real,” Haugh tells me.   As I walk to the door, I tell Walter Clayton Jr. that he is officially the most famous citizen of Lake Wales. He grins and responds, “I don’t know about famous but the Gator Boyz are national champions!”   Trudging to the media work room, I recall leaving the Georgia Dome in 2007 after the Gators had beaten Ohio State for the national championship. I wondered that night if I would ever get to write about another Florida basketball team so fun and so full of life.   Eighteen years later, it happened again. The glow still won’t go way.

SAN ANTONIO – As the clock ticked off the final seconds Monday night, Alex Condon made the play of his life to preserve Florida’s 65-63 heart-stopping win over the Houston Cougars for the NCAA basketball championship at the Alamodome.   Condon didn’t hit a buzzer beater shot or make free throws, but rather dived on the floor, stretching his 6-11 frame as far as it would go to secure a loose ball that he flipped up to Walter Clayton Jr. as the clock flatlined at 0:00. There was no time for thinking, hardly any time to react but Condon did what he always does in practice.   Loose ball. Dive for it.   “Totally instinctive,” Condon said in the Florida locker room. “Ball’s on the floor, only one thing to do. Dive for it. I got my hands on it and Walt was there. Next thing the horn is blowing.”   The sequence that led to Condon’s game-saving play made for the most bizarre ending of a national championship game since 1993 when Michigan’s Chris Webber called a timeout the Wolverines didn’t have, ensuring Dean Smith and the North Carolina Tar Heels would win the title.   Florida took a 64-63 lead with 46.5 seconds remaining on a pair of Alijah Martin free throws. Plenty of time for the Cougars, who came from six down in the final minute to beat Duke in a Saturday semifinal. Only problem was the Gators surrounded Emanuel Sharp along the baseline and he dribbled the ball off his knee with 26.5 left on the clock.   After Houston fouled Denzell Aberdeen with 19.7 showing, Aberdeen hit the second of two free throws to make it 65-63, a shaky 2-point lead against a team that bombed in several clutch threes in its comeback from a 14-point deficit against Duke. The Cougars called time out to set up a play that would either tie or win the game.   With a little more than three seconds to go, Sharp went up for a long 3-pointer at the top of the key only to find Walter Clayton Jr. flying at him. Rather than risk getting his shot blocked, Sharp dropped the ball on the floor. If he touched it again it would have been a walking violation and Florida basketball. Condon ended all doubt about the outcome with his dive for the ball.   “I seen a lot going on,” Clayton said. “Felt like we were going to get something from (LJ) Cryer or (J’Wan) Roberts. Sharp kind of creeped down to the baseline. I seen a back screen. I’m yelling at Do (Condon). Sharp ended up slipping it, set elevator screens. We work on it in practice, closing out, jumping to the side so you don’t foul the shooter. He pump faked, threw the ball down, ended up being a good play. Do got on it. We won the game.”   From Florida coach Todd Golden’s angle “the last play was just absolutely an amazing play. “Walter recovered, closed out, as he said, flew right by his right side to not allow himself to foul. Sharp … understood he couldn’t touch the ball or else it would have been a turnover. Then Condo did what he does a lot, which is get physical, dive on the floor, make a winning play getting on that loose ball.”   Condon’s play capped a win from a 12-point comeback and the most ridiculous sequence of fouls called against the Gators all season. During a span of 56 seconds starting with 18:33 remaining in the game, the Gators were whistled for five fouls and a technical on Golden. In the aftermath of all the whistles, Houston held a 42-30 lead with 17:37 left and the Gators seemed dead in the water.   Up to that point, Clayton hadn’t scored a single point and the Gators had turned the ball over 12 times.   The comeback began with 15:25 left on a dunk by Condon off a pass from Clayton. Twenty-eight seconds later, Clayton got on the board with a pair of free throws to cut the margin to eight, 42-34. Houston pushed the lead back out to 11 but then came the Cougars big run-in with the zebra crew of Ron Groover, Doug Sirmons and Terry Oglesby. Will Richard scores over Houston's Uzan (Photo by Chris Spears)   Within a 9-second span, Houston was assessed three fouls that completely killed any momentum it might have had. Florida responded after the third foul call with a second chance layup by Aberdeen, a 3-pointer by Martin and a spectacular play by Tommy Haugh. Haugh blocked an attempted stepback three by Cryer. Will Richard retrieved the ball and got it ahead to Haugh who drove in for a layup and was fouled. Haugh nailed the free throw and that 12-point lead had dissipated to three, 45-42, with 12:06 left in the game.   Houston responded with a 3-pointer by Cryer with 11:29 to go, but the Cougars were obviously feeling the heat. Houston came into the game ranked No. 1 in the country defensively, but the Cougars found out they aren’t the only ones capable of playing defense at an elite level. Houston wouldn’t make another shot from the field until there was 6:24 to go in the game.   Florida was just warming up.   Clayton scored his first points from the field with 7:54 to go on a drive to the rack on which he was fouled. When he hit the free throw that tied the game at 48-48, it was game on.   “Walt saw the ball go through the net with some free throws and the and-one layup,” Golden said. “I thought that loosened him up a little bit. After that we were starting to get some good stuff, hit some shots, get downhill and get to the foul line. We were able to flip the game and the momentum a little bit.”   Clayton got another 3-point play with 7:02 remaining that tied the game at 51-51. Houston wasn’t dead yet, pushing ahead by three, 60-57, with 4:21 to go.   Again, it was Clayton with the response, his first and only 3-pointer of the game that tied the score at 60-60 with 3:14 to go. A tip-in by Cryer and a free throw by Joseph Tugler sandwiched two Will Richard free throws, putting Houston ahead 63-62 with 2:05 to go.   That was the last time the Cougars would lead. From that point on, it was all about Florida’s defense.   Richard blocked a shot with 1:28 to go and Condon got a steal after Tugler grabbed an offensive rebound. Martin got free throws to give the Gators the lead, Sharp dribbled the ball off his knee, Aberdeen hit a free throw and then Sharp put the ball on the floor with Condon making the diving save.   What a way to end a game.   The Gators led for only 1:03 in the entire game, but they were ahead when the final horn sounded and that was all it took for the Gators to win their third national championship, their first since 2007, the second of back-to-back titles.   This game was a grind against a team that controlled the tempo with its defense and slower paced offense. Florida’s ability to adapt to whatever style of play the other team dictated came through once again. To win the national championship, the Gators had to play an elite defensive game, something they didn’t get enough credit for during the season.   “We’ve gotten a lot of credit for our offense because we’ve been so explosive all year, been one of if not the top two offenses in America all year,” Golden said. “We’ve been a top 10 defense all year, also. We’ve been able to stand up against really good offensive teams and find a way to get stops.   “I thought Houston got the better of us in the first half. It was really just a disparity in the turnover count. We had nine. I think they had two in the first half. As I look here, we had four in the second half, they had seven. Our defensive won us the game tonight. We got nine straight stops in the middle of the second half.”   The Gators held Houston to 24-69 shooting overall from the field (34.8 percent), 6-25 from the 3-point line.   Clayton, who had scored 30 or more back-to-back managed only 11 but he contributed five rebounds, seven assists and a blocked shot as well. For his efforts he was named the tournament's Most Outstanding Player.   “They were guarding Walter and the other guys pretty hard,” Richard said. “Walt had seven assists. Even when they were guarding him so hard, I feel like he still made plays to help the team win. Just a good job by the team staying aggressive throughout that.”   If there was an offensive hero for the Gators it was Richard, who scored 14 of his 18 points in the first half when he connected on 4-6 from the 3-point line. Richard also had eight rebounds, two assists, two steals and a blocked shot.   “Tonight was one of those nights for Will,” Clayton said. “He showed it multiple times this year. Never know whose night it’s going to be, and we showed that as a team.   And of course, there was Condon, who scored only one point in Florida’s semifinal win over Auburn. Against Houston, Condon had 12 points, seven rebounds and four steals.   In a jubilant Florida locker room, Tommy Haugh put the game in perspective.   “We won the national championship because we’re a real team that doesn’t care who scores the most points or stuff like that,” Haugh said. “The only thing we care about is winning. We’re national champions.” All-Tournament team: Walter Clayton Jr., Florida (Most Outstanding Player); Will Richard, Florida; LJ Cryer (Houston); J'Wan Roberts (Houston); Cooper Flagg (Duke)

Florida had a respectable showing in a nine-inning classic with top-ranked Oklahoma Thursday. It was Ace versus Ace where Oklahoma’s Sam Landry picked up her 18th win on the season (18-3) with a marathon of 160+ pitches over the nine innings. Keagan Rothrock (14-5) looked solid, starting out, with a 1, 2, 3 inning in the first.

Walter Clayton Jr. launches the shot that put the Gators ahead for good against Texas Tech (UAA Photo) The king was dead, its leader griping to anyone who would listen that the zebras were the difference in a coup that prevented a third reign over the kingdom of college basketball. UConn was eliminated from the NCAA Tournament by the Florida Gators and the only ones paying attention to Danny Hurley’s X-rated outburst were UConn fans who will go to their graves believing what happened in Raleigh was a conspiracy.   Despite the win over UConn and the sensational shooting of Walter Clayton Jr., the Gators weren’t exactly showered with respect, largely because Duke played in the second game at The Lenovo Center. The CBS crew of Grant Hill and Bill Raftery heaped tons of praise on Duke freshman Cooper Flagg but theirs was nothing compared to Dick Vitale a week earlier at the ACC championship in Greensboro. Vitale did everything but offer to bear Flagg’s first born child and proclaimed nothing or no one would stand in the way of Duke.   All that played right into the hands of Todd Golden and the Gators, who were headed to San Francisco for a Sweet 16 matchup with Maryland, formerly of the ACC and now a power in the Big Ten. Golden continued to sell the chip on the Gators’ shoulder and all this Duke/Cooper Flagg talk only made the chip grow bigger.   Golden wasn’t afraid to tell the world there wasn’t a team in the country the Gators couldn’t beat. Walter Clayton Jr., a first team All-American who wasn’t even a unanimous choice for first team All-SEC, seemed to be on a mission to prove to Vitale and all the Flagg oglers that he was the best player in the country. Not just the best clutch shooter, but the best player period. Walter proclaimed Florida’s 3-guard scheme that includes Will Richard and Alijah Martin as the “best backcourt in the nation.”   The media obsession with Duke and Flagg drowned out anything Golden had to say. It played right into the Gators’ hands.   March 26, 2025, Orlando to San Francisco       On the 4-hour flight from Orlando to Denver where I change planes, I am seated between a Christian missionary to Burma, now known as Myanmar, and a Muslim cleric from Azerbaijan. The back and forth between the two about their spiritual and religious differences is respectful. I feel blessed to hear such thoughtful discourse. I learn that Myanmar, a country that banned Christians years ago, now has four million. I learn from the cleric that the thing he loves about America is that Christians, Muslims, Jews and people of every faith live peacefully side-by-side.   In Denver there is enough time to get a barbecue sandwich and some banana pudding at Brothers. Brothers is owned by a couple of Brits who toured the South to sample the different styles of barbecue before opening their own restaurant. The barbecue and banana pudding remind me of Corky’s in Memphis.   The flight to San Francisco is supposed to be short and sweet. Emphasis on supposed. We circle San Francisco for 40 minutes and when the captain announces we now have permission to land we’re still 22 minutes out from San Francisco International.   Taking BART to Union Square I encounter Wes. He’s originally from St. Petersburg, Florida, but 30 years in San Francisco. I ask what he misses most about St. Pete and he says it’s his mom’s church. He starts singing “What a Friend We Have in Jesus” and I join right in. Next thing you know we’re joined by this Jamaican lady who starts singing “Blessed Assurance.” By the time we get to Union Square we have a regular sing-along going and maybe 12 people have joined us.   My hotel screwed up my reservation. The clerk is belligerent, telling me because I didn’t check in the day before my reservation is cancelled. I show him on my phone the reservation that proves the hotel got it wrong. Belligerent turns nasty. I call American Express which cancels the charge to the hotel. I call a Courtyard and talk to Jamal. He sends an Uber driver to pick me up. My seventh floor room is perfect.   Across the street from the hotel is Chuy’s Fiesta. It’s not much bigger than my hotel room. Four tables, 16 chairs. The shrimp quesadilla is huge and loaded with 20 shrimp. The girl at the counter quips, “Real Mexican food served up by real Mexican people. What’ll they think of next?”   Alex Condon scores two second half points against Maryland (UAA Photo) March 27, 2025, San Francisco   By the time the Florida-Maryland game at the Chase Center tips off, I have concluded that San Francisco is (a) the best food city in America and (b) every bit as expensive as New York. A great place to visit, but I don’t think I would want to live here.   With 12:16 remaining in the first half, the stomachs of every Gator in the entire world go into spin cycle. Alex Condon goes down with an ankle injury. Now we know why it was so important for Micah Handlogten to burn his redshirt. It’s not just Rueben Chinyelu, Tommy Haugh and Micah against Maryland’s dynamic twosome of Derik Queen and Julian Reese but a zebra crew led by Bart Lenox. Bart, I think, gets paid by the toot of his whistle.   The combination of a 9-shot advantage at the foul line and 13 Florida turnovers keeps this game very tight. Somehow the Gators eke out a 40-38 halftime lead, but there is a feeling of uneasiness.   “We were able to go into halftime with the lead even though we had 13 turnovers in the first half,” Todd Golden said after the Gators advanced to the Elite Eight game with an 89-71 win over Maryland. “Once we got there we were able to recalibrate a little bit and the message was simple: We’ve got to keep defending, obviously continue to stay aggressive on the glass but we have to do a better job of taking care of the ball. If we didn’t do that, we would have put ourselves in jeopardy of going home tonight.”   Moments before the second half begins, Condo walks to the UF bench in uniform and without any noticeable limp. Florida fans in the crowd let out a roar. One of the Gator fans seated right behind my press row seat proclaims, “Look who’s back! We are going to win!”   The second half is quite a contrast to the first. The Gators quit making the silly turnovers (only four in the second half). The passing is crisper and the ball moves so quickly that it leaves holes in the Maryland defense. The Gators seem to get to every 50-50 ball and they dominate the rebounding. Defensively, even though the Gators continue to have difficulty stopping Queen, they lock down the 3-point line.   The game turns on a pair of dunks by Chinyelu and a 3-pointer by Alijah Martin that expand Florida’s lead to 55-44 with 14:19 left in the game. The Martin three is like throwing 100 pounds of chicken in the lagoon at Gatorland. Let the Big Gator eat! Everybody gets into the act at both ends of the court.   The scoring is so nicely distributed that Maryland’s defense is stretched and frazzled. Six Gators score double figures – Will Richard (15), Martin (14), Walter Clayton Jr. (13), Tommy Haugh (13), Denzel Aberdeen (13) and Chinyelu (10).     The defense is what makes Golden smile.   “We were elite in the second half,” Golden said. “We did a great job of staying aggressive, handling their pressure and their quickness and their length. Our defense stayed consistent. We were awesome on the glass all night, both sides of the ball and we started taking advantage of the opportunities we got in transition. That allowed us to step on the gas a bit and break away from them.”   The Saturday opponent will be Texas Tech, which had a miracle finish to beat Arkansas in overtime.   As I’m walking out of the Chase Center, I detour to where Arkansas is boarding the buses, the Razorbacks’ season over. John Calipari has a devastated look on his face, but he looks up, sees me and smiles. I get a hug.   “So sorry about your stepfather,” he tells me. “Your mother is okay?”   I tell him yes, ask about his family and wish him the best. He hugs me again. This is the side of John Calipari that more people should see.   March 29, 2025, San Francisco   At the Friday press conference, Golden talks about the fact the Florida roster doesn’t have a single player who was a 4-star or 5-star recruit out of high school. He says he isn’t opposed to recruiting them, but in his opinion it is much more important to find talented guys who (a) are coachable, (b) fit the system and (c) fit the culture he’s built at UF.    Emphasis on culture. This is what separates the Gators from everyone else. The Gators have a roster of guys who play for each other. Nobody is concerned with who scored the most points or who got the headlines. They’re all about the winning and they play hard, not willing to let their teammates down with a lackluster effort.   Golden says, “If they’re five stars that want to be a part of what we’re doing, great. If not, we’ll continue to find Tommy Haughs and Alex Condons and go get guys that compete their tails off and are really prideful about wearing the Florida jersey and doing it that way and live with the results.”   Haugh and Condon should be the poster children of what Golden has built at Florida. Haugh wasn’t heavily recruited out of high school in Pennsylvania. He was going to Richmond when Golden hired Richmond assistant Kevin Hovde. Golden was in Las Vegas for an NBA Global event to scout Rueben Chinyelu when Condon caught his eye playing for Australia.   “We both weren’t heavily recruited out of high school,” Haugh said. “He [Golden] kind of went against the grain and picked us out we’ll always have an appreciation for Coach.”   Chinyelu resisted Golden in Las Vegas, but after a year at Washington State, he transferred to UF.   The Florida backcourt is made up of three transfers, none of whom were big time recruits out of high school. Walter Clayton Jr. spurned football offers from Alabama, Georgia, Notre Dame and Florida to play basketball two seasons at Iona before transferring to UF. Will Richard, son of former Clemson linebacker Al Richard, spent his freshman year at Belmont of the Ohio Valley Conference then transferred to Florida. He was Golden’s first recruit. Martin was an All-State quarterback in Mississippi who threw for 2,100 yards and ran for another 1,300 his senior year, but he chose a basketball scholarship to Florida Atlantic rather than play football. He was a driving force in FAU’s run to the 2023 Final Four. He transferred to Florida prior to the 2024-25 season.   Talking with a couple of Bay Area media guys, one of them says, “If Florida wins the national championship it’s going to set the recruiting industry back light years. These guys are all 5-star players now but out of high school they were no-stars.”   Dinner is at a Korean restaurant that has the best kimchi I’ve eaten in the United States. The food is great and there is basketball on TV. Life is good!   Tommy Haugh hits the first of two 3-pointers in the rally against Texas Tech (UAA Photo) March 30, 2025, San Francisco   It’s funny the things you think about in the middle of a basketball game. The morning of Florida’s Elite Eight game with Texas Tech I finished reading “Marine! The Life of Chesty Puller.” At Guadalcanal, his troops surrounded and outnumbered by a crack Japanese division, Puller told his officers, “They are in front of us, behind us and we are flanked on both sides by an enemy that outnumbers us 29:1. They can’t get away from us now!” Puller’s troops defied all conventional wisdom and won that battle.   When Florida was down 71-61 to Texas Tech with 6:18 left in the game whose winner would advance to San Antonio for the Final Four, it looked like the Gators were about to become the fourth UF team to go down in flames at the Elite Eight. Forty-six seconds later, Texas Tech All-American JT Toppin let fly with a wide open three that looked good all the way until it clanged off the rim. As the Texas Tech contingent in the Chase Center let out a collective groan, Tommy Haugh ran down the rebound in the corner and flipped it to Walter Clayton Jr.   Clayton dribbled down the court and halfway into the paint. Seeing a crowd he dribbled out to the left wing, turned and let fly with what looked like a bad decision three. The ball hit the rim, bounced high and hit the rim again, but instead of caroming off, it landed softly in the net, cutting the Texas Tech margin to 71-64.   At that moment, Chesty Puller came to mind and I thought the Gators had Texas Tech exactly where they wanted. There was still plenty of time left, but something about Walter Clayton Jr. told me he wasn’t about to let the Gators lose. When a game is on the line and the Gators are trailing, Walter Clayton Jr. has whoever the Gators are playing at a distinct disadvantage.   Of the final 23 points the Gators scored in their 84-79 Elite Eight win, Clayton scored 13. He hit three 3-pointers, snaked his way through three Texas Tech defenders for a layup, blocked a shot, grabbed a rebound, made passes that Tommy Haugh converted into clutch 3-pointers and for good measure drained a pair of free throws with 10.6 seconds to go. Clayton was fearless, living in a moment that wasn't too big for him. “The biggest thing in those moments is you need to have somebody that wants to take those shots,” Todd Golden said. “They're obviously difficult plays, but someone that has the confidence to step up and make incredible individual plays and Walter did that for us tonight.” In the final 5:24 the Gators outscored Texas Tech 23-8. In the final 2:50, the Gators outscored the Red Raiders 18-4. Walter Clayton’s fingerprints were all over the rally from dead in the water to a punched ticket to the Final Four. The Gators were surrounded and Walter Clayton was Chesty Puller.   It is in moments like this that coaches look their team in the eye, searching for fear and doubt. At the under-4 media time out, Golden looked the Gators in the eye one-by-one. He didn’t see a hint of doubt in anyone’s eyes as he told them what had to happen if they wanted to extend the season. Call this his win or else message.   “ We were down nine or 10, whatever it was,” Golden said. “The message was we've got to make every winning play down the stretch. ” It was either make the plays or this magical mystery tour would come to an abrupt end. Good teams fold under such circumstances. Great teams rise to the occasion and make the plays they have to make. Offensively, defensively, when plays had to be made, a Gator made the plays. Games like this are always decided by toughest team.   The Gators were down 75-66 when Clayton missed a three that Haugh came out of nowhere to rebound. Dribbling the ball into the left corner, Haugh passed to Clayton who put the ball on the deck, drawing two defenders into the corner that Haugh had just vacated. Bad mistake on their part. Haugh was wide open 10 feet away on the wing. Clayton hit him with a chest high pass and the ball was next seen descending through the net. The clock showed 2:50 remaining. It was 75-69 and the Texas Tech people were as nervous as Gators were giddy.   A missed Texas Tech free throw and 23 seconds later, Haugh buried another three. Texas Tech doubled up on Clayton, who got the ball to Will Richard and over to Haugh, wide open on the right wing. At 75-72, Florida fans felt a surge of confidence. Texas Tech fans were about to lose their lunch, particularly when Toppin bricked another free throw and Haugh rebounded.   At the other end, Clayton dribbled around the perimeter looking for an opening. Dribbling left with 6-6 Darrion Williams defending, Clayton did a crossover, stepped back to his right and let fly with a game-tying three. The score 75-75 with 1:47 left on the clock. Enough time for both teams to win or lose this one, but Florida had Walter Clayton Jr. Texas Tech did not.     After Tech took its last lead with 1:23 to go who else but Clayton had the answer? In a play that will go down as perhaps the greatest in Florida basketball history, Walter Clayton Jr. took a little lob pass from Haugh into the lane. Two dribbles into a double team, Clayton retreated, dribbling back out to an open spot the right side of the lane. Back to the basket he wasted no time setting his feet, instead pivoting and launching the three that put the Gators ahead for good, 78-77, with 59 seconds left to play. Total delirium among the Florida contingent. Doom and gloom among the Red Raiders. One point could have been a million because they had no one capable of stopping Walter Clayton Jr. It was over and they knew it.   The final 59 seconds were all about Florida defense and made free throws. The Gators smothered Texas Tech at one end, didn’t miss at the foul line at the other. Clayton was 2-2, Alijah Martin 2-2 and Will Richard 2-2, all three of them unfazed by the pressure.   The Florida bench erupts as the Gators rally against Texas Tech (UAA Photo) This was a 40-minute game but no one is going to remember what happened in the first 34 minutes. They will only remember what happened when Walter Clayton Jr. took the game over, especially the last 2:50. From teetering on the verge of a call for last rites, the Gators staged a dramatic rally that defied description. Some teams refuse to lose. Florida was that team.   Walking back to the hotel, the evening chill overwhelmed by the warm glow of one of the great performances I've ever seen in all the years I've written about college basketball, I ran into Gator fans celebrating at the famous Pinecrest Diner. Seeing the media badge that I was still wearing they asked me what I thought about the game.   “The last five minutes were played right in front of me where I was sitting,” I responded. “I could almost reach out and touch. I saw it and I still can’t believe what I saw. When Walter Clayton Jr. is on your team, no deficit is safe. They can say what they want about Cooper Flagg or Johni Broome, but the best player in the country – and it isn’t even close – is Walter Clayton Jr.”   Tomorrow: The comeback against Texas Tech was miraculous, but it almost paled in comparison to what happened in San Antonio.