After three weeks of March Madness, the men’s basketball national championship game is here!
A pair of No. 1 seeds, Houston and Florida, are the only two teams left standing.
This is Houston’s third time in the title game and first since Hakeem Olajuwon led the Cougars to consecutive appearances in 1983 and 1984. The program is still seeking its first trophy.
The Cougars (35-4) overcame a 14-point deficit in the final eight minutes against Duke in the Final Four. They won both the Big 12 regular-season and conference tournament titles. They have experience on their coaching staff, with Kelvin Sampson in his 11th season at the helm, and on the court, with seniors LJ Cryer and J’Wan Roberts leading the way.
Florida, on the other hand, hasn’t made the national championship game since it won back-to-back titles in 2006 and 2007. The Gators (35-4) erased an eight-point halftime deficit to defeat Auburn in the Elite Eight.
Their head coach, Todd Golden, is in just his third season with the Gators and has used the transfer portal to author a quick turnaround. The Gators are led by Walter Clayton Jr., who’s averaged 24.6 points per game throughout the NCAA Tournament, and dropped 30 or more in both the Elite Eight and Final Four.
Will it be the Cougars or the Gators cutting down the nets?
Here are the highlights from Monday’s championship game!
9:09p ET
Houston imposing its will on the inside
Live Coverage for this began on 9:10p ET
