San Antonio – at the moment when Florida Gators approached the podium Alamad for his or her coronation, it will Will Richard kept the national championship in his arms and swayed them like a child.

When the team members submitted to the Postgame press conference in the media hall, Richard entered the room for room equipment and gently concentrated it on the podium.

Later, when the team gathered in the locker room to rejoice the first school championship since returning in 2006 and 2007, Richard stands in the center of the room, swaying the trophy.

“It’s hard, but I don’t care,” said Richard, when asked about his quick bonds with the prize. “This is a national championship trophy, and I have to wear it.”

On the night where Florida Walter Clayton Jr. And Alijah Martin was never completely offensive (they shot a total of 5-20 from the pitch, and Clayton was flawless in the first half), Richard’s hot hand in the first half in the first half allowed Gators to take care of the game on Monday 65-63.

Richard finished the game with 18 points and eight rebounds – each team ups. Fourteen of these points occurred in the first half, which ended when Gators traveled only about three, despite the two best scorers, Clayton and Martin, connecting just one goal in the first half.

“Houston guarded us great, but we have many guys in this band who can leave,” said Clayton. “(Monday) was one of these nights for Will. He showed it many times this year.”

This season, Richard led the team to attain nine times, including 30 points in his career against Georgia in February. While Clayton and Martin had problems in the first half against the highest rated defense in the country, Richard was on the radiator-bothering in 4 out of six 3-point shots.

“I just try to play to help us stay in the game,” said Richard, who withdrew from the NBA 2024 draft to return to this season. “I knew that if the arrows were open, I had to take them. When I saw the first to come up, I just said,” It’s my time. ” I just try to make a few pieces to help us win. “

Richard often ended up with the ball when Houston sent a further body in Clayton to stop him from running the belt. This didn’t make Clayton ineffective in the first half, he simply made him a facilitator when he registered five out of seven his assists in the first 20 minutes.

The election shooter was not in the state of Richard, who scored 48.6% from the field this season. While Richard was limited to only 4 second half of the points, his heroic in the first half gave Clayton time to get into the center of attention at the end of the game. Clayton’s first goals got here from 7:54, but this shot and the following free kick tied the game to 48.

The 3-point Clayton indicator with 3:14 tied the game at the age of 60. From there, they suppress Florida’s defense, she kept Cougars without a goal in the last 2:04 games. Richard’s shooting in the title match took place after two doubtful trips: he left nine out of 12 shots in the last two tournament matches against Auburn and Texas Tech.

Heroiki on Monday evening brought Richard a place in 4 4 ALL-Tournament bands, joining Clayton, Cooper Flagga (Duke), LJ Cryer and J’an Roberts (each with Houston). Clayton was called the most eminent player of the tournament.

For Richard, timely scoring was a satisfying ending of a college career, which began in Belmont, where he scored a median of 12.1 points per match while starting 30 matches.

When Todd Golden arrived at Florida as the major coach in 2022, Richard was the first player who committed himself to the program. Richard began all games except three since they arrived in Gainesville. Earlier in the NCAA Tournament, Golden called Richard the “elite sets of culture”, which he gave the tone to the team from the 1st day. Martin called him a “leader”.

For Richard, the whole lot was part of the process to assist establish the foundation under the latest management.

“I just wanted to make sure that guys know the standard in which (Golden) wants guys to play,” said Richard. “Just bringing this advantage every day so that we can be where we want.”

Where all the teams wish to be on the pitch after the last match of the season, when “they shiny moment” plays on large screens. After Monday’s match, Richard climbed the ladder to grab the fragment from the network when Luther Vandross’s voice filled the arena.

This fragment, a few hours later, hung at the back of his national championship hat when he was a trophy in the cloakroom.

“When the clock hit Zero, I was shocked because I thought,” We really won the national championship, “said Richard. “This is something I actually have at all times dreamed of and it is exclusive to see that it involves implementation.”

Asked when he intends to desert the trophy, Richard gave the impression that he was planning him when he returned to the hotel room.

“I don’t think I would leave it,” he said with a smile. “I don’t think I’m leaving it.”

Walter Clayton Jr. From Florida he invented the perfect gift that’s a crushing spirit of Houston, who persecuted, battered and downloaded all of it night.

It was its own defensive jewel. Just before the buzzer. For victory and national title.

Gattors and Clayton one way or the other overcame the intensity of Lockdown Houston, along with a 12-point deficit on Monday evening to win 65-63 victory in the title thriller NCAA, decided that his own D Florida Senior stopped Cougars from winning the win in the match in Brzęcze.

Clayton ended with 11 points, all the things in the second half. For most, he might be remembered that Emanuel Sharp from Houston stops in the middle of his movement when he tried to go to the winning game 3 in the last seconds.

“Just go 100 percent,” said Clayton, asked what he was attempting to do at the finish. “We just tried to stop and we happened to get it. I am glad that we did it.”

With a sharp in search of room, Clayton ran to him. Houston’s guard dropped the ball and, unable to choose it up, in order to not be called to travel, he watched him bounce.

Alex Condon dived on the ball, after which knocked it over to Clayton, who ran to the opposite line of free kicks with a buzzer and pulled the shirt from shorts. Then the court was flooded with Gator Chomps and Orange and Blue Confetti.

“We guarded them hard, and then I saw the ball loose and I just hoped that we would beat it to the ball,” said Florida coach Todd Golden.

This meant the fourth return in six March madmen for Gators (36-4). They led this game for 64 seconds, including the last 46 ticks of the competition, which was suspended to the last shot that never got here.

Coach Houston, Kelvin Sampson, called it “incomprehensible” that Cougers couldn’t shoot in a single of the last two things.

About the last one, Sampson said: “Clayton had a great time. But that’s why you have to shoot a false and get to the paint. Two in order.”

Will Richard had 18 points to maintain him in it, and won his third general title and the first since Billy Donovan returned in 2006-07.

This time it’s gold in the third yr, restoring the title back to Gainesville, where Faithful Gator can have fun victory in a single of the biggest scenes of the university sport for the first time, since Tim Tebow played the playmaker in the football team in 2008.

It was the first HoOPS title at a south -eastern conference from Kentucky in 2012, in addition to the results for which the Power conference (expected?) Count after placing records of 14 teams in the tournament.

Cougars (35-5) and Sampson were refused their first championships and resulted in the same place as the colourful teams of Phi Slama Jama from the 80s-oh-so close in second place.

It was a defensive fight – Gators didn’t break 70 for the second time throughout the season – and for many of the night Clayton received the worst of this.

He had 0 for 4 from the field without a point to the first half. I met at the top of the circle, after which doubled and imprisoned if needed, he didn’t rating until he hit two free throws from 14:57.

The player who scored no less than 30 points in the last two matches, which on average 24.6 in the first five matches of the tournament, which just about independently beat Uconn and Texas Tech down these March return to madness, ended with one third. Earlier he had a few three points going down to the rims, which kept the gattors in a striking range. He finished 3 for 10.

He also became part of not one, but two stops that placed these gatras in a historical book, and doubtless established himself as the best basketball player to wear orange and blue.

After Alijah Martin performed two free kicks to place Florida 64-63, the first advantage from 8-6 gattors lured sharply in a triple team in the corner, where Clayton pressed him, after which Richard forced him to dribble the ball from his leg and leaving Bounds.

Florida made one free kick in the next possession, which established the final.

The ball first went to LJ Cryer, who led Cougars with 19 points. Covered by Richard, he threw himself at Sharp, who moved to note 3 when Clayton ran to him. It didn’t leave him a alternative but to let the ball go.

“It was a great defensive game of Walter,” said Condon. “I just dived over it, and hearing a buzzer was a crazy feeling.”

Instead of 69-year-old Sampson became the oldest coach who won the title, 39-year-old Golden becomes the youngest than Jim Valvano from NC State in 1983 to win all the things.

This thrilling loss occurred two nights after Cougars created their very own return, from 14 down against Duke.

All the last three 4 matches have been settled on the episode, not more than the six -point victory of Florida over Auburn on Saturday. Every thought that the male game has been overtaken by increasingly popular women will probably abstain for no less than a yr.

On Sunday, the last three women’s matches, limited by Uconn in Southern Carolina, on average 24.7 points were settled.

“When it remained up to the two best teams,” said Sampson about a thriller, who barely lost, “it will not be easy for any team.”

Tampa, Florida – Sarah Strong from the University of Connecticut is the best first -year student in university basketball – men or women. This could seem blasphemous in the season by which everyone said that the distinction belonged to the prince of the striker Cooper Flagg.

But while Duke was eliminated from the men’s tournament on Saturday, a 24-point 15-point performance against southern Carolina on Sunday, he helped raise Uconn to victory 82-59 and national championships.

In 40 seasons, Geno Aurimmy as a Huscus coach, Uconn had several well -known first -year students. Thanks to the Strong performance not only on Sunday, but in the entire tournament and the Uconn season, they left fingerprints throughout the school and the history of the tournament.

She became the first first 12 months student in history with 20 points and 15 rebounds in the national title game. Strong was the third first 12 months student with 20 points each in the national semi -final and the national match for the championship. She became the first first 12 months student in Uconn’s history with 4 20-point matches in a single NCAA tournament and the first first 12 months student of Uconn with three easy 20-point matches in the tournament.

She also set a record of points in a single NCAA tournament.

Paige Bueckers, who won its first national championship on Sunday, is clearly the star of Uconn. Azzi Fudd gives the tone to the team. But Strong was the Uconn Everything engine this season – bouncing with revenge, shooting him if mandatory and playing in a strangling defense for the best player of the opponent.

Auriemma said that he saw it strongly when he watched her as the tenth grader.

“When I saw Sarah played in high school, in the 10th grade, I couldn’t think of a woman’s player to compare her,” said Auriemma. “I said,” She is Charles Barkley. ” I said, “It is great that the game is playing.

“I just think that when you have a child who is so young-he knows the game so well and has the ability, regardless of the situation on the pitch, regardless of what part of the court, no matter what he calls, it has the opportunity to do this-it is very rare at professional basketball players, and even more so 19-year-old first year student.”

In the season, critics and a few coaches complained to a coach from South Karolina Dawn Staley for packing their team from All-Americans McDonald’s. Strong to All-American South Karolina didn’t get. She was the best recruit in school 2024.

In Sunday’s defeat for southern Carolina, a Sunday of Sunday appeared, when the difference between an actual first -year and wonderful student became visible.

The moment took place with 39 seconds in the third quarter, Uconn leads 59-40. A talented first -year student in Southern Carolina, Joyce Edwards, fouled strong and put her on the line. When Edwards left the game, clearly frustrated, strong – normally stoic – he sank two fouls coldly. At that moment, Strong already had 17 points, 14 rebounds and three blocked shots.

Then the distinction became visible: Edwards was an actual first 12 months student. Strong is wonderful.

She grew up in the game and around him. Mother Strong, Feaster Allison, is the vice chairman for team operations and organizational development in Boston Celtics. Feaster was a Harvard star and played WNBA. Father Strong, Danny Strong, played collegially in the state of North Carolina and abroad for 15 years.

During the tournament, colleagues from the Strong team consistently described her as a player who is smart and mature outside her years. They call her an excellent player who avoids the ups and falls.

She liked the unbelievable season of the first 12 months, and her statistics line screams: Big East Freshman of the Year. Associated Press the second ALL-American team. Medium 16 points, 8.7 rebounds, 3.4 assists, 2.3 thefts and 1.6 blocks per game.

Strong is strength.

When Feaster watched his daughter on the stage of the championship on Sunday, I asked her about the source of strongholds.

Feaster said he was going beyond basketball.

“I think it’s faith,” she said. “I think it is faith in this process, faith in his purpose. God has put her here for some reason. She is who she is and I am simply grateful.”

Asked how she felt watching her daughter experiences the moment of the championship, Feaster said: “The only emotion I have is simply pure gratitude for all this. You don’t reach this point, without going through some things and many victims, a lot of fights, a lot of conversations, a lot of joy and a lot of pain.”

When Father Strong observed the fall of confetti, he thought of all the years of sacrifice, the exertions by which his daughter put in.

“It took a lot of prayer, a lot of time and supervising the whole process,” said Danny Strong. “She knew that she wanted to be from the sixth grade there. It was in her heart. I am definitely glad that we had the opportunity to be here and on stage, as it is now.”

Strong journey is just starting and can probably be continued in Uconn. Unlike Flagga, which is to depart Duke after one season to the NBA, Strong will probably spend the next three years in Uconn competing for the championship and maybe developing in the next super -star of the program.

I asked Danny Strong what his expectations for his 19-year-old daughter.

“Be humble, stay hungry, continue working and continue working until you are ready to hang your shoes,” he said. “No matter what you do, no matter what you achieve, or grateful, stay praying and work hard. That’s all.”

He almost guaranteed that the next three years Strong can be spent in Storrs in Connecticut.

“Oh yes, definitely,” he said. “We brought her up to be a closed and loyal person. When you start something, you’ll end up. We won’t jump and do all these crazy things.”

This season was crazy enough. Their daughter is the best first -year student in university basketball. Period.

And now he is the country’s champion.