Jordyn Jackson ’26
Teams fight hard while competing in the NCAA tournament championships this year.
On April 6 and 7, the women’s and men’s National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Tournament Championships respectively crowned their winners. The Florida Gators Men’s Basketball Program overcame a 12-point deficit to win their third national championship in a 65-63 win over the Houston Cougars. Meanwhile, in the Women’s NCAA Tournament, the UConn Huskies triumphed over defending champions, the South Carolina Gamecocks, in an 82-59 win.
The men’s championship game was notably competitive, with Florida’s first lead of the second half coming with only 46 seconds remaining.
In the final seconds of the game, the Cougars were down by two when their star guard Emmanuel Sharp’s three-point attempt was contested midair by Florida’s leading point guard Walter Clayton Jr.
Clayton Jr.’s defensive stop gave Florida the win and earned him the Most Outstanding Player award. While Houston left the court devastated, Florida celebrated its win, tying the third-largest comeback in NCAA title game history.
Houston Head Coach Kelvin Sampson called it “incomprehensible” that his team was unable to get a shot off on the final two possessions, where Sharp committed back-to-back turnovers.
Both Florida and Houston overcame significant point differentials to get into the championship as number one seeds. Florida faced Southeastern Conference (SEC) rival Auburn in the Final Four, and were down 8 points at halftime. The Gators ultimately stormed back in the second half to win 79-73.
The Cougars overcame a 9-point deficit in the final three minutes of their Final Four game against Duke to advance to their third championship in school history. Though Duke was favored to win and led the majority of the game, Houston outscored the Blue Devils 15-3 down the stretch, taking a 68-67 lead with 17 seconds left.
After a missed free throw to tie from freshman and young star Cooper Flagg, the Cougars won 70-67. Flagg, who is a predicted NBA first draft pick, averaged 21 points throughout the tournament.
The women’s tournament was competitive as well, and UConn’s pathway to victory was not easy. The Huskies beat three top-seeded teams in a single tournament, becoming the first team to do so in the past twenty years. The Huskies defeated the UCLA Bruins 85-51 in the Final Four to advance to the championship game, marking the first 30-point win in Final Four history.
The Huskies were set to face the South Carolina Gamecocks, who beat Texas in the Final Four. The Gamecocks were seeking their second consecutive championship and fourth title in the past eight years.
However, their hopes were crushed by the Huskies, led by trio Sarah Strong, Azzi Fudd, and Paige Bueckers, who together averaged 60 points throughout the tournament. The game was a rematch of the 2022 championship game, which handed UConn Coach Geno Auriemma his first championship loss.
The final was initially close in the first quarter with constant lead changes, but UConn eventually began to separate, leading by 32 points at one point. The Huskies won 82-59, handing the twelfth championship to Coach Auriemma and the school, marking the most NCAA titles won in Division 1 history.
The win showcased the Huskies’ talents, as it was an all-team effort. Freshman Strong scored 144 points in the tournament, breaking the record for the most points by a freshman in Division 1.
Additionally, Arlington, Va. native Fudd won Most Outstanding Player after coming back from a torn ACL and meniscus which sidelined her for the majority of the 2023-24 season.
Her teammate, Bueckers, also suffered from injuries early in her collegiate career. Neither her ACL tear, nor her tibial plateau fracture affected her performance as Bueckers became the first draft pick in the WNBA and Big East Player of the Year this season.
Bueckers’ story is nothing short of inspiring, with her telling reporters in her final collegiate post game interview, “Do it for the people who believe in you.”