Todd Golden cuts down nets after Florida punches ticket to Final Four

Todd Golden got to cut down the nets Saturday evening after after leading Florida to a win against Texas Tech to reach the Final Four for the first time in his career. The Gators won after a wild comeback in the final minutes, erasing a nine-point deficit in the final three minutes to win 84-79.

As is tradition after the game, the coach climbed the ladder to cut the final loop on the net to take it down from the win. He added his own flair to the moment, doing a Gator chomp as well. You can view the classic March Madness moment below.

Todd Golden cuts down the nets in the city where he got his head coaching start. pic.twitter.com/Oqs50kZOMq

— Graham Hall (@GrahamHall) March 30, 2025

Walter Clayton was the hero for Florida on Saturday, capping off a comeback to punch the Gators’ ticket to the Final Four. After trailing much of the way in the final minutes against Texas Tech, Clayton nailed a 3-pointer with 59 seconds remaining to give Florida a one-point lead.

It was part of erasing a nine-point deficit in the final three minutes as the Gators went on a 18-4 run to close the game. Clayton finished with 30 points to lead all players.

Golden is in his third season with the Gators after arriving from San Francisco ahead of 2022-23. He took them to the NCAA Tournament by his second year in 2023-24, but fell in the first round after earning a No. 7 seed.

This year would be different as Florida marched its way through the regular season to finish second in the SEC with a 14-4 conference record. It then fought its way through the bracket to claim an SEC Tournament title for the first time since 2014. That earned them a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament.

The Final Four appearance is also the first for the Gators since that 2014 season and the first in the career of Golden. Florida has not won a national championship since 2007 under Billy Donovan but will hope to change that as it heads to San Antonio.