What the media said about the Florida Gators

When Houston rallied to beat No. 1-ranked Duke in Saturday’s national semifinals, the Cougars became the darlings of the Final Four. But after Monday night’s 65-63 win over Houston in the NCAA championship game, Florida certainly got plenty of respect from media personalities across the country, and deservedly so. In one of the most loaded Final Fours in recent memory, the Gators came out on top. Here’s a sampling of what people who cover basketball said about the Gators.

—Ernie Johnson, CBS: “What a finish. What a championship game. What a weekend in San Antonio. And what a comeback, yet again, for the Florida Gators. Incredible.”

—Clark Kellogg, CBS: “I didn’t know if Florida could win a game where they had to play more like Houston plays then they play. But they showed in that second half they were up to the challenge. Won the free throw battle. Only had four turnovers in the second half. And held Houston to 31 percent shooting. And the last play epitomized the kind of grit you’ve got to have to eke out a championship against a worthy, worthy opponent.”

—Seth Greenberg, ESPN: “This was a typical game Florida played in the NCAA Tournament. It was not reflective of how they played in the SEC Tournament. But in the NCAA Tournament, they get behind in the first half, and had to find a way, different ways, to come back and win games. This time, they got back in the game by getting stops the last four minutes, by going inside when they couldn’t make a three, and a lot of that had to do with (Houston forward Joseph Tugler) getting in foul trouble and having the ability to get to the rim. An incredible, competitive game. Not the most well-played game but the most competitive game I’ve seen in a really long time.”

—Jay Wright, CBS: “Kelvin Sampson and the Houston Cougars impose their will on you, physically, mentally, defensively. There’s only one way you can beat them. You’ve got to be one more play tougher. And that was the last play of the game.”

—Kenny Smith, CBS: “Great defensive play by (Walter) Clayton at the end. Shoutout to both teams. They deserved to be here. They were the best two teams in the tournament. I’m a little surprised that Houston, honestly, didn’t go earlier in the shot clock (at the end). Going for the win is not the odds. It was a surprise, but it was still great defense. Florida wins the game because they were the better team.”

—Myron Medcalf, ESPN.com: “Amid the adversity, Monday night’s title game also highlighted the leader Clayton became to this team over the past five months. Because even when he was cold, he was also selfless. His teammates never doubted him. And he delivered for them when his defense on Emanuel Sharp in the closing seconds led to a turnover that sealed the win.”

—Jay Williams, ESPN: “In Florida’s win vs. Auburn, (Gators forward) Alex Condon had more turnovers than he had points. Tonight, he had 12 points, seven rebounds. Most of his points came from passes from Walter Clayton Jr., who had seven assists in this ball game. And that’s what you have to do. That’s what Florida did. They toughed out this game. (Gators guard) Will Richard scored (14) points in the first half. Singlehandedly kept them in the game in the first half — within striking distance. And then, you saw Walter Clayton Jr. come somewhat alive.”

—Paul Myerberg, USA TODAY: “While he struggled to score after averaging 24.6 points in the Gators’ first five tournament games, Clayton made an impact as a distributor, dishing out a game-high seven assists and besting Houston’s total of five assists as a team. His ability to dribble through the Cougars’ aggressive perimeter defense helped loosen things up for senior guard Will Richard, who scored a team-high 18 points and went 4 of 7 from deep.”