The Florida Gators recovered from 12 points down to defeat the Houston Cougars 65-63 and seal their third NCAA National Championship. The Gators, who mounted similar comebacks in the previous two rounds, overcame the third-largest deficit in championship game history to capture their first title since 2007. “You have to have the mental toughness to be able to withstand a little adversity. Then we went down 12 in the second half; we stayed the course. We didn't point fingers, didn't start to try to make hero plays, gambling defensively. We got rewarded because of that toughness that we displayed," said Todd Golden, Florida coach. After winning the first half 31-28, Houston started the second period on top, racing to a 42-30 lead with 16:25 left in the championship matchup. The Gators managed to tie the game at 48-48 for the first time with 7:54 left in the match following a 14-3 run.  Florida would take the lead for just the second time in the game with 46 seconds left after Alijah Martin knocked down two free throws.  Gators guard Denzel Aberdeen would register a free throw of his own with 19 seconds to go and give his team a two-point lead. In an attempt to win the game, Cougars guard Emmanuel Sharp set up to shoot a three with 4.9 seconds left; however, Florida star Walter Clayton Jr. rushed out to block the shot. Sharp readjusted but dropped the ball and while he tried to shield the ball for another teammate to pick it up, Gators guard Alex Condon dove on the ball and threw it to Clayton before the buzzer eventually sounded. Clayton, who didn't score in the first half and finished the game with 11 points, was named the Final Four's Most Outstanding Player.