Walter Clayton Jr's Clutch Play Lifts Florida Past Houston For NCAA Championship

Florida guard Walter Clayton Jr. spent most of Monday night's NCAA men's national championship game being relentlessly hounded and frustrated by Houston's defense.

Yet in the game's defining moment, Clayton came up with the defensive play of the night to seal a win.

Florida overcame a 12-point second-half deficit, rallying to defeat Houston, 65-63, at the Alamodome, capturing the school's third NCAA men's basketball national title. It was the first title for the Gators since coach Billy Donovan led back-to-back championships in 2006 and 2007. It made third-year coach Todd Golden (39) the youngest head coach to win a national championship since Jim Valvano (1983). Valvano, ironically, also defeated the Houston Cougars. 

Walter Clayton Jr. Makes Pivotal Defensive Stop

Clayton, who finished with 11 points—all in the second half—sealed the victory with a decisive defensive stop on Houston guard Emanuel Sharp, preventing him from even attempting a potential game-winning 3-pointer at the game's buzzer. By reading the play, Clayton forced Sharp to hesitate instead of getting a shot up, risking a travel violation had he picked the ball up as the Cougars' championship hopes slowly bounced away as did the ball. 

"Yeah, I seen a lot going on," Clayton said. "Felt like we were going to get something from Cryer or Roberts. Sharp kind of creeped down to the baseline. I seen a back screen. I'm yelling back screen at Do. Sharp ended up slipping it, set elevator screens. We work on it in practice, closing out, jumping to the side so you don't foul the shooter. He pump faked, threw the ball down, ended up being a good play, Do got on it. We won the game. The feeling, just surreal. It's a crazy feeling. I can't even explain it, but it feels good, though."

Coming off consecutive 30-point performances, Clayton didn't score his first points until hitting two free throws with 14:57 remaining in the second half. His first field goal came with just 7:54 left to play. He stayed poised throughout the game, as he remained confident in his teammates to pick him up.

"My motto, we all can go," Clayton said. "I understand that if it ain't my night, somebody is going to pick me up. We understand we all just picking each other up throughout the year, man. We been doing that all the year. Tonight was nothing different. The way we won tonight, it's just an exclamation mark on the year. It's great to win like that, knowing the fact that we're a brotherhood together, and we've been picking each other up all year."

Florida Overcame Houston's Effective Defensive Gameplan

Florida's Will Richard stepped up early, scoring 14 of his team-high 18 points in the first half. Richard made four 3-pointers before halftime, keeping Florida within striking distance despite nine first-half turnovers and Houston's defensive pressure.

"Yeah, just trying to make plays to help us stay in the game, help us give our ourselves the best chance to win," Richard said. "They were guarding Walter and other guys pretty hard. Will had seven assists. Even when they were guarding him so hard, I feel like he still made plays to help the team win. Just a good job by the team staying aggressive throughout that."

Houston coach Kelvin Sampson acknowledged Florida's resolve in clutch time.

"Give Florida credit," Sampson said. "I'm not going to sit up here and poor mouth, pity mouth us. We held that team to 65 points. Clayton and Martin combined to go 5 for 20. If you would have told me we would hold those two guys 5 for 20... We had a good plan. We just didn't score it well enough to win."

"I wanted it so bad for him (Coach Kelvin Sampson). So so so bad. And it hurts 'cause I can't do it next year. I can't put myself in position to do it next year."

— Houston's J'wan Roberts on loss to Florida in National Title Game pic.twitter.com/w4bbTbJAfM

— CBS Sports (@CBSSports) April 8, 2025

L.J. Cryer led Houston with a game-high 19 points, including three second-half 3-pointers that seemed to spark the Cougars early after the break. But Houston came up short repeatedly in the final minutes, committing four turnovers in a row down the stretch.

"I'm proud of our guys for how they guarded tonight," Sampson said. "That was a tough ballgame. Two tough teams. Florida's tough. Martin is a tough defender. He gave L.J. some problems. The big kid, Condon at 6'11", and Chinyelu, those guys are all big, strong, physical guys, just like our guys are."

Florida's Resolve Rewarded with National Championship

Florida took advantage, taking its first lead since early in the first half when Alijah Martin made two crucial free throws, putting the Gators up 64-63. Golden praised his team's mental toughness and composure displayed throughout the tournament.

"Our guys have been really good all year staying the course," Golden said. "In this tournament, especially after the first round, every team you play is going to be really, really, really good. You have to have the mental toughness to be able to withstand a little adversity."

Houston finished its season with a 35-5 record and the painful reality of falling just short once again. Forward J'Wan Roberts, who spent six years with Sampson's program, emotionally described his final moments as a Cougar.

"Coach Sampson has been everything to me," Roberts said. "I wanted it so bad for him. So, so, so bad. And it hurts. I can't do it next year. I can't put myself in position to do it next year. This will be my last time wearing my jersey, and I feel terrible."

The Gators, meanwhile, celebrated as confetti fell, proudly calling themselves national champions.

"Because of that, we can call each other national champions for the rest of our lives," Golden said.