By Staff Writer: Jacob Mattox
The Florida Gators men’s basketball team capped off a spectacular season by winning the NCAA Tournament, bringing home their third national championship in school history. This being the university’s first championship since the team won back-to-back titles in 2006 and 2007.
To say that the Gators had an amazing season would be quite the understatement. Led by head coach Todd Golden, the team proved to be one of the favorites to finish on top numerous times throughout the year. The Gators concluded the season with a 36-4 overall record with all 4 losses coming from conference opponents. Florida finished second in conference play, with only Auburn ranked ahead and secured a top seed in the NCAA Tournament.
The Gators had several key performances throughout the tournament from both veteran and young players, but none more memorable than star veteran point guard Walter Clayton Jr.
Clayton Jr. has scored 171 total points in the NCAA Tournament in his career, and 123 of those points came in this year’s tournament. With an average of 22.3 points per game, he was named the tournament’s most outstanding player on top of leading his team to its first title in more than a decade.