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Jeff Borzello
San Antonio, Texas-on Florida led to Monday’s national championships almost completely around Walter Clayton jr. All-American Guard was on a run that was not visible because Shabazz Napier and Kemba Walker transferred Uconn in early 2010.
It was immediately clear that Houston’s scouting report also made.
After gaining 64 points in the previous two games, Clayton earned his first point until 14:57 by the second half against the Cougar. He did not make his first goal until the game was 7:54. It was a recipe for a comfortable victory in Houston, inevitably continued to tell about the highest defense of the Cougar.
But the supporting cast in Florida kept Gators in the game long enough to get Clayton in the second half and erase the 12-point deficit on the way to victory 65-63. Clayton was later appointed the most important player Final Four after 11 points and seven assists on Monday evening.
The National Championship has been the third in Florida since 2006, so the 39 -year -old Todd Golden won the title of Jim Valvano in 1983.
Will Richard He led Florida with 18 points, making four 3-reporters in the first half to keep Gators on a strike. Houston Guard Lj Cryer Ended with 19 points in loss.
The areas that have been carrying Houston at the attack end-3-point shooting and offensive reflections-no one found in the first 20 minutes. Cougars fired only 2-for-14 from behind the arc in the first half and while they grabbed six offensive plates, they did not earn a single point of the second chance.
Sampson got huge posts from players on the bench Mylik Wilson and Ja’vier Francis. Both players joined for six points in 22 minutes in the semifinals against Duke – but in the first half against Florida they had 13 points in a combined 24 minutes.
But the same argument could have been made by Golden. Florida turned it nine times in the opening 20 minutes and Clayton was closed in the first half. It was only the third for the whole season that he had a flawless half, while the previous two came against Tennessee. Houston was aggressively found on the ball screens and soon forced the ball from Clayton’s hands. Cougars did not let him get to the rhythm of the left, where he found so much success the whole tournament. He had five assists in the first half.
Instead, it was Richard, who soon held Florida in the game. In the first half he produced four 3-reporters, went to a break with 14 body-Poté, which he fired on Saturday 1: 6 and scored seven points on Saturday. He ended up with a team with 18 points.
The big question to the half -life was whether one of the team could warm up from the perimeter and start opening the game at the attack end.
After the break, however, turned into a pipe, an endless show of players who went to the free throw line. Florida committed five fouls at the first 3:39 second half plus a technical error on the bench. Several other whistles went to Houston, which led to 12 combined fouls at the first 6:15 after half -time.
The game needed a spark and two stars that brought Houston and Florida for the title game. Cryer had only five points in the first half, but after the break he had 14 points, which he made three 3-clerks. Clayton scored his first points on the free throw line, but then had two three -point games that provided Florida with much needed dynamics.
