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The NCAA Tournament has almost reached its end as we are down to down to just two teams remaining in the field. All four one-seeds made the Final Four for the first time since 2008, and a lot of college basketball fans aren't happy about it. People want to see upsets during March Madness, but that is not something that we got this season. Just one double-digit seed made it out of the first weekend, and it was 10-seed Arkansas. However, the Final Four has already delivered with two outstanding matchups. The best teams made it, and we watched some great basketball over the weekend. Now, we have another great battle on deck with everything on the line. Let's take about the Florida basketball team taking on Houston.
We already saw some great contests go down on Saturday in the Final Four, and so far, the Florida basketball team has played in some of the best games of the NCAA Tournament.
The Gators started their run against 16-seed Norfolk State, and that was an easy win, but things got more difficult in the second round. Florida had to go up against the two-time defending champs as UConn was an eight-seed this year. The Huskies led for most of the second half, but Walter Clayton Jr. put the team on his back to lead the Gators to victory in the final minutes.
Florida played Maryland in the Sweet 16, and after a close first half, the Gators pulled away for a comfortable win. However, the Elite 8 was a different story, and Clayton Jr. was once again the hero.
Texas Tech led Florida by nine points with under three minutes to go, but four huge threes down the stretch led to an absurd comeback win for the Gators. Clayton Jr. hit two of them.
Florida once again played in a thriller on Saturday. Auburn led by eight points at halftime, but a dominant second half from the Gators was the difference. Florida outscored Auburn 41-27 in the second half, and they went on to punch their ticket to the national title game. Now, another one-seed awaits.
Can Houston stop Florida?
Houston vs. Florida on Monday night for all the marbles. The Houston basketball team started its March Madness run with a victory over SIUE. The real challenge began in the next round, and the Cougars got a fight from eight-seed Gonzaga. The Bulldogs aren't your typical eight-seed, and they almost knocked off Houston.
The Cougars nearly got eliminated again in the Sweet 16 as Purdue took them down to the wire. The Boilermakers erased a late double-digit deficit to make things interesting down the stretch, but a late bucket by Milos Uzan won it for Houston.
Houston had complete control against Tennessee for 40 minutes in the Elite 8. The Cougars have been one of the most consistent teams in the country all year long, and they have racked up a lot of impressive wins.
The most impressive win came on Saturday for Houston as they took down Duke. Not a lot of peole gave the Cougars a chance in this one, and the Blue Devils were in complete control for almost the entire game. Houston pulled off a miraculous comeback in the final minute, and now they are playing for a national championship.
Monday's game is shaping up to be a good one, and here are three predicitiosn for it:
Walter Clayton Jr. will hit 4+ threes
The constant for the Florida basketball team throughout March Madness has been Walter Clayton Jr. He has come up in the cluch time and time again, and without him, the Gators probably aren't in the national title game. Clayton Jr. has been especially impressive from beyond the arc. He has hit 19 threes in the NCAA Tournament so far, and he has had four or more in three games. He will hit at least four in the national title game.
Houston will hold Florida under 60 points
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The reason why the Houston basketball team was able to beat Duke is because their defense completely took over in the final eight minutes of the game. The Blue Devils couldn't add to their lead down the stretch, and the Cougars wouldn't go away. Eventually, they outlasted Duke for the win.
Houston's defnse is going to be smothering against Florida as well. It's going to be tough for the Gators to score a lot of points, and this is going to be a low-scoring slugfest.
Florida will win 59-55
This is going to be another outstanding game that will come down to the wire. Houston is going to make things difficult on the Florida offense, but the Gators are still the more talented team, and they will find a way to get the win. Walter Clayton Jr. is going to have another big game as the best players step up in the biggest moments, and the Gators will become national champions after a 59-55 win.
Final Four recap
The national championship is almost here. We didn't see the upsets that make March magical, but the matchups that we saw this on Saturday in San Antonio made up for it. The four best teams in college basketball made it to the Final Four. Auburn, Florida, Duke and Houston. The four one-seeds came to play, and it's been a lot of fun so far.
Auburn was the top overall seed in the NCAA Tournament, and they pulled off some impressive wins during their run so far. The Tigers were in a dogfight with nine-seed Creighton in the round of 32, but a 34-21 run to close the game put the Blue Jays away. Auburn was then in major trouble in the Sweet 16 against Michigan as they trailed by nine points with about 12 minutes to go. The Tigers closed the game on a 39-17 run to get the win. The Tigers put together a complete performance in the Elite 8 as they comfortably led for the entire game against Michigan State. The run ended against Florida on Saturday.
Florida has also had some close calls in the tournament, but late surges have gotten them into the Final Four. UConn, Maryland and Texas Tech all gave the Gators some good fights, and the Huskies and Red Raiders especially had Florida on the ropes. UConn and Texas Tech both led late in the game, but the Gators have found a way to survive thanks to Walter Clayton Jr.
Houston has also narrowly avoided a couple of upsets. Gonzaga and Purdue both tested the Cougars as those contests went down to the wire, but the win against Tennessee in the Elite 8 was incredibly impressive. Houston is bringing a lot of momentum into the national title game after beating Duke.
Duke was the only team that didn't have an upset scare before the Final Four, and it looked like that was going to stay true. They had been dominant so far in the tournament as they have cruised by Mount St. Mary's, Baylor, Arizona and Alabama, but Houston found a way to knock them out.
The national title game between the Florida basketball team and Houston will get underway at 7:50 CT from the Alamodome in San Antonio, and it will be airing on CBS. The Gators are currently favored by 1.5 points.
