One thing that’s obvious about Florida and Houston heading into the national championship game: Neither team is going to quit.
Florida was down eight at halftime of the national semifinals against Auburn before flipping momentum with a quick 11-0 run early in the second half. After being battered by the Tigers’ frontcourt, the Gators essentially shut down Auburn senior Johni Broome in the second half, holding the All-America forward to just 3 points on 1 of 4 shooting from the field.
Later on Saturday night, Houston trailed Duke by 14 points with roughly eight minutes remaining in the second half and by nine with 2:15 to play. But a crucial takeaway and clutch shooting from 3-point range helped the Cougars pull off the second-largest second-half comeback in Final Four history and deal the Blue Devils “the most heartbreaking loss,” Duke coach Jon Scheyer said.
“We just stay together in those moments,” said senior Florida guard Walter Clayton Jr., who scored 34 points in the win. “I can't speak for Houston’s team, what they got going on in the locker room. They seem like a very together team also. It should be a good 40-minute fight.”
The similarities continue. Both teams are highly effective from 3-point range. Both are excellent at defending the perimeter. Both run guard-oriented offensive schemes but can score in the paint.
Yet the differences between Florida and Houston will be on display from the opening seconds on Monday night.
There is no greater contrast than the tempo and flow the Gators and Cougars will look to establish early in the first half. While several other factors loom large, which team can dictate the pace of play will be the deciding issue in determining the national championship.
Florida will look to race, especially in transition. The Gators rank second nationally and first among Power Five schools in fastbreak points per game. They scored just twice on the break against Auburn, however, potentially giving Houston a blueprint for the championship game.
Houston is comfortable slowing things down to a crawl. The Cougars rank 360th out of 365 Division I teams in adjusted tempo, according to KenPom.com, which measures a team’s possessions per 40 minutes adjusted for opponent. That Houston didn’t deviate from this script and patiently chipped away at the Blue Devils’ lead in the second half speaks to the program’s culture, coach Kelvin Sampson said.
“We've kind of done it our way,” said Sampson. “It's worked out pretty good.”
This battle to set the pace emphasizes the broader push and pull between Florida’s offense and Houston’s defense. The Gators rank third nationally in scoring and have been held under 70 points just once. Florida is averaging 84.4 points per game in tournament play. Houston leads the nation in giving up only 58.5 points per game and was one of only three teams this season to hold Duke ...
