Sports Poets Society

7 Apr 2025 - New York Post By ZACH BRAZILLER zbraziller@nypost.com Never-say-die Cougars know they need title to make miracle vs. Duke matter SAN ANTONIO — On a whiteboard in the Houston Cougars locker room inside the Alamodome, Kelvin Sampson wrote down his team’s record: 35-4. Then, underneath it: “One more.” The message was clear: The job isn’t done. As remarkable and thrilling and emotional and unbelievable as Houston’s Saturday night victory over favored Duke was, it didn’t end this team’s journey. The job isn’t finished. The crazy rally from 14 down with 8:17 left won’t mean nearly as much if Houston can’t follow it up with a victory over fellow No. 1 seed Florida Monday night for the school’s first-ever national championship. “We didn’t want to overreact. That wasn’t our championship,” junior guard Emanuel Sharp said. “It was a great win and it put us in a great position. But we got to know that there’s still one more. We learn to flush it really quick. “New day, new scouting re...

Apr 5, 2025; San Antonio, TX, USA; The Houston Cougars celebrates after their win against the Duke Blue Devils in a semifinal of the men's Final Four of the 2025 NCAA Tournament at the Alamodome. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-Imagn Images / Bob Donnan-Imagn Images 7 Apr 2025 - The Boston Globe By Eddie Pells ASSOCIATED PRESS SAN ANTONIO — Whoever said there were no great underdog stories left in march madness , or that the title would go to whichever team spends the most money — or amasses the gaudiest collection of big names from the transfer portal — probably never checked out Houston . And anyone who thought college hoops was leaving behind teams with no NBA-ready stars coached by tart-as-lemon lifers who care more about the size of a player’s wingspan and heart than his 3-point percentage — well, that’s these cougars, too. Coach Kelvin Sampson’s squad of defenders and deniers face Florida for the national title monday night. They wrap up a front-runner’s Final Four that featur...

SCOTT WACHTER/IMAGN IMAGES  Florida Gators guard Walter Clayton Jr.  shoots  the ball past Auburn Tigers center  Dylan  Cardwell in the semifinals of the men’s NCAA Tournament at Alamodome on Saturday. 7 Apr 2025 - The Florida Times-Union Kevin Brockway Gainesville Sun USA TODAY NETWORK SAN ANTONIO — Florida basketball has grown comfortable coming from behind throughout the NCAA Tournament. The Florida Gators rallied from down six points in the second half to beat UConn in the Round of 32, down nine points in the final four minutes to beat Texas Tech in the Elite Eight and down eight points at halftime to beat Auburn in the Final Four. But Florida (35-4) will meet a team just as resilient when it faces Houston (35-4) in the NCAA Tournament national title game on Monday night (8:50 p.m., CBS). The Cougars pulled off a stunning comeback in the Final Four, coming back from down nine points in the final 3:03 to beat Duke 70-67 on Saturday night. “As long as there’s ...

7 Apr 2025 - The Florida Times-Union Dan Wolken Columnist USA TODAY SAN ANTONIO – You think you know heartbreak? Try being a Houston fan. Imagine being on the wrong end of the most famous finish in men’s NCAA Tournament history, with Lorenzo Charles steering the ball in the basket and Jim Valvano running across the court; a forever moment of torture replayed every March from 1983 to eternity. Imagine creating a run so unique and special in college basketball history, with Hall of Famers like Hakeem Olajuwon and Clyde Drexler , only to be remembered for coming up empty at three straight Final Fours. Imagine decades of irrelevance, only to return to the NCAA Tournament in 2018 – and lose on Jordan Poole’s improbable, off-balance, buzzer-beating three to send Michigan to the Sweet 16. Imagine believing you’re on your way back to the Final Four last year , only to watch your best player, Jamal Shead, sprain his ankle. These are the things that Houston fans have lived through, have suffer...

ROBERT DEUTSCH/IMAGN IMAGES Florida guard Walter Clayton Jr. is defended by Auburn guard Miles Kelly (13) during  the national semifinals of the men’s NCAA Tournament at the Alamodome on Saturday. 7 Apr 2025 - The Florida Times-Union Dan Wolken Columnist USA TODAY SAN ANTONIO – Here came the inevitable question about Walter Clayton Jr., and the array of spin moves and contested jumpers and lightning-quick drives past the defense that was designed to stop him. Bruce Pearl, the Auburn coach whose team had spent two-plus hours flailing and failing to slow down the single most dominant player in this NCAA Tournament , closed his eyes, tilted his head back ever so slightly and let out a deep breath. “I guess you could say all things were kind of equal,” Pearl said. “And he was the difference. Just flat out the difference.” Florida’s 79-73 victory over Auburn, putting the Gators into Monday’s national championship game, reinforced two things. Despite the conference standings that showed ...

https://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/story/_/id/44564541/march-madness-2025-final-four-national-championship-game-preview-predictions-florida-houston Jeff Borzello Myron Medcalf ESPN - Apr 7, 2025, 08:00 AM ET And then there were two. Florida and Houston were strong during the regular season. Both dominated their conference tournaments. Both are 1-seeds. And both defeated tough opponents to reach Monday's championship game in San Antonio. Now, everything is on the line in the March Madness finale (8:50 p.m. ET on CBS). The Gators are looking for their first national championship since their back-to-back titles in 2006 and 2007 with Billy Donovan , while the Cougars are seeking their first in program history. For a final time this season, Myron Medcalf and Jeff Borzello break down each team and pick which will cut down the nets. How Florida reached the Final Four: Round of 64: def. No. 16 Norfolk State 95-69 Round of 32: def. No. 8 UConn 77-75 Sweet 16: def. No. 4 Maryland...

The New York Times Lunedì 7 Aprile 2025 Pagina 41 At this point, the Steph Curry comparisons might be inaccurate. With respect to Curry, one of the greatest shooters in N.B.A. history, he never shined like this on college basketball’s biggest stage. He never hit an impossible, fall-away corner 3 when his team desperately needed it, did not score 34 points to push his team to the national championship game, did not dazzle a stadium packed with 68,252 fans. Curry, 37, saved all that for the N.B.A. But Walter Clayton Jr., 22, a 6-foot-2, 195-pound guard for the Florida men’s basketball team, is doing it right now. And good news: In the event that you have not been following one of the greatest performances in N.C.A.A. men’s basketball tournament history, you will on Monday have one more chance to watch this March magician. On Saturday night, on the biggest stage of his life, Clayton poured in 34 points on 11-of-18 shooting, leading the top-seeded Gators to a 79-73 win over a Southeastern...

The New York Times Lunedì 7 Aprile 2025 Pagina 41 The N.C.A.A. men’s basketball tournament started with 68 teams and plenty of dreams. Three weeks and 66 games later, we are set for Monday’s Division I national championship game: Florida versus Houston in San Antonio . It has been an interesting and unusual tournament, one notably short on upsets or surprise teams and decidedly heavy on big-conference dominance. All four No. 1 seeds reached the Final Four, and now we will have a title game featuring two of them, plus a nice selection of future N.B.A. stars. It’s the Southeastern Conference versus the Big 12 . It’s a battle between a young, up-andcoming coach and a well-traveled veteran who might have his best team ever . And it’s a matchup of teams loaded with depth and star power. If you are new to this, here is an overview of the last two teams standing. Florida (35-4)  The Gators will be looking to secure their third national championship, their first since Billy Donovan as coa...

An upset propels Houston to the men’s final versus Florida. The New York Times Lunedì 7 Aprile 2025 Pagina 41 SAN ANTONIO — Forward J’Wan Roberts extended his hands. Settle down, he begged. Yes, this was impossible. Yes, this whole swirling, bizarre night was on the verge of alchemy. Yes, this was about to be the night that the Houston men’s basketball team pulled off a comeback so stunning, so jarring, that it would take everyone — specifically those souls in Durham, N.C. — a lifetime to sort out. Roberts, 23, arrived at this moment with all appropriate prefaces. He spent the previous two hours trying to stay in front of Cooper Flagg’s deep bag of spins and crossovers. He spent the entirety of this season working endlessly on his free-throwing shooting, putting up 150 a day from the stripe, every day, no matter what. He spent the last five years as part of a Houston program that does not suffer fools, and he wanted so desperately to take his teammates to a Monday night in April. Now ...

Men’s Final Four, San Antonio: 1 Florida vs. 1 Auburn 1 Houston vs. 1 Duke Today, 6:09 and 8:49 p.m., CBS 5 Apr 2025 - The Washington Post BY BEN GOLLIVER AND ARTUR GALOCHA When Cooper Flagg committed to Duke in 2023, his family understood that he might become — in the words of his mother, Kelly — the “greatest, hated White Duke villain.” Now that the 18-year-old Flagg has solidified his standing as the consensus No. 1 pick in the upcoming NBA draft by leading the Blue Devils (35-3) to the Final Four in San Antonio this weekend, he could soon depart the college game with another title: Duke’s best NBA prospect ever. There’s a lot of competition for that moniker given Duke’s track record of cranking out top talent. A whopping 50 Duke players have been first-round draft picks in the past 40 years. Of those, 24 have been top-10 picks, 15 have been top-three picks, and four — Elton Brand, Kyrie Irving, Zion Williamson and Paolo Banchero — have been taken No. 1 overall.  Flagg’s top riv...