March Madness Recap
“When it gets down to the two best teams left, it’s not going to be easy for either team.”
March Madness finally comes to a close after a long 22 days. Whether you enjoy March Madness by creating a bracket with your friends and family, watching it on TV, or not at all, this is the biggest moment for college basketball.
All year, these teams train in hopes of making it to the sweet 16, the elite eight, the final four, and lastly, the national championship. This year, those teams that made it to the national championship are the Florida Gators (men’s), Houston Cougars (men’s), UConneticut Huskies (women’s), and the South Carolina Gamecocks (women’s).
MEN’S FINALS
The Florida Gators are returning to the final stage of the NCAA tournament for the first time since winning back-to-back in 2006-2007. It’ll be their fourth time participating in the final round.
One notable player this season for Florida is Walter Clayton Jr., a senior guard who has managed to produce back-to-back 30-point games in the Elite Eight and national semifinals. Against the Auburn Tigers, he finished with 34 points and five three-pointers.
The Houston Cougars will return for their third time since 1983 and 1984. Holding the nation’s longest Sweet 16 streak, the Cougars have still yet to win a title. Will this year be their year?
Rather than a notable player on Houston, they needed to maintain their physicality throughout the game. That means they need to keep their up-close-and-personal approach to their defense.
Before the game, the Cougars were picked to win (65.5%) over the Gators (34.5%).
The game was neck and neck, no team had a larger lead than 12 points throughout the entirety of the game.
Both teams had an aggressive approach, with one key motivator: winning.
“Houston was guarding us great. They do a great defense out there. Everyone knows them for that. We have multiple guys on this team that can go,” Clayton said after the game. “Tonight was one of those nights with Will [Richard]. He showed it multiple times this year. Never know whose night it’s going to be, and we showed that as a team.”
Although the turnout wasn’t what many had anticipated, Florida won 65-63. The Gators are now the first and only athletic program to win three national championships in both football and basketball.
WOMEN’S FINALS
The UConn Huskies are returning to the final stage of the NCAAW tournament to fight for their 12th title, since they won four consecutive titles from 2013-2016.
Paige Bueckers, a guard for the Huskies, is a strong name this season and for the past four years. She has dropped 20 points per game and is the fastest player in the program's history to score 2,000 career points.
The Gamecocks are looking to expand their second title to a third in four seasons. They have a strong defense, ranking first in the nation in bench points per game.
The Gamecocks have Chloe Kitts, a forward, who leads her team with a 14.1-point average per game and 7.9 rebounds per game.
These two programs are two of the most dominant in the past decade. In 2022, these two teams met in the national championship game, with the Gamecocks winning 64-49. Each time they’ve played each other, it’s been a toss-up.
Before the game, the Huskies were picked to win (66.3%) over the Gamecocks (33.7%).
In the first quarter and for half of the second quarter, both teams were practically going shot-for-shot, further proving that they are fierce competitors.
That was until the Huskies started scoring, leaving them with a ten-point lead at halftime, 36-26.
In the second half, the Huskies didn’t give up their lead. Bueckers and Sarah Strong were on a roll, making layups and three-pointers, assisting one another.
The energy between the two and the entire team was full of gratitude for Bueckers and to celebrate her final game as a Huskie.
"I think a lot of us, our mindset is like, yes, we really want to win a national championship," Teammate, Azzi Fudd said. "But I think most of us on the team are like, we want to do it for Paige. We've seen everything she's been through and everything that she does for us. ... We want to reciprocate that and do anything for her, and we know how badly she wants it."
A game full of teamwork and appreciation, UConn secured their 12th National Championship title, 82-59.
“Our kids gave it all they had. When you can understand why you lost and when you’ve been on the other side of that three times, you understand it,” South Carolina Coach Dawn Staley said. “You can swallow it. We lost to a very good basketball team.”