Gators HC Todd Golden makes major statement after defeating Cougars in the National Championship

The NCAAB season came to a dramatic conclusion with a thrilling showdown between the Florida Gators and the Houston Cougars. In a movie-worthy finish, Todd Golden‘s team claimed the National Championship, capping off a historic season for the program.

After the game in which the Gators triumphed over Kelvin Sampson’s Cougars 65-63, Head Coach Todd Golden spoke with the media and shared his thoughts on achieving a new milestone in the history of the university.

“It was the same story,” Golden said to Andy Katz after the game. “We knew this was going to be an incredibly difficult game. Houston’s a great program, obviously, Hall of Fame head coach, super tough team. And you know, we knew it was going to be a really challenging game. They did a great job on Walt [Walter Clayton Jr.] in the first half, we had some uncharacteristic turnovers.

“And you know, at halftime, that was the biggest difference. We had nine turnovers. They had two. Other than that. The game was pretty similar, and we just toughened up in the second half, our defense stepped up. I think we had nine stops in a row at one point. We got Walt loose a little bit in transition. He got going, obviously the big three at the under-four. And as always, we found a way to win the game.”

Rueben Chinyelu #9 and head coach Todd Golden of the Florida Gators celebrate with the trophy after defeating the Houston Cougars in the National Championship of the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament at the Alamodome on April 07, 2025 in San Antonio, Texas.

Golden’s pride in his team’s accomplishment

It wasn’t going to be an easy game, and it certainly wasn’t in the slightest. That’s why Todd Golden praised the effort put forth by his players, stating that he felt an immense sense of pride once the game had concluded.

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“Incredibly proud,” Golden said once the game concluded. “You know, we knew that Houston was not gonna make it easy on us, and that’s what we needed tonight, to find a way to win. We had to find a way to get some stops and make the game really difficult for them, and we guarded our tail off in the second half.

And that last possession, Walt had a great closeout for [Emanuel] Sharp to put the ball on the floor. He realized he couldn’t pick it up, and Condo [Alex Condon] dove on the loose ball, and next thing I knew, the horn went off, and then we had won the game.”

Golden makes history at Florida

At just 39 years old, Todd Golden etched his name in Florida Gators history, securing his first title with the program after coaching the team for three seasons. How far will the success of the talented coach go?

“Been fortunate to have a great opportunity here at Florida, put ourselves in position to get the job, and fortunate to have an incredible staff,” Golden said.

“Man, our staff has been together for three years. We’re going to lose some guys here shortly to head jobs, which makes me really proud. And in three short years, we put together an incredible roster, obviously great basketball players, but great kids, great people. Mature, unselfish, resilient and they played with great urgency all year.”