What just happened! The Florida Gators just won the national title in one of the wildest endings you will ever see. With the Cougars trailing by two points and less than twenty seconds remaining, the Houston team had one final chance to make a comeback and steal it from Florida. But the Gators’ elite defense left the Cougars in complete chaos down the stretch. Even the NBA community was stunned!

The ball first went to Milos Uzan, who immediately got double teamed and was forced to pass the rock to LJ Cryer. Not a bad option for the final shot as Cryer was the highest scorer for Houston with 19 points. So, the Gators closed him out and forced another pass, this time to Emanuel Sharp. But with only five seconds remaining and the defense closing in, Sharp could not get a good look and committed a crucial turnover.

Florida defender dove for the loose ball and the final buzzer went off. Gators became this year’s NCAA champions as the Cougars could not even get a shot off. Well, the Houston squad let the title slip from their grasp because at one point, they were up by 12 points and it looked like they would get an easy win. But the Gators were not ready to give up so soon.

After the miraculous win, Florida head coach Todd Golden had high praise for his team’s heroic effort, “We did what we did all year. We stayed the course… like we’ve done all year, we have made plays when we needed the most. We guarded our butts off down the stretch.” Then, he yelled in excitement, “The Gators are natty baby! We got the natty baby! Let’s go!” While there was excitement for one side, there was complete heartbreak for the other.

Kendrick Perkins, Trae Young, and more react to wild Gators vs Cougars finish

Shocked by the final sequence, many viewers were devastated by Houston’s poor late-game execution. That included former NBA Champion Kendrick Perkins, who tweeted, “What the hell was that??? Jesus Christ Houston.” Don’t know what Kelvin Sampson’s designed play was, but not being able to get the final shot off in a national championship game will haunt them forever.

Even veteran analysts Ramona Shelburne and Jared Weiss chimed in. Ramone tweeted, “That is a brutal way to lose a game” while Weiss wrote, “My eyes are bleeding watching the execution of the last minute.” While the Cougars choked last minute, credit also goes to the Gators for pressuring them into committing a turnover.

As expected, netizens had high praise for their clutch defense, as veteran analyst Kevin O’Connor tweeted, “What an incredible closeout wowwww” while Cavs superstar Donovan Mitchell praised two Gators stars, “Walter Clayton and Alijah Martin” with fire emojis. Even Golden made a bold claim after the title win, “We have the best back court in America. I think we have the best front court in America.” They certainly proved it tonight.

Meanwhile, Trae Young was just left in awe of how exciting the game was, “Wow! What a game!” What are your thoughts on the wild finish?