Florida wins its third NCAA basketball title and denies Houston its first
Uh, we're at Jody's Club Forest in Staten Island, New York. I mean, I think when people talk about starting it, we didn't, it wasn't the brackets we started, we just started ***, *** winner from each region and you know, the champion and total points. From what I was told *** million times, you know, from my father, you know, before he passed was. That you know they were just hanging one day and he was *** creative guy and you know he would like to come up with some things to add business in *** way so that was his whole beginning of it and the first year they did it it was 1977 and there were 88 people to get in it and it was at $10 *** ticket. So the total prize was $880 in 1977. The word of mouth just really took it to *** level where we never in *** million years would have ever imagined where it got. Our last year was 2006. We had 1.6 $160,000. That final prize was $1.6 million. The day, the cutoff day for submitting tickets was as big as any other holiday around here. And Saint Patty's Day is *** big day around here, but I mean it was, everybody came out, wives, you know, families came out. It was *** good time. Did you know? I used to have *** table lined up along the back and you'd have people collecting money collecting money and there were multiple different people, you know, we had elected officials getting in it we had, you know, we had which we knew everyone knew everyone was getting in it like, you know, Mike and the Mad Dog were getting in like people were like, that's how popular it was like we were getting calls from California, uh, when the war was going on in Iraq. They were, there were tickets being sent to Iraq. In December of '06, we were, uh, it was like *** Tuesday morning I believe, and two agents came in. They questioned my dad about running the pool and this and that and they said you're under investigation. Um, fast forward, um, I would say about right then and there the pool was over. There wasn't even *** debate amongst. My parents like, oh we're gonna run it, we're not gonna run it. We were, it was over right there, right that day in December. Now you could look up on the TV and I can watch *** game and my son could say, what's Vandule and what's this and that, like, to me, it's just like. That's crazy because gambling is just so accepted now. I've been asked like if we would ever start it up again. I just don't even know if I could, could legally do it. I don't, you know, but if I did it, it would, I think it would skyrocket right away. Yeah.
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Florida wins its third NCAA basketball title and denies Houston its first
Florida and Walter Clayton Jr. somehow overcame Houston’s spirit-crushing defense Monday night to will out a 65-63 victory in an NCAA title-game thriller not decided until Clayton’s own D stopped the Cougars from taking a game-winning shot at the buzzer.Clayton finished with 11 points, all in the second half, but what he’ll be remembered for most was getting Houston’s Emanuel Sharp to stop in the middle of his motion as he tried to go up for the game-winning 3 in the final seconds.Video above: Who invented the March Madness bracket?Clayton ran at him, Sharp dropped the ball and, unable to pick it up lest he get called for traveling, watched it bounce there while the clock ticked to zero.Will Richard had 18 points to keep the Gators (36-4) in it, and they won their third overall title and first since 2007, this time led by third-year coach Todd Golden. The Cougars (35-5) and coach Kelvin Sampson were denied their first championship.This was a defensive brawl, and for most of the night, Clayton got the worst of it.He was 0 for 4 from the field without a point through the first half. He didn’t score until 14:57 remained in the game. He finished with one 3-pointer and, before that, a pair of three-point plays that kept the Gators in striking range.It was Florida’s defense, not Houston’s, that controlled the final minute.After Alijah Martin made two free throws to put Florida ahead 64-63 — its first lead since 8-6 — the Gators lured Sharp into a triple-team in the corner, where Richard got him to dribble the ball off his leg and out of bounds.Florida made one free throw on the next possession and that set up the finale. The ball first went to L.J. Cryer — who led the Cougars with 19 points. Blanketed by Richard, he threw to Sharp, who was moving to spot up for a 3 when Clayton ran at him. That left him with no choice but to let the ball go.Sampson, who designed a defense that held Florida under 70 points for only the second time this season, looked on in shock.Instead of the 69-year-old becoming the oldest coach to win the title, the 39-year-old Golden becomes the youngest since N.C. State's Jim Valvano in 1983 to win it all.The Gators trailed by 12 points early in the second half, and Clayton wasn’t the only one getting frustrated.The Florida bench got a technical during a quick span of three foul calls in less than a minute. Later in the second half, Houston’s smothering defense baited Rueben Chinyelu into a technical after committing a foul.But that wasn't enough. Houston ends up at the same place as the Phi Slama Jama teams of the 1980s — in second place, but memorable.This gut-wrenching loss came two nights after the Cougars fashioned a wild comeback of their own, from 14 down against Duke.All three Final Four games were decided down the stretch, none by more than six. Any thought that the men’s game had been overtaken by the increasingly popular women will probably go on hold at least for a year.The three women's Final Four games, capped by UConn's blowout of South Carolina on Sunday, were decided by an average of 24.7 points.
SAN ANTONIO —
Florida and Walter Clayton Jr. somehow overcame Houston’s spirit-crushing defense Monday night to will out a 65-63 victory in an NCAA title-game thriller not decided until Clayton’s own D stopped the Cougars from taking a game-winning shot at the buzzer.
Clayton finished with 11 points, all in the second half, but what he’ll be remembered for most was getting Houston’s Emanuel Sharp to stop in the middle of his motion as he tried to go up for the game-winning 3 in the final seconds.
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Video above: Who invented the March Madness bracket?
Clayton ran at him, Sharp dropped the ball and, unable to pick it up lest he get called for traveling, watched it bounce there while the clock ticked to zero.
Will Richard had 18 points to keep the Gators (36-4) in it, and they won their third overall title and first since 2007, this time led by third-year coach Todd Golden. The Cougars (35-5) and coach Kelvin Sampson were denied their first championship.
This was a defensive brawl, and for most of the night, Clayton got the worst of it.
He was 0 for 4 from the field without a point through the first half. He didn’t score until 14:57 remained in the game. He finished with one 3-pointer and, before that, a pair of three-point plays that kept the Gators in striking range.
It was Florida’s defense, not Houston’s, that controlled the final minute.
After Alijah Martin made two free throws to put Florida ahead 64-63 — its first lead since 8-6 — the Gators lured Sharp into a triple-team in the corner, where Richard got him to dribble the ball off his leg and out of bounds.
Florida made one free throw on the next possession and that set up the finale. The ball first went to L.J. Cryer — who led the Cougars with 19 points. Blanketed by Richard, he threw to Sharp, who was moving to spot up for a 3 when Clayton ran at him. That left him with no choice but to let the ball go.
Sampson, who designed a defense that held Florida under 70 points for only the second time this season, looked on in shock.
Instead of the 69-year-old becoming the oldest coach to win the title, the 39-year-old Golden becomes the youngest since N.C. State's Jim Valvano in 1983 to win it all.
The Gators trailed by 12 points early in the second half, and Clayton wasn’t the only one getting frustrated.
The Florida bench got a technical during a quick span of three foul calls in less than a minute. Later in the second half, Houston’s smothering defense baited Rueben Chinyelu into a technical after committing a foul.
But that wasn't enough. Houston ends up at the same place as the Phi Slama Jama teams of the 1980s — in second place, but memorable.
This gut-wrenching loss came two nights after the Cougars fashioned a wild comeback of their own, from 14 down against Duke.
All three Final Four games were decided down the stretch, none by more than six. Any thought that the men’s game had been overtaken by the increasingly popular women will probably go on hold at least for a year.
The three women's Final Four games, capped by UConn's blowout of South Carolina on Sunday, were decided by an average of 24.7 points.
UConn beats South Carolina 82-59 for program's 12th women's NCAA Tournament title
