A thrill-a-minute NCAA title for the Florida Gators in San Antonio has reminded us all of what’s so good about the games these college athletes play.

The end of national championship game was gritty and ugly, just the way Houston usually likes it.

Kelvin Sampson watched his Houston team come within seconds of the first NCAA title for both himself and the program.

Florida wins its third NCAA basketball title and denies Houston its first, rallying for 65-63 victory.

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.

J’Wan Roberts has been at Houston for six seasons and played in 149 wins for the Cougars.

Whoever said there were no great underdog stories left in March Madness, or that the title would go to whoever spends the most money — or amasses the best collection of big names from the transfer portal — clearly never checked out Houston.

Houston’s relentless defense confused and harassed Tennessee and carried the Cougars into their seventh Final Four and first since 2021, with L.

Milos Uzan soared for an uncontested layup on a beautifully executed inbound play with 0.9 seconds left, and No. 1 seed Houston survived a late collapse to beat fourth-seeded Purdue 62-60 in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament.

Houston coach Kelvin Sampson knows his team can always rely on defense to win games.

Houston earned a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament for the third straight year and will open against first-time qualifier SIU-Edwardsville in Wichita, Kansas, on Thursday.

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Sixth-ranked Houston is riding a 13-game winning streak behind the stingiest defense in the nation.

J’Wan Roberts scored 24 points, including six in two overtime periods, and No. 7 Houston beat No. 12 Kansas 92-86.

Emanuel Sharp started overtime with a 3-pointer that put top-seeded Houston ahead to stay as the Cougars advanced to the Sweet 16 by topping ninth-seeded Texas A&M 100-95.

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Houston still has a tight grip on No. 1 in the AP Top 25 while Kansas is out of the top 10 for the first time in three seasons.

Jamal Shead hit a short follow shot with 0.4 seconds left and No. 1 Houston beat Oklahoma 87-85 on Saturday night, giving coach Kelvin Sampson a victory over one of his former schools.

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Jamal Shead had 26 points, including 20 in the second half, and No. 2 Houston took sole possession of first place in the Big 12 with a 73-65 win over No. 6 Iowa State.

Emanuel Miller’s layup with six seconds left gave TCU a 68-67 victory over No. 2 Houston on Saturday, the Cougars’ second straight loss.

Tamin Lipsey scored 14 points, freshman Milan Momcilovic made a baseline jumper with 30.2 seconds left and Iowa State beat No. 2 Houston 57-53 to knock off the nation’s final unbeaten team.

A miserable second quarter ended the Tigers’ season in a 79-71 loss to Bishop McLaughlin Catholic on Wednesday in the Class 3A state semifinals at the RP Funding Center in Lakeland. The Tigers had finished as state runner-up each of the previous two trips for coach James Collins. The Tigers (19-7) were in sync until the early minutes of the second quarter, up by eight points and settling into a rhythm. AdBy the midway point of the quarter, the Tigers were treading water and trying everything they could to hang on. Sharp had a staggering 24 of his 39 points in the second quarter alone.