UConn’s quest for a third straight national title ended with a thrilling 77-75 loss to Florida in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. The Huskies, led by coach Dan Hurley, took an early lead and built a 52-46 advantage through the first 30 minutes of play.
However, Walter Clayton Jr. took over for Florida, scoring 13 of his 23 points in the final eight minutes to rally his team to victory. Clayton’s crucial three-pointers down the stretch, including one with 1:06 left, sealed the win and gave Florida an eight-point advantage with just 40 seconds remaining.
Despite trailing by as many as eight points late in the game, UConn refused to give up, scoring four second-chance points off missed free throws. However, a series of costly mistakes, including allowing Florida to corral offensive rebounds off missed free throws, ultimately proved to be too much for the Huskies.
The loss marks a major setback for UConn, which struggled to replace losing four starters to the NBA last season. For Florida, the win marked a huge step forward under coach Todd Golden, who has resurrected the program in just three years.
“This is a great win for our program,” Golden said post-game. “We made winning play after winning play down the stretch in the last six minutes.”
Florida advances to the Sweet 16, where they will face Colorado State or Maryland in San Francisco. The Gators’ victory also marks their first appearance in the tournament since 2017.
UConn’s loss concludes a historic run by the Huskies, who won back-to-back titles in 2023 and 2024. The team, led by Hurley, had sought to become the first school to three-peat since UCLA in 1967-1973.
Source: https://apnews.com/article/march-madness-uconn-florida-score-70af59c604ee59ab59dc035713d6f596