When the Florida Gators beat Auburn in the Final Four to advance to the national title game, most assumed the Gators would take on Duke. And for 30+ minutes of the second Final Four game, it looked like Florida would have to take on the Blue Devils in order to cut down the nets in San Antonio.
However, Houston staged a comeback and ultimately faced Florida in the title game, where the Gators prevailed.
But as the NBA Draft has showcased, Florida was able to prevail as the best team even though Duke had far more NBA talent.
Florida as a team prevailed where the talent for Duke failed
To the surprise of nobody, Cooper Flagg was drafted first overall by the Dallas Mavericks. He was followed by Kon Knueppel getting drafted 4th overall to Charlotte, and Khaman Maluach was drafted 10th.
Florida, meanwhile, is leaning on Walter Clayton Jr. to get drafted in the 1st round while hoping that Alijah Martin and Will Richard get picked in the 2nd round.
And yet, it's Florida that gets to lift the banner to open the 2025 campaign.
A significant reason why Florida prevailed where Duke failed is due to experience. The Duke trio was talented, but they lacked the mental fortitude to lean on as the pressure ramped up in the Final Four, as they had never been in that situation before.
Meanwhile, Florida's collection of guards had been through the fire and had the mental fortitude to overcome multiple deficits throughout the NCAA Tournament.
It's a reminder of why Todd Golden seems content going after experienced guys in the transfer portal rather than chasing after the one-and-done guys who are liable to crumble during the NCAA Tournament.
And after the season the Gators just went through, it is safe to trust Golden's methodology until further notice.