Florida Basketball staged a comeback for the ages as the Gators stormed back from ten points down with less than six minutes to punch their ticket to the Final Four.
Todd Golden took to the podium after the game and here are some of the most notable comments he had about the win.
Florida Basketball: Still Dancing
"I thought we did a great job staying the course, not getting too high or too low or trying to make hero defensive plays down the stretch. We executed our fouls. These two guys next to me made some big-time shots. At the end of the day, great teams are as good as their players lead them."
It was notable how Florida didn't seem to panic. That doesn't mean everything was clean or perfect down the stretch, but we have seen around the country where teams have a tendency to melt down as the intensity ramps up.
"As he said, I think he said he blacked out or whatever, he doesn't get too high or too low. He does a great job controlling his emotions. And most players in that moment, their heart rate would get up. He has that special talent and ability to stay even keeled. The biggest thing in those moments is you need to have somebody that wants to take those shots."
Talking about Walter Clayton, Golden highlighted that never-panic mentality and how Clayton has the mentality to want to take the big shots.
"But his jump he's made from his freshman to sophomore year has been incredible. Just his ability to shoot the basketball. He's becoming an elite 3-point shooter, elite free-throw shooter. Areas that he struggled with a little bit last year, he's so good with the ball."
Walter Clayton is the headline we will all remember, but Thomas Haugh had just as big of a role in allowing Florida to keep contact, and he had two big threes himself during Florida's comeback.
"We lived at the line, which was huge."
Perhaps the most underrated part of Florida's night was their ability to make free throws. Florida was 25 of 27 from the free-throw line.
"The under-four media was the one that sticks out. We were down nine or 10, whatever it was. The message was we've got to make every winning play down the stretch"
Safe to say, Florida made the winning plays down the stretch.