SAN ANTONIO – After the University of Houston Cougars rallied from a 14-point deficit with eight minutes to play against Duke in Saturday night’s Final Four matchup, the Florida Gators understand how tough it is to beat Houston.
The Cougars’ defense and aggressiveness have been a staple of head coach Kelvin Sampson’s program, leading them to their second national championship game in four seasons.
University of Florida head coach Todd Golden knows what his Gators are up against in Monday night’s NCAA Men’s Final Four National Championship game.
“They’re the best defensive team in America,” Golden said. “They have just a great identity as a program of just being physically and mentally tough, and that’s something that we’ve tried to pride ourselves on this year, and Houston, I would say, is a great example of that.”
“They play a really good defense,” Florida junior center Micah Handlogten said. ”That’s what they’re known for. That’s what they’ve been known for a long time now, ever since coach Sampson got there. We just gotta go out there and play our game.
“They want to slow the game down, we want to speed it up, and so if we can go out there and play our game and speed the game up, I think we can walk away with the win.”
“Just real proud of our guys from just being able to hang in there and wait for something good to happen,” Sampson said. “Sometimes if you keep playing and you get an opportunity, then you’re in a position to do something with it.”
“I think we give credit to the Big 12 (conference) and how they set up our schedule and how those games prepared us for games like that, and us just being prepared for it,” Houston sophomore guard Terrance Arceneaux said. “This team has been through a lot since the summer, and just being able to go out there in those types of moments and finish the game is something that I think this team is built for.”
The Cougars will test the foundation of their building in Monday’s NCAA Men’s Final Four National Championship game, which is set to tip off at 7:50 p.m. at the Alamodome.
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