A Battle of Elites as Florida's Offense Meets Houston's Defense

SAN ANTONIO-- Heading into the biggest game of his young coaching career, Florida Gators head coach Todd Golden didn't mince words about Houston's top-rated defense as the teams are set to meet in the national championship.

"Their defense worries me a lot, absolutely," he said.

Holding the top-ranked defense with an 87.4 rating, according to KenPom, while only an NCAA Division One-low 58.5 points per game. That defensive dominance was evident Saturday night as the Cougars erased a 14-point deficit in the second half to upset Duke in the Final Four.

Houston did not allow a single point over the final 1:14 of action and did not allow a single field goal over the final three minutes of gametime, eventually punching its ticket to Monday's title game with a 70-67 win.

"Talk about resilience and toughness, I feel like they showed that in a big-time way (Saturday) night," Golden said. "I think they were down 14 at one point, down seven with a minute and a halfto go. Never quit, never gave up. Didn't hang their heads."

Specifically, Golden named Cougar forwards Joseph Tugler (two blocks per game) and J'Wan Roberts (6.5 rebounds per game) as two who could pose the biggest issues. The duo combined for 20 of Houston's 42 rebounds on Saturday while adding a combined five blocks.

"They have incredible length and athleticism and physicality inside the paint," Golden said. "They wear you down, make it really hard on you."

While Houston's top-rated defense stands out, the Gators' offense has been the sparkfor most of the season. Led by All-American guard Walter Clayton Jr., Florida currently boasts the No. 2 offensive rating in the country, according to KenPom, while being No. 3 nationally in points per game (85.3).

"I think it's going to be a contrasting battle that way," Golden said. "Hopefully we can get the game up and down a little bit. They're going to impose their will as they've done on everybody this year. We're pretty tough team also. We're going to have to do a better job than we did (Saturday) night. I thought first half we let Auburn take it to us a little bit. We can't allow that to happen (Monday) night."

Across the NCAA Tournament, Florida is shooting 47 percent from the field and just under 38 percent from 3-point territory. Clayton Jr. has specifically shined with back-to-back 30-point outings in the wins over Texas Tech and Auburn.

While the points have come, turnovers have also been prevalent during the Gators' run to its first championship appearance in nearly 20 years. Florida is averaging 13.4 turnovers over the last five games with double-digit marks in every tournament appearance this season.

Over the last two games, in particular, Florida's offense has had signs of difficulty with both Texas Tech and Auburn repeatedly double-teaming Clayton Jr., forcing Florida to go deep into the shot clock or having to go to other options.

It won't be any different Monday against the Cougars.

"The way they guard, they're going to make it really hard on us," Golden said. "I think they'll pressure the ball screen, try to get the ball out of Walt's hands. But they rotate, they're long, they play so hard, so tough. We're going to have great mental and physical toughness if we want to give ourselves a chance (Monday) night."

Even with the pressure, Clayton Jr. has risen to the occasion, and the Gators used strong second halves in both matchups to pull away late. In particular, forward Thomas Haugh has provided a nice offensive option off the bench, both in the post and from deep, to keep defenses honest when they try to hone in on Clayton Jr.

Haugh is averaging 13 points per game across the tournament, which includes a 20-point outing against Texas Tech in which he hit four 3-pointers.

"The great thing for us is our bigs are great decision-makers and play-makers in the middle of the floor," Golden said. "Last time with Tommy, we could just throw him the ball. Now he's playing four-on three. He's a great decision-maker. We'll live with the results of that."

In a season where the Gators beat two AP No. 1-ranked teams, won its first SEC Tournament since 2014 and beat top SEC opponents Auburn, Alabama and Tennessee multiple times, Florida's greatest challenge may be saved for last with Houston's defense.

Despite that, Golden is prepared for the challenge, and as Florida's done all season, its offense gives them a great opportunity to win the program's third national championship.

"We're a pretty elite offensive team," Golden said. "We'll lean into that and allow our guys to go out there to make some plays and see what happens."

Tip-off between the Gators and the Cougars is set for 8:50 p.m. with television coverage on CBS.

More From Gators Illustrated