Florida star Will Richard talks beating Houston in March Madness thriller
Florida guard Will Richard is still basking in the closing seconds of an NCAA championship victory -- even if it felt like it took forever.
"I swear it was the longest 19 seconds of my life, but [I was] just trying to make it hard for them to score," Richard said Tuesday on "Good Morning America, going on to describe what it was like when the game finally ended.
"I heard the siren go off, " he said. "And it was special, just feeling that feeling and being able to celebrate with your teammates in that moment, and your family."
The University of Florida defeated Houston Monday night to win the NCAA men's basketball championship for the third time in school history.
The Gators' 65-63 win came in a thriller that went down to those final 19 seconds. Houston had one last possession to tie or win the game, but weren't even able to get a shot off against the Gators' stifling defense.
Richard was the Gators' top scorer, with 18 points in the game.
The No. 1-seeded UF team was down by as many as 12 points to Houston, but Richard said he and his teammates never doubted they could win.
"We were all confident. I feel like that just goes back to show how connected we are. ... We have a chance to win a game no matter what the situation is," he said. "We were poised, calm and collected during that time and rallied back."
With their win, Richard and his teammates won Florida's third NCAA men's basketball title and first since the school went back to back in 2006 and 2007.
"This is what you put in the work for," Richard said. "This is what you come to Florida for, to win national championships, so it’s a blessing for sure."
For Richard, the win is a fairy-tale ending to his senior season at Florida.
The Georgia native averaged 11.8 points and 4.4 rebounds per game in 68 appearances over his three seasons at Florida.
"I couldn’t have [scripted it any better]," Richard said of winning an NCAA title in his final college game. "This is special. This is what you dream of, this is what you put all the work in for so it’s special to see it come to fruition."
