Florida defeats Houston in nail-biter to win first national championship since 2007

An NCAA Tournament defined by its lack of suspense came down to its final possession Monday.Florida won its third national championship 65-63 by overcoming a 12-point second-half deficit and making one final defensive stand.Houston got the ball back with 19 seconds left but could not get a final shot off. Catching a pass well beyond the 3-point line with five seconds left, Cougars guard Emanuel Sharp jumped for what would have been a game-winning attempt but pump-faked seeing the defense of Florida guard Walter Clayton Jr. Sharp avoided traveling by bouncing the ball while he was in the air, but a teammate could not rush over in time to grab it and throw up an attempt in time before the clock ran out.Houston was denied what would have been its first national title. Cougars coach Kelvin Sampson, 69, was trying to win his 800th career game and become the oldest coach ever to win a men’s basketball title. Instead, he was left frozen after the final possession gone wrong, and it was 39-yea...