Another season of college basketball came to an end as Florida cut down the nets as NCAA Tournament champions. Five months of action led the Gators to their third national title in program history and a breakthrough moment under head coach Todd Golden, giving him his first taste of that glory and success.
The Gators were far from the only great team during a very top-heavy season and postseason in this sport. However, Golden, his staff, and his players got the job done when it mattered most, beating elite programs on college basketball’s biggest stage down in San Antonio to rise as national champions. This marked an extraordinary rise for Golden in just his third year leading the Gators and just his sixth year as a head coach of any kind.
Golden immortalized his name not just in Florida history but in NCAA Tournament lore, joining a list of the greats to win national championships. He’s the youngest coach to do so in more than forty years and might have a bright future ahead of him to add more success. Had you thought back five years into the future, it might have been a surprise to say that the first-year San Francisco head coach would be cutting down the nets half a decade later.
Today we’re thinking about that success and looking into the future. It’s impossible to know what will happen on a daily, month, or yearly basis in this sport, especially with how NIL and conference realignment and other factors continue to shape it. Much like with Golden’s breakthrough this season, we’ll be looking closely at a list of other coaches who might win their first national titles in the coming years. Which of these coaches do you think can cut down the nets next year or before the decade is over?