March Madness Final Four All-Tournament Team

Did you want madness? We heard you wanted some madness. Well, after a chalky start to the NCAA Tournament, a Final Four that featured all four No. 1 seeds in San Antonio delivered on a whole month’s worth of mayhem with three games decided by a total of 11 points, and Florida winning the National Championship over Houston 65-63 on Monday night. 

The 39-year-old Todd Golden became the youngest head coach to win a title since Jim Valvano also beat the Cougars back in 1983 at 37 years old and he did it in the first national championship game since 1989 to feature zero minutes from freshman. That feat was accomplished two days after Houston bounced the headline diaper dandy from The Big Dance in the Final Four with a shocking 11-1 run over the final 1:14 seconds for a 70-67 win over Cooper Flagg’s Duke Blue Devils. 

Despite an early exit and a missed game-winner, Flagg is the only freshman to make the Busting Brackets March Madness Final Four All-Tournament Team in a group that like Monday’s night’s title game, was littered with experienced stars. 

The Final Four’s Most Outstanding Player became the first player in college basketball since Larry Bird in 1979 with back-to-back 30+ point outings in the Elite Eight and the Final Four. Then, for a half and change, Kelvin Sampson kept the First-Team All-American point guard in check. Houston’s length and quickness prevented Clayton from getting downhill off ball screens and made his life miserable in the first half. Clayton didn’t score his first points until 14:57 left in the second half and his first basket until 7:54 remaining. 

Golden made excellent adjustments to get Clayton space and the game’s best closer led the Gators back from a 12-point second-half deficit with 11 points, seven assists, and five rebounds. When the calendar turned to March, Clayton became the best player in the country and without his heroics all tournament, the Gainesville, Florida wouldn’t be in such a celebratory mood. 

LJ Cryer won a national title in 2021 as a freshman with the Baylor Bears and did everything he could to earn a second ring on Monday night. After a 26-point outing on Saturday night against the Blue Devils on 8-14 shooting and 6-9 from three, Cryer led the way for the Cougars with 19 points in the season finale. Cryer went 6-18 from the field with an array of impressive shot-making, but the most important one is the one he didn’t get off. 

Houston’s final play was drawn up for Cryer, but after he was stifled, he gave it up to Emmanuel Sharp, who got caught in between a jump shot and a shot-fake, allowing the final seconds to run off the clock as Florida’s Alex Condon corralled the loose ball. 

While Walter Clayton Jr. was bottled up for the entire first half and much of the second on Monday night, Richard’s hot shooting buoyed the Gators. The senior guard entered the title game 0-5 from three across the team’s last two games and shooting 29 percent from three for the NCAA Tournament. Then, he got hot. 

Richard led the way in the first half with 14 points, drilling spot-up threes, pull-up jumpers, and getting into good looks off movement. He finished with a team-high 18 points, but his biggest play came on the defensive end, stripping Emmanuel Sharp on a drive to the basket with 26 seconds remaining and regaining possession for Florida up 64-63. Richard was part of Golden’s first transfer portal class at Florida and remained a key piece for the young head coach’s self-proclaimed best backcourt in the country. 

Cooper Flagg was announced as the Wooden Award winner on Saturday before taking the court against Houston in the Final Four and boy did he play like it in San Antonio. Flagg went for 27 points, seven rebounds, four assists, two steals, a block, and one turnover, yet he’ll shoulder much of the blame for Duke’s collapse. As the game slipped away for the Blue Devils, Flagg was the only player to score a field goal over the game’s final 13 minutes. 

Flagg will be the deserving No. 1 overall pick in this summer’s NBA Draft, and despite falling short in March, has a strong argument as the greatest freshman in college basketball history. 

The sixth-year forward was far from efficient on Monday night, adding eight points on 3-13 shooting, though he did chip in eight rebounds and three blocks before his storied career came to an emotional end. The biggest moment for Roberts came in the Final Four victory over Duke as he recorded 11 points, 12 rebounds, five assists, and knocked down two of the biggest free throws in the sport’s history. 

Roberts has long been the heart and soul of the Houston program and the career 59 percent free throw shooter exemplified that by going two-for-two from the line with 19 seconds remaining to give his Cougars a 68-67 lead.

Busting Brackets March Madness All-Tournament Teams

• Round of 64, Day 1
• Round of 64, Day 2
• Round of 32 Day 3
• Round of 32 Day 4
• Sweet 16
• Elite Eight