Houston Cougars Fall to Florida 65-63 in National Championship

SAN ANTONIO, Texas - The University of Houston Men's Basketball program ended its record-breaking season with a 65-63 loss to #3/3 (1) Florida in the NCAA National Championship Final on Monday night inside the Alamodome.

Graduate guard L.J. Cryer led Houston with 19 points and was named to the Final Four All-Tournament team after his 26-point performance against Duke. After sinking a pair of free throws to give the Cougars the lead over Duke, and an eight-point, eight-rebound performance against Florida, graduate forward J'Wan Roberts was also named to the Final Four All-Tournament team. 

The Cougars shot just 34.8%, including 6-of-25 from 3-point range, putting too much weight on the defense to carry them home.

Houston ended its season as the Big 12 regular-season and Tournament champions with a record 19 wins in conference play and a program single-season record 35 wins. The Cougars reached the Final Four for the seventh time and the National Championship game for the first time since 1984.