Emanuel Sharp distraught after awful late error hands Florida March Madness victory over Houston

Houston’s Emanuel Sharp was consoled by his Cougar teammates and Florida’s Walter Clayton Jr. after his near-double-dribble caused no shot to be taken during the national championship game’s final possession. 

Sharp had the chance to take a long-distance 3-pointer with under five seconds remaining in the game but pulled the ball down to the court, opting not to take the shot. 

Sharp could not touch the ball, or else it would be a turnover, leading to the clock running out and the Cougars losing the national title. 

In Houston’s penultimate offensive possession of the game, Sharp also failed at the critical moment, losing his dribble off his leg and turning the ball over to Florida. 

The Gators defeated the Cougars 65-63, overcoming a 12-point deficit to take down the Big 12 Champions, denying Kelvin Sampson his first national title as a head coach. 

Sharp was one of Houston’s best players all season long. Now, his season may be best remembered for how it finished, not his efforts to lead the school to a national-title appearance.  

Only one Houston player scored in double-digits, L.J. Cryer, who finished the game with 19 points. 

Sharp finished the game with 8 on 3-for-11 shooting, including 1-of-7 from 3-point range. 

That clip from beyond the arc makes Sharp’s decision to take the long-range shot with his team’s season on the line all the more audacious. 

Sharp was in tears on the Alamodome court and leaving view from the San Antonio venue.   

Maybe the only silver lining for Sharp is that he has not exhausted all of his eligibility and can return to play for Houston next season and gain some retribution. 

The Cougars led for a heavy majority of the game, continuing with Florida’s comeback theme of the entire tournament. 

In only the Gators’ games against Maryland and Norfolk State, Florida did not trail by several points or more.