SAN FRANCISCO – As Todd Golden made his solution to the blue ladder to chop down Chase Heart’s nets Saturday, Saint Mary’s coach Randy Bennett snuck up and gave his former level guard a bear hug. Quickly becoming a member of them was Stanford coach Kyle Smith, one other of Golden’s mentors.
The trio posed for photos and rejoiced till Bennett shooed Golden away, telling him they’d have a good time subsequent weekend, when the Golden-coached Florida Gators seem within the NCAA Event’s Ultimate 4 in San Antonio, Texas.
“Amazing. Just incredibly proud,” Golden mentioned amid the on-court celebration after beating Texas Tech 84-79 and profitable the NCAA Event’s West Regional. “The staff and players did an incredible job all year getting us to this point, and when it wasn’t looking good for us, they did a great job staying the course, staying confident, making winning plays.”
High-seeded Florida (34-4) was down 10 factors with 5 ½ minutes left earlier than closing in triumphant trend. Walter Clayton Jr. scored 13 of his game-high 30 factors in that stretch run, together with a game-tying 3-pointer with 1:47 remaining after which a go-ahead 3-pointer that secured the lead for the ultimate minute.
“Obviously we had some big-time shots down the stretch that allowed us to run out of here with a victory,” Golden added. “To do it here in San Francisco is pretty sweet.”
Florida Gators head coach Todd Golden cuts down the nets after an 84-79 victory over the Texas Tech Crimson Raiders within the Elite 8 spherical of the NCAA Males’s Basketball Event at Chase Heart in San Francisco, Calif., on Saturday, March 29, 2025. (Karl Mondon/Bay Space Information Group)
Watching from the stands had been his coaches 20 years in the past at Saint Mary’s – when Bennett was in his fourth season, Smith was an assistant and Golden was a redshirt freshman walk-on as they appeared within the NCAA Event. 4 years later, in 2008, Golden was a senior starter on one other NCAA Event group that additionally went one-and-done.
In Saturday’s closing minutes, Bennett saved an eye fixed on Golden, who largely hid his angst and wasn’t kicking a chair like two nights earlier within the Gators’ win over Maryland.
“His composure was unbelievable down the stretch, won them the game, kind of,” Bennett mentioned. “Stayed calm, had a plan. He was calm and that’s what you have to be on those. You may not pull it off but it’s your only chance. You can’t panic. He did not panic.”
Florida Gators head coach Todd Golden talks with Stanford head coach Kyle Smith and St. Mary’s head coach Randy Bennett after his group defeated the Texas Tech Crimson Raiders 84-79 within the Elite 8 spherical of the NCAA Males’s Basketball Event at Chase Heart in San Francisco, Calif., on Saturday, March 29, 2025. (Karl Mondon/Bay Space Information Group)
Golden was solely 34 when he left USF for Florida, and amongst these he hugged throughout Saturday’s celebration was the lady instrumental in his hiring, Lynda Tealer, who left Florida final yr to develop into the NCAA’s senior vp for championships.
Tealer, earlier than congratulating Golden on Saturday’s ground, mentioned: “The University of Florida had a tradition of hiring young people to lead their program. That did not matter. He had clarity of purpose and clarity of vision. There just wasn’t any question after we talked to him. It’s gratifying from a personal standpoint (to reach the Final Four), because I love Todd and love his family, and to see them have a moment like that after three years of work and effort.”
Todd’s spouse, former Saint Mary’s volleyball participant Megan York, is from San Antonio, which is the place the Gators will play subsequent Saturday towards the South Area champion, both Auburn or Michigan State.
Florida Gators head coach Todd Golden shares a confetti bathe along with his father, Scott Golden, after defeating the Texas Tech Crimson Raiders 84-79 within the Elite 8 spherical of the NCAA Males’s Basketball Event at Chase Heart in San Francisco, Calif., on Saturday, March 29, 2025. (Karl Mondon/Bay Space Information Group)
Each Bennett and Smith will likely be in San Antonio to cheer on Golden, who shouted “Let’s Go Gators!” as he accepted Saturday’s regional trophy and donned the identical commemorative blue T-shirt as his gamers that learn: “Ready 4 More” with a Gators emblem beneath these phrases.
“It doesn’t happen very often when you get anybody you’re close to has a chance to go to the Final Four,” mentioned Smith, who had Golden on his staffs at Columbia (2012-14) and USF (2016-19) earlier than Golden succeeded him because the Dons’ coach for 3 seasons.
“Todd has a very big swagger about him. He’s just not afraid of anything, and that’s how his team plays,” Smith mentioned. “We all felt it in the stands. Texas Tech was good and tough and they weren’t going away. They hung in there. … I just went straight fan boy.”
Golden made it some extent to thank Smith and Bennett later within the formal press convention, recalling their “intense coaching” and calls for for perfection when he was a Saint Mary’s guard. “To play for those guys and go to two NCAA Tournaments, that was a backbone in my coaching career now,” Golden mentioned.
Golden received twice earlier than at Chase Heart, when only some thousand had been within the stands for USF’s wins in November 2019 and November 2021. This time, with orange and blue confetti scattered about, Golden actually climbed the ladder for Saturday’s success, snipped the web, draped it round his neck and let loose a euphoric cheer. So did Bennett and Smith on the high of the 3-point arc.
Stated Bennett: “I’m so happy for him. It’s an incredible story.”
Initially Revealed: March 29, 2025 at 7:23 PM PDT
