Caitlin Clark’s teammate Brianna Turner in disbelief at Houston’s ATO in championship game meltdown

The basketball world was shocked after the dramatic ending to the NCAA championship game between the Houston Cougars and Florida Gators. Houston fumbled in the last possession, preventing themselves from securing a historic win. Caitlin Clark’s new teammate, Brianna Turner, joins many others who were in disbelief over the final play of the contest.

Houston led for most of the night and seemed to be in prime position to capture their first-ever national title. Things took an unexpected turn when they found themselves trailing by two points with just 8.7 seconds left. Instead of going to LJ Cryer—their most reliable scorer all tournament long—the ball ended up in the hands of Emanuel Sharp.

Unable to step up when it mattered the most, Sharp couldn’t even get a shot off. Instead, he committed the most costly turnover of his career.

“That just couldn’t have been the play drawn up during the timeout…,” Turner wrote on X.

Judging by the reaction of Houston’s head coach Kelvin Sampson following the buzzer, it was clear that the play didn’t go how he drew it up.

The Gators showed resilience and clawed back from a 12-point deficit to win the contest 65-63. Will Richard led the charge with 18 points and 8 rebounds, helping the Gators clinch their third national title—and their first in 18 years.

Caitlin Clark praises Paige Bueckers during the NCAA championship game

Caitlin Clark made an appearance on ESPN’s “The Bird & Taurasi Show” broadcast for the NCAA championship final between the UConn Huskies and the South Carolina Gamecocks on Sunday.

Early in the second half, the Indiana Fever star shared her thoughts on Paige Bueckers and had nothing but praise for the young guard.

“I think that's one of the greatest things about her game is just her poise and her maturity and nothing ever seems to phase her. And she's always the same, she's always the same constant leader. So I think it'll be that for her, but also she can score at all three levels.

She finishes well around the rim, her mid-range game is some of the best I've honestly ever seen. And obviously she can score from the three-point line too,” Caitlin Clark said.

With the Dallas Wings widely expected to take Bueckers with the No. 1 overall pick in the upcoming WNBA draft, Clark also touched on what that dynamic could look like.

“She can play point guard, but she can also play off the ball. I think that'll be an interesting dynamic with Arike Ogunbowale, obviously,” Caitlin Clark concluded.

The Huskies eventually secured an 82-59 blowout win, lifting their first national title since 2016. Paige Bueckers finished the night with 17 points and 6 rebounds, capping her collegiate career with an unforgettable March Madness run – 24.8 points, 4 rebounds, and 3.3 assists per game.