Nobody deserves to lose the way Houston lost the March Madness championship
This is For The Win’s daily newsletter, The Morning Win. Did a friend recommend or forward this to you? If so, subscribe here. Have feedback? Leave your questions, comments and concerns through this brief reader survey! Now, here’s Mike Sykes.
Good morning, Winners! Houston got a taste of its own medicine on Monday night.
After coaxing multiple teams into generational choke jobs throughout the NCAA tournament (looking at you, especially, Duke), Houston had one of its own at the legitimately worst possible time.
Going from having a 12-point lead in the championship game to, well, this is just unimaginable, quite frankly.
I haven't seen an ending to a basketball game as dramatically anticlimactic as this one. That's not even something that sounds like it should be possible. If we hadn't all witnessed it with our own eyes, then I probably wouldn't have believed it, but alas.
As soon Emanuel Sharp went up to shoot the ball for a potential game-winning shot and came back down with it, the game was over. We all knew it. But the way that ball bounced in front of Sharp, as he knew he couldn't touch it, felt like an eternity to the rest of us. It just had to feel even longer and more agonizing to him. Yikes.
This wans't just heartbreak — it was destiny. Misery was a requirement in this NCAA tournament. This is what the bracket gods demanded, as our Christian D'Andrea wrote here:
"Indeed, this was the tournament of collapse. Unforced errors doomed teams across the bracket. Florida capitalized on its composure and escaped an embarrassment of its own making when holding off a battered UConn team in the round of 32."
Houston was on the wrong side of things when the stakes were at their highest. It's quite the shame, but it's also par for the course for the Cougars. There was heartbreak in 1983. There was heartbreak in 1984. And now, more than 40 years later, there's heartbreak in 2025.
The House settlement is coming soon
Houston players might not be down in the dumps for too much longer considering that there's probably a nice paycheck on the way soon coming from the school.
The NCAA's House settlement is almost complete, according to reporting from ESPN's Dan Murphy. Judge Claudia Wilkins, who is overseeing the case, hasn't provided final approval on the settlement yet but has asked both sides to come up with solutions to her remaining concerns within the next week. That means it's close, folks. We're almost there.
There are positives and negatives in what we have so far.
The good: The NCAA has agreed to pay roughly $2.8 billion in damages to past and current athletes to make up for the limits on earning potential the organization has placed on its athletes. Along with that, schools will be allowed to start paying players this summer. Each school will reportedly have a cap of $20.5 million to pay students annually, essentially creating a salary cap for players. The amount will increase every year for the next 10 as part of the deal. The scholarship cap will also be removed.
The bad: Here's the big hang-up on the settlement as it stands. The schools will limit the number of players allowed on each roster as a trade-off for finally paying players. Some players will be cut from their rosters with the way the settlement is currently constructed. This was one of the hang-ups for Wilkins. She suggested grandfathering in current roster spots.
Things are close and that's good. But this is far from a perfect settlement. The limit on how much schools will be able to pay players could also open the NCAA up to antitrust litigation again. That's an unofficial salary cap and, if player earnings are going to be capped, they need to be allowed to bargain collectively.
So while this piece of things is coming to a close, this is all far from over.
We miss you, Greg Gumbel
Doing "One Shining Moment" without Greg Gumbel felt ... weird. But Ernie Johnson and the TNT crew undoubtedly did it right.
Johnson used the moment to honor Gumbel one last time for the tournament. This was so sweet.
This never gets old, man. And, now, it means a little more.
Quick hits: Where will Shedeur go? ... Jimmy V x Todd Golden ... and more
— Mel Kiper Jr. still has Shedeur Sanders going in his top 10. Charles Curtis has details on it.
— Todd Golden (37) became the youngest coach since Jim Valvano to win an NCAA championship. And they both beat Houston to do it. Cory Woodroof has more.
— Here's Florida's epic national championship win in photos, from Mary Clarke.
— What a nice moment from Walter Clayton. Bryan Kalbrosky has more on his classy gesture.
— A Wemby appearance! That dude is tall, man.
— Kelvin Sampson may have lost the game, but his Sasquatch quote is an absolute winner.
That's a wrap, folks. Thanks for reading. Peace.
-Sykes ✌️