March Madness came to an end in style as Florida came back from a 12-point second-half deficit to beat Houston 65-63 in a nail-biting thriller to claim their third national championship in NCAA men’s basketball.
Senior Will Richard led the scoring for the Gators with 18 points in Florida’s first trip to the title game since they last won in 2007, while Australian forward Alex Condon came up with the game-clinching loose ball.
The WILD final possession, and the moment Florida won the national championship 🤯 🐊
(via @MarchMadnessMBB)pic.twitter.com/HoD60gLAhc
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) April 8, 2025
Houston appeared well on their way to their first-ever title as they kept Florida’s best weapon Walter Clayton Jr. quiet through the first half but they could not hang on against an energized Gators offense.
“We did what we did all year – we stayed the course,” said head coach Todd Golden, 39, the youngest head coach to win the NCAA title since 1983. “Like we did all year, we made plays when we needed it the most.”
Houston amassed a 12-point advantage within the first five minutes of the second half but Florida were level with less than eight minutes left on the clock.
Guard Alijah Martin gave the Gators the lead with a pair of free throws with 46 seconds left before Houston turned the ball over in the chaotic final moments of the game.
AN UNBELIEVABLE NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP GAME 😮
FLORIDA STORMS BACK TO BEAT HOUSTON 🤯 pic.twitter.com/y1EH3wp1Sp
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) April 8, 2025
Clayton finished with 11 points, all in the second half, and made the key play at the end by blocking Emanuel Sharp’s attempted three-pointer in the final seconds.
“Just go 100 percent,” Clayton said when asked what he was trying to do at the finish. “We were just trying to get a stop, and we happened to get it. I’m happy we got it done.”
It was the fourth comeback in six March Madness games for the Gators, who led the game for a total of 64 seconds, including the last 46 ticks of a game that was in limbo until the final shot that never came.
Houston coach Kelvin Sampson called it “incomprehensible” that the Cougars couldn’t get a shot off on either of their last two possessions.
Sampson said: “Clayton made a great play. But that’s why you’ve got to shot fake and get into the paint. Two’s fine.”
