Florida overcome double-digit deficit, rally past Houston 65-63 for third NCAA championship title 2025..
Florida roared back from a 12-point deficit to stun Houston and claim the program's first national championship since 2007 on Monday night, 65-63. The Gators trailed 42-30 early in the second half before finding the same late surge that carried them past Auburn in the Final Four on Saturday.
Star guard Walter Clayton Jr. didn't make his first basket from the field until the 7:54 mark, but he came alive late to help spur the Gators to the college basketball mountaintop once more. His 3-pointer coming out of the final media timeout evened the score at 60-60 and showed how the Gators were finally able to crack the code on Houston's suffocating defense.
The Cougars, meanwhile, have never won a championship, with their last two appearances in the title game coming in 1983 and 1984. Houston was last in the Final Four in 2021.
Alijah Martin put Florida ahead 64-63 with 46 seconds remaining when he stepped to the free-throw line and calmly drilled a pair. It was the Gators' first lead since the opening five minutes of the game. From there, Will Richard came up with a steal on Houston guard Emanuel Sharp with 26 seconds remaining to help seal the outcome.
The win made Florida coach Todd Golden, 39, the youngest national-title winning coach of the NCAA Tournament's modern era, capping a remarkable three-year turnaround. Golden had never won an NCAA Tournament game as a head coach prior to this season. But his program won six in a row in this Big Dance, cementing his rise to stardom and the Gators' return to glory.
The win made Florida coach Todd Golden, 39, the youngest national-title winning coach of the NCAA Tournament's modern era, capping a remarkable three-year turnaround. Golden had never won an NCAA Tournament game as a head coach prior to this season. But his program won six in a row in this Big Dance, cementing his rise to stardom and the Gators' return to glory.
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