The 2025 March Madness Final brought together two unlikely yet fierce competitors. The Florida Gators and Houston Cougars. Both had pulled off an upset in the Final Four (per many fans’ predictions) to make it to the big stage. These two teams proved never to count an underdog out, yet they were looking to prove more than that. ON Monday April 7th they were playing to decide who was really the best of the best. Florida was led by a veteran squad with a fiery coach, playing the whole season with extreme confidence. Houston’s strong suit is an extremely skilled defense along with a team filled with players who have another level of hustle. The game was set to be a good one, with both teams having a chip on their shoulder and something to prove.
Despite Houston’s strong defense, many still believed in the Gators, such as Sophomore Ryan Louer, who stated,¨Florida will win. They have more skill on their team and one of the best players in the country.¨ The Gators would enter the game and push the pace, knocking down transition threes and combating with Houston’s suffocating defense and rebounding. The Gators would have a slim lead at the first break 38-35.
The energy in the building after half could only be described as exhilarating. Both teams knew this game was far from over. Houston came out swinging, going on a 12–2 run fueled by steals and fast breaks. Florida, unfazed, responded with poise. This made the score 65-63 with little to no time left. Houston had one last chance, one shot to become the champion. Unfortunately for the Cougars, this story for them would come to a finish, after a mistake that ended up as a turnover, which would in turn be the play that ended the game. Blue jerseys stormed the court while confetti rained from the sky. The Gators had done it for the 3rd time (2006 and 2007 being the other two times the Gators were crowned).
Gators Coach Todd Golden is no stranger to victory, having a 133-69 record as a coach. In the post-game conference, Golden would state,¨Really proud of our group. I thought we played pretty good basketball over the last two days, and [it’s] hard to win championships. We got our first and just really proud of the way we played. I felt like we made a jump as a team over the past couple days,”
With the stress of the tournament over, all the Gators had to prepare for now was a night of partying with their teammates, pictures with the trophy, and resting easy knowing they are forever embedded as a part of NCAA history.
