Florida rallies to defeat Houston 65-63 in thrilling fashion to win NCAA Tournament
- Chas Post
- 4 days ago
- 2 min read
The Florida Gators defeated the Houston Cougars 65-63 in thrilling fashion to take home the 2025 NCAA Tournament championship on Monday in San Antonio! Florida stormed back from a double-figure deficit in the second half en route to securing the third national title in school history as star guard Walter Clayton Jr. earned Most Outstanding Player honors. It was a magical season for the Gators that reached the mountain top for the first time since 2007.
Despite going scoreless in the first half, Clayton Jr. followed up his 34-point outburst in the Final Four with 11 points, seven assists and five rebounds, highlighted by a series of clutch buckets down the stretch. Florida was fueled by guard Will Richard’s 14-point first half that kept them within reach when Clayton Jr. was struggling. Houston held a 31-28 edge at halftime before extending the lead to 42-30 with 16:24 remaining but the Gators refused to quit.
Florida finally found a rhythm and put together an 18-6 run to tie it 48-48 as Clayton Jr. slipped through the lane and finished an and-1 with 7:54 to go. With just over three minutes left in the game, Clayton Jr. drilled a 3-pointer to tie it 60-60. Houston went up 62-60 after guard LJ Cryer tipped in a layup but Richard sank a pair of free throws on the other end to tie it again, then Florida forward Alijah Martin made a go-ahead free throw in the final minute.
Houston had a chance to tie or take the lead but it ended in complete disaster as they committed two turnovers and failed to get a shot attempt off in the final two possessions. It appeared Houston guard Emanuel Sharp was going to take a potential game-winning shot but he nearly traveled and lost the ball as the buzzer sounded. Florida finished the historic campaign with a 36-4 record, after winning the SEC Tournament and NCAA Tournament championships.
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