The Florida Gators are your 2025 NCAA Tournament Champions after surviving a street fight with the Houston Cougars, winning 65-63 in what was an absolute nail biter of a basketball game.
This was a complete clash of styles between a Florida Gators team that plays an up and down style of high scoring basketball and a Houston Cougars team that wants to play in the mud. Oftentimes it is the team that dictates the style of play that comes away victorious, but that wasn’t the case on Monday. Houston dragged the Gators into a back alley brawl, and for a while it looked like it was going to be the reason the Cougars were going to win. They held onto the lead for much of the contest, hitting the Gators with jab after jab and extending their lead to as much as 12.
Then, the Gators fought back. It was a tough Condon rebound. A push in transition by Haugh. A tough finish at the rim by Alijah Martin. And, of course–a timely three by Walter Clayton. Florida found their way back into the game and ultimately took the lead, and with Houston having just one opportunity left to try and tie or take the lead, the Gators forced a turnover with their frantic defense. The final moments of the game saw Alex Condon diving on a loose ball, one that was created when a Houston player was forced to let go of the ball or travel.
Was this a picturesque game? No–but that is why it was beautiful. Would it have been great for the Gators to execute perfectly and play the game in the 80’s where they usually like to play? Perhaps. But, it may have been even more fitting that in a tournament that is all about toughness and finding ways to win the Gators were put behind the eight ball and still found a way to overcome adversity.
One of the huge takeaways from this game will be the fact that Florida was able to find a way to win despite not having the best game from Walter Clayton. Finishing with just 11 points, Clayton was never able to capture the scoring explosiveness he had for much of the season–and if you knew that going in you would have thought the Gators were in trouble. Perhaps they were, but still this resilient bunch found a way.
Deserving a ton of credit is veteran guard Will Richard who was able to make things happen when everyone else was struggling to score. He hit Florida’s first 3 three-point shots when nothing was going offensively, and his 18 points led the way for Florida–a Championship Game performance he will always remember.
Also deserving a ton of credit is Alex Condon who battled back from a nightmarish first half to play winning basketball in the second to play a huge role in Florida’s win. Starting the game looking frazzled and nervous, Condon had three egregious turnovers where it seemed his head wasn’t at all in the game and he saw that frustration follow him to the defensive end where he couldn’t get a stop. The second half was a different story and he started to play like the active, versatile, and powerful big he has been all season finishing with 12 points.
Florida is this year’s team of destiny. Opening things up, they played a Norfolk State team that was much better than the 16-line. They withstood having to play the two-time defending champions in UConn. They dominated a Maryland team with NBA talent in the frontcourt and shooting all around the floor. Using some kind of magic, they found a way to come back from near certain defeat against Texas Tech. They ripped the heart out of Auburn, and then they found a way to survive an all-out rock fight against a team that plays that style better than just about everyone.
Ladies and gentlemen, your 2025 National Champions–the Florida Gators.