Florida Dominates March Madness, Wins “The Big Dance”

On Monday, April 7th, 2025, the Florida Gators defeated the Houston Cougars, 65-63, to win their first National Championship since going back-to-back in 2006 and 2007.
​by Drew Caraway

(Bob Donnan-Imagn Images)

Game Recap *stats from ESPN and Yahoo Sports *
In a report from ESPN, the Gators were an early favorite at +325 on the betting boards. From the jump until the final possession, Florida and Houston were battling it out to the head scratching, controversial ending. In the first half, the Houston Cougars outscored the Florida Gators 31-28. Both teams started rather slow, scoring a combined 24 points in the first 9:46 of the game. 

Florida shot 37.9% from the field and 28.6% from three point range. The Gators had 22 rebounds, seven second-chance points, and eight assists to nine turnovers. 

Houston shot 37.8% from the field and 14.3% from three. However, in Houston’s lower shooting percentage, they made up for it with their hustle, snagging 19 rebounds and forcing nine turnovers on the Gators to only have two themselves. On the contrary, the Cougars had zero second-chance points and only had three assists. 

It was an offensive show out in the second half, with Florida outsourcing Houston 37-32. Both teams shot an abundance of free throws in the second half, which ended up being a pivotal factor in this game. Compared to the two shots from each team in the first half, Florida ended up shooting 21 total free throws in the game, and 19 in the second half. Houston shot 14 total free throws in the game, and 12 total in the second half. 

The Cougars had an all around scoring brigade, with seven players scoring at least five points and five players scoring at least eight points. L.J. Cryer led the Cougars in scoring, assists, and minutes. He scored 18 points, dished out three assists, and played 37 of the 40 total minutes, an impressive feat. 

Florida Gators and March Madness star, Walter Clayton Jr., struggled from the field shooting wise. He shot 30% from the field on ten shots, as well as going 1-7 from the three point line. However, Clayton Jr. dished out seven assists and grabbed five rebounds in a team high 35 minutes to help the Gators secure the win. 

Will Richard led the Gators in scoring and rebounding, scoring 18 points and grabbing eight rebounds on good shooting percentages (50% from the field and 57% from three point range) in 34 total minutes, right behind Clayton Jr. for a team high. 
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Mr. Ulrey, English Teacher and renowned Florida fan, can’t give an answer for the Gators next season. “I think it depends on who comes back and who leaves. I know that one of our forwards [Alex] Condon is testing the draft waters right now, so if he doesn’t come back? You never know.”

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image from Yahoo Sports

Houston Falls Apart on Final Possession 
On the final possession of the 2025 College Basketball season, Houston had 19.7 seconds to score to either tie the game and go to overtime, or win the game and win the national championship. 
Houston dribbled the ball up the court and dribbled around for 15 seconds.

Emmanuel Sharp shot the ball with 4.8 seconds left for the win… or so fans thought. Sharp went up for the shot, but immediately dropped it down to the floor. He had to watch his team’s championship hopes fall down the drain as Florida fought for the ball as time expired. 

Assistant Principal Coach Cockerm thought the final possession was a “missed opportunity.” He said, “Sometimes you draw [a play] up to go a certain type of way and, you know, you’re dealing with Florida [who] is a really good team... Basketball, or any sport, it can go either way and that’s why you play the game. You could be highly favored or an underdog, and I’ve seen things like that flip all the time so, it’s unfortunate that he didn’t get a shot off. I would have liked to see him get a shot off cause I was kinda rooting for Houston... it’s kinda unfortunate. I just wish we could’ve got a shot off just to see if it would win it.”

The 2025 men's College Basketball season has come to a close. The Florida Gators have claimed the title and look to reload and claim next year’s title as well. 

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