The 2025 NCAA men’s basketball tournament concluded on Monday, Apr 7, with the Florida Gators defeating the Houston Cougars, 65-63.
Although March Madness is notorious for Cinderella stories, there were none this year, as all four one-seeded teams made it to the Final Four for the first time since 2008, and the second time in history. “I do think that a Cinderella story adds a particular dynamic to the tournament. Everyone likes an underdog, and when a team is unexpectedly advancing and surprising, we are all tuned in. At the same time, having all the one seeds in the Final Four clearly is the way it was supposed to be designed. We have the best teams now competing, in theory. It kind of makes the cream rise to the top,” LHS school psychologist Jordan Richman commented.
Both Florida and Houston got off to a slow start, but Houston took an early lead and never looked back–until the end, that is. They went on multiple runs in the first half, but the Gators always found a way to keep it close.
Florida’s superstar guard Walter Clayton Jr. had back-to-back 30-point games in the two rounds prior to the championship, but through the first half, he was scoreless. Despite the potential loss on the horizon, watchers remained hopeful. “I did not have any doubts about Florida coming back. When you have a player like Walter Clayton, you know he’s going to figure out his early game struggles and start to hit some shots. I knew he would start playing better, and of course, he hit a big shot at the end,” junior Cooper Cordes explained. Junior Jake Palay agreed: “I knew [Florida was] going to win. They refuse to lose.”
Although Florida won, there were times when it looked like Houston was running away with the dub. To start the second half, Houston went on an 11-2 run and had a comfortable 42-30 lead over the Gators. Over the next six and a half minutes, the Gators crawled their way back into the game, going on a 14-3 run, overcoming the deficit. With 7:54 left on the clock, the score was tied 48 a piece; it was anyone’s game to win. Houston kept their foot on the gas, scoring on multiple possessions, but just like in the first half, Florida had an answer for everything, except this time, it was Clayton that hit a big three to give Florida their fighting chance.
It was Florida’s defense that anchored their win. Florida held Houston scoreless for the last minute and a half. Thomas Haugh and Will Richard of the Gators forced back-to-back turnovers in the final minute, and Alijah Martin found his way to the free throw line to secure the win. With 19.7 seconds remaining, Houston was down by two, and had a chance to win the national championship.
What Clayton will be remembered for most was getting Houston’s Emmanuel Sharp to stop in the middle of his own shot as he tried to go up for the game-winning three in the final seconds. With Sharp looking for room, Clayton ran at him. Sharp dropped the ball in the middle of the shot and was unable to pick it up because he would be called for a travel. Alex Condon of the Gators dove on the ball, then flipped it to Clayton, who ran to the opposite free-throw line with the buzzer sounding and orange and blue confetti everywhere.
