For only the second time in NCAA tournament history, all four No. 1 seeds made their way to the Final Four, played in San Antonio, Texas. In the end, the Florida Gators rose above the rest to claim victory. It was their third title and first since being crowned repeat NCAA champions in 2006 and 2007.
In the first semifinal game, Florida faced off against Auburn. Auburn appeared strong, having a 46-38 lead at halftime. But the Gators, led by top scorer Walter Clayton Jr., staged an impressive comeback.
Clayton dropped 34 points, becoming the first player since Larry Bird in 1979 to have back-to-back 30-point games in the Elite Eight and Final Four. Florida’s defense held Auburn to just one basket in the last four minutes to secure a 79-73 win and a chance at the title.
In the second game, Houston delivered one of the most amazing rallies in March Madness history, defeating Duke 70-67. Down 59-45 with eight minutes left in the game, Houston’s L.J. Cryer led the Cougars with a team-high 26 points. Cryer’s accurate shooting in the final minutes gave Houston the advantage.
Duke’s freshman star Cooper Flagg scored 27 points, but Houston’s defense shut down the rest of the Blue Devils’ strong offense. The Cougars closed the game on an 11-1 run, and after Duke’s Tyrese Proctor missed a three pointer at the buzzer, Houston was headed for its first championship game since 1984.
State High architecture teacher, Chip Crawford, a fan of the Blue Devils, was disappointed in the loss. Reflecting on his emotions, he shared the following thoughts.
“It’s interesting. When I was your age, I probably got all fired up, you know, yelling. But now that I’m older, much older, I don’t care. I mean they lost, I was like oh, it’s too bad,” Crawford said.
The championship game was played two nights later on Monday, April 7, and featured a face-off between coaches Todd Golden and Kelvin Sampson. Whoever came out on top would either be the second youngest (Golden) or the oldest coach (Sampson) to raise the championship trophy.
It was a close game for most of the first half, with Houston up 31-28 at halftime. Leading up to the matchup, it was portrayed as a battle between Florida’s powerful attack and Houston’s stifling defense. Houston limited All-American guard Walter Clayton Jr. for a majority of the game, holding him to only 11 points.
Florida was a comeback team throughout the tournament, trailing by 9 points or more in the second half in each of their last three games. At one point early in the second half, Houston held a 12-point lead.
The rest of the game turned into a defensive struggle, and it was the Gators’ defense that made all the difference. The Gators stopped Houston on nine straight possessions in the second half, which powered the comeback, and forced three turnovers in the final minute.
Sophomore Elizabeth Houser, a State High basketball player and fan, didn’t have a certain team she was rooting for this tournament, but selected Florida to win in her bracket.
“I didn’t get to watch the whole thing through, but watching what I did, I was intrigued when Florida started to actually catch up and nervous when at the very end it was down to seconds and was a two and three point game,” Houser said.
Florida won a thrilling game by a final score of 65-63. In doing so, the Gators overcame the third-largest deficit to win a national championship game. Florida only led for 1 minute and 4 seconds, and ESPN Analytics did not give the Gators a real chance of winning until 46 seconds were left in the game. Despite being held far below his scoring average, Clayton won the Final Four’s Most Outstanding Player Award, recognizing his defensive skills as well.
There are a variety of reasons why people follow March Madness. Some tune in to watch every single game, some may fill out a bracket and hope for the best and for others, it’s a social event.
“I only watched the last two games. I watch it to see if an underdog is gonna win, but they never do,” Crawford said.
“[March Madness] brings people together just like any other big tournament like the World Cup does. People who might have never talked to each other can have a conversation or even a fun little argument about any team,” Houser said.
2025 March Madness had it all: upsets, historic comebacks and dominant performances. In the end, this year’s four top-ranked teams made it to San Antonio to determine who’s the best of the best. It was a fitting end to another memorable men’s college basketball season.
