2025 National Championship: Florida completes comeback, defeats Houston in thriller
The road ends Monday night. Florida and Houston will face off in the National Championship in San Antonio, capping off the 2025 college basketball season.
The Gators advanced to the title game by taking down Auburn in the Final Four thanks to another impressive performance from Walter Clayton Jr. to lead the charge. The Cougars, however, put together a comeback for the ages to stun Duke in the final seconds and make it to the title game for the first time since Hakeem Olajuwon’s days with the program.
Tip-off for the national championship between Florida and Houston is set for 8:50 p.m. ET on CBS. On3 will have live updates, including the score and highlights, throughout the contest.
Final: Florida 65, Houston 63
04/07/2025 10:11:26 PMHouston got one final possession, but Alex Condon made another big-time defensive play to force an Emanuel Sharp turnover. The buzzer sounded, and Florida completed the comeback to get the 65-63 victory, winning its first national championship since the 2007 title under Billy Donovan. Will Richard led the way with 18 points for the Gators, who forced four turnovers in the final 2:05.
Houston burns final timeout with 19 seconds left
04/07/2025 10:07:53 PMDenzel Aberdeen went 1-for-2 from the free throw line with 19.7 seconds left after a crucial Houston turnover, making it a 65-63 Florida lead. The Cougars used their final timeout to draw up a play.
Florida takes lead in final minute
04/07/2025 10:03:08 PMTwo free throws from Alijah Martin with 46 seconds left gave Florida its first lead since 8-6 early in the first half. The Gators called timeout, and Houston will get the ball back down, 64-63.
Houston up 3 at the final media timeout
04/07/2025 09:51:17 PMHeading into the final media timeout with 3:24 to play, Houston is holding onto a three-point lead. Florida will have the basketball out of the break, setting the stage for an exciting finish at the Alamodome.
Houston, Florida keep trading buckets down the stretch
04/07/2025 09:50:33 PMAfter Walter Clayton Jr. tied things up, Florida and Houston continued to trade blows. The Gators then called a timeout with 5:32 to go, but the game was shaping up to be a heavyweight battle down the stretch.
Walter Clayton Jr. hits first FG, Florida surging
04/07/2025 09:38:04 PMAt long last, Walter Clayton Jr. got his first field goal of the game with 7:54 left in the second half. He drew a foul on the play, as well, and tied things up on the ensuing free throw. Florida mounted a charge thanks to a 14-3 run over 5:30, all while Houston went 3:35 without a point.
Florida rallies, but Houston responds
04/07/2025 09:31:08 PMAfter trailing by 12, Florida rattled off a 10-1 run to get back within three points of Houston in the second half. An LJ Cryer three-pointer stopped the run, though, as the Cougars went back up by six points.
Houston creating separation early in second half
04/07/2025 09:10:27 PMHouston opened the second half on an 11-2 run as Florida got into major foul trouble with five fouls in the first four minutes out of halftime. Just like that, it was a 42-30 Cougars lead heading into a timeout with 15:48 left in the game.
Second half underway
04/07/2025 09:01:18 PMThe second half of the 2025 national championship is underway. Houston got the ball to start, and LJ Cryer hit the Cougars’ first three-pointer of the game.
Halftime: Houston 31, Florida 28
04/07/2025 08:38:12 PMIn a physical, back-and-forth first half, Houston headed into the locker room with a 31-28 lead over Florida. Seven different Cougars scored as part of the balanced attack, and Will Richard kept the Gators in it with 14 of their 28 points, including all four of their made three-pointers.
Houston struggling to pull away before half
04/07/2025 08:30:06 PMWhen it looked like Houston was getting ready to seize control of the national championship, Florida got a layup from Alex Condon to cut the Cougars’ lead to six points. That set up an intriguing final four minutes before halftime.
Florida ends three-point drought
04/07/2025 08:18:41 PMWill Richard made the game’s first two three-pointers as Florida continued to go punch-for-punch with Houston, trailing 20-16 at the under-8. The Cougars made their last four field goals heading into the media timeout.
U12: Houston 14, Florida 10
04/07/2025 08:11:26 PMNeither team made a three-pointer through the first 9:30 of Monday’s game, but Houston was out in front 14-10 at the second media timeout. Milos Uzan and Joseph Tugler each have four points to lead the Cougars, who are 0-for-7 from three-point distance. Florida is 0-for-5 from deep, and Alex Condon has a team high four points.
Ja’Vier Francis throws down poster dunk
04/07/2025 08:04:09 PMFresh out of the game’s first media timeout, Ja’Vier Francis made a major statement. He threw down a ferocious poster dunk to put Houston out in front, 10-8, before Florida answered on the other side.
Florida, Houston off to physical start
04/07/2025 08:01:32 PMThe expectation was it would be a physical game Monday night, and Florida vs. Houston proved that. The two teams were locked in through the first four minutes as they headed into the under-16 media timeout tied, 8-8, with 15:05 left in the first half.
Tip-off
04/07/2025 07:52:06 PMHouston wins the tip-off, and the 2025 national championship is underway.
Officiating crew revealed
04/07/2025 07:37:17 PMAhead of tip-off, the officiating crew was revealed for the national championship. Ron Groover, Doug Sirmons and Terry Oglesby will be the referees, while Michael Irving will serve as standby.
Final point spread released
04/07/2025 07:30:43 PMFlorida is a 1.5-point favorite over Houston in Monday’s national championship, according to FanDuel. The over-under is set at 140.5.