Men's March Madness delivered on its namesake promise, from early-round upsets to Final Four comebacks.
The road ended in San Antonio, where the finale between Florida and Houston went to the wire at the Alamodome with Florida ultimately winning the 2025 men's NCAA championship.
Our reporters on-site broke down how the Gators mounted another come-from-behind victory to cut down the nets in San Antonio.
Jump to: Relive the action
(1) Florida vs.
(1) Houston
Final: Florida beat Houston 65-63
How Florida won: For the Gators, the leadup to Monday's game centered almost entirely around Walter Clayton Jr. The All-America guard was on a run not seen since Shabazz Napier and Kemba Walker carried UConn to a pair of titles in 2011 and 2014. It was immediately evident that Houston's scouting report focused on Clayton, too.
After scoring a combined 64 points in his previous two games, Clayton didn't score his first point until the 14:57 mark of the second half against the Cougars. He didn't make his first field goal until there was 7:54 left in the game. It was the recipe for a comfortable Houston championship win, inevitably continuing the narrative about the Cougars' top-ranked defense.
But Florida's supporting cast kept the Gators in the game just long enough for Clayton to get going in the second half, erasing a 12-point deficit on their way to a 65-63 win for Florida's third national championship since 2006. » Read more from Jeff Borzello
Pivotal moment: There were so many stretches that seemed decisive in this game. Houston took a 12-point lead early in the second half after a wild sequence that featured a foul on Will Richard followed by a technical on the Florida bench. The Cougars seemed to keep the Gators just out of reach from there, but didn't take another double-digit lead over the final 13:24 of the game.
Clayton had been quiet for the most of the game, but his 3-pointer with 3:14 to go not only tied it at 60, but also seemed to reinvigorate the Gators, who used that as fuel until a defensive stop at the buzzer sealed the title. -- Myron Medcalf
Pivotal player: Although he struggled in the second half, Richard's 14 points in the first kept Florida in the game as Clayton went scoreless in a half for just the third time this season. Richard was pivotal for a Gators team that didn't have a lot of answers for the Cougars' tough defense early. Without his effort, Florida would not have won. -- Medcalf