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          Sports world reacts to Florida winning national championship

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          Houston fails to get a shot off in final seconds as Florida wins national championship (0:21)

          Down 12 in the second half, Florida holds on in the final seconds to complete its comeback and win its third national championship. (0:21)

          • ESPN staffApr 7, 2025, 11:36 PM ET

          The Florida Gators are once again national champions.

          The Gators beat the Houston Cougars 65-63 on Monday night in San Antonio, securing the program's third men's basketball title and first since going back-to-back in 2006 and 2007.

          Florida overcame a 12-point deficit to win, tied for the third-largest comeback in a national championship game. The Gators are tied with Duke for the second-most national titles by any school since 2000. At 39, Todd Golden is the youngest head coach to win a national championship since Jim Valvano (37 years old) in 1983, also against Houston.

          Will Richard led Florida with 18 points and eight rebounds, and Alex Condon had 12 points. Houston guard L.J. Cryer scored a game-high 19 points.

          A couple of NBA stars led reactions from around the sports world to Florida's title.