The national championship trophy is heading to Gainesville, Florida .

Behind another valiant comeback effort , Todd Golden and Florida basketball finished as the last team standing in the 68-team men's NCAA Tournament field with a 65-63 win over Houston in the national championship game.

With Florida's win, Golden made some March Madness history himself, becoming the youngest coach to win a national championship since NC State's Jim Valvano in 1983.

Florida held Houston scoreless over the last 2:05 of the game while causing four turnovers over the course of the Cougars' final four possessions. But it wasn't until the final seconds that Alex Condon sealed the win for the Gators, when he jumped on the ball around halfcourt.

Houston guard Emanuel Sharp was forced to drop the ball while going up on a 3-point attempt, as he otherwise would have been called for traveling .

En route to its victory on Monday, Florida came back from both a 31-28 halftime deficit and a 12-point deficit at the 16:25 mark of the second half. It was the third consecutive game in the NCAA Tournament that the Gators had to come from behind in the second half.

The Gators also are the only national champion over the last 20 years to overcome a deficit of at least nine points in the Elite Eight, the Final Four and the national championship game, per ESPN .

Who won March Madness 2025?



Florida defeated Houston 65-63 in the national championship game at the Alamodome in San Antonio, securing the 2025 men's NCAA Tournament national championship.

It is the third title in program history for the Gators, and their first since 2007. It is also the first men's title for the SEC since Kentucky in 2012, ending a 13-year drought for the conference.

REQUIRED READING: Most March Madness titles: Where does Florida rank after NCAA Tournament win?

Florida-Houston score



Florida-Houston stats



March Madness highlights from Florida-Houston game



Most national championships



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