The Athletic has in-depth coverage of the 2025 Men’s Final Four.
The men’s NCAA Tournament started with 68 teams and plenty of March Madness dreams.
Three weeks and 66 games later, we’re set for Monday’s national championship game, where the fun will come to its conclusion as Florida and Houston meet in San Antonio.
It’s been an interesting and unusual tournament, one notably short on Cinderellas and decidedly heavy on big-conference dominance. All four No. 1 seeds reached the Final Four, and now we’ll have a title game featuring two of them, plus a nice selection of future NBA stars.
It’s the SEC vs. the Big 12. It’s a battle between a young, up-and-coming coach and a well-traveled veteran who might have his best team ever. And it’s a matchup of teams loaded with depth and star power.
As far as betting odds go, Florida is an early 1.5-point favorite, per BetMGM.
Florida-Houston will air Monday at 8:50 p.m. ET on CBS.
If you’re new to the madness, here is an overview of the last two teams standing.
Florida (35-4)
The Gators will be looking to secure their third national championship, their first since Billy Donovan guided Florida to back-to-back championships in 2006 and 2007.
Florida got here by topping Auburn 79-73 in a tight, hard-fought Final Four matchup that included 15 lead changes and 10 ties. Star guard Walter Clayton Jr. dropped a career-high 34 points to lead the Gators, becoming just the 15th player in the modern era (1984-85) to score 30 or more in a men’s Final Four game. He is the only Florida player on that list.
Florida trailed Auburn, the top overall seed in the tournament, by 8 points at halftime before raising its game in the second half, just like it did against Texas Tech in the Elite Eight and vs. UConn in the second round.
Clayton scored 20 of his 34 points in the second half — including a three-point play with 93 seconds left that gave Florida a crucial six-point cushion.
This is coach Todd Golden’s first appearance in the championship game, and it comes in just his third season leading the program.
The Gators are on an 11-game winning streak, winning the SEC conference tournament and then carrying that momentum through the Big Dance. Florida is undefeated outside of SEC play, having only lost to conference rivals Georgia, Tennessee, Kentucky and Missouri.
Florida has a deep roster, having entered the Final Four with five players averaging at least 9.8 points per game. But Clayton has been the Gators’ go-to guy late in this tournament. Before his huge Final Four game, the 6-foot-3 senior scored 30 points — 8 of them in the final 107 seconds — in a win over Texas Tech in the Elite Eight. It’s no shock that he has drawn comparisons to NBA star Steph Curry.
Florida guard Walter Clayton Jr. is the first player since Larry Bird with back-to-back 30-point games in the Elite Eight and national semifinal.
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— The Athletic (@TheAthletic) April 6, 2025
Houston (35-4)
Houston is appearing in the national championship game for the third time, though the Cougars are still seeking their first title. Houston’s other two appearances came in 1983 and 1984, when it lost to NC State and Georgetown, respectively. Hakeem Olajuwon played on both of those teams, and Clyde Drexler played alongside Olajuwon on the 1983 squad.
Houston got here by taking out Duke with a dramatic late comeback in the Final Four. The Blue Devils led 64-55 with 3:04 remaining, but the Cougars held Duke to three points — all on free throws — from there as they put together a furious rally and came away with a 70-67 victory. L.J. Cryer, a transfer from Baylor, led Houston with 26 points while shooting 6-for-9 from 3-point range. Duke, which missed eight of its last nine shots, was led by star freshman Cooper Flagg. He topped all scorers with 27 points but was held to 8-for-19 shooting from the field.
Led by coach Kelvin Sampson, the Big 12 Conference champions are known for their defense, leading the nation by allowing just 58.3 points per game. But this version of the Cougars can also fill it up, thanks to a versatile roster that has four players who average double figures in scoring.
Before facing Duke, Houston had it tough in the Midwest region, having to knock off No. 2-seeded Tennessee (69-50), No. 4-seeded Purdue (62-60), No. 8-seeded Gonzaga (81-76) and No. 16-seeded SIU Edwardsville (78-40).
Houston has lost only once since the start of December, an overtime loss to Texas Tech on Feb. 1. Sampson has been to the Final Four three times, but this is his first visit to the championship game.
(Photo: Jamie Squire / Getty Images)
