Florida took down Houston 65-63 in a thriller, preventing the Cougars from getting a shot off in the closing seconds and denying Houston its first-ever title.
This is the Gators' third championship and their first since going back-to-back in 2006 and 2007.
Houston (35-5) led 42-30 early in the second half after holding a 31-28 lead coming out of the break. But as the Gators have done all tournament, Todd Golden's squad hung around, responding with a 12-3 run to cut the deficit to just 45-42.
The Gator's 12-point rally ties the third-largest comeback in national championship history. The largest came in 2022 when Kansas erased a 16-point deficit against North Carolina.
The teams were not separated by more than three points over the final 8:31 of game time. Florida took its first lead since 15:37 in the first half with 46 seconds remaining. In total, the Gators lead for only 64 seconds compared to Houston's 30:44 in front.
The teams were tied 12 times, but the championship only featured three lead changes.
After just four total fouls in the first 20 minutes, Houston tallied 16 in the second half and Florida had nine. Fifteen of the Gator's 37 second-half points came at the line, including their final five points.
Houston had five turnovers entering the final two minutes, but the Cougars coughed the ball up four times over the final 2:05 — a pivotal swing that turned the game in Florida's favor. Meanwhile, Florida turned it over nine times in the first half, but the Gators protected the rock in the second, only committing four all half.
Walter Clayton Jr. was awarded Most Outstanding Player after dropping 34 in the Final Four against Auburn and 11 points and seven assists against Houston. Will Richard provided a huge spark in the first half with 14 points, finishing with a team-high 18 points.
Houston's L.J. Cryer paced the game with 19 points on 6-18 shooting. He was the only Cougar in double digits.
Florida's two-point win is the smallest margin of victory in a men's title game since Duke held off Butler, 61-59, in 2010.
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