Gov. Ron DeSantis celebrated the University of Florida's championship success after the Gators men's basketball team defeated the Houston Cougars, 65-63, to win their third national title in program history.
"After tonight’s championship win, the list of universities that have won three national championships in both football and basketball: 1. The University of Florida. End of list," DeSantis said.
Gov. DeSantis is correct.
The Gators won back-to-back national championships in men's basketball in 2006 and 2007. The football program also won three national titles in 1996, 2006, and 2008.
For their third basketball title run, Florida was led by Walter Clayton Jr. The senior guard from Lake Wales was named the 2025 NCAA Tournament Most Outstanding Player after averaging 22.3 points, 3.3 assists and 3.3 rebounds across six tournament games.
Although Houston did their best to negate Clayton Jr. by holding him to 11 points, all in the second half, on 3-for-10 shooting on Monday. Still, the Gators' best player stepped up when it mattered most by denying Houston's Emanuel Sharp a potential winning 3-pointer with 4.9 seconds to go.
Clayon Jr. launched out of nowhere to challenge Sharp's shot, who dropped the ball to avoid a turnover in mid-air. None of Sharp's Houston teammates moved to bail him out in time, and Clayton Jr. jumped into the arms of an awaiting Gators player to celebrate as time expired.
With Clayton Jr. struggling to score for much of the game, Florida was led by senior guard Will Richard with 18 points and eight rebounds. Sophomore forward Alex Condon also chipped in with 11 points and seven rebounds.
To his credit, Clayton Jr. also finished with a team-high seven assists and was key in helping erase Florida's 12-point second-half deficit, including what proved to be the biggest moment of the game.
Gators Head Coach Todd Golden also became the youngest coach at age 39 to win an NCAA championship since Jim Valvano at 37 with North Carolina State in 1983. Valvano's Wolfpack squad also ironically defeated Houston that year.
Houston was led by senior guard L.J. Cryer with 19 points and six rebounds. The Cougars' heartbreaking loss was their third trip to a national championship with nothing to show for it.
Houston also reached the title game in the aforementioned 1983 and 1984 seasons.
Its current head coach, Kelvin Sampson, would have become the oldest coach to win an NCAA championship at 69 years old. Sampson has coached for 32 years, including the past 11 at Houston, without a title victory.
"The Gators have brought it home from San Antone and have won the national championship," DeSantis said after the thrilling finish. DeSantis then did a Gator Chomp, a popular fan gesture during University of Florida sporting events.
DeSantis was also joined by Sen. Blaise Ingoglia (R-Spring Hill) in San Antonio for the victory.
"I cannot even describe the feeling of being in the building when the Gators won the National Championship tonight. Truly an epic and unforgettable evening," Ingoglia said.
