The Gators face Houston for the national championship on Monday night at the Alamodome in San Antonio. (Photo: Spencer Gnauck/UAA Communications)
GAME DAY: Gators vs. Houston (CBS, 8:50 p.m. ET) — UF One Win Away From Program's Third National Championship
Monday, April 7, 2025 | Men's Basketball, Scott Carter
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By: Scott Carter, Senior Writer
SAN ANTONIO — Since the matchup was finalized late Saturday night, the media has attempted to frame the Florida-Houston national championship game in the proper context.
Both are No. 1 seeds. Both teams are 35-4. Both are on a roll, with the Gators winning 17 of their last 18 games and Houston owning an 18-game winning streak.
The two programs have met only twice, the last time in 1973, long before the massive Alamodome – site of tonight's March Madness finale – was even a thought. That game happened a decade before the Phi Slama Jama Cougars, in one of the most memorable upsets in NCAA Tournament history, lost at the buzzer to Jim Valvano's N.C. State Wolfpack in 1983.
To longtime Gators fans, their most distinct memory of a Florida-Houston rumble happened in 1969 when the underdog Gators, in a game that made quarterback John Reaves and receiver Carlos Alvarez UF famous, upset the magazine Playboy's No. 1-ranked Cougars at Florida Field.
Still, despite the programs' lack of head-to-head history, intrigue is never in short supply when a national championship is at stake.
— Florida Gators Men's Basketball (@GatorsMBK) April 7, 2025
Start with the contrast in head coaches, 39-year-old Gators coach Todd Golden and 69-year-old Cougars coach Kelvin Sampson. In only his third season at Florida, Golden has the Gators one win from their first national title in 18 years. Sampson is in his 36th season as a head coach and would become the oldest to win a national championship should the Cougars prevail.
"I saw Tubby [Smith] and Rick Barnes, Tom Izzo, Pop [Gregg Popovich], a bunch of the older coaches,'' Sampson said Sunday. "They all kind of had similar messages to me. Win one for the old guys, something like that. We were all young at the same time coming up."
Meanwhile, Golden is a poster boy for the new generation of coaches who rely on analytics and deep data dives for any possible edge. He spoke highly of Sampson's accomplishments on Sunday, but he knows once tip-off arrives, the players and the teams' contrasting styles will determine which one lifts the championship trophy afterward.
Houston's stingy defense, ranked No. 1 in the country, could hinder Florida's potent offense, which is third nationally in scoring.
"Yeah, it's funny, analytically, us and Houston, on KenPom, our efficiency margin is within point one of each other over a hundred possessions," Golden said. "We're an elite offensive team, a top-10 defensive team. They're a top-10 offensive team and an elite defensive team. Hopefully, we can get the game up and down a little bit.
"I think there's going to be some issues for us out there. If we don't kind of troubleshoot well, we'll be in trouble. We're a pretty elite offensive team. We'll lean into that and allow our guys to go out there to make some plays and see what happens."
While the contrast in styles is something to watch on the court, the crowd inside the Alamodome is another notable topic that has popped up continuously over the past 36 hours. The University of Houston campus is less than 200 miles from the Alamodome, and the Cougars are expected to have a significant crowd advantage.
That won't be anything new for the Gators this postseason. They defeated Tennessee in the SEC Tournament championship game last month in Nashville, spoiling the afternoon for the rabid Rocky Toppers in the stands.
"I probably took for granted what that environment would be like,'' Golden said. "We walked in there, and it was 80% Tennessee fans. I was like, 'Man, we got a road game to try to win the SEC title.' It's just part of what you have to get through to win a national championship."
Tennessee offers more than one similarity to Houston. Golden said the Vols are the best comparison to the Cougars that Florida has faced. Tennessee is excellent defensively and has a physical style that the Gators overcame twice in the three meetings this season.
The Gators hope to celebrate one more victory this season on Monday night against Houston. (Photo: Maddie Washburn)
Walter Clayton Jr., whose 34 points in Saturday night's win over Auburn stamped his place in the Final Four record books, watched Houston's come-from-behind win over Duke.
He was impressed.
"They're good at what they do, and they're all on a string defensively," Clayton said. "They try to force you to do the things that they want you to do, and they play so hard."
The Gators play hard, too, and that is one reason they are in position to claim the program's first national championship since the back-to-back titles in 2006 and 2007.
Golden came to Florida for opportunities like tonight. If the Gators win, he would become the youngest head coach since Valvano knocked off the Cougars 42 years ago at "The Pit" in Albuquerque.
He wasn't born. But Houston fans need no painful reminders.
The Gators seek to provide them with another one.
"It's a huge challenge for us,'' Golden said. "But for us to continue to put ourselves on the map and continue to get Florida basketball where we want it to be, [Monday] night is a great opportunity. We got 40 minutes for one chance to win a national championship, continue to put ourselves in that conversation."
Game coverage on CBS features the broadcast crew of Ian Eagle on play-by-play, Grant Hill and Bill Raftery providing analysis, and Tracy Wolfson reporting. The Gators Sports Network from Learfield broadcast has Sean Kelley (play-by-play), Lee Humphrey (analysis) and Steve Egan (producer/host) courtside at the Alamodome.
Finally, follow FloridaGators.com senior writers Chris Harry (@GatorsChris) and Scott Carter (@GatorsScott) for commentary and analysis on the social media platform X (formerly known as Twitter) throughout the game. FloridaGators.com will have complete post-game coverage late Monday night and follow-up content on Tuesday. GATORS IN THE HOUSE
The Gators are playing in the national championship and many high-profile Gators want to see it.
This is Florida's first opportunity to win a national championship in either men's basketball or football since the UF football team defeated Oklahoma in January 2009 in the BCS National Championship in Miami. The men's basketball team won back-to-back titles in 2006 and 2007.
The list of prominent Gators expected to be at the game includes UF football coach Billy Napier, softball coach Tim Walton, soccer coach Samantha Bohon and men's tennis coach Adam Steinberg.
Al Horford
Meanwhile, former UF basketball players Al Horford and Walter Hodge, members of UF's back-to-back title teams, are planning to be in attendance. Others include Bradley Beal, Jason Williams, Udonis Haslem, Alex Fudge, Jack Berry, Jonathan Mitchell and Brett Swanson.
In addition, 1996 Heisman Trophy winner Danny Wuerffel, receiver Chris Doering and former UF defensive lineman Thad Bullard (WWE's Titus O'Neil) will be at the Alamodome tonight when the Gators face Houston.
