Breaking down Florida's championship run and the key takeaways

The Final Four has not disappointed over the last few years, but this year’s nail-biting set of games was one of the best in recent memory. Florida went into the Final Four as second favorites with the sportsbooks, and Uconn were the defending champions, but they did not find the same vein of form that resulted in them lifting the championship in 2024.

College basketball is a staple of American sports. Unlike the NBA, which has a vast international audience, college basketball is a very domestically popular sport solely on American soil. While it doesn’t have much of an audience overseas, that doesn’t matter; the sportsbooks rake a considerable interest in college basketball betting, often leveraging betting bonus offers to attract the highest number of customers.

Although Florida’s championship run this year was hardly the biggest surprise, Duke was still considered the favorite, given how well they had been playing in the lead-up to the final. So, with all that said, here are some key takeaways from Florida’s run and how they ended up coming out at the top of the pile in one of the best finals of the last decade.

Key moments in the first set of games

At the risk of stating the obvious, Florida was the deepest team in the tournament, evident even in the early stages, including the Sweet 16 game against Maryland at the end of March. Denzel Aberdeen has been a revelation for the Gators throughout this tournament, but it was this game where it truly started to show.

As is often the case, when a team manages to win the NCAA Tournament, there are often clutch players who can slot into the game when it matters. Granted, the Maryland game did not have the same importance as the latter stages of the Final Four, but the dominant victory showcased what was to come.

Florida's first-round drubbing of Norfolk State set the team's high-performance benchmark and laid the foundation for what was to come, but taking this form into their game against Maryland showed they had their game faces on from the beginning of the tournament.

Besting Uconn

The win over Uconn was arguably the most significant run all the way to the final. The defending champions had not lost a game in an NCAA Tournament since 2022—and they did not go down without a fight against Florida, either.

Except for the nail-biting final against Houston, it was their toughest test. The key takeaway is that Florida showed they had what it takes to go from the nearly-men to champions. It was a pivotal moment and set the standard for their level of play—which was consistently ahead of the rest of the Final Four.

While they were still behind Duke in the betting odds once they reached the Final Four, after Duke’s incredibly narrow loss in the Final Four against Houston, many college basketball fans were tipping Florida to go all the way. The win against the defending champions genuinely showed what this team was about.

Making it count in the latter stages

The Final Four game against Auburn was competitive, but it didn’t look like Florida was in danger of losing at any stage of the game. Despite some questionable officiating, which made the score slightly closer than it should have been, Florida got the W and set up a massive showdown in the final game against Houston.

The final two minutes of the Houston game is one of the most exhilarating college basketball passages in recent memory. After a remarkable late rally, Houston couldn’t get a shot away in the last 19 seconds of the game, with Florida narrowly leading by two points. Let’s face it, it was a dreadful last play from Houston; they should have at least brought the game level, while some credit has to go to Florida for the quality of their defending and pulling it out of the bag with a few minutes left.

Nobody will ever know why Sharp didn’t pump fake. He could have etched his name into the record books forever, but Florida brought their A-game when it mattered. Ultimately, these small moments determine the fate of champions; it was part of what had college basketball fans on the edge of their seats—so many close games, incredible plays, and high-quality teams.

Final thoughts

The takeaway from the final was that they stopped at nothing to win, and that’s the mentality of a championship-winning side. A fantastic run and a well-deserved victory for the Gators, and one that is going to be talked about for years to come.

It felt as though the championship had Florida’s name from the beginning. Houston might have had a couple of nail-biting games against Purdue and Duke, especially their Final Four game. It did have the vibe that they could squeeze out a victory against Florida.

However, on paper, and considering both teams, Florida really should have been the #1 seed. Even though the final went right down to the wire, the Gators had so much depth in their squad and so much quality ready off their bench that they were ultimately deserving winners.