March Madness: A Recap

March Madness, a time of chaos, competition, and thrill. Every spring, basketball fanatics tune in to the series of college basketball games. 64 teams in the men’s basketball brackets battle in a single-elimination tournament for the ultimate championship title. 

March Madness 2025 delivered everything fans hoped for— buzzer-beaters, shocking upsets, and championship victories. In the end, one powerhouse program stood tall. The Florida Gators captured the men’s title for the first time in twelve years. 

In the final four, the Houston Cougars made a remarkable comeback against the Duke Blue Devils 70-67. There were only eight minutes left on the scoreboard with Duke leading by fourteen points thanks to Cooper Flagg’s 27-point contribution, when Houston clapped back. 

A late foul sent J’Wan Roberts to the line where he scored two free throws putting Houston in the lead. L.J. Cryer added 26 points throughout the game to the Cougars total score. After Duke missed a final shot, the Cougars secured a spot in the national championship game. 

“I thought Duke would at least be in the National Championship, but I knew not to bet on the tournament 'cause there were too many possibilities,” said HU student Isaiah Parrish. 

Many did not expect that the Cougars would pull through the way they did.

In the other Final Four games, the Florida Gators and Auburn Tigers played each other. The Gators secured a 79-73 victory over the Tigers advancing them into the championship game. Walter Clayton Jr. impressed the world, leading the Gators by 34 points, seven of them scored at the final 2:30 mark. As for the Tigers, despite playing through a right elbow injury, Johni Broome added 15 points and 7 rebounds to the team’s overall score. 

Eric James, an HU student and avid basketball fan had a lot of faith in Auburn.

“I had Auburn winning the whole tournament so I would say seeing them go was tough especially because I would’ve won my bracket challenge if they won the tournament,”said James. “Even though my bracket got busted, I still had a good time watching these teams become fan favorites in the tournament."

The Tigers unfortunately took the loss in the Final Four game while the Gators advanced to the championship game with the Houston Cougars. 

It’s been twelve years since the Gators secured a championship, back in 2007. This year, the Gators, coached by Todd Golden, defeated the Houston Cougars by two points after overcoming a twelve-point deficit. Once again, Point Guard Walter Clayton Jr. was helpful in the second half of the game, scoring eleven points. It was his late-game defense and scoring that sealed the Gator's victory.

Known for their defensive plays, the Cougars tried their hardest to pull through but ultimately could not keep up with Clayton’s defense.