The annual conclusion of the NCAA men’s basketball season is a tournament of the top 64 teams in the nation selected by a committee of basketball experts. This single-game elimination tournament format motivates an extended degree of effort and grit for all teams, leading to unpredictable results throughout March Madness. In 2025, the first round of games alone resulted in seven “upsets,” in which the lower-ranked team was triumphant against their opponent, out of 32 games — a trend that is common in the tournament.
This year, the four highest-ranked teams, all No. 1 seeds in their respective regions, advanced to the Final Four and competed in San Antonio, Texas, on April 5 and 7. The only other time that this occurred was in 2008, also in San Antonio.
In this year’s semifinals, Duke University held a 14-point lead against the University of Houston with eight minutes left. ESPN gave the Houston Cougars a 1.5% chance of winning the game at this time, but their tough play style and the 26 points scored by fifth-year senior LJ Cryer led them to a 70-67 comeback win against the Duke Blue Devils.
In a close game throughout, the University of Florida defeated Auburn University 79-73. The Florida Gators’ Walter Clayton Jr. scored 34 points in the game, leading his team to victory.
Houston entered the championship game as slight favorites and took a 12-point lead with 16 minutes remaining in the game. Down by two points with five seconds left, Houston junior Emmanuel Sharp rose up for a three-pointer, but threw the ball at the ground to avoid getting his shot blocked by the defender. Sharp watched the ball bounce three times as the clock ran out, unable to grab it without being given a traveling penalty. Florida won the game 65-63 and soon after made their way to the San Antonio Riverwalk for a championship river parade.
