During the NCAA men’s basketball championship, the Florida Gators performed below their season averages in almost every metric — putting up the second-lowest total score of any game they’ve played this season. They won anyway.
A series of timely free throws clustered in the last two-and-a-half minutes of gameplay clinched Florida’s victory. The nail-biting finish came after the Houston Cougars led for over 38 of the game’s 40 minutes — peaking at a 12-point edge over Florida just after halftime.
The Gators put up 65 points to Houston’s 63. The only other time Florida’s 2024-25 team has scored less than 70 points in a game was in a 64-44 loss to Tennessee in February. But this time, the players flew back to Gainesville victorious — bringing the NCAA title to UF for the first time in 18 years.
Free throws proved to be one key to Florida’s victory, making up over one-fourth of its total points scored. The Gators made 81% of their 21 free throws — about eight percentage points higher than their season average.
The Gators didn’t prove as consistent in other areas of gameplay. Their percentages of field goals and 3-pointers made suffered throughout the championship compared to their season averages.
However, Florida outperformed Houston in all three metrics. While Florida held a slight advantage in field goal and 3-point percentages, there was no question of dominance when it came to free throws. The Gators made 81% of their attempts, while Houston made only 64% of their 14.
Senior guard Will Richard’s command proved another key to Florida’s victory. He scored 18 points — six more than UF’s second-leading scorer, sophomore forward Alex Condon. Of Richard’s points, the majority came from four 3-pointers scored toward the end of the first half.
Senior guard Walter Clayton Jr., who put up 34 points in his team’s Final Four victory against Auburn, scored no points in the first half of the championship. Clayton rallied to score 11 in the second half, including four free throws.
After bringing the NCAA title to Gainesville, Florida finally secured a No. 1 ranking from the AP Top 25 Poll for the first time this season. The Gators already had two national championships from back-to-back 2006 and 2007 victories.
Zoey Thomas is a media production junior and The Alligator's Spring 2025 data editor. She previously reported for the metro, university and enterprise desks. In her free time, you can find her reading, crocheting or arguing for the superiority of sweet potatoes over regular potatoes.
