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Comebacks propel Houston and Florida for NCAA Championship in San Antonio

Apr 5, 2025; San Antonio, TX, USA; Duke Blue Devils forward Cooper Flagg (2) reacts after their loss to the Houston Cougars in the semifinals of the men's Final Four of the 2025 NCAA Tournament at the Alamodome.
Bob Donnan-Imagn Images
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Reuters
Apr 5, 2025; San Antonio, TX, USA; Duke Blue Devils forward Cooper Flagg (2) reacts after their loss to the Houston Cougars in the semifinals of the men's Final Four of the 2025 NCAA Tournament at the Alamodome.

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SAN ANTONIO — Houston knocked off Duke in front of a crowd of 68,252 at the Alamodome Saturday, setting itself up for a matchup with Florida in Monday night's championship game.

L.J Cryer led the Cougars with 26 points in a dramatic upset over Cooper Flagg and the mighty Blue Devils.

Houston overcame a 14 point deficit in the final eight minutes. The final score was 70-67, decided by several defensive stands — earning a standing ovation from the sold-out crowd.

The University of Houston will now play for its first ever national title.

They face a team that has had its own share of comebacks as March Madness turned into April drama.

Earlier in the night, Florida mounted yet another come from behind victory against Auburn.

The Gators' tough road to San Antonio included dramatic wins after trailing late against UConn in the second round and Texas Tech in the Elite Eight.

This time around, they trailed Johni Broome and Auburn by eight points at the half before Walton Clayton Jr., who scored 34 points, led the Gators on a furious run to defeat SEC rival Auburn 79-73.

Clayton is the first player since Larry Bird to record two 30+ point games in the Elite Eight and Final Four.

Florida Gators guard Alijah Martin (15) dunks the ball against the Auburn Tigers during the second half in the semifinals of the men's Final Four of the 2025 NCAA Tournament at the Alamodome.
Bob Donnan-Imagen Images / Reuters
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Reuters
Florida Gators guard Alijah Martin (15) dunks the ball against the Auburn Tigers during the second half in the semifinals of the men's Final Four of the 2025 NCAA Tournament at the Alamodome.

This is the first time the Gators are in the national championship since winning back-to-back titles in 2006 and 2007.

Their coach at the time, Billy Donovan, was in attendance at the Alamodome as he was honored for being tapped as a member of the 2025 Naismith Hall of Fame class.

Florida and Houston, both No. 1 seeds, have not played since 1973. Houston has won both of their only two matchups in 1970 and 1973.

Monday's national title game tips off Monday at 7:50pm CST at the Alamodome between two teams you can never count out.

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TPR's News Director Katz leads the organization’s news and journalism efforts, overseeing the newsroom’s day-to-day management and the development of a strategic vision for the news division. He also serves on the organization’s executive leadership team. TPR’s news team currently has 16 staff members, including reporters dedicated to in-depth coverage of subjects including Arts & Culture, Bioscience & Medicine, Education, Technology & Entrepreneurship, Military & Veterans Issues and State Government.