30Duck Moderator No. 1 Share Posted Monday at 01:54 PM Men's 2025 national championship game preview: Keys for Houston, Florida - ESPN WWW.ESPN.COM With the championship on the line, what must Florida and Houston do to prevail -- and what could stop them? 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jon Joseph Moderator No. 2 Share Posted Monday at 03:29 PM Florida opened -1.5, now down to -1. O/U 141.5. In consideration of the Houston D, I think the Under could be a solid bet. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
30Duck Author Moderator No. 3 Share Posted Monday at 04:33 PM If defense does win championships. my pick of Florida is in trouble, and usually a team is more successful slowing a game down, rather than the other team speeding it up. So, what possible chance does Florida have? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
HDuck No. 4 Share Posted Monday at 07:01 PM I don't have a pick, or particular bias between the two, but I probably would be happy to see "the old guy" Kelvin Sampson get the win. 69- Sampson 68- Jim Calhoun, 2011 68- Coach K, 2015 66- Roy Williams, 2017 66- Phog Allen, 1952 64- John Wooden, 1975 Allen was oldest to win his first title, next "first" was Lute Olson (62) in 1997. Though Sampson would "beat" them both. Geno Auriemma is 71. I believe Rick Barnes (70) and Dana Altman (66) are oldest active Power 4 coaches to not have won a championship. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
30Duck Author Moderator No. 5 Share Posted yesterday at 12:30 AM Due to their defense, rebounding, Houston averages 10 shot attempts more than their opponents, if Florida can cut that by half, that's a win. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
30Duck Author Moderator No. 6 Share Posted yesterday at 01:15 AM Midway through the 1st half, Houston leads 16-10, 22 shots attempted, 12 for Florida. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
idontrollonshobbas No. 7 Share Posted yesterday at 01:37 AM I've see Olajuwon on the sidelines at the Final Four....has anyone seen Clyde lurking about? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
30Duck Author Moderator No. 8 Share Posted yesterday at 01:43 AM 31- 28. Houston. The game is being controlled by Houston. playing their tempo, more attempted shots, but Florida has more rebounds, Florida also has more turnovers, and 0 points from Clayton. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
30Duck Author Moderator No. 9 Share Posted yesterday at 02:41 AM Alright, Clayton just scored his first points of the game, with 7:54 left, and can tie it up with a free throw. Tied. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
30Duck Author Moderator No. 10 Share Posted yesterday at 03:03 AM Free throws give Florida the lead for the first time since it was 8-6. 46.5 left. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
30Duck Author Moderator No. 11 Share Posted yesterday at 03:06 AM Houston dribbles the ball out of bounds. Florida has the ball and a 1 point lead, 26.6 left. Free throws for Florida, misses the first, makes the 2nd. Florida 65 63. 19.7 left. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
30Duck Author Moderator No. 12 Share Posted yesterday at 03:11 AM Florida wins, 65-63! 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jon Joseph Moderator No. 13 Share Posted yesterday at 03:15 AM On 4/7/2025 at 11:11 PM, 30Duck said: Florida wins, 65-63! Along with those who bet the Under. Thanks for your great CBB posts and takes. Heck of a comeback by the Gators. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
30Duck Author Moderator No. 14 Share Posted yesterday at 03:18 AM Great tournament. Shows why March Madness is absolutely the best event in sports!! 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
30Duck Author Moderator No. 15 Share Posted yesterday at 03:27 AM Florida rallies once again to beat Houston for NCAA title - ESPN WWW.ESPN.COM Florida rallied from a 12-point deficit to survive a defensive slugfest vs. Houston and earn the program its third national championship... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
GatOrlando No. 16 Share Posted yesterday at 03:53 AM Awesome game. Houston is the best defensive team I've seen in my lifetime. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nevada Dawg No. 17 Share Posted yesterday at 05:21 AM Again Florida did what Florida does: rallies like crazy to win games late. Rarely do they lose the close ones in the last two minutes of a game. The last time they did so: In the second to last week of the regular season against...the Georgia Bulldawgs! So at least we beat the national champs this year, only not when it really counted. It is hard for a Dawg fan to feel great about a Gator triumph, and I couldn't help rooting for Kelvin Sampson and the Cougars to kiss the trophy. But it is also hard to not admire the way this Florida team stood up, time and time again, to adversity this year and managed to prevail in the end. Congrats to a gutty bunch of kids. And Houston really is a beast on defense, aren't they? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
30Duck Author Moderator No. 18 Share Posted 15 hours ago On 4/7/2025 at 10:21 PM, Nevada Dawg said: And Houston really is a beast on defense, aren't they? They are. But last night, Florida was better. Florida shot 39.6 from the field, 25% on 3's. Houston shot 34.8% from the field, 24% on 3's. Florida did have 13 TO's, compared to 9 for Houston, but the Gators won the battle on the boards, 40 to 39. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jon Joseph Moderator No. 19 Share Posted 11 hours ago Jay Williams Calls Out Schizo Champ Game Refs - Jay Williams calls out national championship officials for calling second half like 'a ballet' - On3 WWW.ON3.COM Williams was frustrated for the players in how differently the national title game was officiated from the first half to the second. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
30Duck Author Moderator No. 20 Share Posted 10 hours ago The discrepancy was obvious between the twenty minutes coming out of halftime. Four fouls were called in the first half before 26 were called for in the second, including five immediately on the Gators in just over the two and a half minutes coming out of the break that resulted in a controversial technical foul on their bench. Add in a no-call on a pretty clear goal tend, which ended up making a difference in a two-point margin, and the outing ended up earning criticism for the officials before it was over with. Swallowing your whistle shouldn't be the plan for the Refs, maybe they could have called more in the 1st half. That's a huge discrepancy. Baseball players get an idea of the strike zone, it would be completely wrong if it changed as much as the 1st & 2nd half did here. Ironic, that the game ends because the Houston player knew it would be a double-dribble if he touched the ball in the last seconds, so could only stand and watch. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
