The Florida Gators won their third national championship in college basketball after beating the Houston Cougars 65-63.
On Saturday, the team announced what it would do following their celebrations. Per 247Sports’ Graham Hall, Florida plans to visit President Donald Trump at the White House. A date for the visit has not yet been announced.
The win over Houston secured Florida’s first national title in college basketball since the 2006-2007 season. The Gators won another national title from the 2005-2006 campaign.
Florida head coach Todd Golden took over in the 2022-2023 season and brought the Gators back to the mountaintop in three seasons.
“I’ve been told we’re going to the White House, so I’m pretty excited about that,” Golden said. “We’ll have to get everybody back together to be able to go do that.”
Florida’s NCAA Tournament journey began against Norfolk State. The Gators took care of business and won swiftly, 95-69.
Next up were the UConn Huskies, who Florida narrowly beat 77-75 to move on to the Sweet 16. The Gators advanced to the Elite Eight with an 87-71 win over the Maryland Terrapins.
After knocking off the Texas Tech Red Raiders in the Elite Eight, Florida played its SEC foe, the Auburn Tigers, in the Final Four. The Gators beat the Tigers for the second time this season, earning a spot in the national title game with a 79-73 win.
The National Championship was not without its drama. Houston led Florida 63-62 with 46 seconds left, and Alijah Martin was fouled on his shot.
The Gators took a 64-63 lead before Houston turned the ball over, and Denzel Aberdeen was fouled. Aberdeen made it 65-63 with 19 seconds left.
Houston guard Emmanuel Sharp tried to make a last-second shot, but Walter Clayton Jr. defended it well. Sharp avoided taking the shot but could not pick up the ball; otherwise, it would have been a traveling violation.
Florida fell on the loose ball, securing the national title win.
