The riveting action took viewers by storm, too. Monday's national championship averaged 18.1 million viewers on CBS, up 22% year-over-year and the most-watched title game since 2019, when Virginia beat Texas Tech in overtime. During a hectic finish between the Gators and Cougars, viewership peaked at 21.1 million.

Florida has won its first national championship since 2007 and its third overall after beating Houston 65-63 in the 2025 men’s NCAA title game.

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Monday's national title bout between Florida and Houston drew 18.1 million viewers, making it the most-watched title game since 2019. The game peaked at 21.1 million viewers and was up 22 percent from last year.

It was fitting that Florida arrived nearly two hours late to its on-campus celebration Tuesday. After all, it was exactly how the Gators played while winning the NCAA Tournament. Coaches and players returned to Gainesville roughly 16 hours after rallying to beat Houston 65-63 in San Antonio to secure the program’s third national title.

UF coach Todd Golden is due a sizable pay increase as he tackles the offseason to build on the Gators’ national championship success.

The first season of the new Big 12 went as well as the conference could have hoped, until the last 30 seconds of the final game. Houston’s bungled final possession in the NCAA championship game Monday night left the Cougars two points short and prevented the Big 12 from claiming its third national title in five years.

Former Saint Mary’s guard Todd Golden coaches Gators to a thrilling victory in a game that went down to the buzzer.