After the Cougars couldn't hold a 12-point lead vs. the Gators, time may have run out on Kelvin Sampson, 69, winning a title

Sampson, 70, has been coaching since 1979 and has found so much success recently with the Cougars by building Houston into a national powerhouse. However, with a potential national title looming it's very possible that Sampson could opt to retire with a win Monday night.

How did Kelvin Sampson become the Houston men's basketball coach? A look back at the NCAA sanctions that helped lead Sampson to the Cougars:

The Florida Gators won the NCAA men’s basketball championship on Monday, defeating the Houston Cougars in a heart-stopping contest that went all the way down to the final play.

The NCAA championship game between University of Houston's Cougars and University of Florida's Gators will be taking place at 7:50 p.m. on April 7.

In one of the wildest NCAA championship games in recent memory, the Florida Gators pulled off a stunning 63-61 victory over the Houston Cougars, despite trailing for nearly the entire game.

The Florida Gators earned all 61 first-place votes in the final AP Top 25 Poll of the season after winning the NCAA Tournament.

The commissioners of the NCAA's Power Four conferences and dozens of athletic directors from the SEC, ACC, Big Ten and Big 12, and coaches and players lobbied

Field Level Media Florida ranked No. 1 in the final Associated Press Top 25 poll released Tuesday, one day after the Gators rallied past Houston to win the NCAA Tournament. The Gators (36-4) received all 61 votes following their 65-63 win Monday night in San Antonio to clinch the school’s third national title and first since back-to-back crowns in 2006-07.

Here's a look at where USA TODAY Sports ranks the Florida Gators' three NCAA Tournament championship wins during this century.

Last time Florida basketball was at the top of the sport, it won back-to-back titles. Do the Gators have the roster to do it again?

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.