The Swamp Strikes Back: Gators Rule March Madness

GATORS TRIUMPH!

March Madness 2025 has come to an end. And while the lead-up to the National championship was lacklustre compared to recent years, the championship did not disappoint. The Florida Gators, led by star guard Will Richard, outlasted the Houston Cougars 65-63 to win their third title in school history and the first since the dominance of Al Horford in 2007. Here are some highlights and personal awards from the tournament:

First RD:
– D-2 Transfer standout Bennett Stirtz leads (11)Drake past (6)Mizzou in the first major upset
– (12)Colorado State Guard Nique Clifford is too much for (5)Memphis’s 1-2-punch of PJ Haggerty and Dain Dainja
– (10)New Mexico’s Donnovan Dent shocked the world to oust (7)Marquette
– A strong bench performance from (12) McNeese is enough to hold off a late charge from (5) Clemson
– Jonas Aidoo turns back the clock for (10)Arkansas to defeat (7)The Kansas Jayhawks
– A heartbreaking miss from Claudell Harris II allowed (9)Baylor to take out (8)Mississippi State

Second RD:
– Freshman Phenoms Billy Richmond and Karter Knox lead (10)Arkansas past (2)ST. Johns
– Big Shots from Roddy Gayle Jr. allowed (5)Michigan to get by (4)Texas A&M
– 37 points from John Tonje isn’t enough for (3)Wisconsin to beat th’ stormin mormons at (6)BYU
– Stars struggled for (3)Iowa St. and they weren’t able to handle (6)Ole Miss
– Major Bucket Getting by Walter Clayton Jr. allows (1)Florida to survive scare from (8)UCONN
– Derik Queen’s clutch factor gets (4)Maryland past (12)Colorado State
– Controversial defending gets (4)Arizona clear of (5)Oregon

Sweet 16:
– A huge late three-pointer from Darrion Williams saw (3)Texas Tech force overtime with the (10)Arkansas Razorbacks where they would go on to win in the extra period.
– (2)Michigan State survived a challenge from (6)Ole Miss
-(1)Houston held on late to win against (4)Purdue

Elite 8
– (1)Florida survives a close shave against (3)Texas Tech

Final 4
– Strong all-around Play led (1)Florida to the natty ahead of (1)Auburn
– A powerful late comeback led by LJ Cryer put (1)Houston past (1)Duke

Championship
– A late run by (1)Florida saw them overtake (1)Houston as time winded down and a Denzel Aberdeen free throw put the game on ice as they became National Champions

Player of The Tournament: Walter Clayton Jr ,G; Florida
A disappointing national championship performance from Clayton is not enough to downplay the impact he had for this Gators team. Hitting big shots game after game, defeating perennial powerhouses such as UCONN and Auburn, and cementing his status as a Florida legend

Coach of the Tournament: Kelvin Sampson; Houston
Very rarely does the losing coach receive this high of an honor, but Kelvin Sampson’s defensive culture at Houston keeps his teams in games when the offense isn’t making shots and consistent team success gets him this award.

Freshman of The Tournament: Cooper Flagg, F; Duke
This summer, Flagg is set up to be the number one overall pick in the NBA draft, and it’s not hard to see why. His consistent ability to play offense and defense at a very high level is very attractive to NBA scouts, his size and IQ is also comparable to NBA role players and he’s 18 years old.

Moment of the Tournament: Alijah Martin, G; Florida
A late steal and subsequent free throw line dunk from Martin turned the tide in the Gators favor late in their final four matchup with Auburn and they carried that momentum to the end of the game winning 79-73

Shot of The Tournament: Derik Queen, C; Maryland
A running fadeaway as time expires for a buzzer beating victory is the quintessential march madness moment that is a staple of every tournament.

 

All Tournament Teams:

First Team:
Walter Clayton Jr. ,G; Florida
LJ Cryer ,G; Houston
Cooper Flagg ,F; Duke
JT Toppin ,F; Texas Tech
Johni Broome ,C; Auburn

Second Team:
Alijah Martin ,G; Florida
Johnell Davis ,G; Arkansas
Mark Sears ,G; Alabama
Darrion Williams ,F; Texas Tech
Derik Queen ,C/F; Maryland

 

Third Team:
Sean Pedulla ,G; Ole Miss
Chaz Lanier ,G; Tennessee
Braden Smith ,G; Purdue
Danny Wolf ,F; Michigan
Trey Kaufman-Renn ,F; Purdue

Honorable Mentions:

Tahaad Pettiford ,G; Auburn
Zakai Ziegler ,G; Tennessee
Kon Kneuppel ,F; Duke
Will Richard ,G; Florida
J’Wan Roberts ,C; Houston
Wade Taylor IV ,G; Texas A&M
Jordan Gainey ,G; Tennessee
Ryan Kalkbrenner ,C; Creighton
Jase Richardson ,G/F; Michigan State
Nique Clifford ,G/F; Colorado State
Caleb Love ,G; Arizona
Karter Knox ,F; Arkansas
Bennett Stirtz ,G; Drake
Tyrese Proctor ,G; Duke
Khaman Maluach ,C; Duke
John Tonje ,G/F; Wisconsin
Graham Ike ,F; Gonzaga
Liam McKneeley ,F; UCONN
Jackson Shelstad ,G; Oregon
Richie Saunders ,G/F; BYU
Egor Demin ,G; BYU