Men's national championship takeaways: Florida caps off historic SEC season

"We made plays when we needed them most," Golden added. 

The Gators followed a familiar pattern to the third national title in program history. When they had their back against the wall this postseason, they played their best. Simply put, Florida wouldn't be denied.

SEC lives up to historic season

It was only fitting that the SEC had the last team standing after its historic 2024-25 season. The conference, mostly an afterthought on college basketball's national stage in recent memory, was undeniably the best this year, sending a record 14 teams to the NCAA Tournament. The national championship win, the conference's first since 2012, is the cherry on top of a season that will be hard to replicate.

Houston's offensive problems return

The Cougars' heartbreaking loss came down to offensive ineptitude, particularly late. Houston had three turnovers in the final minute, including two by guard Emanuel Sharp. 

The defense forced 13 turnovers, helping Houston attempt 16 more field goals. However, it only made three more baskets than Florida and shot a paltry 24 percent (6-of-25) from three-point range after entering Monday first in the country in three-point percentage (39.9 percent).

Houston's offensive shortcomings have been the team's downfall in recent seasons as head coach Kelvin Sampson has built it into a national power. Old habits die hard.

Fouls suck the life out of second half

Monday's clash flowed at an excellent pace through the first 20 minutes. Both teams lived up to their No. 1 seeds as Houston entered halftime up three, 31-28.

But that changed in the second half when referees called fouls like they had a quota. As ESPN's Bill Connelly wrote on Bluesky, after only three fouls were called in the first half, officials whistled 15 by the 11-minute mark of the second half.

The fouls made the game a slog and made the final minutes anticlimactic for such a close contest. What should have been the most exciting moment — Florida taking the lead with under a minute — was underwhelming, with the Gators moving ahead on a pair of free throws.

People tuned into the title game to watch Florida and Houston, not the referees. If only everyone got the memo.