The national champion Florida Gators moved to No. 1 in the final AP Top 25 poll of the 2024-25 college basketball season on Tuesday just hours after downing Houston in San Antonio for its third men's basketball title in program history. Florida earned all 61 first-place votes in the poll, the second team all season to earn unanimous No. 1 status.

Florida moved up two spots from the previous AP Top 25 released on March 17. The Gators finished the year with a 36-4 record after overcoming a 12-point deficit to defeat the Cougars in an epic finish that included a stunning defensive stop as the buzzer sounded.

The Florida Gators are No. 1 in the final Associated Press Top 25 men's college basketball poll of the 2024-25 season after winning the national championship.

In the end, college basketball always delivers. Surely this past weekend was proof, with its incessant nail-biting Final Four, starting with Florida’s 79-73 upset of overall No. 1 seed Auburn, then Houston’s furious rally to shock Duke 70-67,

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

Florida had little to celebrate and appeared headed for disappointment after a memorable road to the Final Four. Yet, somehow the Gators found their stride in the nick of

Florida's comeback victory over Houston in Monday night's NCAA title game was the most-watched men's championship game in six years with 18.1 million viewers.

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.