March Madness Storylines To Watch: Can Houston Win First Ever National Championship?

The Houston Cougars will battle the Florida Gators for the 2025 National Championship.

Houston has had one of the most remarkable runs in college basketball history. The Cougars have lost just one game since the start of December. In addition, the Cougars had a super difficult road to the NCAA Tournament's Final despite being a No. 1 seed.

The Cougars defeated four straight top-15 teams in KenPom to get into the National Championship game. A road like that for a No. 1 seed is unimaginable, but it sure happened.

Meanwhile, the Florida Gators looked like the best team in the regular season and are playing like the best team in the postseason. Nobody is surprised that Florida made this game. Now it's time to see if the Gators can add one more win and earn the National Championship.

Below, I'll examine some of the most intriguing storylines and players to watch in tonight's Championship.

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March Madness Storylines: National Championship

1. Houston Can Earn Its First Ever Championship

Under Kelvin Sampson, the Houston Cougars have had some really good teams. Yet, they have never won a National Championship or made the NCAA Tournament Final.

This would be a historic win for the Houston Cougars.

2. Houston's No. 1 Defense

The Houston Cougars are KenPom's No. 1 defense. They have limited opponents to a 44.8% effective field goal percentage, giving up only 30.3% from deep and 44.3% from inside the arc.

The defense helped push Houston into the Final. With ten minutes remaining, the Duke Blue Devils forgot how to hit field goals. Can Houston's defense do the same to a Florida offense that has been very encouraging lately?

3. Walter Clayton Jr. Is Clutch

In almost every NCAA Tournament game, Walter Clayton Jr. has made clutch shots to help Florida survive and advance. He made some big shots against UConn in the Round of 32 and has been uncanny ever since.

Clayton Jr.'s NCAA Tournament performance helped his NBA Draft stock. If he performs well against Houston's defense and lifts Florida to a title, don't be surprised if he becomes a lottery pick at this point.

He's got that clutch gene.

4. It Took Todd Golden Three Years

Many times, coaches are fired too soon after being hired. They're not given the proper resources and fail right away.

However, Todd Golden came to Florida and has only improved the team year after year. By his third season with the Gators, he had put Florida in position to win a National Championship.

Golden is one of the youngest coaches evercompete in the NCAA Tournament. If he continues on this trajectory, he can become one of the greatest of all time.

Golden would be the third youngest head coach in Men's Basketball ever to win an NCAA Tournament.

5. Kelvin Sampson Is The Opposite

Jim Calhoun is the oldest men's basketball coach ever to win the NCAA Tournament. He won his last NCAA Tournament in 2011 at 68 years old.

Sampson is 69 years old and would become the oldest head coach ever to win the NCAA Tournament if his Cougars defeat the Gators tonight.

Helpful Links

• All College Basketball Odds
• Latest Florida vs Houston Odds
• Best March Madness Promo Codes for NCAA Men's Basketball Championship
• Today's College Basketball Predictions, Props, and Parlays
• NBA Draft Picks to Watch in the National Championship
• March Madness Storylines to Watch: Can Houston Win First Ever National Championship?
• Best Betting Sites for the National Championship Game: Florida vs Houston
• Florida vs. Houston Pick: Expert Prediction, Latest Odds for Gators vs. Cougars in National Championship