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Fans Blasted Bad Officiating in Second Half of Houston-Florida NCAA Title Game
Houston and Florida battled in a tight national championship game Monday night but unfortunately, the 10 players on the court weren't the only factor in the outcome. Florida scored a 65-63 victory, but it wasn't without controversy.
The Cougars and Gators were engaged in a tight, back-and-forth battle, but in the second half, the officials exerted their influence. Many fans thought they went over the top.
Early in the second half, Florida had seven fouls, and Houston had just three. With the Cougars in the bonus, officials flipped the script and called Houston for a number in a row.
the foul breakdown after the first Florida technical pic.twitter.com/mb7hjEBt64
— Justin Ferguson (@JFergusonAU) April 8, 2025
Officials called a total of four fouls in the first half, three on Houston and one on Florida. The second half was called completely differently and both teams wound up in the double bonus, as 26 total fouls were called after halftime. That led to complaints from fans, who were not happy.
The refs after deciding to call two halves of the same championship game differently. pic.twitter.com/8gcfhPpje4
— Jessica Benson (@jessbensontv) April 8, 2025
This is yuck. They let Houston set the tone with physicality and now they tighten it up in 2nd on Florida. And toss in a Technical. Don’t love it and not great optics unfortunately
— OfficiatingObserver17 (@RefObserver17) April 8, 2025
Refs have taken over the Alamodome: pic.twitter.com/jQXaPyJNuU
— Eli Hershkovich (@EliHershkovich) April 8, 2025
The refs after half really just went:pic.twitter.com/QHIkLoaUgM
— Carter Donnick (@CDonnick1) April 8, 2025
What we really needed in this Final Four was a ref show.
— Rob Dauster (@RobDauster) April 8, 2025
No matter who wins, the officiating has been inconsistent, and far too impactful. #Florida vs #Houston
— Bill Lekas (@BillLekas) April 8, 2025
Nothing more annoying than when refs completely change how they are calling a game after halftime.
— Coach Gibson Pyper (@HalfCourtHoops) April 8, 2025
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Ryan Phillips is a senior writer on the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. He has worked in digital media since 2009, spending eight years at The Big Lead before joining SI in 2024. Phillips also co-hosts The Assembly Call Podcast about Indiana Hoosiers basketball and previously worked at Bleacher Report. He is a proud San Diego native and a graduate of Indiana University’s journalism program.