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Here's This Year's 'One Shining Moment' for Florida After Winning National Championship

Ryan Phillips

Florida Gators players hoist the trophy after defeating the Houston Cougars in the national championship game of the 2025 NCAA Tournament at the Alamodome.
Florida Gators players hoist the trophy after defeating the Houston Cougars in the national championship game of the 2025 NCAA Tournament at the Alamodome. / Robert Deutsch-Imagn Images
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The 2024-25 college basketball season has come to a close, as Florida beat Houston 65-63 to win the national championship in San Antonio on Monday night.

The campaign closed with a phenomenal NCAA tournament that featured two incredible Final Four games and a rugged, back-and-forth championship game. As with every edition of March Madness, it isn't truly over until you hear Luther Vandross sing.

The playing of "One Shining Moment" at the conclusion of the NCAA tournament is one of the best traditions in sports and, once again, this season's edition lived up to the hype.

CBS's 2025 version of "One Shining Moment" is below.

It hits hard every single time.

The song has been played at the end of the NCAA men's basketball tournament every year since 1987. It is played as the winning team's players cut down the nets.

Congratulations to Florida for an outstanding season and the third championship in program history.

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Ryan Phillips
RYAN PHILLIPS

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.

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