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Florida's Best Moments in the NCAA Tournament

The Florida Gators enter the NCAA Tournament as the No. 1 seed in the South Region.
Kyle Lander|
The Florida Gators won the program's third national title a year ago.
The Florida Gators won the program's third national title a year ago. | Kyle Lander / Gators Illustrated

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Florida Gators

As the 2024-25 season showed, the No. 4 Florida Gators are no strangers to March Madness. They fell right in line with everything they had to offer during last year’s NCAA Tournament, providing absolute mayhem in nearly every game played. 

However, they are not a one-season wonder, clinging to the hope that it will happen again. Instead, it’s an expectation that deep runs in March are a mainstay for the program. 

Much of that stems from Florida's rich history, one built on a longstanding tradition of success in the NCAA Tournament. 

Up There Among the Best 

Florida is no Kentucky, Duke or North Carolina when it comes to tournament bids, but they are still regular figures in the big dance. They are now up to 24 appearances all-time in the NCAA Tournament after being tabbed as the No. 1 seed in the South Region. 

Simply put, the Gators are among the best in the SEC. With the 2025 National Championship title factored in, the Gators hold three titles all-time in program history. Their three titles only trail Kentucky’s eight in the SEC. 

Todd Golden
Head coach Todd Golden celebrates after leading the Florida Gators to a national championship in his third season as the head coach. | Kyle Lander / Gators Illustrated

As for competitors across the country, the Gators sit tied for eighth place. UCLA (11), UConn (6), North Carolina (6), Duke (5), Indiana (5) and Kansas (4) are the only teams to have more. 

Moreover, UConn and Florida are the only teams to win back-to-back titles since 2000. 

To reach a national championship, one must also reach the Final Four. 

The Gators have earned their way to six Final Fours all-time, which is good enough for tied-12th on the all-time list. Additionally, Florida has made 10 Elite Eights and 12 Sweet Sixteens in their previous 25 NCAA Tournament appearances. 

Top Moments from NCAA Tournament

It is hard to capture every moment from the entire Florida March Madness catalogue. With many choices, here are just a few of the best from the Orange and Blue. 

Back-to-Back Titles

The easiest to include is the moment when the clock struck zero and the buzzers buzzed for the final time during the 2006-07 season. Florida became national champions for the second time in program history and the NCAA’s first back-to-back title holders since the 1991-92 Duke Blue Devils. 

Leading the charge that season were Al Horford, Corey Brewer and Joakim Noah, who each surprisingly spurned the NBA for an extra year in Gainesville. 

Lee Humphrey Steals the Show in Elite Eight

Horford, Brewer and Noah often steal the headlines, but sharpshooter Lee Humphrey also played an integral role in Florida winning two national championships in a row. 

Most notably, his performance in the Elite Eight against Oregon helped boost them into the Final Four. Humphrey connected on a NCAA Tournament program-record seven triples against the three-seed Ducks and led the team with 23 points on the way to an 85-77 victory. 

That record still stands to this day. 

Mike Miller Saves the Day

Without Mike Miller’s heroics in the 1999-00 postseason run for Florida, the program would have just three championship appearances compared to the four they have now. 

In the dying seconds against Butler in the opening round of the tournament, Miller bruised his way into the paint for a last-second layup that just escaped the forward's fingertips to down the Bulldogs, 69-68. 

Chiozza Creates a Lasting Memory 

The deepest run in the Mike White Era came in 2017, fueled by former Gator Chris Chiozza’s big shot against Wisconsin in the Sweet 16. 

Following two late free throws from the Badgers in overtime, the Gators trailed by two with just four seconds left. Moreover, they had to go end-to-end with that little time.

That didn’t deter Chiozza, though, as the speedy guard blurred past the Badgers and floated in a one-footed triple as the time expired to propel the Gators into the Elite Eight. 

Clayton Jr. and Haugh Takeover Against Red Raiders

It is hard to find a Gators fan who does not know who Walter Clayton Jr. is and what he did in the 2024-25 postseason run. 

The most pivotal win along the way for Florida came in the Elite Eight against the Texas Tech Red Raiders. After a back-and-forth battle between the two in the first 28 minutes of the game, Texas Tech eventually found itself leading by 10 points with 6:18 remaining. 

Then, Walter Clayton Jr. and Thomas Haugh took over. The duo combined to score 19 points over the final six minutes, including five threes made between the two. Clayton Jr. scored 13 of the 19, knocking down three 3-pointers, one layup, two free throws and dishing out two assists. 

The biggest triple from the pair was made by Clayton Jr., who confidently nailed a turnaround three with 59 seconds remaining to give his team a 78-77 lead, one that they never relinquished en route to a Final Four berth.

The Final Stand in 2025

Offense sparked Florida to clinching a spot in last year's national championship. Defense, however, ultimately won the game. After erasing a 12-point deficit in the second half, Florida had two crucial defensive stops on its way to winning its third national title in program history.

First, Will Richard, whose four 3-pointers in the first half alone kept the Gators in the game, poked the ball loose from a driving Emanuel Sharp, with Sharp's knee hitting the ball out of bounds. That tournover allowed Denzel Aberdeen to push the lead to two after a free throw.

The next stand sealed the win. Houston drew up a play to give Sharp a 3-point try, but a quick close-out from Clayton Jr. forced Sharp to abandon the shot. Unable to grab the ball due to it being a travel, Alex Condon quickly dove onto it as the clock expired.

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Kyle Lander
KYLE LANDER

Kyle Lander is a contributing writer at Florida Gators on SI. He is also a graduate of the University of Florida with a degree in journalism. On top of his writing, Kyle is a photographer for the site as well. Outside of his work with Florida Gators on SI, he likes to hike, travel, watch movies and hang out with family and friends.

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