Every great championship game ends with triumph on one side and heartbreak on the other. As Florida basketball celebrated their 65-63 win over Houston in the 2025 national championship game on Monday night, the Cougars were left grappling with the devastation of falling just short of a title. And no one felt that pain more than head coach Kelvin Sampson.
In a raw, emotional postgame interview, Sampson didn’t shy away from taking responsibility. While his team battled to the final buzzer, the veteran coach admitted he wished he could have done more in the closing minutes.
“We could’ve done things better in the last two or three minutes, and I could’ve done things better,” Sampson said. “It always starts with me. I always look at how I could’ve done better, but I’m so proud of this team for what they’ve done. Winning the Big 12, winning the Big 12 Tournament, winning five consecutive games and coming within an eyelash of winning a national championship. I love these kids. I love this staff. I love this program. This one hurts. This one stings.”
Houston was in control for most of the night, leading for the majority of the game and executing their defensive game plan to near perfection—until Florida’s Walter Clayton Jr. caught fire in the final minutes. The Cougars had chances late, but a missed shot and a key turnover helped seal their fate. It was the kind of loss that leaves a lasting bruise.
This marks the second Final Four appearance for Houston under Sampson, the first coming in 2021. That time, they lost in the semifinals. This time, they were just one possession away from cutting down the nets. There’s no doubt that Sampson has elevated the Houston program to a national level, but these moments are tough reminders of how fragile success can be.
The Cougars now face an offseason filled with questions. Senior leaders like J’Wan Roberts and LJ Cryer are moving on, and Sampson will need to rely on returning players like Emanuel Sharp and Milos Uzan to carry the torch. Houston also has a talented recruiting class on the way, but as this tournament showed, talent isn’t the only ingredient to making it this far.
The scar tissue from this loss will linger. It will motivate, but it will also sting. Sampson’s message of pride, accountability, and love was clear, but so was the pain of coming so close to glory. The Cougars left everything on the floor—but in a game where the margin between victory and heartbreak is razor-thin, they’ll be forced to sit with the “what-ifs” of a game that slipped away.
