What time is the NCAA Championship Game? Florida and Houston face off in the finals

Florida and Houston are all set to compete in the NCAA Championship Game, which is scheduled for Monday, April 7. As the NCAA Championship Game is also known, the March Madness, which began with 68 teams, will have an epic showdown at the San Antonio Alamodome in Texas.

The NCAA Championship Game of Men’s Division I basketball will begin at 8:50 PM, ET. According to CNN, the final game will be aired on CBS and will also stream on Fubo and the March Madness Live app.

The Gators and the Cougars path to the final NCAA Championship Game was through the Final Four, in which the teams beat the Auburn Tigers and Duke Blue Devils respectively, as per USA Today.

The Duke Blue Devils were largely favored to play in the finals, as per the New York Times staff predictions; however, the Houston Cougars staged an upset for Duke after a worthy comeback (70-67).

Florida Gators during the first half in the Final Four game. (Image via Getty)

What can be expected in the 2025 final NCAA Championship Game?

While the Cougars haven’t won a championship title till now, this would be their third appearance in the national championship, as per the New York Times. The Gators, on the other hand, have won the championship twice and would be looking to add a third win to their name.

According to CNN, the Gators’ head coach, Todd Golden, outlined the setup for the finals, saying,

“We’re an elite offensive team, a top-10 defensive team. They’re a top-10 offensive team and elite defensive team. I think it’s going to be a contrasting battle that way. Hopefully, we can get the game up and down a little bit. They’re going to impose their will as they’ve done on everybody this year. We’re a pretty tough team also.”

Meanwhile, Kelvin Sampson, the Cougars’ head coach, would become the oldest coach to win the NCAA Championship Game at 69 if Houston were to win the Monday face-off, as per Sporting News.

Houston v Duke in the Final Four. (Image via Getty)

In a press conference on CBS Sports ahead of the clash between Houston and Florida, Kelvin Sampson said,

“We used Emanuel Sharp last night in the pick and roll ‘cause we felt he had the best chance to get in the paint and get the ball in the rim. If we get the ball in the rim we thought we could offensive rebound it. But you know it comes down to, Roberts makes the two free throws but our defense was really good there about the last 10, 10 minutes or so. So I was proud of them for hanging in there and, you know our lives are so consumed by our next game, your your next game and I'm glad last night was not our last game, that we do have a next game.”

In terms of which player to look out for, the Gators’ Walton Clayton Jr. achieved an impressive feat during Florida’s Elite Eight and Final Four games, collecting more than 30 points in back-to-back games, according to CNN.

In the clash between Houston and Florida, it remains to be seen which team emerges victorious. Meanwhile, Sunday saw the impressive win of UConn over South Carolina in the women’s NCAA championship final.