March Madness- What a game, what a tournament, and what a finish. The 2025 men’s basketball national champion has been crowned along with KILJ’s Bracket Challenge winner as 15 brackets (33%) accurately predicted this year’s titleholder.
What Happened
Florida had last been a national champion in 2007, which capped off consecutive years of finishing atop the mountain. For Houston, it was an opportunity for the Cougars to reign in their first championship in program history as they hadn’t been to the dance since the mid-1980s.
In a matchup of Houston’s dynamic defense and Florida’s unstoppable offense, it was the Cougars that controlled the tempo. Houston limited the Gators to just 28 first half points, resulting in a three-point lead at the break for the Cougars.
A J’Wan Roberts jumper even had Houston holding on to a 42 to 30 lead five minutes into the second half. Yet, Florida clawed their way back into the game, tying the game on a Walter Clayton free throw with 7:54 remaining in the game.
Then the two heavyweights traded blows until Houston grabbed a 63 to 62 lead with 2:05 to play in the game and that lead stuck for over a minute. Then Alijan Martin made both free throws to take the lead with Will Richard nabbed the ball back for the Gators, leading to Denzel Aberdeen nailing one free throw to give the Gators a 65 to 63 lead with 19 seconds remaining.
Again, it was the Florida defense that slammed the door, causing a turnover at the buzzer as Houston could not generate a last-second shot opportunity. The Gators are champions for the third time in their program’s history and the first time in 18 years, taking down Houston 65-63.
For the KILJ Bracket Challenge, Karen Brimhall is the champion with Terry McWilliams taking second place and Zoey Freeman, who was in 15th place before the Final Four, nabbing third place.
Brimhall was always near the top of the list as she went on an absolute tear from the second round to the National Championship game, accurately predicting 27 of the final 31 games. McWilliams nabbed 25 of the final 31 games, while Freeman went 13 of the final 15.
The most impressive climb belongs to Allie Liechty-Hultman as her bracket went from 40th place after the first two rounds to being one of just four brackets to collect at least 300 points this year.
KILJ would like to thank The Press Box and Wiley’s Interior Furnishings and Design for sponsoring our bracket challenge this year and we would like to thank all of you for participating! You have a year to study up for KILJ’s Bracket Challenge in 2026!
Standings
- Karen Brimhall: 346
- Terry McWilliams: 340
- Zoey Freeman: 324
- Allie Liechty-Hultman: 318
- Josh Moon: 298
- Tim Liechty: 296
- Julie Liechty: 296
- Jeff Broeg: 292
- Depot Divas: 292
- Abbie Leichty: 290