Apr 5, 2025; San Antonio, TX, USA; The Houston Cougars celebrates after their win against the Duke Blue Devils in a semifinal of the men’s Final Four of the 2025 NCAA Tournament at the Alamodome. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-Imagn Images / Bob Donnan-Imagn Images

SAN ANTONIO– The Florida Gators‘ opponent for Monday’s national championship ship has been set: The Houston Cougars.

No. 1 Houston, winners of the East Region, upset No. 1 Duke Saturday night, 70-67, with an 11-0 run over the final 1:14 to advance to the championship. Star guard LJ Cryer scored 26 points including a pair of free throws with three seconds left to make it a three-point game.

J’Wan Roberts, who recorded a double-double with 11 points and a game-high 12 rebounds, hit a pair of free throws before Cryer’s, giving Houston its first lead since the Cougars held a 6-5 lead with 15:25 left in the first half and erasing a 14-point deficit in the second half.

The win marks Houston’s third appearance in the national championship with its previous two coming in the 1983 and 1984 seasons. The Cougars have never won a national championship.

Florida’s matchup with Houston will mark only the third meeting between the two programs with the Cougars holding a 2-0 series lead. The team’s last met on Dec. 8, 1973, a 97-73 win for Houston, after first meeting on Dec. 7, 1970, a 61-60 win for the Cougars.

The Gators, meanwhile, advanced to the title game for the fourth time in school history with a 79-73 win over Auburn. Guard Walter Clayton Jr. scored a game-high 34 points, a program record for a Final Four, while Florida held Auburn forward/center Johni Broome to only three points in the second half.

Florida last won a national championship in its most-recent appearance during the 2006-07 season, which saw the Gators repeat as champions. The program’s first appearance in the national title came during the 1999-2000 season.

Monday’s title matchup will begin at 8:50 p.m. ET with television coverage on CBS.