Florida's NCAA Tournament Title Game Revealed to be Most-Watched Basketball Game of the Year
Florida's NCAA Tournament Title Game Revealed to be Most-Watched Basketball Game of the Year originally appeared on Athlon Sports.
The Florida Gators basketball program was must-watch TV last season, and the numbers back it up.
Advertisement
Last season, Florida posted a sparkling 36-4 record, winning their final 12 games — nine against ranked opponents — to secure their third national title in program history.
The historic run, alongside the legitimacy of their competition, kept the basketball world enchanted.
According to the College Basketball Report on Twitter, Florida participated in two of the most-viewed basketball games of the 2024-25 season. Notably, Florida's 65-63 win over the Houston Cougars was the most-watched basketball game of the year, garnering 18.1 million views and narrowly surpassing the 16.4 million viewers for Game 7 of the NBA Finals between the Indiana Pacers and Oklahoma City Thunder.
Florida Gators.© Morgan Tencza-Imagn Images
The fourth most-viewed basketball game of the season also involved the Gators. Their Final Four matchup against the Auburn Tigers drew 14.8 million watchers.
Advertisement
Auburn entered the game with an impeccable 32-5 record while housing SEC Player of the Year Johni Broome. Florida would catch fire late, winning 79-73.
Still, the championship game against Houston captivated the nation, especially since their Big 12 foe had a 35-4 record and was fresh off a massive upset against the Cooper Flagg-led Duke Blue Devils.
The two juggernauts engaged in a tightly contested back-and-forth, but the Gators used elite defense late to emerge victorious. 2025 marked the team's third title bout and their first since winning back-to-back championships under the guidance of head coach Billy Donovan and stars Al Horford and Joakim Noah in the mid-2000s.
Related: College Basketball World Reacts to Xaivian Lee's $6 Million NIL Move
This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 26, 2025, where it first appeared.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
USA Today
18 minutes ago
- USA Today
Two LSU football players make Athlon Sports' preseason All-SEC team
Two LSU football players are projected to earn First-Team All-SEC honors, according to Athlon Sports' 2025 College Football Preview, released earlier this summer. Linebacker Whit Weeks made the cut, as did Barion Brown in the kick returner role. LSU didn't place all-conference players on offense, with Texas QB Arch Manning getting the nod over Garrett Nussmeier. Weeks left LSU's Texas Bowl win vs. Baylor with an ankle injury, but that was after the linebacker enjoyed a breakout season as a sophomore. Weeks ranked second among SEC linebackers in stops and pressures. He was a havoc creator, sacking the quarterback four times, forcing two fumbles, and batting down two passes. After surgery, Weeks missed LSU's spring practice but is expected to return as LSU kicks off fall camp later this Summer. As for Brown, he transfers to LSU already with five kicks returned for a touchdown. Brown is expected to be a dynamic weapon on LSU's offense, but Tiger fans should expect Brown to be a difference-maker on special teams, too.
Yahoo
33 minutes ago
- Yahoo
PSG vs Inter Miami Live Stream – A Guide About Paris Saint-Germain's Next Club World Cup Match
Paris Saint-Germain is in the Round of 16 of the FIFA Club World Cup and will go up against Lionel Messi and Inter Miami in the knockout stage. Paris Saint-Germain topped Group B in the FIFA Club World Cup and will now play Inter Miami in the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia. The Round of 16 matchup is highly anticipated as Lionel Messi leads the Major League Soccer side against his former club. Advertisement Watch PSG vs Inter Miami for FREE with DAZN on any device! Paris Saint-Germain defeated Atlético Madrid and Seattle Sounders in the group stage to set up this intriguing matchup with Inter Miami. PSG are not invincible, however, as they also lost 1-0 to Botafogo in the group stage. Inter Miami finished second in their group but did manage to defeat Porto and draw against Palmeiras. A win for Inter Miami would easily be one of the biggest in club history and for PSG, an embarrassment coming off their UEFA Champions League title run. How to Watch PSG vs Inter MiamiAll eyes will be on this matchup between PSG and Inter Miami. PSG's manager, Luis Enrique, has named a high-quality starting lineup with Gianluigi Donnarumma in goal, Achraf Hakimi and Nuno Mendes at full-back, Willian Pacho and Marquinhos at center-back, Fabian Ruiz, João Neves, and Vitinha in midfield, and up front, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, Désiré Doué, and Bradley Barcola. Ousmane Dembélé, the frontrunner for the Ballon d'Or, starts on the bench. Advertisement For those who couldn't make it to Atlanta for the match, the best way to watch PSG at the Club World Cup is DAZN. The quality of the coverage has been world-class, and you won't want to miss a second of the action. Once you're streaming with DAZN, you'll be able to not only watch PSG vs. Inter Miami, but all of the knockout stage matches of the Club World Cup. How Motivated Will Messi Be Against PSG? Messi played two seasons at PSG, and despite winning domestic trophies, Les Parisiens failed to get past the Round of 16 of the Champions League with arguably the best player of all time. Since leaving PSG, Messi has stated that he wasn't happy in the French capital, which could explain the lackluster results in the Champions League. There was also a situation where Messi skipped a training session and was forced to post an apology video. There could be some resentment from Messi and PSG heading into this matchup, which only adds to the excitement leading up to kickoff.
Yahoo
33 minutes ago
- Yahoo
LeBron James formally opts in for a 23rd season, will make $52.6M in 2025-26, AP source says
FILE - Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (23) shoots as Minnesota Timberwolves guard Nickeil Alexander-Walker (9) defends during the first half in Game 5 of an NBA basketball first-round playoff series Wednesday, April 30, 2025, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill, File) FILE - Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James appears during the first half of an NBA basketball game against the Utah Jazz, on Feb. 10, 2025, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill, File) FILE - Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James appears during the first half of an NBA basketball game against the Utah Jazz, on Feb. 10, 2025, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill, File) FILE - Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (23) shoots as Minnesota Timberwolves guard Nickeil Alexander-Walker (9) defends during the first half in Game 5 of an NBA basketball first-round playoff series Wednesday, April 30, 2025, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill, File) FILE - Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James appears during the first half of an NBA basketball game against the Utah Jazz, on Feb. 10, 2025, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill, File) LeBron James is exercising his $52.6 million option with the Los Angeles Lakers for 2025-26, further confirming that he will become the first player in NBA history to play a 23rd season, a person with knowledge of the decision said Sunday. The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because neither James nor the team announced the decision publicly. Advertisement ESPN and The Athletic were among those to first report the decision. James, who recently returned to on-court workouts after taking several weeks to recover after spraining a knee ligament in the Lakers' final game of this past season's playoffs, told the AP earlier this month that he expected to be ready for training camp. That was an obvious sign he planned on returning for a 23rd year, one in which he'll break a tie with Vince Carter for longest NBA career by a player. 'I have a lot of time to take care of my injury, my knee, the rest of my body and make sure I'm as close to 100% as possible when training camp begins in late September,' James said in that interview. If any doubt existed even after that about James, the NBA's oldest current player, coming back for at least one more season, it's gone now. He had until Sunday afternoon to make his decision on the option, one that pushes his career on-court earnings to about $580 million. Advertisement This coming season will be his first full year with Luka Doncic as a teammate. Doncic was traded to the Lakers from Dallas in February, but the team — which entered the postseason as the No. 3 seed in a loaded Western Conference — still fell in Round 1 to Minnesota. James turns 41 in December. He's been an All-NBA pick in 21 of his 22 seasons in the league, including a second-round nod this past season. No other player has more than 15 All-NBA selections. He averaged 24.4 points, 7.8 rebounds and 8.2 assists this past season. The NBA's all-time scoring leader has appeared in 1,562 regular-season games, 49 behind Robert Parish's mark of 1,611 — the most in league history. If healthy, James would obviously figure to break that mark this coming season. ___ AP NBA:
