The Florida Gators have returned home after their thrilling 65-63 championship-securing victory over the University of Houston in the 2025 National Championship Game.

Jacksonville fans at the Island Wing Grill still held out for a Gators championship win as the national game started off a little rocky with turnovers in the first half.

You could call them Florida Gator die-hards or just pumped up students. With the Florida men’s basketball team set to take on the Houston Cougars in San Antonio for a shot at a national title, fans in Gainesville are already lining up outside the Exactech Arena hours before the gates open for the University of Florida’s watch party, which is set to kick off at 7 p.m.

The Florida Gators men’s basketball team is just hours away from competing for a National Championship against the Houston Cougars in San Antonio, and the University of Florida is hoping to gather as many members of Gator Nation as possible to celebrate the occasion.

Gator fans across the country are celebrating now that their squad is headed to the National Championship Game for the first time in nearly two decades.