Trump hosts NCAA basketball champion Florida Gators at the White House

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WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump honored the 2025 NCAA basketball champion Florida Gators at the White House on Wednesday, proclaiming that “lesser teams would have crumbled” during its nail-biting title game victory.

“It was looking bad,” Trump said, noting that Houston led by as many as 12 points in a game Florida rallied to win 65-63 in San Antonio in April. ”Did you think you were going to win?"

Florida (36-4) delivered four come-from-behind victories in six March Madness wins. The Gators led the finale for a total of 64 seconds, including the last 46 ticks of a contest that was in limbo until the final sequence.

Trump recounted Alijah Martin making two free throws to put the Gators ahead to stay with 46.5 seconds left, and asked Martin if he was nervous.

“Lesser teams would have crumbled,” the president said.

Florida secured the program’s third title in basketball, and Trump noted that it is the only school to have a trio of NCAA titles in that sport and in football. When the Gators basketball team won back-to-back NCAA titles in 2006 and 2007, they visited President George W. Bush at the White House.

Wednesday's East Room ceremony featured top Trump administration leaders from Florida, including Attorney General Pam Bondi and Secretary of State Marco Rubio. Mentioning Rubio, Trump said there's “no bigger Florida fan.”

Also on hand were Florida Sens. Rick Scott and Ashley Moody, as well as assorted House members from the state and former Florida football standout Tim Tebow. Trump described Tebow “as a college player, maybe the best ever” and said he was a big fan despite Tebow having spent part of his professional career with the NFL's New York Jets.

The team gave Trump an autographed basketball and No. 47 jersey with his name on the back. The president also hailed the Gators' 39-year-old coach, Todd Golden, as “great" and “young” while joking, “Boy, would I like to be his agent.”

Last year, President Joe Biden held a joint ceremony honoring the 2024 NCAA men's and women's basketball winners, honoring South Carolina and Connecticut.

Since taking office in January, Trump has hosted a series of championship teams, including the Super Bowl-winning Philadelphia Eagles. His April ceremony in the Rose Garden with the NCAA football champion Ohio State Buckeyes is best remembered for Vice President JD Vance — an Ohio State graduate and Buckeye fan — fumbling the team's championship trophy.