The 2025 NCAA basketball championships captivated fans with strong attendance, surging television ratings and standout performances across all three divisions. From historic wins to familiar powerhouses reclaiming glory, the tournaments delivered storylines worthy of the March Madness tradition.
Attendance highlights
DI men's tournament
The Alamodome in San Antonio hosted a sold-out crowd of 68,252 for the Final Four semifinal games, and overall tournament attendance surpassed 700,000 for the third straight year. It's the longest such stretch since six consecutive years from 2012 to 2017. Fans from all 50 states and 26 countries attended.
DI women's tournament
The Division I women's basketball championship brought fans from all 50 states and 23 countries to Tampa, Florida. Total tournament attendance reached 351,777, the third-highest all-time mark. It marked the fourth straight tournament to top 315,000, a run previously matched only from 2001 to 2004.
That earlier stretch averaged roughly 325,000 fans per year. The current four-year run? More than 365,000 per tournament. The 2025 Women's Final Four games at Amalie Arena drew a combined 39,508 fans, the highest mark since 2019.
Television viewership
DI men's tournament ratings
The national championship game between Florida and Houston averaged 18.1 million viewers on CBS, up 22% from last year's title game. The broadcast peaked at 21.1 million viewers, the biggest championship audience since 2019. The men's Final Four semifinal games averaged 15.5 million viewers across TBS, TNT and truTV, the highest since 2017 and a 21% increase from 2024. The tournament averaged 9.4 million viewers per game through the round of 32, the best since 1993. The First Four games on TruTV also set a record, with 7.4 million viewers.
DI women's tournament ratings
The DI women's championship between UConn and South Carolina averaged 8.5 million viewers and peaked at 9.9 million viewers on ABC, the third largest audience since ESPN began its exclusive rights agreement in 1996.
The semifinals averaged 3.9 million viewers across ESPN platforms, trailing only the past two years. UConn versus UCLA led the way with 4.1 million viewers, peaking at 4.7 million.
The Elite Eight games averaged 2.9 million viewers, the second-highest mark on record and up 34% from 2023. According to ESPN, it was the second-most-viewed women's tournament on record, with 8.5 billion minutes viewed.
Television viewership
DI men's tournament ratings
The national championship game between Florida and Houston averaged 18.1 million viewers on CBS, up 22% from last year's title game. The broadcast peaked at 21.1 million viewers, the biggest championship audience since 2019. The men's Final Four semifinal games averaged 15.5 million viewers across TBS, TNT and truTV, the highest since 2017 and a 21% increase from 2024. The tournament averaged 9.4 million viewers per game through the round of 32, the best since 1993. The First Four games on TruTV also set a record, with 7.4 million viewers.
DI women's tournament ratings
The DI women's championship between UConn and South Carolina averaged 8.5 million viewers and peaked at 9.9 million viewers on ABC, the third largest audience since ESPN began its exclusive rights agreement in 1996.
The semifinals averaged 3.9 million viewers across ESPN platforms, trailing only the past two years. UConn versus UCLA led the way with 4.1 million viewers, peaking at 4.7 million.
The Elite Eight games averaged 2.9 million viewers, the second-highest mark on record and up 34% from 2023. According to ESPN, it was the second-most-viewed women's tournament on record, with 8.5 billion minutes viewed.
Television viewership
DI men's tournament ratings
The national championship game between Florida and Houston averaged 18.1 million viewers on CBS, up 22% from last year's title game. The broadcast peaked at 21.1 million viewers, the biggest championship audience since 2019. The men's Final Four semifinal games averaged 15.5 million viewers across TBS, TNT and truTV, the highest since 2017 and a 21% increase from 2024. The tournament averaged 9.4 million viewers per game through the round of 32, the best since 1993. The First Four games on TruTV also set a record, with 7.4 million viewers.
DI women's tournament ratings
The DI women's championship between UConn and South Carolina averaged 8.5 million viewers and peaked at 9.9 million viewers on ABC, the third largest audience since ESPN began its exclusive rights agreement in 1996.
The semifinals averaged 3.9 million viewers across ESPN platforms, trailing only the past two years. UConn versus UCLA led the way with 4.1 million viewers, peaking at 4.7 million.
The Elite Eight games averaged 2.9 million viewers, the second-highest mark on record and up 34% from 2023. According to ESPN, it was the second-most-viewed women's tournament on record, with 8.5 billion minutes viewed.
2025 NCAA Basketball Champions
Division I men: Florida
Florida captured its third national championship — and first since 2007 — by rallying past Houston for a 65-63 win. The Gators trailed by 12 points early in the second half before mounting their comeback. They trailed by 6 or more points in the second half in four of their six NCAA tournament victories.
Senior guard Walter Clayton Jr., who went scoreless in the first half, scored 11 in the second and sealed the win with a game-saving defensive stop. Florida finished 36-4, riding a 12-game win streak to the title.
Division I women: UConn
UConn returned to the top of Division I women's college basketball with an 82-59 victory over defending champion South Carolina, the only team to defeat the Huskies in a national championship game (2022). This time, the Huskies claimed their 12th NCAA title and first since 2016.
Fifth-year senior Paige Bueckers contributed 17 points, six rebounds and three assists, while Azzi Fudd scored 24 points and was named Most Outstanding Player. Freshman Sarah Strong also added 24 points, 15 rebounds, five assists and three blocks as UConn completed a 37-3 season.
Division II men: Nova Southeastern
One year after losing at the buzzer in the national title game, Nova Southeastern edged Cal State Dominguez Hills 74-73 to claim its second championship in the past three seasons. Fifth-year senior MJ Iraldi led the Sharks with a team-high 27 points and earned tournament Most Outstanding Player honors.
The Sharks tied a program record with 36 wins and closed the season on a 23-game winning streak. During the last three seasons, the Sharks boast an incredible 104-4 record.
Division II women: Grand Valley State
Grand Valley State capped a 38-2 season — a program record for wins — with a 70-58 win over Cal State Dominguez Hills in the DII women's title game, earning its second national title and first since 2006.
Tournament MVP Rylie Bisballe scored 13 points, adding six boards, three assists and three steals. Her sister MacKenzie earned All-Tournament Team honors, scoring a team-high 14 points while recording four rebounds, two blocks and two steals.
The Lakers led the country in scoring margin at 30.3 and won 37 games by double digits. The win also was a full-circle moment for Erika Wallace, chair of the Division II Women's Basketball Committee. The director of athletics at Wayne State (Michigan), Wallace played point guard for the 2006 Grand Valley State championship team.
Division III men: Trinity (Connecticut)
Trinity defeated top-ranked New York University 64-60 to secure the program's first Division III national championship. Trailing by one with 10 seconds to play, Trinity rebounded a pair of misses before Henry Vetter, the tournament's Most Outstanding Player, buried a go-ahead 3-pointer to help secure the historic victory.
Trinity had four scorers in double figures, led by Jarrel Okorougo with a game-high 20 points and nine rebounds. Vetter netted 14 points with five rebounds, while Will Dorion and Drew Lazarre added 10 points apiece. The Bantams matched a school record with 30 wins.
Division III women: New York University
New York University's women completed a second consecutive undefeated season, finishing 31-0 with a dominant 77-49 win over Smith. The Violets scored the first 11 points of the game en route to a comfortable repeat, led by five players scoring in double figures. Senior Belle Pellecchia led the way with 18 points, while fifth-year grad student Natalie Bruns ended her career with a near-triple double of 16 points, 13 rebounds and eight assists.
NYU became the third Division III women's program to go unbeaten in back-to-back seasons and the fourth to win consecutive titles. Its 62-game winning streak ranks as the eighth longest in NCAA women's basketball history across all divisions.
