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Stephen A. Smith’s Full March Madness Bracket Surfaces After National Championship

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Rex Villas | Last updated Apr 8, 2025 12:53 AM ET

The 2025 NCAA Tournament is over, with the No. 1 seed taking the crown by beating the No. 1 Houston Cougars in dramatic fashion Monday night at the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas.

And because the Gators escaped with a 65-63 victory over Kelvin Sampson's squad, that means ESPN personality Stephen A. Smith has a new reason to beat his chest, as he correctly predicted Florida to be the last team standing in this year's edition of the Big Dance.

Before the national tournament began, Smith revealed that he's got the Gators, Cougars, No. 1 seed Duke Blue Devils and No. 2 seed Michigan State Spartans as his Final Four picks. The Spartans got eliminated in the Elite Eight round by the No. 1 seed Auburn Tigers but Houston, Florida and Duke all made it to San Antonio.

Smith also nearly nailed the right national championship game matchup, as he had the Gators facing off with Duke, but the Blue Devils infamously collapsed in their Final Four showdown against the Cougars.

In any case, Smith's bracket impressively made it to the 91st percentile among ESPN entries, collecting a total of 1,390 points.

The Gators were down by as many as 12 points in the second half of the Houston game but found a way to stage a successful comeback that will be talked about for a long time.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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