Todd Golden finally ended Florida’s title drought as the Gators edged past Houston in the NCAA men’s basketball final. Heading into the season, Florida didn’t generate a lot of buzz with a recruiting class that ranked outside the top 60 in the nation. Their transfer was listed as No. 35 overall in the country, and the big question was, will Golden be able to have a breakthrough season? Fast-forward to Monday night in San Antonio, and the third-year head coach answered that question emphatically and made history in the process. While Florida fans celebrated with blue and orange confetti falling from the rafters, not everyone was joining in on the party.

The Florida vs Houston final was a game of two halves in quite a few ways. The first half saw Houston enter the break with a 31-28 lead and had a 12-point lead early in the second half. However, the Gators, as they had done for much of the March Madness, rallied to come out on top for a 65-63 victory, but it wasn’t without controversy.

After a first half that barely saw the refs blow the whistle—just four fouls were called—the second half flipped the script completely. Suddenly, the whistles wouldn’t stop. It felt like every other possession had someone heading to the line. The Alamodome turned tense fast, and not just because of the tight score. Fans, analysts, and even coaches couldn’t help but raise their eyebrows at how different the officiating looked after halftime.

From just four fouls and four three throws in the first half, we went to a staggering 26 fouls and 31 free throws! Just 27 seconds into the second half, Florida was called for its first foul. A technical on the Gators’ bench quickly added to their tally, and they reached the six-foul pre-bonus limit only 2:39 into the half. However, soon the ref calls went heavily against Houston with Kelvin Sampson’s side committing 16 violations in the second half to the Gators’ 10, with the newly crowned champions also shooting 19 free throws to the Cougars’ 12.

By the 10-minute mark of the second half, Houston had already racked up 7 team fouls, putting Florida in the bonus early and altering how the Cougars could defend down the stretch. The change in how the game was officiated in the second half was a surprise to many. North Carolina preps coach Gibson Pyper tweeted, “Nothing more annoying than when refs completely change how they are calling a game after halftime.”

Still, many felt that it was Houston that was on the receiving end of tighter calls by the officials. Even in the first half, a pivotal first-half moment went against Houston.

With exactly one minute left in the first half, chaos erupted under the basket as Florida’s towering 7-footer, Micah Handlogten, reached up and swatted at the ball just after a shot attempt from Houston’s J’Wan Roberts. Roberts instantly pointed downward, signaling what he believed to be an obvious goaltending violation.

But the officials kept their whistles silent, letting play continue. A closer look indicated that it was a blatant missed call according to the NCAA rulebook. This allowed the Gators to get down the other end and hit a three-pointer in the final minute and cut the deficit to 31-28. The officiating calls took the attention away from what was an exhilarating contest, and the fans were not having it.

Fans suspect foul play by the refs, point to Todd Golden’s tech as turning point

The change in the approach of the referees was a surprise. In the first half, it appeared they let the teams play despite Houston’s physical approach. However, the narrative changed in the second half as Houston struggled for control. One fan summed it up with a blunt tweet: “How did the officiating change so fast in the second half in the Florida-Houston game? Oh my! Kind of rigged like the NBA.” And honestly, that sentiment isn’t coming out of nowhere.

Right after the Florida bench got hit with that rare technical for protesting a foul on Will Richard, the tide seemed to shift. Houston took full advantage in that moment—L.J. Cryer knocked down a technical free throw, and the Cougars drained a three right after to stretch the lead to 10. It felt like they were about to run away with it. But then? The whistle practically lived in the refs’ mouths, and Houston kept ending up on the wrong end of it.

Another fan wrote, “Since Florida got that technical, the referees have called everything against Houston…”. Another fan chimed in with “@_CharlesBarkley Florida coach gets T’d up and then they get three straight calls, cut the lead in half, but more importantly all this disrupted Houston’s momentum. That turned into 9 straight calls against Houston.”

After Florida’s bench got slapped with that technical, you’d think the Gators would unravel. Instead? It was Houston that spiraled. That fan wasn’t just exaggerating with the “nine straight calls” claim. Between 7:54 to 13:47 after Florida’s technical, Houston received eight calls in a row against them.

What makes this whole thing wild is how fast it all shifted. One minute, Houston’s up by 10 and cruising. Next thing you know, Florida’s cutting the lead down and drawing every whistle in sight.

“The refs remembered, oh, Florida is supposed to win. Then called Houston for 9,000 fouls in a row. Disgusting.” wrote another fan. In a game this high-stakes, consistency is everything. And when fans see that kind of lopsided stretch, especially right after a call that already felt questionable, they’re going to cry foul play.

For Todd Golden, these calls by the refs do take some sheen off what has been a remarkable achievement. He became the youngest coach to win the men’s championship since North Carolina State’s Jim Valvano, who was 37 when the Wolfpack won it in 1983.

But people watching the final felt like the game was taken out of the players’ hands and handed over to the officials. And in March Madness, that’s the fastest way to ruin the magic.