Houston vs Florida Odds, March Madness Championship Prediction and College Basketball Picks April 07

Jim Fuller

· Apr 06 - 4 minutes read

Look for the Houston vs Florida game to go over 140½ points.
Take Florida Walter Clayton to go over 20.5 points.
Make bank with our top NCAAB picks! Join with our promo code HUDDLE125.

Houston vs Florida March Madness Championship Odds

Houston

Florida

-1 -110

Point Spread

+1 -110

-115

Moneyline

-105

O 140½ -110

Total Game

U 140½ -110

Walter Clayton Jr. Over 20.5 Points

-137

Place your Bets on Houston vs Florida at BetUS Sportsbook!

houston-vs-florida-odds-march-madness-prediction-and-picks-04-7-2025-jifu — Walter Clayton Jr. #1 of the Florida Gators | Ezra Shaw/Getty Images/AFP

The 2024-25 college basketball season comes to an end in San Antonio on Monday night when Florida and Houston meet for the men’s NCAA Division I national title. It will be the first meeting between the Gators and the Cougars since 1973.

Florida finished strong to eliminate fellow SEC power Auburn in one semifinal while Houston had a comeback for the ages to defy the March Madness odds and stun Duke and its freshman phenom, Cooper Flagg.

The college basketball betting lines have the game approaching Pick’em status with Florida a one-point favorite. The Gators have -118 odds to wrap up an unforgettable season with a national title. Houston is priced at -102 to win the program’s first national title.

When the season began, Houston was fourth in the March Madness winner odds. Florida. There were 21 teams with shorter Odds of Winning March Madness than the Gators.

Houston vs Florida Prediction Today, April 07

My Prediction

Florida 73, Houston 71

Florida takes an 11-game winning streak into Monday’s national title game with the Gators 11-2 against ranked teams, per NCAA betting tips. Florida has won its last six games against top-10 teams. Houston has won 18 games in a row with a 9-3 mark versus ranked teams.

Houston is 6-5-1 against the college basketball spread when squaring off with ranked teams.

AND THEN THERE WERE TWO 😤

Houston will take on Florida in the men’s national championship game 🍿 pic.twitter.com/d2QAjY33c4

— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) April 6, 2025

Florida 2-3 ATS in the NCAA Tournament. The Gators headed into the NCAA tournament having covered in 11 of their last 12 games. Houston covered in the Elite Eight and Final Four games.

Ten consecutive Florida games landed over the total before the national semifinal win fell short of the 158.5-point total set by the BetUS sportsbook. Keep that in mind when considering March Madness expert picks.

Top 3 Houston vs Florida Betting Picks

My Top Picks

My Analysis

The win over Duke was just the second time this season the Cougars were listed as the underdog, with Houston covering in both of those matchups. Florida is delivering 74% of the time as a favorite.

The clash of styles could make for an intriguing March Madness matchup. Houston is the top defensive team in the country while Florida has the No. 2-rated offense and No. 9 defense nationally according to the Pomeroy basketball database.

Houston held SEC title contender Tennessee to just 15 points in the first half in the Elite Eight. Florida might be harder to slow down. However, the Gators have been held under 80 points in two of their five March Madness games.

When making NCAAB free picks today, keep in mind that Florida hasn’t had a game with a total under 145 since early December. Even with the way Houston battles on the defensive end, take the game to land over 140½.

Houston vs Florida March Madness Championship Best Point- Scorer Prop

Walter Clayton Jr. Over 20.5 Points (-137)

What kind of a heater is Florida guard Walter Clayton Jr. on in the NCAA Tournament? He is the first player since the legendary Larry Bird to have back-to-back 30-point games in the Elite Eight and the national semifinals.

Most recent players with back-to-back 30+ point games in the Elite 8 or later:

Walter Clayton Jr.
Larry Bird (1979) pic.twitter.com/OVUUldYsWi

— CBS Sports (@CBSSports) April 6, 2025

Houston is going to make Clayton work for his points. I still like the -114 odds for Clayton to go over 19.5 points when making expert March Madness picks.