March Madness NCAA Championship Expert Picks: Our Predictions & Best Bets for Florida vs. Houston
In what many expect to be one of the best NCAA Championship matchups in recent college basketball history, Florida and Houston duke it out at 8:50 p.m. ET (CBS) tonight from the Alamodome in San Antonio.
Our March Madness NCAA Championship expert picks for the showdown between No. 1 seeds factors in how Florida's unstoppable offense will handle Houston's impenetrable defense in a game that should come down to the wire.
👉 Want to bet on tonight's game? Check out our Florida vs. Houston prediction and our best Florida vs. Houston player props for full coverage of the NCAA Championship.
🏀 March Madness NCAA Championship expert picks & best bets for tonight: Florida vs. Houston
Here are my five best bets for the NCAA Championship ahead of Florida vs. Houston tonight, with odds from our best sports betting sites.
🏆 Best moneyline bet: Houston (+100 via BetRivers) ⭐⭐⭐
🏆 Best spread bet: Houston +1.5 (-113 via BetRivers) ⭐⭐⭐⭐
🏆 Best Over/Under bet: Florida vs. Houston Over 140.5 (-110 via Caesars) ⭐⭐⭐
🏆 Best player prop bet: Alex Condon Under 14.5 points + rebounds (-128 via FanDuel) ⭐⭐⭐⭐
🏆 Best parlay bet: Four-leg parlay (+634 via FanDuel) ⭐
4️⃣ Best NCAA Championship picks & predictions tonight: Florida vs. Houston
Our NEW college basketball player prop odds tool can help you find the best odds for any March Madness market across legal sportsbooks in your area!
💸 Best NCAA Championship moneyline bet: Houston (+100) ⭐⭐⭐
📊 Best odds: +100 via BetRivers ($10 bet to pay $10 profit)
Terms and conditions apply.
Here's why I'm betting on Houston to win tonight:
"One of these programs is the country's most efficient 3-point shooting team and boasts a historically dominant defense. The other is relying on one player to complete a Kemba Walker-like tournament (Walter Clayton Jr.) while the team's second-best player has been a borderline net negative when on the court (Alex Condon). Are we sure Florida should be a 1-point betting favorite?
As long as Houston doesn't let Florida force it to play fast on offense and turn this game into a track meet, the Cougars should be able to control the contest throughout. I have the Cougars winning 72-69 and Kelvin Sampson pulling off what Guy Lewis couldn't four decades ago."
👉 For more game analysis, check out our breakdown of who will win Florida vs. Houston and our Florida vs. Houston AI predictions.
⚖️ Best NCAA Championship spread bet: Houston +1.5 (-110) ⭐⭐⭐⭐
📊 Best odds: -113 via BetRivers ($10 bet to pay $8.85 profit)
Here's why I'm betting on Houston to cover the spread tonight:
"All the advanced metrics say Houston is the better team, but Florida is the betting favorite. However, I'm trusting in the numbers, on top of the Cougars' depth, ability to control the tempo of this game, and Cryer's stellar play in the NCAA Tournament. I'm backing Sampson to bring home his first championship.
Given Houston's historically impressive defense, how Sampson's squad is built to keep up with high-paced teams thanks to its conditioning and depth, and the Cougars having already taken down big bad Duke, I don't quite understand why this isn't a pick 'em. But I'll happily take these odds and buy into Houston's culture and upperclassmen-filled lineup to pull off another upset and achieve what Lewis' teams in the 80s never could, bringing a title to H-Town."
👉 For more on the spread, check out our Florida vs. Houston preview & best bets and our Florida vs. Houston betting splits.
📈 Best NCAA Championship Over/Under bet: Florida vs. Houston Over 140 (-110) ⭐⭐⭐
📊 Best odds: -110 via Caesars ($10 bet to pay $9.09 profit)
Caesars is a 21+ product
Here's why I'm betting the Over for Florida vs. Houston tonight:
"The only time the Gators have had a lower game total this season was in their Dec. 4 win over Virginia. It was set at 134 against the Cavaliers, and Florida blew past that in an 87-69 win. In fact, Todd Golden's team has hit the Over in 11 of its last 12 games.
So while I do think this ends up being a low-scoring game by Florida's standards, I just barely have it hitting the Over with a projected 72-69 win for Houston. But if this game total creeps any higher as tipoff approaches, the Under will be in play."
👉 For more analysis on the total, check out our NCAA Championship score predictions.
🎯 Best Final Four player prop bet: Alex Condon Under 14.5 points and rebounds (-128) ⭐⭐⭐⭐
📊 Best odds: -128 via FanDuel ($10 bet to pay $7.81 profit)
Here's why I'm tailing our Isaiah Sirois with his Alex Condon player prop bet tonight:
"(Condon) fouled out against Auburn after tallying one point and four rebounds, bringing his tournament averages down to 6.2 points and 5.4 rebounds per game. Condon is shooting just 33/25/50 since the tournament’s second weekend began.
With Condon coming down with only 11.6 points and rebounds per game since the tournament started, the books are projecting a massive bounce-back showing for him against Houston, which just doesn’t seem realistic against such a slow-paced and efficient team."
👉 For more player props, check out our best Walter Clayton Jr. player props and our Most Outstanding Player odds & predictions.
🎰 Best NCAA Championship parlay bet: Four-leg parlay (+634) ⭐
🚨 Leg 1: Houston ML (-106)
🚨 Leg 2: Over 140.5 (-112)
🚨 Leg 3: L.J. Cryer Over 14.5 points (-196)
🚨 Leg 4: Alex Condon Under 14.5 points + rebounds (-128)
📊 Best odds: +634 via FanDuel ($10 bet to pay $63.40 profit)
If any team can stop Clayton and this Gators attack, it's Houston. The Cougars held Duke's No. 1 rated offense to just 67 points while managing an improbable comeback against a Blue Devils squad that was supposed to go down as one of the greatest of all time.
Though I have Houston's defense being the difference, this game total is slightly too low with the way the Gators' defense has struggled against efficient offenses in the NCAA Tournament. With Houston having the best 3-point percentage in the country (39.9%), I think the Cougars can put up just enough in a win to hit this Over.
A big chunk of those points should come from Cryer, who's my best bet to take home March Madness Most Outstanding Player (+160). He's coming off a 26-point outing against Duke and averaging 18.6 points per game in the NCAA Tournament. He'll need to rise to the occasion with the way Clayton is playing.
Another key reason why I'm doubting Florida is how poorly Condon has played throughout the NCAA Tournament. He's the team's second-best player and best defender, but with his ankle injury and inefficiency, he's been non-existent. And with him playing at this level, I just don't believe in the Gators against such a deep and efficient Cougars team.
👉 Want more parlays? Check out our Florida vs. Houston parlay picks, Florida blowout parlay & SGP picks, and Houston blowout parlay & SGP picks.
📊 Live Florida vs. Houston odds & NCAA Championship betting lines
Follow the latest live March Madness college basketball odds and real-time NCAA Tournament scores for the national championship.
🏀 Best NCAA Championship odds, predictions & expert picks tonight
- Florida vs. Houston prediction
- Florida vs. Houston player props
- Florida vs. Houston parlay picks
- Florida vs. Houston AI predictions
- Florida vs. Houston betting splits
- Florida vs. Houston preview & best bets
- Most Outstanding Player odds & predictions
- Best Walter Clayton Jr. player props
- Florida blowout parlay & SGP picks
- Houston blowout parlay & SGP picks
- Who will win Florida vs. Houston?
- What will be the final score of Florida vs. Houston?
- Who will score first in Florida vs. Houston?
- Florida vs. Houston expert picks
📺 How to watch Florida vs. Houston tonight: 2025 NCAA Championship
📅 Date: Monday, April 7
🕗 Time: 8:50 p.m. ET
📍 Location: Alamodome (San Antonio)
📺 TV: CBS
💻 Streaming: March Madness Live
👑 Best March Madness betting sites
Ready to place your March Madness bets? Check out the best March Madness betting promos from the best March Madness betting sites as determined by our expert team at Sportsbook Review.
- Caesars Promo Code: SBRBONUSDYW | Read our Caesars Review
- BetMGM Bonus Code: SBRBONUS | Read our BetMGM Review
- bet365 Bonus Code: SBRBONUS | Read our bet365 Review
- FanDuel Promo Code | Read our FanDuel Review
- DraftKings Promo Code | Read our DraftKings Review
(21+. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER)
* Bonuses not applicable in Ontario.
Not intended for use in MA.
Each betting site featured on SBR has been meticulously researched and selected by our team of experts. If you sign up through our links, we may get a commission.
Related Articles
