The grand sports adage is that offense sells tickets, but defense wins championships. Correlate that fans and gamblers will find out for sure on Monday night. The Houston Cougars have used a suffocating defense for success in the March Madness lines. By contrast, the Florida Gators have used a prolific offense to make the national championship game. Monday’s title game matchup between Houston and Florida is a stark contrast of coaching philosophies and team styles. Will offense or defense cut down the nets on Monday night?
2025 NCAA Tournament National Championship Game: Houston Cougars vs. Florida Gators
| Date and Time: | Monday, April 7, 2025, 8:50 p.m. ET |
|---|---|
| Location: | Alamodome, San Antonio, TX |
| TV Coverage: | CBS |
| Team | Spread | Total | ML | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Florida | -1 -104 | 140½ -110 | -112 |  |
| Houston U | +1 -116 | 140½ -110 | -108 | |
| ||||
Houston Cougars Team Overview
Late on, Houston has covered five of its previous seven games and has gone over the total in two of its last ten outings. Namely, LJ Cryer is first among Houston scorers with 16.0 points per game.
Overall, the Houston Cougars are 34-4 straight up, 20-16-2 against the spread, and 16-22 over/under the online wagering total. Houston has national metrics of 156th for scoring offense, 123rd for field goal percentage, 2nd for 3-point field goal percentage, 110th for free throw percentage, and 123rd for offensive rebounding. Defensively, Houston is 1st for scoring defense, 4th for field goal percentage permitted, 25th for 3-point field goal percentage allowed, and 7th for defensive rebounding.
LJ Cryer ignited a 14-point comeback in the final 8:02. At the same time, J’Wan Roberts made the go-ahead free throws. Hence, Houston stunned Duke 70-67 in a memorable Final Four clash between No. 1 seeds on Saturday in San Antonio.
Cryer shot 6-of-9 from 3-point range and led the Cougars with 26 points. Roberts had 11 points, 12 rebounds, and five assists. Emanuel Sharp made massive plays down the stretch and finished with 16 points for Houston.
Florida Gators Team Overview
Late on, Florida has covered seven of its previous ten games and has gone over the NCAA Tournament odds total in nine of its last ten outings. First, for Florida scoring is Walter Clayton with 18.5 points per game.
Overall, the Florida Gators are 34-4 straight up, 27-11 against the spread, and 21-16-1 over/under the total. Florida has national metrics of 4th for scoring offense, 53rd for field goal percentage, 91st for 3-point field goal percentage, 197th for free throw percentage, and 3rd for offensive rebounding. Defensively, Florida is 93rd for scoring defense, 14th for field goal percentage permitted, 10th for 3-point field goal percentage allowed, and 141st for defensive rebounding.
Walter Clayton Jr. returned from injury and collected 19 points and nine assists. Correlate that Clayton led visiting No. 6 Florida to its second upset of a top-ranked team this year, toppling No. 1 Auburn 90-81 on Saturday. Also, Alex Condon produced 17 points and 10 rebounds for the Gators, who also stunned then-No. 1 Tennessee on Jan. 7.
Thomas Haugh added 16 points and nine rebounds. In turn, Will Richard chipped in with 12 points as Florida snapped Auburn’s 14-game winning streak and its 15-game run in the SEC, which dated to last year. Florida led by as many as 21 points in the second half on its way to its first upset in eight tries of a No. 1-ranked team on the road.
Houston vs. Florida SBG Free Picks
On this occasion, Houston brings one of the best defenses seen in a long time. As mentioned earlier, the Wise Men say that defense wins championships.
Houston vs. Florida SBG Best Bet: Houston Cougars.