NCAA Tournament National Championship Florida vs. Houston Odds

2025 NCAA Tournament National Championship Betting

The Florida Gators and Houston Cougars will meet in the 2025 National Championship game on Monday, April 7th at the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas on CBS.  Florida is a 1-point favorite in the title game with a total of 141. After No. 1 seed Florida defeated No. 1 overall seed Auburn and No. 1 seed Houston came back to surprise No. 1 seed Duke in the Final Four games on Saturday, the national championship game that will conclude the 2025 NCAA Tournament has been decided. Two No. 1 seeds will face off for the national championship for the eleventh time in the history of the NCAA Tournament.

Florida has had a convoluted journey to the championship game. The Gators overcame a 10-point deficit with less than six minutes left against Texas Tech in the Elite Eight to progress, and they had to come back to avoid an upset bid from two-time defending national champion UConn in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. Despite trailing Auburn by as many as nine points in the national semifinals, Florida advanced to the championship game because to strong guard play by Walter Clayton Jr.

There were many exciting finishes throughout Houston's route to the national championship game. The Cougars defeated Purdue in the Sweet 16 after Milos Uzan made a basket with just over one second left, held off a fierce comeback attempt against Gonzaga in the second round, then pulled off one of the most incredible comebacks in NCAA Tournament history against Duke in the Final Four. With just over eight minutes left, the Cougars were down 14 points, but they made a tremendous comeback to get to the championship game.

Of all the teams in the nation, Florida boasts some of the strongest frontcourt depth. Because of the number of players they can rotate in and out, the Gators can wear down teams, but Houston will present a different kind of challenge. Houston ended as the top scoring defense (58.3 points per game), in part because of the their rugged and tenacious frontcourt. LJ Cryer and Milos Uzan, two of Houston's best 3-point shooters, lead the team's 3-point shooting attack. It will require teamwork to contain Clayton. In terms of offensive rebounding percentage (38.9%), the Gators are ranked fifth. On Monday night in San Antonio, the team that prevails in the battle inside the paint will probably be the last one left standing.

All four No. 1 seeds advanced to the Final Four for the second time in NCAA Tournament history and the first time since 2008. College basketball fans were anticipating an incredible title game battle regardless of the outcome of Saturday's two national semifinal matches. Since winning consecutive national titles under previous coach Billy Donovan in 2007, Florida will be aiming for their first national crown. Gaining a national championship in Year 3 would greatly enhance the resume of Florida coach Todd Golden, who has rebuilt this team into one of the greatest in the sport.

Houston is vying for its first-ever national championship. The Cougars advanced to the Final Four in 2021 before falling to eventual national winner Baylor, and they lost the national title game twice in the mid-1980s. A victory for the Cougars would significantly impact Houston coach Kelvin Sampson's legacy and solidify his status as one of the greatest college basketball coaches in history. Sampson is among the top coaches in the sport but has yet to win a national championship.

NCAA Basketball Betting Lines

2025 NCAA Tournament National Championship Game

Teams: Florida Gators vs. Houston Cougars

Date: Monday, April 7, 2025

Time: 6:50 PM ET

Location: Alamodome, San Antonio, Texas

TV: CBS

Betting Lines: Florida -1, O/U 141

NCAA Tournament National Championship Game Format

The Final Four is comprised of the remaining teams from the original 68-team field of the NCAA Tournament. After the First Four, the field is divided into four mini-brackets of 16 teams apiece, and the winner of each bracket goes on to reach the Final Four. The NCAA Selection Committee tries to reward the best teams with games closer to home, so that plays a part in the seeding. The brackets are broken up into the East Regional, the Midwest Regional, the South Regional, and the West Regional.

NCAA Championship Game Results (2000)

NCAA Championships

The impact of John Wooden looms large to this very day. The great UCLA coach won ten national championships from 1962 through 1975. Since then, UCLA has struggled to live up to those impossible standards. That has allowed blue bloods like Kentucky, North Carolina, Duke, and Kansas to close the gap a little bit. UCLA has won just one title since 1975.

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