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It's time to continue our College Basketball Men's National Championship odds series with a Florida-Houston prediction and pick. Find out how to watch Florida-Houston.
What a ride it has been — not just the 2025 NCAA Tournament itself, but the journeys Florida and Houston have taken to get to Monday Night, the final night of another college basketball season.
Neither Florida nor Houston have consistently dominated the opposition on the road to the championship game. They rolled in the first round, but haven't delivered thunderous beatdowns of other opponents. Florida beat Maryland comfortably in the Sweet 16. Houston hammered Tennessee in the Elite Eight. Mostly, however, the Gators and Cougars have won tough, close games which were tense in the final minutes.
Houston narrowly defeated Gonzaga and Purdue in the Midwest Region. Florida trailed UConn late in the second half before rallying to win that second-round West Region game. The Gators were down 10 to Texas Tech midway through the second half of the Elite Eight before they surged late to escape and advance to the Final Four.
Speaking of the Final Four, both Florida and Houston had to rally to win in the national semifinals. Florida was down nine to Auburn before putting together a brilliant second half. Houston was down 14 to Duke with just over eight minutes left, and was still down nine with 2:10 left before scrambling to stun Duke with a late 15-3 run. Both teams have been inconsistent in March, but very clutch. Now they meet to see which team will win it all.
Here are the Florida-Houston College Basketball Odds, courtesy of FanDuel
2025 Men's National Championship Odds: Florida-Houston Odds
Florida: -1.5 (-105)
Moneyline: -114
Houston: +1.5 (-115)
Moneyline: -105
Over: 140.5 (-115)
Under: 140.5 (-105)
How to Watch Florida vs Houston
Time: 8:50 p.m. ET/5:50 p.m. PT
TV: CBS
*Watch college basketball LIVE with fuboTV (Get Access | Save $30)*
Why Florida Will Cover The Spread/Win
Florida has the best player in this game. Walter Clayton is the first player since Larry Bird — ever heard of him? — to score 30 or more points in the Elite Eight and Final Four rounds of the same NCAA Tournament. Bird did it in his historic 1979 run with Indiana State. No one else did the same until Clayton this past week. Clayton is a remarkable shotmaker. He comes up with improbable plays which also happen to be hugely important. If Clayton does what he normally does and plays up to his high standards, Florida will win. Florida generally has more offense and better shooters than Houston. The Gators were down nine to a really good Auburn team on Saturday and did not flinch. They will enter this game with total confidence in what they do and how they go about their business.
Why Houston Will Cover The Spread/Win
After coming from 14 down to beat Duke — the team widely regarded as the favorite at this Final Four — Houston will fly high and own complete self-belief when it takes the court against Florida. Houston had to deal with Duke's length and skill, particularly Cooper Flagg. Walter Clayton of Florida is an awesome player, but he's not as good or as tough as Flagg, the likely No. 1 pick in the upcoming NBA draft. Houston's guards can defend Clayton well enough to make the game difficult for him. If UH can get Clayton out of rhythm, the Cougars are highly likely to prevail.
Final Florida-Houston Prediction & Pick
This really is a toss-up game. The markets agree. Florida is probably the better team, but Houston just took down Duke and has the defense needed to short-circuit Florida's offense. In the end, this is a live-play game. When Florida went down nine against Auburn, you hopefully took the Gators plus the points, because that turned out to be an easy cover. If one team goes up by seven to nine points in this game, grabbing the other team plus the points might be the play. Wait for your opportunity, just like these two teams have done in the 2025 NCAA Tournament.
Final Florida-Houston Prediction & Pick: Florida moneyline
