Florida Gators vs. Houston Cougars Preview, Prediction & Odds | April 7, 2025

This Florida Gators vs. Houston Cougars vs. Preview, Prediction & Odds will look at the 2025 Men’s Championship Game on Monday night from the Alamodome. West No. 1 seed Florida rallied to beat South No. 1 seed Auburn in the Final Four on Saturday, while Midwest No. 1 seed Houston shocked East No. 1 seed Duke. Let’s look at the betting numbers, trends, and key players and make a pick on this final game of the season.

Florida vs. Houston Odds

Florida Gators vs. Houston Cougars Game Details

• Game: Florida Gators vs. Houston Cougars

• Date and Time: Sunday, April 7, 2025, 8:50 EDT/7:50 CDT/5:50 PDT

• Location: Alamodome, San Antonio, Texas

• TV: CBS

Key Stats

Florida Gators

The No. 1 seed in the West Regional, Florida (35-4), came from down 8 points at halftime (46-38) to outscore Auburn 41-27 in the second half to win 79-73 in the first Final Four game on Saturday. The SEC had a record 14 teams in the Big Dance, and now, Walter Clayton Jr. (+100 to win Final Four Most Outstanding Player, FanDuel) and the Gators are the last ones standing. Florida is known for making “Kill Shot” runs (spurts of 10+ points), and the Gators now have 32 of those this year.

Florida recorded 10-0+ runs vs Maryland, Texas Tech, and Auburn (11). The starting five for Florida should be G Clayton Jr. (18.5 PPG, 4.1 APG), G Alijah Martin (14.6 PPG, 4.6 RPG), G Will Richard (13.2 PPG, 4.5 RPG), F Alex Condon (10.5 PPG, 7.6 RPG), and C Rueben Chinyelu (6.6 PPG, 6.6 RPG). The Gators are 28-11-0 ATS this year and 2-3-0 ATS in the Big Dance.

Florida Betting Trends

• Florida won back-to-back national titles in 2006 and 2007
• The Gators are 11-0 in their last 11 games overall 
• The Over is 9-1-0 in the last 10 Florida games overall
• The Gators are 1-0-0 SU vs the Big 12 Conference this season (0-1-0 ATS)
• Florida was 3-0-0 SU/ATS in the 2025 SEC Tournament

Houston Cougars

LJ Cryer (+160 to win Men’s Final Four Outstanding Player) and the No. 1 seed in the Midwest Regional, Houston (35-4), had a furious late-game rally to shock Duke in the Final Four, using a 9-0 run in the final 35 seconds to emerge victorious, 70-67. In the Midwest Regional finals, the Cougars throttled Tennessee. Houston is looking for their first national championship after being runners-up in 1983 and 1984.

The Cougars starting five for Head Coach Kelvin Sampson is amazing with G Cryer (15,6 PPG), G Emanuel Sharp (12.8 PPG), G Milos Uzan (11.5 PPG, 3.0 RPG, 4.3 APG), F J’Wan Roberts (10.7 PPG, 6.5 RPG), and F Joseph Tugler (5.5 PPG, 5.9 RPG). A big key for Houston (21-16-2 ATS) will be getting more than the 6 points off the Bench that it had against the Blue Devils.

Houston Betting Trends

• Houston has the longest current Winning Streak (18 games)
• The Cougars are 5-1-1 ATS in their last 7 games 
• The Under is 7-2-1 in the last 10 Houston games
• Houston is 31-1 SU in its last 32 games (+25.90 Units, 1% ROI)
• The Under is 5-1-1 in the last 7 Houston games overall

Prediction

Favorites are 4-1-0 ATS in the last two Final Fours and 6-2-0 ATS the last eight, and Houston is 4-0-0 ATS its last 4 as an Underdog. But these betting numbers are too close,e and this one could all come down to a last-second shot, luck, or maybe a bad call. If you like Florida here, take them in the Money Line market and avoid a loss in a possible 1-point Gators victory. If you like Houston, take the 1.5 points and either wait for a 2 or buy the half-point.

Florida is more of an Over team while Houston is an Under team, so one big question will be can the Cougars slow the pace? And do they really have to? My problem handicapping this one is that Florida was my choice before the tournament even started. Straying from that initial feeling seems futile now, and although there is respect for the older Houston side, Clayton Jr. has looked like the best player in March Madness. The SEC had a banner year, and it only seems fair that an SEC school brings home the bacon in 2025.

Final Pick

Florida Money Line -115