NCAA Basketball National Championship Early Odds & Insights

We are down to the final two teams. Only two teams and one game remain in the 2025 College Basketball season and a winner will be crowned Monday Night. The Florida Gators and Houston Cougars have a chance at being named National Champion tomorrow night in San Antonio.

Let’s take a quick look at how these two teams got here this year, and check out the early betting odds.

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Florida Gators Road to the National Championship

In their third season with Todd Golden leading the team, the Florida Gators started out ridiculously hot. They won their first 13 games, never losing in the months of November and December. Then SEC play started, and while they did start off 2-2 in conference play, Florida rallied and won 15 of their last 17 contests to finish 3rd and win the postseason tournament.

Now in the Big Dance, they’ve beaten everyone who stood in their way. Florida took down #16 Norfolk State but then had an incredible comeback against the two time defending champion #8 UConn Huskies in the Round of 32. After that slip up, Florida handled business against #4 Maryland, and shot their way into a thrilling win against #3 Texas Tech. And then, last night, they beat the #1 Auburn Tigers for a second time this season, advancing to the National Championship.

The Gators have five different players averaging double digit points, and seven that play at least 19 minutes per game. This team is deep, very good on both sides of the ball, and not afraid to run, which is unlike the Houston Cougars.

Houston Cougars Road to the National Championship

While the Houston Cougars’ season may have started out shaky, they ended up right where they wanted to be. Kelvin Sampson’s team lost three games in November, two of them in overtime, to start out 4-3. There were a lot of people who counted this team out just a month into the season, but they proved everyone wrong. The Cougars have lost one time since their November 30th game against San Diego State. Just one time.

Houston started 4-3, then won 13 straight games before finally dropping one in overtime to Texas Tech (who made the Elite Eight). After that loss, the Cougars went on another incredible streak, winning another 13 straight in conference play and the Big 12 Tournament. Since then, they’ve tacked on five more wins, bringing their current winning streak to 18 games, sitting just one more away from a National Championship.

Houston has certainly had some close calls in this Big Dance, beating #8 Gonzaga by five, #4 Purdue by two, and then barely beating #1 Duke in comeback fashion last night by three. Will their defense be able to slow down Florida’s high flying offense and contain Walter Clayton Jr.?

Florida Gators vs Houston Cougars Betting Odds

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Spread

• Florida -1 (-110)
• Houston +1 (-110)

Money Line

• Florida -118
• Houston -102

Total

• Over 141 (-110)
• Under 141 (-110)

It’s All Settled Monday in San Antonio

Contrary to popular belief, this tournament has rocked. Sure, it wasn’t filled with very many “upsets” but holy hell these past few rounds have been some of the most exciting basketball games I’ve ever seen. As a fan, this tournament has been all we could ever hope for and more, and sadly, it all ends on Monday.

Defense wins championships, and it was clearly enough to take down the high flying Duke Blue Devils in the Final Four. Houston will have a very tough task trying to slow down the Gators as well, and Florida can hold their own defensively. We are in for quite the treat, and I hope you are as excited as I am for this thriller of a National Championship.

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