National Championship Preview, Best Bets & Predictions

The bittersweet moment has arrived, it's the last college basketball game till November. The one for all the bragging rights and a place in the history books forever. We have a matchup in front of us of polar opposites. Florida vs Houston. Offense vs Defense. Finesse vs Physicality. Up & Comer vs Hall of Fame Coach. Gators vs Cougars. You name it, these two teams seem to sit on different ends of the spectrum.

Florida (SEC 35-4) vs Houston (B12 35-4)

Matchup to look out for:

Walter Clayton Jr vs Houston's defense

Clayton Jr has been the talk of the tournament with high scoring, efficient offensive play, and the clutch gene any fan would give anything for. Now, in the most important game of his career, he faces what could be his toughest matchup to date. Houston is known for pressuring and rattling opposing guards into mistakes and tough shots. Just ask Duke PG Tyrese Proctor, who entered Saturday night's Final Four game on his own all-time heater, and left stunned with a stat line he wants to quickly erase from his memory (2-8 FG, 0-4 3FG).

How Clayton handles Houston's physical play will be a defining part of tonight’s game. Similar to against Auburn, he will want his team to play fast and in transition to take away that physicality.

Overview:

Houston is coming off of a comeback that will haunt Cooper Flagg and Duke for a while (though Duke will be reloaded next year, so no need to feel too bad for them). So the questions that come up are: one, is the gas tank a little dry after the all-out effort Saturday? And two, if it isn’t, can they replicate that effort against another top-tier offense? Now on the other hand, Florida faced a physical Auburn squad and battled them pretty hard, so it will be important to see how they do as well...against really another Auburn, but better at it. If you’re a Gator fan, you want this game in the 70s or above—that is where the Coogs begin to lose their advantage. Houston wants, even needs, this game to stay slow and low. Once the Gators begin to speed the pace with success, they can turn the game in their favor. One last major key for both teams will be their 3pt shooting with each team’s success from deep dictating their ability to win this game or not.

Best Bet: Under 140.5 (-105)

Prediction: Houston 68, Florida 64

Tonight, through it all, we will see a champion crowned, and have One Shining Moment play us out of the 2024-25 college basketball season.

Bet of the Day

04-07

Corbin Carroll 2+ hits +245