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A champion will be crowned on Monday when the Florida Gators battle the Houston Cougars in the 2025 NCAA Tournament national championship game. The Gators secured their spot in the March Madness national championship game with a 79-73 win over Auburn. Florida has won two national titles in its history, the most recent coming in 2007. The Cougars notched a thrilling 70-67 victory over Duke on Saturday and can claim their first national championship with a win over Florida. Monday's showdown marks the first time since 2008 that two No. 1 seeds have met in the title game.

Tipoff from the Alamodome in San Antonio is set for 8:50 p.m. ET on CBS. The Gators are 1.5-point favorites in the latest Houston vs. Florida odds via SportsLine consensus, while the over/under for total points scored is 140.5. Before making any Florida vs. Houston picks, be sure to check out the college basketball predictions from the SportsLine Projection Model.

The model simulates every Division 1 college basketball game 10,000 times. It enters this matchup on a 229-169 roll (+1805) on all top-rated college basketball picks dating back to 2023. This model also correctly called every Elite Eight and Final Four team this year. Anyone following could have seen huge returns.

Now, the model has set its sights on Florida vs. Houston and just locked in its national championship game predictions. You can visit SportsLine now to see the model's picks. Here are the college basketball odds and lines for Houston vs. Florida:

  • Florida vs. Houston spread: Florida -1.5
  • Florida vs. Houston over/under: 140.5 points  
  • Florida vs. Houston money line: Florida -116, Houston -104
  • FLA: The Gators are 14-4 against the spread in their last 18 games 
  • AUB: The Cougars are 5-2 ATS in their past seven games   
  • Florida vs. Houston picks: See picks at SportsLine

Why Florida can cover

The Gators enter Monday's matchup on an 11-game winning streak. Florida has been on fire offensively throughout the 2025 NCAA Tournament, averaging 84.4 points per game over five contests. The Gators used a strong second-half to come from behind and beat Auburn, the No. 1 overall seed, on Saturday. 

Guard Walter Clayton Jr. was spectacular in the win, recording 34 points, four rebounds and two assists. Clayton made history against the Tigers, becoming the first player since Larry Bird to score 30 or more points in back-to-back games in the Elite Eight and after. He's averaging 24.6 points per game in the NCAA Tournament, while connecting on 54.5% of his field goals and 44.4% of his 3-pointers. See which team to pick here. 

Why Houston can cover 

The Cougars will be confident after erasing a 14-point deficit in the final eight minutes to knock off Duke in the Final Four. Houston has been ferocious on the defensive end of the floor all season. Kelvin Sampson's squad has held opponents to just 58.3 points per game, the best mark in college basketball. Houston features a veteran-laden team, a big reason why the Cougars have won 18 consecutive games. 

Senior L.J. Cryer led the team in scoring in Saturday's win over Duke, finishing with 26 points and five rebounds. Senior J'wan Roberts was also effective against the Blue Devils, recording a double-double with 12 points and 11 rebounds. Forward Joseph Tugler won the Lefty Driesell Award, which is given annually to the top defensive player in college basketball. In addition, the Gators are just 1-5 against the spread in their last six games against an opponent from the Big 12. See which team to pick here. 

How to make Houston vs. Florida picks

SportsLine's model is leaning Over on the total, projecting 147 combined points. It also says one side of the spread hits in over 50% of simulations. You can only get the model's picks at SportsLine.

So who wins Florida vs. Houston, and which side of the spread hits over 50% of the time? Visit SportsLine now to see which side of the Houston vs. Florida spread to jump on, all from the advanced model that has returned over $1,800 on its top-rated college basketball picks, and find out.