With over 10,000 basketball games in the books, the final men’s college basketball game of the year will feature the Florida Gators (35-4) against the Houston Cougars (35-4) inside the Alamodome for the national title.
The Gators started the season strong, but Florida really started cooking in February. After a 20-point loss to Tennessee, the school ripped off wins in 17 of its last 18 games to win the SEC Tournament and advance to the title game for the fourth time since 2000.
Houston hasn’t been to the title game in more than 40 years. The Cougars last advanced to an NCAA Championship contest after the 1984 season. Still, Houston has been on fire this year, as the Big 12 school has only lost once since December.
Will the Cougars continue their dream season, or will the Gators claim their third title this century? We’ll cover that and provide our three favorite player prop bets for the NCAA Championship game tonight.
There’s not a hotter scorer in the country than Walter Clayton Jr. The 6-foot-3 senior guard has poured in 64 points over the past two games, shooting over 56 percent from the field and 50 percent from behind the three-point line.
As we’ll discuss in detail below, Houston is one of the best defensive teams in the country. Cougars guard L.J. Cryer has been locking up opponents all season, holding most opposing players under their scoring average during the NCAA Tournament. Expect Cryer to continue that streak on Monday, keeping Clayton to 19 or fewer points in the championship contest.
While Cryer deservedly gets the attention for Houston, the Cougars are equally reliant on forward J’wan Roberts. The 6-foot-8 senior is averaging 10.7 points and a team-best 6.5 rebounds this season as a leader for his squad.
Outside of foul trouble against Tennessee, Roberts has logged over 32 minutes since the second-round matchup against Gonzaga. He’s averaging double-doubles in those non-Tennessee outings, recording 10.7 rebounds and points per game.
There’s little reason to believe Monday’s championship game will be any different for the senior. Bettors should expect Roberts to record at least 10 points and eight rebounds against Flordia, covering this player combo prop bet.
Florida has size to spare, especially with 6-foot-11 forward Alex Condon roaming the paint. The sophomore has started 34 of his team’s 36 games this season, recording 10.5 points and a team-best 7.6 rebounds.
The emergence of fellow sophomore big Thomas Haugh has forced Condon to split minutes. Those lost minutes have kept him from hitting his averages in four of the past seven games. Bettors should expect to see a hefty dose of Haugh as Condon fails to cover his rebounding prop bet on Monday.
Houston’s only loss since December was an overtime classic against Texas Tech, a team the Gators beat to advance to the Final Four. Likewise, Florida’s largest loss this season was by the Volunteers, and Tennessee was Houston’s final victim before claiming the Midwest Region championship.
The age-old saying is that defense wins championships, giving Houston the edge in this matchup. The Cougars have allowed opponents 58.6 points in the NCAA Tournament, numbers akin to their regular-season dominance. Expect Houston to muster one more shining defensive effort and give the Cougars their shining moment inside the Alamodome on Monday night.