On Monday, April 7, at 8:50 p.m. EDT, the Houston Cougars and Florida Gators will face off in the national championship. That’s right, it all comes down to this.
Below, I’ll put together a Same Game Parlay for the game to crown the champion of men’s college basketball and show you the best college basketball bets today.
(Photo by Alex Slitz/Getty Images)
Coming into this one, Houston beat Duke, and Florida beat Auburn. Interestingly enough, they were both down at halftime but came back and won.
Houston has been one of the best college basketball picks in the tournament, beating SIU Edwardsville, Gonzaga, Purdue, Tennessee, and Duke.
As for Flordia, they’ve taken down Norfolk State, UConn, Maryland, Texas Tech, and Auburn.
Houston capped off their win by outscoring Duke 15-3 down the stretch. As for Florida, they outscored Auburn 41-27 in the second half to take home the win.
Houston won 70-67, and Auburn won 79-73.
You’ll find college basketball prop bets and the best point spread within this Same Game Parlay.
The odds for this one are +415.
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College Basketball Predictions Today SGP: Florida vs. Houston
DraftKings College Basketball Best Bets Today SGP: +415
- Houston +1
- L.J. Cryer 18+ Points
- LJ Cryer 2+ 3-Point Shots Made
- Walter Clayton Jr. 15+ Points
- J’Wan Roberts 6+ Rebounds
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Houston +1
I’ve long believed that if Duke didn’t make it to the championship and Florida did, the Gators would be my pick.
After seeing Houston against Duke, I can’t pick against them.
Yes, it took a 15-3 comeback down the stretch to beat Duke, but Florida struggled, too.
Auburn has a great defense, but no defense is better than Houston.
They’re first in adjusted defensive efficiency, allowing just 87.3 points per 100 possessions.
While known as a defensive team, Houston still has a solid offense, averaging 124.1 points per 100 possessions (10th).
As for Florida, they’re slightly worse offensively than Duke, averaging 128.8 points per 100 possessions (second). Defensively, they allowed 92.5 points per 100 possessions.
Additionally, Houston has shot 40% from 3-point range over the last three games and has been the best 3-point shooting team all year.
They allow 58.5 points per (first), holding opponents to just 30.3% from beyond the arc (18th), and also hold teams to a field goal shooting percentage of 38.2% (first).
Over their last three games, Houston is holding opponents to a shooting percentage of just 27.4%, which doesn’t bode well for the Gators.
Overall, I expect Houston to lock in on Walter Clayton Jr. and aim to slow him down a bit. They should get a narrow win if they can do that, but I’ll take the point just to be safe.
This type of game could legitimately be decided by one point.
After seeing Houston come back against Duke, it seems wrong to pick against them, and I won’t be doing that here.
L.J. Cryer 18+ Points
Cryer, a fifth-year senior, has been excellent during the tournament. He's scored 15 or more points in four of his last five games and 17 in three of his last five.
He put up 26 against Duke, 17 against Tennessee, and 30 against Gonzaga.
Cryer is shooting 42.7% from 3-point range this season and has shot 44.4% or better in three of his last six games.
The Gators typically hold teams to a 3-point shooting percentage of 29.5%, but it's increased slightly to 32.4% over the last three games.
Cryer is the main scorer for Houston, and he’ll help carry them to a potential win.
L.J. Cryer 2+ 3-Point Shots Made
As mentioned, Cryer is a 42.7% shooter from 3-point range and has shot 44.4% in three of his last five games.
In that same span (last five games), he’s made two 3-point shots or more in four of his last five games.
This season, in 39 games, he’s made two or more in 31 of them.
Against Duke, he shot 6 of 9 from 3-point range, though to be fair, they allowed opponents to shoot 37.5% over their last three games.
Still, I think two is a safe benchmark for Cryer to reach.
Walter Clayton Jr. 15+ Points
Clayton Jr. has been excellent lately, putting up 64 points over his last two games. Throughout the tournament, he’s scored 23 or more in four of the last five games.
He had just 13 against Maryland, shooting 3 of 9 from the field, including 2 of 6 from 3-point range.
He’s put up 15 points or more in 25 of 38 games throughout the season.
Houston will likely try to lock him down, but I can’t imagine him finishing with less than 15 points. If that happens, Houston will have a pretty sizable win.
J’Wan Roberts 6+ Rebounds
Roberts has been in college basketball for six seasons, playing all with Houston.
He’s always been a solid rebounder; this year, he’s averaging 6.5 per game.
Over his last five games, he’s had eight or more in three, including two with double digits.
Against Duke, he had one of those double-digit outings with 12, finishing with a double-double.
He’s had six rebounds or more in 23 of 36 games this season.
Florida allows opponents to bring in 33.3 rebounds per game, which is 94th in the nation.
I’ll take Roberts to get six, which is just under his season average.
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