Top bettors share their best picks for Florida-Houston title game.

The 2025 NCAA tournament has largely favored the top teams, but it was the underdog Houston Cougars who delivered the biggest shock on Saturday night. They defeated Duke 70-67, finishing with a 9-0 run. The victory was significant for sportsbooks, both in terms of the single-game outcome and futures betting. Many bettors had parlayed the Florida and Duke moneylines, and Duke was the largest title liability at sportsbooks nationwide.

In the other semifinal, Florida staged a comeback from a double-digit second-half deficit to beat No. 1 seed Auburn 79-73, covering the spread as 2.5-point favorites. Star guard Walter Clayton Jr. led the charge with an impressive 34-point performance. Heading into Monday night’s national championship game, Florida is favored by 1.5 points at BetMGM and 1 point at several other sportsbooks.

As with earlier rounds, I’ve collaborated with some top college basketball handicappers to provide their best bets for the championship game.