Florida vs. Houston Odds, Lines, Betting Trends & Predictions For NCAA Championship Game

Patrick Everson Sports Betting Expert

3 minute read

Florida vs. Houston odds are getting a lot of attention for tonight's showdown in San Antonio. And several oddsmakers are reporting two-way play on NCAA Tournament championship game odds.

That's no surprise, with such a short point spread indicating two evenly matched teams. Pretty much every sportsbook is at either Gators -1 or -1.5, with a tight moneyline to match in Houston vs. Florida odds.

Here's everything you need to know about college basketball odds for the NCAA championship game: lines, spreads and betting trends on Monday's showdown in San Antonio. Check back regularly for updates and use our BetMGM bonus code to get the most out of your action.

March Madness Championship Game Odds

Florida vs. Houston Odds

• Opening point spread: Florida -1.5
• Opening moneyline: Florida -118/Houston -102
• Opening total: Over/Under 140.5 points scored
• Time: 8:50 p.m. ET Monday (CBS)

UPDATE 6 P.M. ET MONDAY: Game time is inside three hours away, and Caesars Sports has Florida vs. Houston odds at Gators -1. On Saturday night, Florida opened -1.5, but that lasted literally three minutes before going to -1.

Since then, the line has been at either -1 flat or -1 (-115).

"It's a balanced game as of right now. A classic two-way game, and it probably will be closer tip, too," said Rich Zanco, Caesars' head of college basketball trading. "We do extremely well to Florida in the championship futures market, and Houston is very good, too."

The total opened at 142 and made its way down to 140 by this morning. It's now at 140.5.

"We took a noteworthy bet on Under 141 early this afternoon," Zanco said.

UPDATE 2:30 P.M. ET MONDAY: Six-plus hours before tipoff, Florida is -1 at Borgata Sports, a BetMGM shop in Atlantic City. While several sportsbooks opened Florida vs. Houston odds at Gators -1.5, Borgata opened at pick.

"We quickly went to Florida -1. It's been pretty balanced two-way action, which you would expect for this game, with two teams having essentially the same power rating," Borgata sportsbook director Tom Gable said.

The total opened at 140.5, got to 141.5, then returned to 140.5 in NCAA Championship Game odds.

"No real decision on the total at this point. But first half Over 65.5 has been a popular play," Gable said.

UPDATE NOON ET SUNDAY: As everyone recovers from Houston's stunning last-minute comeback win vs. Duke, Florida is -1.5 (-105) in BetMGM's NCAA championship game odds.

That's where the line opened Saturday night.

"There's slightly more interest coming in on Houston +1.5 (-115) right now," BetMGM trading manager Seamus Magee said, while noting the book's championship futures position is notable for Monday's final. "Houston is a far better outcome. But Florida isn't bad at all."

In early March, a BetMGM customer put $100,000 on Florida +900, for a potential win of $900,000. There's also a $50,000 bet on Houston +600, to win $300,000. But BetMGM's largest championship liability was on Duke.

The total opened at 140.5 and is now 141.5 (Under -115) in the Florida vs. Houston odds market.

UPDATE 12:30 A.M. ET SUNDAY: March Madness finally got the shocker it sorely lacked through the first two weekends. Houston stunned Duke by storming back from a 66-59 deficit with 1:26 remaining to post a 70-67 outright upset tonight.

The Cougars (35-4 SU/21-17-1 ATS) finished the game with an 11-1 run to knock out the national title favorite. Houston was a 4.5-point underdog and looked dead in the water, but ultimately ended a 13-0 SU run by tournament favorites.

Houston is on a 16-game win streak, part of a 31-1 SU run overall.

The wild finish in the Final Four nightcap overshadowed Florida advancing in the opener. The Gators trailed 46-38 at halftime vs. SEC rival and fellow No. 1 seed Auburn. But Florida quickly erased the lead in the second half, then hung on late for a 79-73 win.

Florida (35-4 SU/28-11 ATS) covered as a 2.5-point underdog, halting a 1-3 ATS hiccup. The Gators are on an 11-game win streak and are 17-1 SU/14-4 ATS in their last 18 games.

Thirty minutes ago, DraftKings Sportsbook opened Houston vs. Florida odds at Gators -1.5. It's down to Florida -1. The total went from 140.5 to 141.5 in short order.

Check back Sunday for updates on March Madness championship game odds and action.

Florida vs. Houston Picks and Predictions

If you're looking for championship game picks and predictions from our expert handicappers, check out our college basketball picks page for the latest. And don't forget about VI Premium as well!

Also, our friends at Action Network are serving up their Florida vs. Houston Best Bets and Florida vs. Houston Predictions and Picks.

Odds To Win Men's March Madness

See below the odds to win the NCAA Championship Game 🏆

Patrick Everson

Patrick Everson is a senior reporter for VegasInsider. Based in Las Vegas since 1994, he's worked in the sports betting journalism/content space for more than a decade. He's most known for his deep roster of contacts behind sportsbook counters, providing readers and viewers with the ins-and-outs of how events are being bet. He's also a thought leader in the sports betting space, often appearing on or moderating panels at national conferences. More from Patrick Everson