After their historic comeback in the Final Four, the Houston Cougars will battle the Florida Gators in the National Championship. With the total set at 140.5, it's clear PrizePicks is expecting the Gators to control the tempo of this game and score more than the 58.5 points per game that typically allows.
If this game is higher scoring than the Cougars are used to, what should we expect from key players on both teams?
Here are the best PrizePicks player predictions for the 2025 NCAA Tournament National Championship.
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Monday’s Best NCAA Tournament PrizePicks Player Predictions
Walter Clayton Jr. Over 3.5 Made Three-Pointers
Will Walter Clayton Jr. score at least 30 points for the third consecutive game? Against a defense like Houston's, it's hard to imagine him having that level of success. After all, he's averaging just 18.5 points per game this season. However, I love him to make at least four three-pointers in this game.
Clayton is averaging 3.8 made three-pointers per game during the NCAA Tournament. Against the Auburn Tigers, he went 5-of-8 from long range. He's made at least four three-pointers in six of his last nine games, and he's made at least two threes in every game since going 1-of-3 against the Georgia Bulldogs on January 25th.
Clayton struggled a bit against the Maryland Terrapins and Texas Tech Red Raiders but still managed to shoot at least 33.3% from beyond the arc in both games. While the Cougars are a tough matchup, the Duke Blue Devils shot 41.2% from beyond the arc against them. Clayton is in the midst of a magical run that I expect to continue tonight.
L.J. Cryer Over 17.5 Points
L.J. Cryer scored just five points against the Purdue Boilermakers, but he's been great in his other four games this tournament. He's scored at least 17 points in three of his last four, and he took over against the Blue Devils in the final 10 minutes of the Final Four. Cryer ended that game with 26 points, as he went 6-of-9 from deep.
Cryer proved in that game that seniority still matters in college basketball, as the experienced veteran made big play after big play, while the young Duke players collapsed. Now playing in the second National Championship of his career, I expect Cryer to have another massive game against a middling defense.
The Gators rank 88th in points allowed per game. They're giving up 69.8 per contest, but in their last three during the NCAA Tournament, they're averaging 74.3 per game. The Gators have given up at least 69 points in each game during the tournament. You have to go back to February 22nd to find a game where they gave up fewer than that. Look for Cryer to go over his season average, as he leads the way for the Cougars yet again.
J'Wan Roberts Over 6.5 Rebounds
If J’Wan Roberts can stay out of foul trouble and on the court, he's incredibly difficult to slow down. He pulled down 12 rebounds against Duke. He's now hit that mark in two of his last three games. Roberts has played at least 30 minutes in three of his five games during the NCAA Tournament. He's grabbed at least eight rebounds in each of those contests. In the two games where he played fewer than 30 minutes, Roberts pulled down a combined five rebounds.
This season, Roberts is averaging just 6.5 rebounds per game, so he'll need to go over his season average to hit this number. But considering how he's been playing and the speed at which the Gators like to play, there should be more rebounding opportunities for him tonight. After all, the Gators rank 94th in the nation in rebounds allowed per game this season.
Phil Wood is a featured writer at BettingPros. For more from Phil, check out his archive and follow him @Phil_Wood_Jr.
