Had Auburn made the National Championship game, it would have been a rematch of a game from the regular season, no matter who their opponent was, as they played both Houston and Duke in the regular season. But Florida won as favorites in its Final Four matchup, which sets up a unique game from a betting perspective, as this is the first time the Gators and Cougars have faced each other all season. It’s time to dive into Florida vs. Houston player prop bets ahead of the 2025 NCAA Tournament National Championship Game.
Here are our best NCAA player prop bets for the 2025 College Basketball National Championship between Florida and Houston.
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Best Player Prop Bets for the National Championship: Florida vs. Houston
(Odds courtesy of DraftKings Sportsbook unless otherwise specified)
Walter Clayton Under 19.5 Points (-115 at FanDuel Sportsbook)
For this wager only, I am headed to FanDuel Sportsbook, as DraftKings Sportsbook typically does not offer over/under props on players’ point totals (they have player point milestone bets to back the over on players’ props).
Walter Clayton's 34 points against Auburn on Saturday were the most in a Final Four win since 1981. In addition, Clayton is the first player with consecutive 30-point games in the Elite Eight and Final Four since Larry Bird in 1979.
Given Clayton's hot streak, this is a heavily contrarian play, but one that comes with confidence in supporting the country's best defensive team.
Houston entered the Final Four allowing a Division I (DI) best 0.87 points per possession in adjusted defensive efficiency, per KenPom. Its unique way of blitzing and trapping ball screens should get the ball out of Clayton's hands often.
In a game that Houston should be successful playing at its tempo, I am backing Clayton to be held under 20 points for the second time in the previous eight games.
J’Wan Roberts to Record 7+ Rebounds (-115)
J’Wan Roberts has grabbed eight or more rebounds in three of Houston’s five NCAA Tournament games to this point. But in those three games, he has played at least 32 minutes in each. I expect head coach Kelvin Sampson to ride with him even more with a National Championship hanging in the balance.
Roberts has ranked 14th or better in conference play in two of the last three seasons in offensive rebounding percentage. He was also a big reason why Duke’s Khaman Maluach had a -20 plus/minus rating and did not grab a single rebound in the Final Four.
Roberts recorded at least seven rebounds in six of the 12 games played against NCAA Tournament teams in the regular season. And with fellow frontcourt mate Joseph Tugler being limited to just 26 minutes after hurting his ankle in the semi-finals, I would not be surprised to see Roberts play 35+ minutes in this final game of the season.
While Florida has a big frontcourt, it is also susceptible to offensive rebounds, and ranked fourth in league play in offensive rebounding percentage allowed. I would not put anyone off Roberts’ alternate total of eight-plus rebounds at +160 odds, but this is good value for him to finish with at least seven rebounds.
L.J. Cryer to Win Most Outstanding Player (+130)
Walter Clayton and L.J. Cryer are near locks to win Most Outstanding Player if their teams win the National Championship, so these +130 odds are a great value compared to Houston’s -105 Moneyline odds.
Cryer is a big reason the Cougars are the nation’s best three-point shooting team at 39.9%. He is coming off an impressive 26-point performance against Duke in which he made six out of nine three-point attempts while playing all 40 minutes.
Cryer is averaging 18.6 points per game through the team’s first five NCAA Tournament games, while shooting 45.2% from beyond the arc in that span. He is also one of the nation’s few players who shoots better than 90% from the free-throw line. It would be fitting for him to win Most Outstanding Player if he gets an opportunity to seal a National Championship at the charity stripe.
Mike Spector is a featured writer at BettingPros. For more from Mike, check out his archive and follow him @MikeSpector01.
