A new college basketball champion crowned tonight as the Florida Gators and Houston Cougars meet in the 2025 National Championship game in San Antonio.
The Gators got 34 points from Walter Clayton Jr. to overcome the Auburn Tigers in their Final Four contest, while the Cougars upset Cooper Flagg and the Duke Blue Devils in a stunning comeback to reach the title game.
Our Walter Clayton Jr. March Madness picks for Monday, April 7, look at why you should back the guard to have another tremendous outing at the offensive end.
Walter Clayton Jr player prop picks
- Best bet
Walter Clayton Jr. Over 19.5 points
(-115 at bet365) - SGP pick
Clayton Over 19.5 points
Alex Condon Under 8.5 points
Florida ML
(+450 at bet365)
Click on each pick to jump to the full analysis.
Walter Clayton Jr best bet
Over 19.5 points (-115 at bet365)
The Houston Cougars are a terrific defensive team. They lead the nation in adjusted defensive efficiency, are second in eFG% defense, and force turnovers at a rate that ranks them inside the Top 25.
But Kelvin Sampson’s team doesn’t achieve that by trying to take away the opponent’s best player, but rather by limiting everyone else. Their comeback win over Duke proved that, as they allowed Cooper Flagg to get his shots but prevented anybody else from getting looks. It worked to their benefit, as he couldn't make baskets down the stretch.
Against Tennessee, the Cougars allowed Chaz Lanier to score 17 points, while the red-hot Jordan Gainey came off the bench to add 17 of his own. But the rest of the Volunteers scored a total of 16.
Walter Clayton Jr. can’t be stopped right now, not by legal methods, at least. And Houston would be crazy to put extra resources towards doing so, given how deep and talented this Florida Gators team is across the board. And that’s why he’ll get to 20 points on Monday night.
He's only failed to hit the 20-point mark once in the tournament, and that was against Maryland. In that game, the Gators played an extremely balanced attack with six players reaching double figures.
But in the ensuing two games, Clayton has taken over. He followed up a 30-point outing against Texas Tech in the Elite Eight with a season-high 34 against Auburn. It marked the eighth time in 10 games where he’s topped 20 points, and he made clutch shot after clutch shot down the stretch.
Clayton's usage has topped 26% in each of his last six games, save for the Maryland contest, and it’s topped 29% in three of their last four, with a 33.8% usage rate on Saturday. And he’s getting to the line more frequently than he did during the regular season, scoring 20 points in 21 attempts over the last two games.
As good as Houston’s defense is, the Cougars rank 213th in FT rate and allow a lot of looks from deep. And as Flagg showed on Saturday, scoring 27 points despite going cold in the final 10 minutes, star players can have big games against them.
Clayton can score from outside the arc, mid-range, and at the rim. He’s playing the best ball of his career, and when the Gators need a basket, the entire team is setting him up to get a shot. That will happen plenty here as he guns for an MOP award and a title.
Cash your March Madness ML bets quicker with bet365's early win payout
Take advantage of the early win payout at bet365, where any pre-game CBB moneyline bet gets paid out as a winner if your school goes up by 15+ points!
Learn more about this feature, and all of bet365's offerings, with our comprehensive bet365 review.
21+. Gambling problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER.
Walter Clayton Jr same-game parlay
Walter Clayton Jr. Over 19.5 points
Alex Condon Under 8.5 points
Florida moneyline
Let’s be real here — Houston is in the title game more because Duke choked. The Blue Devils have shown previous instances of struggling down the stretch this season against the few good teams they faced, and they simply went ice cold in the final 10 minutes and committed numerous mistakes.
Florida’s offense is very balanced, and the Gators are beyond battle-tested after running the SEC gauntlet. Clayton is playing out of his mind, and I’ll back the Gators to cut down the nets, just as I did before the tournament began.
One player who isn’t at his best is Alex Condon. The Florida big man is hobbled by an ankle issue, and it was clear he wanted nothing to do with the ball vs. Auburn.
Condon hasn’t cleared the 8.5-point total a single time in this tournament since the opening-round win over Norfolk State, and his usage rate has cratered. He scored one point on Saturday night, has attempted just 15 shots in his last three games, and will go Under his total on Monday.
Learn how to bet a same-game parlay with these helpful tips and strategies.
Not intended for use in MA.
Affiliate Disclosure: Our team of experts has thoroughly researched and handpicked each product that appears on our website. We may receive compensation if you sign up through our links.
