A national champion will be crowned on Monday night in San Antonio, when the No. 1 Florida Gators and Walter Clayton Jr. take on the No. 1 Houston Cougars and LJ Cryer.
Clayton and Cryer – two veteran guards – have been the engines for their respective offenses in the NCAA Tournament, and there’s a way to bet on both of them in the national championship.
That’s right, I’m talking about player props!
FanDuel Sportsbook has a solid offering of props for tonight’s contest, and there are two players on each side that I’m looking to back. While the Gators are slight favorites – and I picked them to win it all in our betting preview – bettors don’t have to be tied to a side for Monday’s showdown.
Here’s a breakdown of the four props that I love for the Florida-Houston matchup.
Florida forward Thomas Haugh has been huge in the NCAA Tournament, averaging 13.0 points and 7.4 rebounds per game. In fact, since the start of the SEC Tournament, Haugh has finished with 17 or more points and rebounds in five of his eight contests.
This is a tough matchup against the No. 1 defense in the country, but if the Cougars attempt to trap Clayton off of pick-and-roll action – like other teams have done in the tournament – Haugh is the Gators’ best option off of that action.
Against Auburn, Haugh had several opportunities as the roll man to attack wide open lanes, and he finished the game with 12 points on seven shots, despite shooting just 3-for-7 from the free-throw line.
I wouldn’t be shocked to see him play a major role against Houston since Florida will need everyone on the floor to be some sort of threat offensively with the ball in their hands.
You can’t bet on this national title game without considering a bet on Clayton, who may be a lock to win Most Outstanding Player if Florida comes out on top on Monday.
The Florida star has scored 23 or more points in four of his five NCAA Tournament games this season, including a 34-point showing against Auburn in the Final Four. Clayton hasn’t needed to take a ton of shots (he’s attempted more than just 14 shots once), and he’s been insanely efficient in the tournament, shooting 50.0 percent from the field and 48.7 percent from 3.
Even against a tough Houston defense, it’s hard not to trust Clayton at this number. His points prop was up at 22.5 in the Auburn matchup.
Houston big man J’Wan Roberts has 12 rebounds in two of his last three NCAA Tournament games, and he is averaging 6.5 boards per game for the season.
Roberts could have a big role against a Florida team that likes to play two bigs and allowed nine offensive rebounds to Auburn in the Final Four. Roberts thrived against the size of Duke in the Final Four, picking up 12 boards (four on the offensive glass) for the Cougars.
This prop play for Cryer is following a little trend I’ve noticed in the NCAA Tournament.
Through five games, Cryer has three or more assists four times, even though he’s averaging just 2.0 assists per game in the 2024-25 season.
Cryer did finish with just one assist against Duke, but he also was heavily involved in the offense, hitting 6-of-9 shots from deep on his way to a 26-point game.
The Cougars are going to want the ball in Cryer’s hands more often than not, and he’s done a good job setting up his teammates, tallying 17 assists in five games in the tournament. At +155, this prop is worth a shot on Monday.
Odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.
If you or someone you know has a gambling problem and wants help, call 1-800-GAMBLER.
Create a new FanDuel Sportsbook account, and you can get $200 in bonus bets if you win your first $5 wager. Download the FanDuel app and deposit a minimum of $5 to claim your new-user bonus today.
