The run Florida Basketball has had during March Madness has been one for the ages. The Gators could fill up the One Shining Moment montage all by themselves with clips and moments as virtually every game they have been in has been a dramatic nail-biter.
So it seems fitting that oddsmakers envision a grand finale against Houston, and while Florida is considered the favorite, it is by the slimmest of margins.
Florida Basketball: One More Time
Early odds from FanDuel have the Gators as 1.5-point favorites over Houston and as -118 money line favorites. The odds are so tight that Houston comes in at -106.
The over/under for this game is 141.5 points.
This game will be a clash of styles, but the gap in styles isn't as big as some may think. Florida is the number two rated KenPom team when it comes to offensive efficiency, while Houston is the number one rated defensive team according to KenPom.
But, both teams are also in the top ten for the other side of the ball. Florida is rated 9th in defensive efficiency while Houston is 10th in offense.
A lot of what this game will come down to is whether or not Florida can handle the pressure when Houston ramps things up. As we saw with Duke, that is not an easy task, and Florida, at times this year, has been prone to the turnover bug to allow teams to go on runs.
For Houston, their question mark is whether or not they can handle the size of Florida for 40 minutes. Houston doesn't play anyone taller than 6'8", and the Gators have their quartet of bigs they can use to wear Houston down.
Yes, Houston made their comeback against Duke, but Duke wasn't battled tested in the way that the Gators are.
The national title game will be on Monday at 8:50 PM in San Antonio.