Now that’s how you punch your ticket to the championship game. Houston and Florida—two No. 1 seeds, identical 35-4 records, and both fresh off comeback thrillers. But what the Cougars did to Duke? That was straight-up defensive poetry. With the game slipping away, they clamped down and locked in. A 9-0 run in the final 30 seconds? That’s not just hustle—that’s heart.

And as for Cooper Flagg? The freshman phenom couldn’t find air. Houston held Duke to one field goal in the last 10 and a half minutes. One! That’s not just good D, that’s a full shutdown. So now, it’s the Gators versus the Cougars. Two heavyweights, both battle-tested, both hungry. Whoever comes out on top is going to earn it.

On the other hand, the SEC Player of the Year also failed to light up his team’s scorecard. Johni Broome failed for Auburn, and for the Gators, it was Walter Clayton Jr. who balled out. With this, the stage is set, and Kelvin Sampson is the second-most-winningest active head coach without a championship. Meanwhile, Todd Golden’s team is returning to the final for the first time since winning back-to-back championships in 2006 and 2007.

Florida Gators vs Houston Cougars: The ultimate showdown

It was Walter Clayton Jr., who became the first player since Larry Bird in 1979 to produce back-to-back 30-point games in the Elite Eight and national semifinals, according to ESPN Research. He finished with 34 points and five 3-pointers, with Auburn unable to defend him. Coming into the Final Four, the Gators are ranked third nationally at 85.4 points per game for their offense. Florida has been held under 70 points just once this season, in a 64-44 loss to Tennessee.

Interestingly, in that game, All-American senior point guard Walter Clayton Jr. went down at the end of the first half with a sprained ankle. Now talking about their opponents, since Dec. 1, Houston is 8-1 outright in games decided by six points or fewer. Not to mention 11-0 straight up in games with spreads within nine points.

Even Coach Golden knows how locked in the Cougars are defensively. “They’re the best defensive team in America,” Golden said. “They have just a great identity as a program of just being both physically and mentally tough. That’s something we’ve tried to pride ourselves on this year.”

The stats back this claim up as Houston leads the nation in scoring defense at 58.3 points per game allowed. Cougars to seven NCAA Tournament trips and two Final Fours.

Projected starting lineups and star players

The leader in points and assists for the Gators is Walter Clayton Jr., who scores 18.5 points and dishes out 4.1 assists per game. Apart from this, Clayton leads the Gators in three-point shooting, making an average of 3.1 shots per game from beyond the arc. Next, the important player is Alex Condon is the team’s best rebounder, hauling in an average of 7.6 boards in each contest while scoring 10.5 points per game. His 1.4 rejections per contest are also a team high. The Florida steals leader is Will Richard, who averages 1.6 takeaways per game.

LJ Cryer is the top scorer for the Cougars, with 15.6 points per game, and the contribution also includes 2.3 rebounds and two assists per game. J’wan Roberts has a stat line of 6.5 rebounds, 10.7 points, and 1.8 assists per game for Houston to take the top rebound spot on the team. Milos Uzan holds the top spot for assists with 4.3 per game, adding 11.5 points and three rebounds per contest. Emanuel Sharp (1.4 steals per game) is the steal leader for Houston, while Joseph Tugler (two blocks per game) is the block leader.

Prediction: Why Florida will prevail

The Cougars fell behind 59-45 with just over eight minutes remaining and still trailed by six with less than a minute left before closing the game on a 9-0 run to shock the favored Blue Devils 70-67. But let’s not forget that the opposition had the chance to win the game. Especially against the Duke, when Cooper Flagg missed a jumper that could have established the lead for his team.

Since the Gators have their high-tempo offense and a red-hot Clayton, they might do what the Blue Devils failed to do. Houston hasn’t lost since falling 82-81 to Texas Tech in overtime on Feb. 1. The Cougars haven’t lost in regulation since Nov. 9, a 74-69 shortcoming to Auburn in the season’s second game. So, where are you betting on for the Big Dance?

Here are the opening odds for the 2025 NCAA Tournament, provided by Online Sportsbooks.