Sports betting roundup: Florida is favored to beat Houston in men's basketball final

Sports betting roundup: Florida is favored to beat Houston in men’s basketball final

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Florida’s Alijah Martin (15) dunks the ball against Auburn during the second half in the national semifinals at the Final Four of the NCAA college basketball tournament, Saturday, April 5, 2025, in San Antonio. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)

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Florida’s Walter Clayton Jr. (1) goes up for a shot as Auburn’s Johni Broome defends during the second half in the national semifinals at the Final Four of the NCAA college basketball tournament, Saturday, April 5, 2025, in San Antonio. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)

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Florida’s Thomas Haugh (10) celebrates after making a basket while being fouled during the second half in the national semifinals at the Final Four of the NCAA college basketball tournament, Saturday, April 5, 2025, in San Antonio. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)

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Houston forward J’Wan Roberts dunks past Duke guard Kon Knueppel during the first half in the national semifinals at the Final Four of the NCAA college basketball tournament, Saturday, April 5, 2025, in San Antonio. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)

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Houston head coach Kelvin Sampson yells during the second half against the Duke in the national semifinals at the Final Four of the NCAA college basketball tournament, Saturday, April 5, 2025, in San Antonio. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)

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Houston’s J’Wan Roberts (13) celebrates after Houston beat Duke in the national semifinals at the Final Four of the NCAA college basketball tournament, Saturday, April 5, 2025, in San Antonio. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)

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UConn guard Paige Bueckers (5) reacts after scoring against South Carolina during the second half of the national championship game at the Final Four of the women’s NCAA college basketball tournament, Sunday, April 6, 2025, in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris O’Meara)

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UConn guard Paige Bueckers (5) celebrates with teammates after UConn defeated South Carolina in the national championship game at the Final Four of the women’s NCAA college basketball tournament, Sunday, April 6, 2025, in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo/John Raoux)

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South Carolina forward Joyce Edwards (8) and UConn forward Sarah Strong (21) scramble for a loose ball during the first half of the national championship game at the Final Four of the women’s NCAA college basketball tournament, Sunday, April 6, 2025, in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo/John Raoux)

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Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (23) looks for an outlet against Oklahoma City Thunder forward Kenrich Williams (34), guard Luguentz Dort, second from right, and forward Jalen Williams, right, during the first half of an NBA basketball game Sunday, April 6, 2025, in Oklahoma City. (AP Photo/Nate Billings)

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Boston Celtics’ Derrick White (9) passes off against Washington Wizards’ Colby Jones (1) during first half of an NBA basketball game Sunday, April 6, 2025, in Boston. (AP Photo/Michael Dwyer)

By RYAN HANNABLE of BetMGM Sportsbook

Florida is the favorite over Houston heading into Monday night’s national championship in men’s basketball.

As of Monday morning at the BetMGM sportsbook, the Gators are 1.5-point favorites for the game in San Antonio.

The first two weekends of March Madness may have been underwhelming, but Saturday’s Final Four games delivered.

Florida come back from an eight-point halftime deficit to beat Auburn 79-73 in the first game. And Houston stormed back from trailing by nine with just over two minutes remaining to stun Duke 70-67 in the late game.

Trends of the Week

The Gators were 2.5-point favorites over the Tigers and took in 61% of the bets and 52% of the money when it came to against-the-spread bets. The game also went under, finishing at 152, and 58% of the money was on the under.

UConn blew out South Carolina 82-59 to win its 12th women’s national championship. The Huskies were 6.5-point favorites and took in 56% of the bets and 69% of the money. UConn began the NCAA Tournament +475 to win the national championship and took in 18% of the bets in that market, the most of any team.

Upsets of the Week

The upset of the NCAA Tournament was Houston taking down Duke. The Blue Devils were a 4.5-point favorite and took in 63% of the bets and 67% of the money. When it came to moneyline bets, Houston (+200) only drew 40% of the money.

The Los Angeles Lakers took down the Oklahoma City Thunder 126-99 on Sunday. Oklahoma City was a 9.5-point favorite and the most bet team in terms of number of bets on Sunday and the second-most bet team in terms of money.

Coming Up

As the NBA regular season nears its end, two teams have separated themselves from the pack — the Thunder and the Boston Celtics. Oklahoma City is +175 to win the NBA Finals, while Boston is +200.

Cleveland is the only other team to be shorter than +1000, as the Cavaliers are +500. The Lakers are +1000, the Golden State Warriors are +1200 and the Denver Nuggets are +2000.

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This column was provided to The Associated Press by BetMGM online sportsbook.

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AP sports: https://apnews.com/hub/sports