Who Will Score First in Florida vs. Houston? 1st FG Scorer Odds & Predictions for NCAA Championship Tonight
If you're looking for a fun and instantly gratifying way to bet on Florida vs. Houston in the NCAA Championship, look no further as we break down the first points scorer odds and predictions for the final game of March Madness tonight (8:50 p.m. ET, CBS).
Walter Clayton Jr. is the favorite to open the scoring in the NCAA Tournament final, but he's not the only player worth betting to score the first field goal in the national championship. Here is a look at the latest odds with our best bets in this quick-hit market.
đ Want to bet on tonight's game? Check out our Florida vs. Houston prediction and our best Florida vs. Houston player props for full coverage of the NCAA Championship.
đ NCAA Championship 1st points scorer odds: Who will score first in Florida vs. Houston?
Our NEW college basketball player prop odds tool can help you find the best odds for any March Madness market across legal sportsbooks in your area!
| âšī¸ Player | đ° Odds (FanDuel) | đĸ Probability |
|---|---|---|
| đ Walter Clayton Jr. | +490 | 16.95% |
| đ J'Wan Roberts | +650 | 13.33% |
| đ LJ Cryer | +700 | 12.50% |
| đ Alijah Martin | +750 | 11.76% |
| đ Will Richard | +750 | 11.76% |
| đ Milos Uzan | +750 | 11.76% |
| đ Emanuel Sharp | +800 | 11.11% |
| đ Alex Condon | +850 | 10.53% |
| đ Joseph Tugler | +1000 | 9.09% |
| đ Rueben Chinyelu | +1300 | 7.14% |
đĨ Best first basket scorer picks & predictions for NCAA Championship
đ° Betting favorite: Walter Clayton Jr. (+490)
Clayton has emerged as the face of the 2025 NCAA Tournament after his sensational scoring carried Florida to its first national championship berth in nearly two decades.
While he's done much of his damage in the second half, he's scored the first bucket for the Gators in three of their five games in the NCAA Tournament, and he assisted on one of the other two. So he's sure to get involved early in this one, too.
This isn't my favorite way to bet on Clayton - I'd rather target his full-game totals as I break down in my best Walter Clayton Jr. player props - but this feels like a reasonable price for Florida's bona-fide top scorer at FanDuel, especially with other shops offering odds as short as +420.
đ Best odds: +490 via FanDuel ($10 to win $49)
đ Best value bet: Emanuel Sharp (+800)
I'm a bit surprised to see Roberts dealing as the favorite for Houston considering that he's yet to score the first bucket for the Cougars in this tournament - and he's only attempted the first field goal once in the last five games.
Sharp has taken the first shot in two of Houston's five games, and he's been active in the opening minutes of all five contests. He's also the team's best 3-point shooter behind LJ Cryer - who is sure to draw attention from Florida's defense after scoring 26 in the Final Four - and the most aggressive in terms of getting to the free-throw line.
The junior guard is dealing at +700 at DraftKings, but he's catching +800 odds at FanDuel, which would turn a $10 bet into an $80 profit if Sharp scores first.
đ Best odds: +800 via FanDuel ($10 to win $80)
đ¯ Best long shot: Joseph Tugler (+1200)
I wouldn't advise betting more than a half-unit on this market, which is notoriously volatile by nature. But it's hard to ignore the potential value of an early shot by Tugler.
Houston's sophomore center has scored just 23 combined points in the NCAA Tournament, but he's been active early on for the Cougars - scoring the first points of the game in two of his team's last five contests. Both buckets came off offensive rebounds on a missed shot, which is often what you'll see from the opening seconds of a high-intensity matchup.
If Tugler scores the first points again tonight, he will turn a $10 bet at Caesars into a $120 profit. That sounds like a pretty nice way to start the NCAA Championship.
đ Best odds: +1200 via Caesars ($10 to win $120)
Caesars is a 21+ product
đĄ NCAA Championship betting tips & trends: How to bet on 1st points scorer
This is one of the most unpredictable markets in college basketball, so it's important not to wager too much on something that is so dependent on luck and randomness. But you can improve your chances of cashing an early wager by considering these questions:
đ Who wins the tip?
Because this market is decided once the first bucket is scored, even if both teams don't touch the ball first, it's important to factor in which team might start with possession.
Both Florida and Houston have won the opening tip in three of their five games in the NCAA Tournament, though the Gators have a clear size advantage inside with Alex Condon (6-foot-11) and Rueben Chinyelu (6-foot-10). The Cougars don't feature anyone taller than 6-foot-8.
đ Who shoots it early?
Knowing which team will start with the ball is largely guesswork, but predicting who might take the first shot is more attainable. Teams will often favor their high-volume scorers early or dump it down to their big men inside for an early bucket.
As noted earlier, Walter Clayton Jr. has handled the opening attempt for Florida more than any other player, while Houston likes to spread the rock with four players scoring first in five games. Joseph Tugler is the only player to score the first basket twice in this tournament for the Cougars.
đ§ What are the odds?
This sounds simple, but with this market relying so much on randomness and volatility, it pays to know the standard likelihood of any given player scoring the first bucket.
With 10 players on the court, each of them features a 10% chance to score first with all else being equal. Clearly, there are more factors than that, but it can pay to take a shot on those players with longer than +900 odds (which implies a 10% chance of cashing). Sometimes a bounce of the ball is all it takes to cash as a long shot in this market.
đĸ Live Florida vs. Houston odds & NCAA Championship betting lines
Follow the latest live March Madness college basketball odds and real-time NCAA Tournament scores for the national championship.
đ Best NCAA Championship odds, predictions & expert picks tonight
- Florida vs. Houston prediction
- Florida vs. Houston player props
- Florida vs. Houston parlay picks
- Florida vs. Houston AI predictions
- Florida vs. Houston betting splits
- Florida vs. Houston preview & best bets
- Most Outstanding Player odds & predictions
- Best Walter Clayton Jr. player props
- Florida blowout parlay & SGP picks
- Houston blowout parlay & SGP picks
- Who will win Florida vs. Houston?
- What will be the final score of Florida vs. Houston?
- Who will score first in Florida vs. Houston?
- Florida vs. Houston expert picks
đē How to watch Florida vs. Houston tonight: 2025 NCAA Championship
đ
Date: Monday, April 7
đ Time: 8:50 p.m. ET
đ Location: Alamodome (San Antonio)
đē TV: CBS
đģ Streaming: March Madness Live
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