Your guide to the men's national title game: How Florida, Houston could each win

And past determination were two. Perhaps this duo battling for a nationalist title is unexpected. But Florida and Houston each played beardown during the regular season. Both dominated their league tournaments. Both are 1-seeds. Both defeated pugnacious opponents to get to Monday.

Now, everything's connected the enactment Monday nighttime (8:50 p.m. ET, CBS).

The Gators are looking for their archetypal nationalist title since their back-to-back titles successful 2006 and 2007 with Billy Donovan. The Cougars are seeking their archetypal nationalist championship. Both coaches are besides searching for their archetypal nationalist titles.

For a last clip this season, ESPN's Myron Medcalf and Jeff Borzello interruption down each team, and prime who volition chopped down the nets.

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Florida | Houston | Picks

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What benignant of situation is Florida facing vs. Houston?

Seth Greenberg previews Florida's matchup vs. Houston for the nationalist title.

Florida Gators

How Florida reached the Final Four:

• Round of 64: def. No. 16 Norfolk State 95-69

• Round of 32: def. No. 8 UConn 77-75

• Sweet 16: def. No. 4 Maryland 87-71

• Elite Eight: def. No. 3 Texas Tech 84-79

• Final Four: def. No. 1 Auburn 79-73

How tin the Gators contend with Houston's physicality? This has been the superior question for each Houston hostile for the past 11 years. Kelvin Sampson's Houston teams person finished top-15 successful adjusted antiaircraft ratio successful 7 of the past 8 seasons, which means Florida's bigs volition person to beryllium relentless successful rebounding, attacking the overgarment and playing exceptional interior defense. Houston outscored Duke 19-12 connected second-chance points Saturday, and the Gators volition person to adjacent that spread to win.

But this crippled is besides astir endurance. The Blue Devils were exhausted by the extremity of Saturday nighttime -- a byproduct of a grueling, 40-minute crippled against Houston. Florida needs its large men to debar foul trouble, situation the Cougars astir the rim connected discourtesy and defence and person the stamina to play an aggravated gait for 2 halves. It's a daunting task that lone 1 squad has achieved since Nov. 30 against Houston.

Who indispensable measurement up for Florida? Will Richard. The database of standout guards Houston has held to shaky violative performances successful March is long: Robert Wright III (Baylor), Julian Hammond III (Colorado), Egor Demin (BYU), Braden Smith (Purdue), Zakai Zeigler (Tennessee) and Tyrese Proctor (Duke). Walter Clayton Jr. could beryllium added to that radical Monday.

But the Gators are not a one-man show. Richard is the lone subordinate of Florida's starting backcourt who has had 3 single-digit efforts implicit the past 5 games. The 6-foot-4 elder made 38% of his shots from beyond the arc successful league play, but was 0-for-5 from the 3-point enactment successful his erstwhile 2 games. That each has to alteration Monday night. Duke and its 3 projected lottery picks and the nationalist subordinate of the twelvemonth needed much assistance against Houston, adjacent aft it had a 14-point lead. Richard volition person to contribute.

The Gators' imaginable fatal flaw: Giving opponents excessively galore opportunities astatine the escaped propulsion line. Florida was a top-25 antiaircraft squad implicit the last period of the season. It's a cardinal constituent of its comebacks passim the NCAA tournament. But the Gators person besides committed excessively galore fouls recently. Nine of their past 11 opponents had astatine slightest 22 escaped propulsion attempts. Houston benefited Saturday nighttime from a mates of costly fouls by Duke, making 4 important escaped throws successful the last seconds. That could hap again Monday nighttime if the Gators enactment the Cougars connected the escaped propulsion enactment excessively often.

Florida volition triumph if ... Walter Clayton Jr. scores 25 points oregon more. Because of the mode Florida plays and however overmuch it relies connected Clayton arsenic a shot handler, the Gators volition lone spell arsenic acold arsenic helium takes them. When helium is simply a potent scorer and playmaker, opponents are forced to treble him, creating much opportunities for his teammates. The Gators volition look the champion defence successful America and though they've flooded astir intolerable likelihood successful the NCAA tournament, Houston's Saturday nighttime comeback implicit Duke was astir unprecedented. If Clayton gets blistery Monday night, it volition apt mean the Gators -- ranked 2nd successful the federation successful adjusted violative ratio -- are rolling and person recovered the holes successful that vaunted Houston defense. If helium struggles, it volition complicate everything Florida wants to bash against Houston, particularly if the Gators person different second-half shortage lasting betwixt them and their rubric dreams. -- Myron Medcalf

Houston Cougars

How Houston reached the Final Four:

• Round of 64: Def. No. 16 SIU Edwardsville 78-40

• Round of 32: def. No. 8 Gonzaga 81-76

• Sweet 16: def. No. 4 Purdue 62-60

• Elite Eight: def. No. 2 Tennessee 69-50

• Final Four: def. No. 1 Duke 70-67

How tin the Cougars incorporate Walter Clayton Jr.? If anyone's going to dilatory down Walter Clayton Jr., it volition beryllium the champion defence successful college. Houston is incredibly physical, some connected and disconnected the ball, and doesn't marque thing casual for opponents. The Cougars volition apt look to contradict Clayton casual catches successful rhythm, and marque definite helium doesn't get cleanable looks.

But Clayton didn't person a ton of cleanable looks against Texas Tech oregon Auburn and inactive enactment up historically bully performances. One country to ticker volition beryllium the 3-point line. Houston has a beardown 3-point defense, but it allows 3-point shots. That's not a look for stopping Clayton.

Who indispensable measurement up for Houston? This is different perchance monolithic crippled for J'Wan Roberts. He should participate with plentifulness of assurance aft making the biggest plays successful the last seconds against Duke: boxing retired Cooper Flagg to gully the foul, making 2 escaped throws, and contesting Flagg's imaginable game-winning shot. He was inconsistent implicit the past period oregon so, and besides missed 2 games due to the fact that of an ankle injury.

He'll person to beryllium astatine his champion against Florida and its elite frontcourt. That means being progressive and assertive connected the violative solid and staying retired of foul occupation astatine the different extremity of the floor. The Gators person size and extent to propulsion astatine Houston connected Monday night, and Roberts has to enactment connected the floor.

The Cougars' imaginable flaw: Houston doesn't person galore weaknesses. But 2 areas to ticker volition beryllium the escaped propulsion line, and whether the Cougars tin debar the violative droughts that astir dug them excessively large a spread against Duke. Houston was 12th retired of 16 Big 12 teams successful antiaircraft escaped propulsion complaint and 14th successful violative escaped propulsion rate. The Cougars averaged less escaped propulsion attempts per crippled than their opponents.

Florida isn't bully astatine getting to the escaped propulsion enactment -- and is adjacent worse astatine making those shots -- but if the officials aren't letting Houston beryllium carnal and players specified arsenic Clayton and Will Richard and Thomas Haugh are getting to the line, that's atrocious quality for the Cougars.

Meanwhile, L.J. Cryer single-handedly kept Houston wrong striking region Saturday, hitting aggregate 3s against the Blue Devils -- but didn't get overmuch assistance from his teammates until precocious successful the 2nd half. It's hard to spot that moving again.

Houston volition triumph if ... It wins the warfare connected the backboards and limits Clayton. Fortunately for the Cougars, some are successful the wheelhouse of a Kelvin Sampson-coached team. The Cougars are 1 of the champion violative rebounding teams successful the state -- it's a large spot for Roberts and Joseph Tugler -- ranking 10th successful violative rebounding percent and the apical 20 successful second-chance points per game. (Though Florida is immense and adjacent amended astatine violative rebounding, statistically.)

At the different end, Houston's guards volition person to instrumentality to their principles against Clayton. Auburn had immoderate aboriginal occurrence blitzing him connected shot screens and forcing the shot retired of his hands, but arsenic the crippled wore on, helium consistently got to his near manus and into a rhythm. Houston volition apt person the aforesaid ideas, going implicit shot screens, hard-hedging, blitzing to get the shot retired of Clayton's hands and making definite helium doesn't get a cleanable look. -- Jeff Borzello

Florida vs. Houston predictions

Jeff Borzello: Houston wins, 67-65
Myron Medcalf: Houston, 70-67