College basketball is highly unpredictable these days, with the current climate of the sport leading to the potential for massive NCAA Tournament upsets on a regular basis. While the list of teams with a realistic chance to make the national championship game is a short one, there is still the potential to find value in the college basketball futures markets the season to come. Here, we look at the current March Madness odds and look at the teams that could win it all.
NCAA March Madness Odds To Win The Championship
At the time of this writing, here are the top 10 teams in terms of their odds to win the national championship in college basketball in 2025.
- Duke +1000
- UConn +1200
- North Carolina +1400
- Kansas +1400
- Houston +1600
- Arizona +1600
- Alabama +1600
- Baylor +1800
- Kentucky +2000
- Iowa State +2200
College Basketball National Championship Handicapping
The Favorites To Win the Championship
Heading into the 2024-25 college basketball season, there are a few clearly defined favorites to win the national championship. Chief among those teams is the Duke Blue Devils, who come into the year with a ton of hype, thanks in large part to the impending arrival of Cooper Flagg. Flagg is expected to be a great college basketball talent and Duke will hope that they can ride him back to the top of the mountain.
Of course, UConn is another program being strongly considered as a national championship favorite this coming year. The Huskies have won two straight national titles under Dan Hurley. And while they will not have the same roster in their quest for a three-peat, they will still be a very dangerous team in the Big East going into the next campaign.
Beyond those two schools, teams like North Carolina and Kansas are also among the favorites to do great things. But the national championship picture will change often throughout the next college basketball season and we will be here to keep you updated with every twist and turn that takes place.
Best of the Rest
Beyond the title favorites, there are several teams with a chance to win the national title that rank right behind the teams mentioned above. Squads like Gonzaga and Auburn are in that second tier of schools hoping to work their way up to the top of the rankings and into the national title picture. These teams will have some things to figure out early in the year but could be a real threat as the season wears on.
For these teams, a national championship is certainly a possibility, but it will take their best basketball for them to get the job done. When considering teams in this middle group in the March Madness futures markets, should evaluate what their NCAA Tournament path might look like and evaluate their strengths and weaknesses against each team they could potentially face in the bracket. But we have seen plenty of teams that aren’t favorites win this tournament in the past and these teams could certainly be worth backing in the big dance.
Possible Longshots
For those looking for a longshot bet to win the national title, a team like UCLA or Michigan could be worth considering. Talent is never a question at schools like those and we could see them bounce right back after subpar 2023-24 seasons. Bettors shouldn’t go into any longshot bet expecting it to win easily, but rather to give themselves a chance to win and uncover value and hedging opportunities down the road.
When looking for longshot bets to win the NCAA Tournament, the goal is to simply find teams that you perceive to have a better chance to win the title than the odds would suggest. There are many ways to come to such conclusions, with each bettor having their own unique style of handicapping teams in the futures markets. But the overall goal is to identify teams who can outperform expectations in the neutral site tournament.
Our March Madness Championship Pick
Right now, our pick to win the NCAA Tournament next season is the Alabama Crimson Tide. With UConn likely to take a small step back after losing so much talent, a team with a great coach like Nate Oats could be primed to step in and take his team to the national championship for the first time.
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