March Madness! It’s still months away, but there’s no time like the present to start looking to the future!
The college basketball season has begun, which means it’s time to look at the betting odds and assess who will be crowned champions. The defending champion Florida Gators aren’t favored to repeat. Instead, it’s 2024 runner-up Purdue and 2025 runner-up Houston at +950 on FanDuel Sportsbook.
Duke, featuring No. 3 overall recruit Cameron Boozer, is third at +1100 on FanDuel. Florida, Kentucky and 2024 National Champion Connecticut are just behind them at +1400.
Purdue is led by Wooden Award betting favorite Braden Smith (+450 at FD). They’re expected to have a formidable offense after having the seventh-most efficient offense last year, according to KenPom Rankings.
Houston finally got to the national championship last year and were painfully-close to winning it all. Florida staged a second-half comeback, however, to end that dream. They are led by guard Milos Uzan and should have one of the best defenses in the country again.
Duke will once again be led by a star-studded freshman class. Boozer is the third betting favorite to win the Wooden at +1000. His twin brother, guard Cayden Boozer, and fellow freshmen Nikolas Khamenia and Sebastian Wilkins should play a role in their success.
Of course, preseason rankings and hyped recruits rarely hold through March. Florida was barely in the Top 25 preseason poll last year, but went on to secure a No. 1 seed and win it all.
Kansas, conversely, was the preseason No. 1 and struggled all year. The Jayhawks barely made the tournament and lost in the first round. They’re +2200 to win it all this year. Kansas freshman guard Darryn Peterson is the second-favorite to win the Wooden at +700 on FD.
For his money, SI Betting’s Iain MacMillan is backing Texas Tech to win the title. They’re +2000 at FanDuel.
Here are the preseason rankings for the top 20 teams on FanDuel.
College Basketball Odds to Win the National Championship Purdue +950Houston +950Duke +1100Florida +1400Kentucky +1400Connecticut +1400Louisville +2000Texas Tech +2000Michigan +2000Illinois +2000St. John's +2000BYU +2000Kansas +2200UCLA +2500Arkansas +2700Tennessee +3000Alabama +3000Arizona +3500Iowa State +3500Gonzaga +3500North Carolina +4000Auburn +4000
