The 2025 March Madness betting odds features two teams at the front of the pack, but the rest of the country is hot on their heels! The Connecticut Huskies are chasing a three-peat, but can they come out on top of March Madness once again?
I’ll take a look at the NCAA championship odds for the 2024-2025 season, and break down the favorites and the sleepers. Then, I’ll give you my March Madness predictions at the end of this article, and where you can find the odds!
2024-2025 NCAA Championship Odds
| TEAM | ODDS |
|---|---|
| Duke Blue Devils | +750 |
| Connecticut Huskies | +800 |
| Alabama Crimson Tide | +1000 |
| Kansas Jayhawks | +1000 |
| Houston Cougars | +1200 |
| Gonzaga Bulldogs | +1500 |
| Iowa State Cyclones | +1700 |
| North Carolina Tar Heels | +1800 |
| Auburn Tigers | +2000 |
| Baylor Bears | +2000 |
The Duke Blue Devils (+750) opened the early odds to win the NCAA basketball championship at +1000, and are now down to +750 just ahead of the season opener! The Blue Devils have an implied probability of 11.8% to win their first national title since 2015, and their sixth championship overall.
The two-time defending champions from Connecticut (+800) are right behind the Blue Devils at March Madness betting sites with an implied chance of 11.1%. No team has won three straight NCAA basketball titles since UCLA won a staggering seven championships in a row between 1967 and 1973! Back in 1973, there were 25 teams involved in the tournament that would go on to become March Madness. Now, that number is up to 68 teams.
Alabama (+1000), Kansas (+1000), Houston (+1200), Gonzaga (+1500), and Iowa State (+1700) are battling to catch up to Duke and UConn, along with North Carolina (+1800). The Tar Heels were second at +1300 in our first update in April 2024, but have dropped on the board, which could get you some excellent betting value!
Top March Madness 2025 Favorites
Let’s tip things off by looking at the favorites in this season’s March Madness odds!
Duke Blue Devils (+750)
The Blue Devils landed the top player in the recruiting class with Cooper Flagg, who is being tipped to be the #1 pick in the NBA draft in 2025. Flagg seems to have all the tools needed to be the best player in the country, and Duke also has the veteran guard duo of Caleb Foster and Tyrese Proctor back!
They did lose high scorers Kyle Filipowski and Jared McCain to the NBA, but the Blue Devils have the talent to replace them.
COOP &1 @Cooper_Flagg pic.twitter.com/P9pCUnbjuf
— Duke Men’s Basketball (@DukeMBB) October 28, 2024
Head coach Jon Scheyer has a 54-18 record in two seasons since taking over for the great Mike Krzyzewski. This is Scheyer’s program now, and he took them to the Elite Eight last season.
With Flagg leading the way, anything less than a Final Four appearance is probably a disaster for the Blue Devils. But the talent is there, and Duke is a deserving favorite in these 2025 March Madness odds!
Connecticut Huskies (+800)
UConn are the two-time defending champion, and they have a three-peat in their sights! The Huskies lost Stephon Castle, Donovan Clingan, Tristan Newton, and Cam Spencer in the NBA draft. Head coach Dan Hurley has to replace four of his top five scorers from last season.
Another one.@AlexKaraban makes the @hoophallu Karl Malone Award Top 20 Preseason Watch List 📈 pic.twitter.com/BXZJDzEAqB
— UConn Men’s Basketball (@UConnMBB) October 31, 2024
But Hurley passed up a chance to coach the Los Angeles Lakers, keeping the best coach in college basketball in Storrs. Alex Karaban was third on the team in scoring last year, and he’ll get more chances to shoot this season.
Hurley is also counting on big things from Samson Johnson to make up for the loss of Clingan in the post. This team is well-coached, and veteran guard Hassan Diarra can set the table for his teammates. A three-peat is tough, but UConn has the horses to do it!
Alabama Crimson Tide (+1000)
It’s still strange to talk about Alabama’s NCAA title odds at college basketball betting sites, and it isn’t about the football program! But head coach Nate Oats took this program to their first Final Four last season. The Crimson Tide defeated Clemson there, but lost 86-72 to the Huskies in the championship game.
Bama’s Duo earning Preseason All-SEC honors#RollTide | #BlueCollarBasketball pic.twitter.com/sfiVcAxACo
— Alabama Men’s Basketball (@AlabamaMBB) October 31, 2024
Hopes are high for the Crimson Tide this season as they bring back leading scorer Mark Sears, while Oats will hope to get more out of big man Grant Nelson.
Alabama also picked up some big recruits from the transfer portal, such as Chris Youngblood and Aden Holloway. Freshmen Derrion Reid and Labaron Philon could also make an impact. At +1000, the Crimson Tide offer more betting value than Duke or UConn, and they can definitely win the national title!
Kansas Jayhawks (+1000)
The Jayhawks are the preseason #1, according to the polls, and while Kansas won the title in 2022, Bill Self’s team has four second-round exits in the last five NCAA Tournaments.
However, the Jayhawks have reloaded for the 2024-2025 season, welcoming transfers AJ Storr and Rylan Griffen. The latter left Alabama after finishing fourth in scoring for the Crimson Tide last season.
Hunter Dickinson has been named to the NABC Division I Player of the Year Preseason Watch List ‼️
More Information: https://t.co/CS5fotMv6c#RockChalk x @H_Dickinson24 pic.twitter.com/yiDkj2iwDz
— Kansas Men’s Basketball (@KUHoops) October 30, 2024
There is Player of the Year talk surrounding center Hunter Dickinson, and he’ll need a big year to offset the losses of Kevin McCullar Jr. and Johnny Funphy to the NBA draft. But the Jayhawks have the talent to compete with anyone in the country. After an 11-loss season, Self won’t let this team rest on its laurels!
2024-2025 March Madness Odds Sleepers
Next, let’s check out the odds to win the NCAA championship for a couple of sleepers, although they’re big names in the college hoops world!
North Carolina Tar Heels (+1800)
The Tar Heels were +1300 to win the national title in April, but +1800 provides a little more value at Bovada! North Carolina lost Harrison Ingram to the NBA, while Armando Bacot graduated after five years at UNC.
Another preseason honor for @ariidavis_ 📈
NABC Preseason Player of the Year honors for our guy RJ. pic.twitter.com/uOoUfqxMVW
— Carolina Basketball (@UNC_Basketball) October 30, 2024
But guard R.J. Davis returns for his senior season after leading the Tar Heels in points, and he is a battle-tested player that can help his teammates. North Carolina has some candidates to step up and help out Davis, such as Cormac Ryan and Elliot Cadeau.
Drake Powell and Ian Jackson could have major roles as freshmen. Head coach Hubert Davis has to find players to take the pressure off Davis in order for the Tar Heels to move up the 2025 March Madness odds!
Arizona Wildcats (+2500)
The Wildcats have two trips to the Sweet Sixteen in three years, and they’re trying to get over the hump! Former North Carolina player Caleb Love is back after leading the Wildcats in scoring last season, but center Oumar Ballo transferred to Indiana and Pelle Larsson was drafted.
.@caleb2love has been named to the Jerry West Shooting Guard of the Year Watchlist 👀 pic.twitter.com/AtJwyW2oVB
— Arizona Basketball (@ArizonaMBB) October 29, 2024
But head coach Tommy Lloyd is looking at K.J. Lewis, Trey Townsend, and Montiejust Kravis to increase their production. Townsend averaged 17.3 points and 8.1 at Oakland last season, and if he has a similar season at Arizona, the Wildcats will no longer be a sleeper pick in your 2025 March Madness predictions!
2024-2025 NCAA Basketball Predictions
It’s shaping up to be a fun 2024-2025 season in college basketball! UConn was clearly the best team in the country last season, but that isn’t the case this season. You could probably pick 7–8 teams and say they have a realistic chance to win the national title!
I’m going with the Alabama Crimson Tide to kick off the season, for a few reasons. They have excellent betting value compared to Duke and UConn. The Crimson Tide also brought in talent to replace the departed Griffen and Aaron Estrada. This team knows how to win now, and they’ll be eager to get back to the final.
Alabama has a really tough schedule, and from November 15 to December 14, they’ll play five teams in the preseason rankings. That will tell us a lot about the Crimson Tide’s chances, but you can only improve by playing good teams. Let’s take Alabama at +1000 as the road to March Madness begins!
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