A three-peat may be in the cards for the UConn Huskies, who are currently the betting favorites to emerge from the March Madness tournament in 2025 with yet another national championship and possibly become the first school since UCLA in the last 60's through early 70's to string together three or more consecutive wins.
Here's a look at the full list of national championship odds and where other contenders like Duke, Kansas, and Alabama reside.
2025 March Madness Championship Odds
Why UConn Is Favored To Win 2025 National Championship
Even though oddsmakers believe the Huskies have a legitimate shot to pull off the trifecta, doing so while needing to replace four starters from last year's title squad will be easier said than done. Forward Alex Karaban remains, along with Big East Sixth Man of the Year Hassan Diarra to pair with transfers Aidan Mahaney out of Saint Mary and Tarris Reed Jr. from Michigan.
Head coach Dan Hurley turned down an opportunity to head to the NBA and join the Los Angeles Lakers in favor of potentially making history with UConn because he believes in his players and what three-straight championships would mean in the grand scheme of things for college hoops. They're the top dogs until proven otherwise, with their season kicking off on November 6.
NCAAB National Champion Darkhorse: Duke
The Blue Devils may have the best player in the country on their side in the form of five-star recruit Cooper Flagg, the likely No. 1 overall pick in next summer's draft to go pro. While not a darkhorse in a straight odds sense, Duke hasn't been crowned national champions in nearly a decade, and riding a Freshman to the top comes with its concerns.
Thankfully, Flagg isn't alone on this roster, as fellow five-star standouts Isaiah Evans, Kon Knueppel, and Khaman Maluauch provide head coach Jon Scheyer some necessary depth, and the veteran presence of Caleb Foster and Tyrese Proctor will help keep the team atop the ACC.
Last 10 College Basketball National Champions
With their 2024 March Madness win, UConn is the only three-time champion in the last ten years. Coincidentally, the Huskies have the longest odds to win a championship on this list. In 2014, they had the 14th-longest odds at +6500 and in 2023 they had the 28th-longest odds at +8000. As you know, they won both times, so disrespect UConn at your peril.
NCAA Basketball Teams with the Most Titles
Holding the league record for March Madness titles and longest win streak (seven years), the UCLA Bruins are the clearcut college ball champion. I mean, the John R. Wooden Award for Player of the Year is named after their head coach during that insane streak – what more of a legacy could you ask for?
Trailing UCLA are the Kentucky Wildcats and UNC’s Tar Heels with an impressive eight and six titles respectively – this year, UCLA is further down the odds list than either of these teams. It’ll be a few years before they can be dethroned, but there are undoubtedly expectations for UCLA to keep producing and earn their first title since 1995.
March Madness Betting Trends
Finding trends and patterns in bets is our specialty — if you want to be a great handicapper, it should be yours too! We've come to know the NCAA's National Championship as a chaotic and exciting event where anyone can walk away with a title, but that doesn't mean there aren't a few trends to keep your eye on. Before placing a March Madness futures wager, check out these betting trends:
How to Bet on March Madness
Betting on March Madness has become increasingly popular for even the most casual of college ball fans. The most common option for the tournament is selecting the overall winner by making a March Madness futures bet – nice and simple, all you have to do is pick the correct 1/68. Easy, right? There are other options for futures too, like selecting the Final Four or individual conference winners.
Of course, when the actual tournament is going on, it’ll be a free-for-all just like the regular season. Each game will have its moneylines, spreads, totals and props – if you need a refresher on how to bet on college basketball, take a look at our guide and review a few key handicapping tools like NCAAB computer picks and public consensus data.
Where to bet on the March Madness
March Madness and betting are synonymous with each other – even your coworkers and elderly neighbors have some sort of pool going to predict the winner. Because of that popularity, you’ll find March Madness odds and matchups available at any major sportsbook under the NCAAB section.
If you need any advice on what to look for in a college basketball betting site, check out our sportsbook reviews for sites that offer NCAAB action!
Understanding The Odds To Win The NCAA Championship
If you’re interested in March Madness futures, you’re likely looking to bet on the outright winner of the tournament. Like the odds table at the top of the page, odds will usually look like this:
These odds tell you the likelihood and corresponding payout of one of these teams winning a national championship. Unlike a moneyline bet, where there is a clear favorite represented by a minus sign (-), the team with the lowest odds would be the favorite. In our example, it’s Gonzaga, and the rest are underdogs even though each team has a plus sign (+) prefacing its odds.
If you were to bet $100 on the Gonzaga Bulldogs and they won, your sportsbook would reward you with $200 in profit for a $300 total win. Betting on a long-shot winner like UCLA at +2500 would earn you $2500 on that same bet – the profits are much higher the further you go down the table, but so is the risk.
To see how much you’d win on the futures odds, check out our Odds Calculator. It’ll show you what your payout would be based on the odds and amount wagered. Don’t forget you can also make selections on which teams will make the Final Four, who will win each conference, and which player will take home the John R. Wooden Award for Player of the Year in the regular season.