2025 NCAA Basketball Championship Odds: Which Team Will Win March Madness?
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Swinging Johnson
- November 16, 2024
We are still several months away from the Big Dance, but there is no time like the present to preview the early contenders to cut down the nets in March.
Before heading to the top-rated sportsbooks, let’s review the NCAA basketball odds on the top 10 teams in the nation and assess their chances for future glory.
2025 NCAA Basketball Championship Odds
Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC)
Duke Blue Devils (+900)
As Cooper Flagg goes, so go the Duke Blue Devils.
The 6’9” freshman guard is a unicorn, and it’s not a stretch to say he will be the No. 1 overall pick in the NBA Draft after a one-and-done season in Durham. But right now, he plies his trade with the schoolboys and becomes the first Duke player in a quarter century that, through his first two games, registered:
- 30 points
- 15 rebounds
- 5 steals
Although they suffered a loss to Kentucky, the Devils are much more of a contender than they are a pretender.
Big East Conference
UConn Huskies (+900)
One would think that a team looking to win its third consecutive national championship would have an inside track due to all that postseason experience. However, the Huskies lost four starters to the NBA Draft last year and will rely on 6’8” junior Alex Karaban to lead them to another national crown.
Southeastern Conference (SEC)
Alabama Crimson Tide (+1100)
Head coach Nate Oates has turned this Alabama basketball program from second-rate to top-shelf.
After the team’s first Final Four appearance last season, they have the chops to do it again. Senior guard Mark Sears is the straw that stirs the drink in Tuscaloosa, and he’s got the big-game experience to get his team past the more formidable foes like their upcoming matchup against Purdue.
Auburn Tigers (+1200)
Auburn made hoops news for all the wrong reasons when teammates nearly came to blows with each other on an airliner approximately 40 minutes after takeoff.
Yet, whatever animosity the Tigers were feeling was directed at the Houston Cougars when they touched down and secured a massive five-point neutral-site victory. This is a team that goes deep into their bench and will likely be one of the fresher teams when the postseason arrives.
Kentucky Wildcats (+2500)
What would a Top 10 college basketball list be without one of the most prolific legacy programs—the Kentucky Wildcats? Although some may have overlooked them in their preseason rankings, the Wildcats proved they are for real when they roared back from a nine-point halftime deficit to claim a 77-72 victory over No. 6 Duke. Teams will need to keep their guard up against the Wildcats this season as senior center Amari Williams is a force of nature in the paint and on the glass.
West Coast Conference (WCC)
Gonzaga Bulldogs (+1100)
Only a handful of coaches have had a bigger impact on a college basketball program’s fortunes than Gonzaga’s Mark Few, who turned a middling mid-major program into a perennial conference powerhouse and a regular March Madness challenger. However, a national title has eluded him despite two bites at the apple in 2017 and 2021.
However, this could be the year when Few brings his team to the promised land with help from 6’10’ sophomore forward Braden Huff and a treasure trove of experience in the form of four seniors:
- Khalif Battle
- Nolan Hickman
- Graham Ike
- Ryan Nembhard
Big 12 Conference
Kansas Jayhawks (+1200)
The Jayhawks may not have the lowest odds on the board, but they are the No. 1 team in the nation according to the most recent rankings. Of course, that can change in the blink of a loss, but many astute college basketball minds are predicting Kansas as the team to beat this season.
Houston Cougars (+1200)
The Cougars already have a blemish on their record thanks to a 74-69 setback to No. 11 Auburn. Houston looked a bit gassed down the stretch of that contest as evidenced by their 10-point scoring deficit in the second half to the Tigers.
A showdown with Alabama is looming, and that will tell the tale of how this team stacks up to the big dogs.
Iowa State Cyclones (+1400)
After dispensing with three cupcake opponents to start the season, the Cyclones will get a stress test at the end of November and early December when they play back-to-back games against Auburn and Marquette.
This Cyclones team has the benefit of returning their top four scorers from last season:
- Tamin Lipsey
- Keshon Gilbert
- Curtis Jones
- Milan Momcilovic
This combined experience alone should make them a threat to any team in the nation.
Pac-12 Conference
Arizona Wildcats (+2500)
The Wildcats annihilated their first two opponents by an average of 43.5 points. But before we get too carried away, the competition is going to get much more challenging than Canisius and Old Dominion as the season progresses.
The Cats have the Duke Blue Devils on the horizon, which will be a litmus test for how good this team truly is this year.
*The line and/or odds on picks in this article might have moved since the content was commissioned. For updated line movements, visit BMR’s free betting odds product.
