NCAA Tournament 2025 Odds: Tennessee Takes Top Spot, UConn Slides

• The SEC has three teams in the top five of the AP Poll through the first month of the 2024-25 regular season

• Duke, Auburn, Tennessee, Gonzaga, and Houston are the five teams with the best odds of winning the 2025 NCAA Tournament when March rolls around

• UConn slid from the second-ranked team outside of the AP Poll after losing three consecutive games at the Maui Invitational

Through the first handful of weeks of the 2024-25 regular season, there has been a ton of movement atop the rankings, including UConn sliding out of the AP Poll and Kansas dropping outside the top ten from the No. 1 slot after dropping back-to-back games.

While it is still early in the year, there appear to be a ton of teams capable of stringing together the necessary momentum in March to win the 2025 NCAA Tournament.

Let’s break down the top teams with the best NCAA Tournament odds and analyze which ones have the best chance to take home the hardware in 2025!

NCAA Tournament Odds 

Now that the 2024-25 college basketball season is starting, we have updated each NCAA Tournament odds favorite, courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook. Throughout the season, these odds will fluctuate based on a team’s performance on the court and any critical injuries to star players.Bet $5, Get $150 in Bonus Bets if Your Bet Wins.

Check out our NCAA Tournament odds table below:

NCAA Tournament Predictions - NCAA Favorites to Win

With the conclusion of the 2023-24 college basketball campaign, we will look ahead at next season and analyze the top teams and their respective odds, as well as make our official NCAA Tournament championship predictions:

Auburn Tigers (+750) at FanDuel

How good have Bruce Pearl’s Tigers been on the offensive end of the floor?

Well, at the time this was written, Auburn not only ranked first in adjusted offensive efficiency, it also had the highest rating in that metric since the 2018 Villanova Wildcats.

While Villanova maintained that rating over the course of an entire year, not just a handful of weeks, it is nonetheless impressive for a team that also has substantial defensive upside.

The Tigers can lean on Wooden Award frontrunner Johni Broome’s exceptional rim protection ability by funneling 3-point shooters into the paint to try and shoot over or around him. Good luck.

Broome has averaged close to three blocks per game in just 30 minutes of play. 

With several other talented returning guards, the Tigers might have enough talent and cohesion to win a title in 2025.

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Duke Blue Devils (+900) at FanDuel

Duke has been as good as advertised to start the season, with freshman sensation Cooper Flagg leading the way for the Blue Devils.

Through the first handful of weeks, Duke has cemented itself as the top defensive team (KenPom) in the country behind Flagg, Khaman Maluach, and the rest of the frightening and switchable Blue Devils defense.

While Duke still has some kinks to work out on the offensive end of the floor, its upside is undeniable. Head coach Jon Scheyer absolutely has a team capable of winning six consecutive games in the NCAA Tournament.

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Gonzaga Bulldogs (+1200) at FanDuel

To no one’s surprise, a team that returned six of their top seven players (and had already made a Sweet 16 the year before) is a national title contender.

The Bulldogs have a little bit of everything; they are well balanced on the offensive end of the floor, with point guard Ryan Nembhard and big man Graham Ike leading the way.

Khalif Battle, Ben Gregg, Braden Huff, and Nolan Hickman also average double-digit points for the high-octane ‘Zags.

Further, Gonzaga has been a much more consistent defensive team thus far, ranking in KenPom’s top 20 defenses (adjusted defensive efficiency).

This could be the year that Mark Few’s Bulldogs secure a championship.

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Who Will Win the NCAA Tournament - My Pick

Auburn Tigers (+750) at FanDuel

Until teams can figure out how to slow down this Auburn offense, I’m backing the Tigers to win the 2025 NCAA Tournament.

Broome has Wooden Award winner written all over him, while a plethora of talented role players including Denver Jones, Chad Baker-Mazara, Tahaad Pettiford, and Miles Kelly, gives Auburn enough firepower to outlast anyone in the country.

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Who Won the NCAA Tournament in 2024

m to win back-to-back National Championships in the NCAA Tournament since the Florida Gators did it in 2006 and 2007. Florida had three very talented future NBA players on those teams: Jo

NCAA Tournament History

The NCAA Tournament was founded in 1939, making it 85 years since the inception of one of the most popular sporting events in the world. In its beginning stages, the NCAA Tournament only had eight teams but has since expanded to 68 teams as of 2011, when the “First Four” games were introduced. There are two ways for teams to get into the NCAA Tournament: winning their conference tournament or receiving an at-large bid.

There are 32 conferences in Division I basketball, meaning 32 teams punch their ticket before “Selection Sunday,” completely avoiding the “sweat” of waiting to hear their name called. The remaining 36 teams are “at-large,” which is awarded for having a successful season and winning meaningful games.

Despite having not won a National Championship since 1995, the UCLA Bruins have the most titles of any college basketball team, with 11 titles. During his tenure, legendary UCLA head coach John Wooden won 10 National Championships with the Bruins. Kentucky (8), North Carolina (6), Duke (5), UConn (5), and Indiana (5) rank second through fourth (three-way tie), respectively. 

Past NCAA Tournament Winners

Listed below are the past 15 NCAA Tournament champions, starting with the most recent champions. Take a look.

How to Choose the Best Sportsbook for Betting on the NCAA Tournament

Several factors determine how to choose the best sportsbook for betting on the NCAA Tournament. First, you should always consider which sportsbook has the best odds for the bets you want to place. If you wish to place a number of bets during the NCAA Tournament, it might make sense to have multiple sportsbooks to ensure you get the best value possible.

Beyond finding out who has the best odds, you should also consider which sportsbooks offer the best welcome bonus, what their payment options are for depositing and withdrawing funds, the user interface of their apps, and much more!

The table below details some of the advantages of BetMGM, Caesars, and FanDuel. Check it out.

How to Read NCAA Tournament Winner Odds

Understanding odds can get confusing if you are newer to the betting scene. If a team’s betting odds have a minus in front of them, they are a favorite; if the betting odds have a plus in front, they are an underdog.

For example, if the Houston Cougars are -115 to make the Final Four, then they are considered a favorite (greater than 50% chance of making it). You would have to bet $115 to win $100.

However, if you are betting the Purdue Boilermakers to win the National Championship at +750, you would only have to bet $100 to win $750 because they are significant underdogs to win six consecutive games in the NCAA Tournament.