2026 Odds to Win March Madness: Purdue Early Favorites

With the 2025 season in the books, eyes are already on 2026. Purdue stands as the early +1000 favorite to win the 2026 men’s national championship at Sportsbook.

Behind the Boilermakers is Duke (+1100), Houston (+1200), Louisville (+1600) and BYU (+1600). Florida, the defending champs, opens at +2500 with the loss of Walter Clayton Jr. affecting its odds.

2026 NCAA March Madness Odds

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purdue Favored to Win March Madness

Purdue made a solid run in last season's Big Dance, falling short to Houston in the Sweet 16. Ahead of the upcoming year, Matt Painter has plenty working in his favor. The Boilermakers are expected to return a trio of core players; Trey Kaufman-Renn, Braden Smith and Fletcher Loyer. 

The Boilermakers have bolstered their roster through the transfer portal, snagging 6-foot-11 Oscar Cluff. The senior averaged 12.8 rebounds per game, the second-most in the nation, and his rim protection will be valuable come next season. 

Purdue has the pieces in place. With a loaded roster and the 2026 Final Four in their backyard, the Boilermakers could be poised for another deep March Madness run.

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 college basketball las vegas 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 own 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 – even your coworkers and elderly neighbors are in a pool 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 the best March Madness betting sites!

Understanding The Odds To Win The College Basketball National Championship

If you’re interested in March Madness futures odds, 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 these college basketball 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.