2025 Odds to Win March Madness: Duke Chasing Greatness in Final Four

The bracket is set, the NCAA tournament is underway and the odds to win March Madness are out. At Sportsbook, Duke are huge favorites to win March Madness followed closely by a strong group of SEC contenders.

Following Duke (+100) in the March Madness odds are: Florida at +290, Houston at +420 and Auburn at at +490 to round out the March Madness betting odds board.

2025 NCAA March Madness Odds 

All four 1-seeds have reached the Final Four for just the second time in NCAA Tournament history, and the first since 2008. According to BetMGM, the tournament has consistently gone in bettors' favor, with the favorites winning consistently. In fact, the chalk have dominated proceedings, going 51-13 SU through the tournament. Favorites finished a perfect 12-0 SU in the Sweet 16 and Elite Eight. Thus, sportsbooks are cheering against a Duke-Florida final. 

Duke Favorites to Win March Madness

Duke cruised through the 2024-25 season to the tune of a 30-3 record, falling only to then-No. 19 Kentucky, then-No. 1 Kansas and Clemson. Along that run, the Blue Devils also knocked off a very impressive Auburn squad 84-78 at Cameron Indoor Stadium. Duke then marched through the ACC Tournament, despite losing arguably the best player in the nation, Cooper Flagg, to injury in the quarterfinal.

When the bracket was released, it was clear the Blue Devils had a nice draw as the No. 1 seed in the fairly light East Region. Duke breezed through Mount Saint Mary's in the first round, and destroyed the Baylor Bears 89-66 in a second round game that seemed more like a practice for the Blue Devils. According to our friends at bet365, Duke remains the hottest ticket on the March Madness National Championship board. 

"You would love Cooper Flagg even more if you got to see him every day..

The way he goes about his business and the way that he competes like crazy..

He always takes full responsibility and he's one of one" ~ @JonScheyer #PMSLive pic.twitter.com/SyssNsdX3Q

— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) March 31, 2025

After a 30-point performance against Arizona and a dominate showing against Alabama, Flagg has helped his team clinch a spot in the Final Four. As one NBA scout put it this past week, opponents are going to have to play a "near perfect game" to take down this Duke squad. Tyrese Proctor is a lights out shooter, Khaman Malauch is a behemoth, and Cooper Flagg is a generational talent. Not to mention Kon Knueppel and the Blue Devils talented bench mob. The question now becomes, can any team challenge the Blue Devils? Bet against Duke at your own peril. 

A new challenge awaits in the stifling defense of the Houston Cougars. In case you missed it, Houston held the Tennessee Volunteers offense to just 15 first-half points. Even more impressively, this Houston team can shoot the basketball. Kelvin Sampson's squad knocked down 36% from three-point land, outrebounded the Vols and forced nine turnovers. Houston is a worthy championship finalist...if they were taking on any other team than the Blue Devils in the Final Four. 

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.