The NCAA men’s basketball tournament is still a few months away. Still, it’s never too soon to start sorting through the potential contenders to cut down the nets in March.
This year’s Final Four will be held April 4-6 at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis.
With that in mind, here’s an early look at my March Madness best bets.
NCAAB National Championship Betting Odds
All college basketball odds used for these 2026 March Madness predictions are current as of Thursday, Jan. 22, and courtesy of DraftKings Sportsbook.
- Michigan (+400)
- Arizona (+550)
- UConn (+950)
- Houston (+1100)
- Purdue (+1200)
- Duke (+1300)
- Iowa State (+1400)
- Illinois (+1800)
- Florida (+1800)
- Gonzaga (+2000)
All other teams have odds of +2500 or longer.
Who Will Win March Madness 2025?
UConn (+950)
Second-ranked UConn (18-1) has already beaten BYU, Illinois, Kansas, Florida, and Texas. Two of those wins came on the road, too.
Meanwhile, the Huskies’ only loss — 71-67 to Arizona — was back in mid-November when Tarris Reed Jr. and Braylon Mullins were both out with injuries.
Dan Hurley’s team has won two of the last three national titles. Plenty can change over the next month, but if the Huskies can get healthy, they’ll roll through the Big East and position themselves for another deep run.
Enough so to make them my early March Madness winner pick and one of my best college basketball bets today.
NCAAB National Championship Contenders
Michigan (+400)
Nobody has utilized the transfer portal quite like Dusty May.
Yaxel Lendeborg (UAB) is trending to be an All-American, and Morez Johnson Jr. (Illinois) and Aday Mara (UCLA) are two of the country’s most efficient forwards.
Michigan (17-1) is No. 1 in the NET and leads all power conference teams in scoring margin (23.7), with six of its seven Big Ten wins coming by double digits.
The Wolverines (17-1) also beat Auburn by 30 and Gonzaga by 40.
Arizona (+550)
Arizona has earned every bit of its 19-0 start.
Ranked No. 1 in the AP poll, the Wildcats own arguably the best resume in the country with wins over UConn, Florida, Alabama, UCLA, Auburn, and San Diego State.
They have an experienced point guard in Jaden Bradley (78 career starts), a pair of instant-impact freshmen in Koa Peat and Brayden Burries, and a dynamic 7-foot-2 center in Motiejus Krivas, who scored a career-high 25 points with 12 rebounds in a win over Kansas State earlier this month.
NCAAB National Championship Sleeper Pick
BYU (+2500)
AJ Dybantsa is a one-and-done freshman who could be the No. 1 pick in June’s NBA Draft. He’s also the type of talent that, when teamed with Richie Saunders and Robert Wright III, could help orchestrate a deep March run.
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The Cougars are 16-2, and with upcoming games against Big 12 heavyweights Arizona, Kansas, Houston, and Iowa State, they will have every chance needed to bolster their resume for Selection Sunday.
At 25-1 March Madness odds, BYU is a formidable longshot.
Past NCAAB National Championship Winners
2025: Florida
2024: UConn
2023: UConn
2022: Kansas
2021: Baylor
2020: No Tournament because of COVID-19 Pandemic
2019: Virginia
2018: Villanova
2017: North Carolina
2016: Villanova
2015: Duke
