With the 2026 season underway, eyes are already on who will be cutting down the nets in April. After their recent 100+ point consecutive wins over Auburn and Gonzaga, the Michigan Wolverines are +650 to win the 2026 men’s national championship at Caesars. Following closely are Purdue Boilermakers (+700), Duke Blue Devils (+900) and the UConn Huskies (+1000).
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2026 NCAA March Madness Odds
| Teams | Odds |
|---|---|
| Michigan Wolverines | +450 |
| Arizona Wildcats | +700 |
| Connecticut Huskies | +900 |
| Duke Blue Devils | +900 |
| Iowa State Cyclones | +1000 |
| Purdue Boilermakers | +1000 |
| Gonzaga Bulldogs | +1500 |
| Houston Cougars | +1600 |
| BYU Cougars | +1800 |
| Florida Gators | +2000 |
Odds as of December 18th, 2025 10:58am EST. |
While Purdue also stayed undefeated through November (8-0 SU, 4-4 ATS), Michigan's early-season resume is more impressive; giving them a boost to jump over the Boilermakers at the top of the oddsboard. The Wolverines are a top-10 offense (93.7 PPG) while also being the best defensive rebounding team in the nation (34.8), highlighted by Yaxel Lendeborg (7.6 REB) and Morez Johnson Jr. (6.6 REB) tag-team effort.
Michigan wrapped up November with back-to-back neutral site wins over Auburn and Gonzaga, stripping the Bulldogs of their undefeated record.
Last 10 College Basketball National Champions
| Year | Team | Preseason Odds |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Florida | +4000 (18) |
| 2024 | UConn | +2000 (3) |
| 2023 | UConn | +8000 (28) |
| 2022 | Kansas | +1400 (7) |
| 2021 | Baylor | +800 (1) |
| 2019 | Virginia | +1350 (6) |
| 2018 | Villanova | +2700 (7) |
| 2017 | North Carolina | +1900 (8) |
| 2016 | Villanova | +2500 (10) |
| 2015 | Duke | +900 (4) |
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
| School | # Championships Won | Years |
|---|---|---|
| UCLA | 11 | 1964, 1965, 1967, 1968, 1969, 1970, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1995 |
| Kentucky | 8 | 1948, 1949, 1951, 1958, 1978, 1996, 1998, 2012 |
| UConn | 6 | 1999, 2004, 2011, 2014, 2023, 2024 |
| North Carolina | 6 | 1957, 1982, 1993, 2005, 2009, 2017 |
| Duke | 5 | 1991, 1992, 2001, 2010, 2015 |
| Indiana | 5 | 1940, 1953, 1976, 1981, 1987 |
| Kansas | 4 | 1952, 1988, 2008, 2022 |
| Villanova | 3 | 1985, 2016, 2018 |
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:
- Conference-wise, the Big East has been on a bit of a tear, claiming 4/10 of the last NCAA titles -- the ACC isn't far behind at three in the last ten, and a Big 12 team has won in the previous two-straight years.
- In the last three years, 12th seeds have had the 5th seeds' number in the first round -- they're 6-6 on the moneyline and 8-4 against the spread.
- Underdogs perform well in the first round, plain and simple. They're 122-97-2 ATS since 2015, and almost half of those teams finished those games with a straight-up win.
- Fading the public holds true in March Madness -- since 2016, teams that held 60% of spread bets have ended up going a cumulative 56-80-5 ATS.
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.
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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:
- Gonzaga +200
- Baylor +750
- Kansas +1000
- UCLA +2500
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.
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March Madness Bracket Odds FAQs
How is favored to win March Madness?
At FanDuel, Duke currently have the best odds to win March Madness.
Following Duke (+1000) in the Vegas odds to win March Madness are: Houston at +1200, Louisville at +1400 and Purdue at +1400.
Who is most likely to win March Madness?
The favorite to win and who is most likely to win are not always the same. Duke may be the favorite in the Vegas odds for March Madness, but they were also favorites in this year's Final Four before being upset by Houston.
Check out Odds Shark's March Madness bracket picks to find out who we think is most likely to win.
Where can I find NCAA basketball March Madness odds?
Right here at Odds Shark! We have all the college basketball odds you could need. Stay right here on our March Madness odds page to find out who has the best chances to win March Madness or go to our college basketball lines page to get individual march madness betting lines.
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