2025 March Madness Predictions, Odds: Duke, UConn Open As Favorites; Kentucky Among Early Picks
The Duke Blue Devils open as the favorites to win the 2025 NCAA Tournament, according to the March Madness 2025 odds released by our best March Madness betting sites ahead of Monday's national championship game.
Following UConn's victory in the 2024 NCAA Tournament, our best sports betting sites have wasted no time releasing the initial odds for March Madness 2025, and college basketball enthusiasts will immediately recognize the familiar names leading the odds board.
Fresh off their Elite Eight appearance in 2024, the Duke Blue Devils enter the new season with the shortest March Madness odds to capture the championship in 2025. They are trading between +1000 and +1200 across our best sports betting apps, implying a nearly 10% chance of Jon Scheyer guiding his team to their first title since 2015.
Meanwhile, UConn's odds of completing a remarkable three-peat range from +1400 to +1800. They hold the second spot on some boards but trail behind teams like Kansas, North Carolina, Alabama, and Houston in others. Purdue, trading as high as +3000, faces uncertainty with star center Zach Edey expected to declare for the NBA draft.
These early odds set the stage for what promises to be another thrilling college basketball season, filled with excitement and high-stakes matchups as teams vie for a shot at March Madness glory in 2025.
To accompany our Purdue vs. UConn prediction and other men's national championship expert picks, here's a look at the opening title odds for next season and our early 2025 March Madness predictions.
March Madness odds 2025
(Odds updated April 8)
| Team | DraftKings | FanDuel |
|---|---|---|
| Duke | +1000 | +1200 |
| UConn | +1400 | +1800 |
| North Carolina | +1400 | +1500 |
| Kansas | +1400 | +1200 |
| Houston | +1600 | +1500 |
| Arizona | +1600 | +2000 |
| Alabama | +1600 | +1500 |
| Baylor | +1800 | +3000 |
| Kentucky | +2000 | +2000 |
| Iowa State | +2200 | +4000 |
2025 March Madness favorites
Duke Blue Devils
Best odds: +1200 via FanDuel
Duke is bound to open as a favorite in any season, but next year's group is absolutely loaded and should be among the top contenders all campaign long.
The Blue Devils welcome the No. 1 recruiting class in the country in 2024, with top overall prospect Cooper Flagg leading the group. He's the clear favorite to be the first pick in the 2025 NBA Draft. He's one of five top-25 recruits making his way to Durham, and potential returning starters Jeremy Roach and Tyrese Proctor could join him.
Even if all of Duke's current starters head elsewhere next season, there will be no shortage of talent at Scheyer's disposal for 2024-25. The more significant question is whether this group will boast enough experience in an era that upperclassmen are dominating.
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UConn Huskies
Best odds: +1800 via FanDuel
It's hard to ignore this early price on Connecticut, which is one game away from securing back-to-back national titles.
The Huskies will likely lose potential NBA lottery picks Donovan Clingan and Stephon Castle, two key contributors to this current tournament run. But two stars in Jordan Hawkins and Adama Sanogo led the 2022-23 group, and their absences were hardly felt during UConn's dominant campaign.
To be clear, it's tough to continue to replace elite talent and return to the Final Four, let alone for three consecutive seasons. But if any coach can pull that off, it's Dan Hurley and the rest of this championship staff, which should have the team in the mix again.
At this price, I'll gladly take an early shot.
2025 March Madness long shots
Kentucky Wildcats
Best odds: +2000 via DraftKings
The most significant bombshell of the offseason cycle came fewer than 24 hours before the national championship when news broke that Kentucky head coach John Calipari would be taking the same position at Arkansas. Are we sure that hurts the Wildcats' chances of making a run in 2024-25?
While Calipari remains one of the nation's best recruiters, his team made it past the second round just once since 2019, including a 2024 first-round flameout. Now Kentucky's brass gets a chance to headhunt across college basketball for an elite coach to elevate a roster that could return top-tier talent in 2023-24.
Even if Calipari plucks a few prior commits from the Wildcats' second-ranked recruiting class, this team has already signed letters of intent with three top-50 recruits - including five-star center Jayden Quaintance. Kentucky also holds two hard commits from other top-25 players.
This Wildcats squad could be dangerous with the right coaching hire.
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Arkansas Razorbacks
Best odds: +4000 via FanDuel
From Calipari's old team to his new one, why not take a shot at 40/1 on one of college basketball's best salesman rebuilding a title contender on the fly?
Calipari has traditionally done much of his work on the recruiting trail, not via the transfer portal. But I wouldn't be surprised to see the former title-winning coach poach some of the top names in this year's portal during his first year in Fayetteville. He'll get plenty of opportunities to do so with just three scholarship players expected to return in 2024-25.
That isn't exactly a recipe for confidence as a bettor, and we've already highlighted Calipari's recent failings in March. At these odds, though, we're looking for a big swing as opposed to certainty. Few teams hold as much upside in this price range as the one that just made the boldest head coaching hire in years.
Iowa State Cyclones
Best odds: +4000 via FanDuel
It's hard to confidently project a team to continue success from year-to-year in college basketball. But I have a tough time with Iowa State getting relegated to fifth-tier contender status after the season the Cyclones produced in 2023-24.
Head coach T.J. Otzelberger was the mastermind behind the nation's top-ranked defense, which forced turnovers on a ridiculous 25.3% of opponents' possessions. That isn't a fluke, and it's the sort of defensive style and commitment that can define programs for years with the right combination of talent and buy-in.
You can never fully predict the transfer portal, but Iowa State should return its top four players from a group that won the Big-12 Tournament and made a push for a No. 1 seed in March Madness. It's hard to beat that at 40/1 odds.
Past March Madness winners
| Year | Team | Preseason odds |
|---|---|---|
| 2022-23 | UConn | +8000 |
| 2021-22 | Kansas | +1400 |
| 2020-21 | Baylor | +800 |
| 2019-20 | Cancelled | |
| 2018-19 | Virginia | +1350 |
| 2017-18 | Villanova | +2700 |
| 2016-17 | North Carolina | +1900 |
| 2015-16 | Villanova | +2500 |
| 2014-15 | Duke | +900 |
| 2013-14 | Connecticut | +6500 |
| 2012-13 | Louisville | +700 |
March Madness FAQs
Who is the March Madness 2025 favorite?
The Duke Blue Devils are the opening favorites to win the 2025 NCAA Tournament, with odds ranging from +1000 to +1200. Those odds imply a win probability between 7.69% and 9.09%.
Who won March Madness last year?
UConn defeated the San Diego State Aztecs 76-59 to win the 2023 NCAA Tournament.
Where will March Madness be next year?
The Final Four of the 2025 NCAA Tournament will be held April 5 and 7 at the Alamodome in San Antonio.
March Madness betting odds pages
Here are our best March Madness betting sites:
- Caesars Promo Code: SBRBONUS1000 | Read our Caesars Review
- BetMGM Bonus Code: SBRBONUS | Read our BetMGM Review
- bet365 Bonus Code: SBRBONUS | Read our bet365 Review
- BetRivers Promo Code: SBRBONUS | Read our BetRivers Review
- FanDuel Promo Code | Read our FanDuel Review
- DraftKings Promo Code | Read our DraftKings Review
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* Bonuses not applicable in Ontario.
Related pages
- Best Sports Betting Sites | Best Sportsbook Promos (U.S. only)
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