Sam Avellone
The field of 68 was announced on Sunday, which means March Madness is officially here! Over the next few days, millions of people will fill out their brackets and make their bets, in hopes of cashing in on the NCAA Tournament. We at Pickswise can help you with both of those tasks, as we will have plenty of content throughout the week from our favorite Cinderella picks to a full 68-team bracket guide. Before we get to that point, let’s take a look at the odds to cut down the nets in San Antonio and cap it off with a few early week best bets.
NCAA Men’s Basketball National Champion Odds
Odds courtesy of FanDuel at the time of publishing. Make sure to shop around for the best price before placing any future bet.
- Duke Blue Devils (+310)
- Florida Gators (+400)
- Auburn Tigers (+500)
- Houston Cougars (+700)
- Alabama Crimson Tide (+1900)
- Tennessee Volunteers (+2100)
- Texas Tech Red Raiders (+2400)
- Iowa State Cyclones (+3000)
- Michigan State Spartans (+3000)
- St. John’s Red Storm (+3200)
- Arizona Wildcats (+3700)
- Gonzaga Bulldogs (+4300)
- Kentucky Wildcats (+5500)
- Illinois Fighting Illini (+5500)
- Wisconsin Badgers (+6000)
- Maryland Terrapins (+7000)
- Missouri Tigers (+8000)
- Kansas Jayhawks (+8000)
- Purdue Boilermakers (+8500)
- Clemson Tigers (+10000)
- Texas A&M Aggies (+10000)
- BYU Cougars (+10000)
2025 College basketball national champion best bets
Florida Gators (+400)
In full disclosure, I bet the Gators back in December at a number 10 times this one. However, as I examine this bracket, I cannot help but think Florida’s path is not only manageable, but favorable for a deep postseason run. The SEC Champions are likely to be a popular pick given how well they finished the season, but it’s warranted. The Gators are 1st nationally in KenPom’s adjusted offensive efficiency and 10th on the defensive side. Moreover, they are 8th in offensive rebounding rate, as they have elite size in the front court with Alex Condon, Rueben Chinyelu and Micah Handlogten. That front court size pairs well with a highly-experienced starting back court that consists of 3 seniors – all of whom have NCAA Tournament experience. In fact, the Gators even have a guard with Final Four experience, as Alijah Martin was part of Florida Atlantic’s run to the NCAA Tournament semifinals just 2 seasons ago. Florida’s weakness is probably its team free throw percentage, but when you look deeper into the numbers, you will see that Martin, Walter Clayton, Will Richard and Thomas Haugh all shoot at least 73% from the charity stripe. Of all the #1 seeds, I feel Florida is the most balanced and most difficult to match up with, so if you are looking to place a future bet on one of the top seeds, I recommend the Florida Gators – who most notably have wins over Tennessee (twice), Auburn, Alabama (twice) and Missouri.
Tennessee Volunteers (+2100)
Of all the #2 seeds, Tennessee and Michigan State stood out as the most valuable. However, Tennessee gets the edge because of the amount of experience it has in its back court. The Volunteers are led by one of the best guards in the country in senior Zakai Zeigler, who earned all-SEC First Team honors again this season after being named the SEC Defensive Player of the Year in 2024. Zeigler mans the back court with senior transfer Chaz Lanier, who has performed well in the Dalton Knecht role of the offense this season – knocking down 40% of his 3-point attempts. Jahmai Mashack compliments Zeigler and Lanier perfectly as a lock-down perimeter defender, and Tennessee is set up nicely in the front court with a stretch big in Igor Milicic and a shot-blocking rebounder in Felix Okpara. The Volunteers are 3rd nationally in adjusted defensive efficiency with a top 20 mark on the offensive end, and they are 1 of the 30 best offensive rebounding teams in the country as well. Not to mention the fact that they are top 15 in Division 1 experience, which is one of the key characteristics I look for when picking a champion. Like Florida, this Tennessee squad has a favorable path to the Elite 8, and I think the Vols have as good of a chance as any team in their region to beat top-seeded Houston.
Wisconsin Badgers (+6000)
There aren’t many “longshots” that I like to go all the way this year, but Wisconsin’s price caught my eye. The Badgers are top 30 in offensive and defensive efficiency going into the NCAA Tournament, and they take great care of the ball – boasting a top 20 mark in turnover rate. This team loves to shoot 3s but can score from anywhere on the floor efficiently, including the free throw line – where they connect on a nation-leading 82.8% of their attempts. Wisconsin’s offense is operated by senior guards in Max Klesmit and Kamari McGee, and the Badgers have a microwave scorer in John Tonje that can heat up at any moment and go for 30. They also benefit from having versatile big men like Steven Crowl and Nolan Winter, who can step outside and hit perimeter shots. Their path is much more challenging than the aforementioned paths of Florida and Tennessee, but the Badgers profile as a sneaky candidate for a deep postseason run.
