The odds leaderboard for the 2025 NCAA Men’s Basketball Championship is still shifting. No. 1 Auburn is still the favorite (+325) at BetMGM, but some of the teams trailing the Tigers are gaining ground. Duke and Houston have the second and third best odds to win the National Championship. Both teams have improved their chances since late February and are looking to gain more momentum ahead conference tournament play and March Madness.
Duke was +425 last week but has jumped to +375 in the first week of March. The Blue Devils have rattled off seven straight victories since falling short against Clemson. They secured a 33-point home win against Wake Forest on Monday to kick off a new week behind 28 points, eight rebounds, seven assists, three blocks and a pair of steals from rookie phenom and Wooden Award frontrunner Cooper Flagg. The Blue Devils have stumbled here and there during the regular season but are looking to peak at the right time.
Then there’s Houston, who has improved their odds from +800 to +750 since last week. The Cougars extended their current winning streak to nine games with a six-point win over Kansas on Monday. The nation’s best defensive team has secured three ranked wins since losing to Texas Tech. Sportsbooks don’t view the Cougars as a major threat when compared to the aforementioned teams, but they are solidifying themselves in the hierarchy of college basketball.
Florida (+900) and Alabama (+1100) round out the top five on the odds leaderboard. Both teams have lost in the last 10 days, though. Auburn and Duke remain clear favorites and it doesn’t appear like anything will happen to change the landscape drastically ahead of the NCAA Tournament.
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