Men’s March Madness 2025-26 odds: How tournament favorites have seen title chances change

The truth is, no one knows who will win this year’s men’s NCAA tournament. There really isn’t an overwhelming favorite. At the top of the odds board are several familiar faces. Duke is favored to win it all at almost every major sportsbook, and in the mix are Michigan, Arizona, Florida, Houston and UConn. With that, let’s take a look at how the NCAA Tournament championship odds are trending throughout the season at BetMGM Sportsbook, as well as what you need to know about how each team’s odds are trending this season. This page may contain affiliate links to legal sports betting partners. If you register or place a bet, FOX Sports may be compensated. Learn more about sports betting on FOX Sports. At the start At the start of the season, Houston (+900) led the rankings, followed by Duke (+1000), Purdue (+1400) and UConn (+1400). Auburn was at +1800 and defending champion Florida was tied with a host of teams at +2000, including Kansas, Kentucky, Arkansas and BYU. Duke Blue Devils Opening NCAA Title Odds: +1000Current NCAA Title Odds: +300 What you need to know: Duke opened the season second in the standings and enters the tournament at the top. Despite missing two key players in the ACC Tournament, the Blue Devils still prevailed and won the title. Duke also has arguably the biggest win of the season, a neutral-court win over Michigan. Duke has lost twice this season by a total of five points. After reaching the Final Four with another fabulous freshman last season (Cooper Flagg), can Duke do the same with Cameron Boozer this season? And go even further? He last won it at the end of the 2014-15 season. The Blue Devils bring in 10% of tickets and 10% of handles at BetMGM. Michigan Wolverines Opening NCAA title odds: +2500Current NCAA title odds: +350 What you need to know: Michigan spent much of the season atop the title odds chart, but now sits in second place, just one notch behind the Blue Devils. The Wolverines led the rankings at +700 on December 1 and remained favorites until February 2, when Arizona took over. Michigan last appeared in the title game at the end of the 2017-18 season, losing to Villanova. The Wolverines’ three losses this season came by a total of 16 points. They have the highest ticket percentage (12%) and highest handle percentage (14.8%) at BetMGM. Arizona Wildcats Opening NCAA Title Odds: +4000Current NCAA Title Odds: +400 What you need to know: The Wildcats have made the biggest leap forward since the start of the season thus far. As mentioned, they became title favorites the week of February 2, remained favorites for two weeks, and have been at the top of the odds chart ever since. Arizona started the season 23-0, suffered two Big 12 losses by a total of seven points, then finished the season with nine straight wins. He is responsible for 8% of tickets and 11.9% of handle at BetMGM. The Wildcats last won the title at the end of the 1996-97 season. Florida Gators Opening NCAA Title Odds: +2000 Current NCAA Title Odds: +650 What you need to know: The defending champions have had an interesting odds run this season. They started the season at +2000 but came out at +3000 at the beginning of January. Then, from that point on, the Gators’ odds have declined every week thus far, entering the tournament with the fourth-shortest odds to win it all. UConn is the last school to win the title back-to-back in 2023 and 2024. Before that, Florida did so in 2006 and 2007. Houston Cougars Opening NCAA Title Odds: +900 Current NCAA Title Odds: +900 What you need to know: The Cougars are right back where they started. And that could bode well for Houston if this year’s Tournament follows the same trend. Houston advanced to the national title game last season, losing by two to the Gators. Brutal. The last team to lose in the championship game and then win the championship the following season was North Carolina, which accomplished the feat in 2017 after losing in 2016. Houston has never won a national title. UConn Huskies Opening NCAA Title Odds: +1400Current NCAA Title Odds: +2200 What You Need to Know: The Huskies, as mentioned, are the last team to go back-to-back, and it was Florida that ended the three-peat last season, before winning it all. This season, UConn lost to Arizona by four and beat Florida by four. However, its regular season ended on a sour note, losing to St. John’s by 20 in the Big East championship game.