The field for the men’s and women’s NCAA Tournament has been set, so who is cutting down the nets?
That’s the very question that college basketball fans have been analyzing since Selection Sunday, as they sit at the kitchen table (or on the couch) and make their March Madness brackets, where they hope to be the first-ever person to have a perfect bracket.
With still a few days to go until first-round games begin, oddsmakers appear to have made their picks of who will be crowned 2024-25 national champions.
On the men’s side, Cooper Flagg and Duke basketball are tied with Walter Clayton Jr. and Florida for the best odds of winning the national championship on BetMGM — which isn’t all too surprising as the Blue Devils and Gators not only earned a No. 1 seed but have been two of the best teams in college basketball this year. But, No. 1 seed has won March Madness just 25 times in men’s tournament’s history.
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As for the women’s side, it’s a little less crowded as South Carolina is in sole possession of having the best odds, which could mean the Gamecocks repeat as national champions.
The Final Four for the men’s NCAA Tournament is set to take place on Saturday, April 5 and Monday, April 7 in San Antonio at the Alamodome; while the women’s Final Four will take place on Friday, April 4 and Sunday, April 6 in Tampa, Florida.
Here’s what you need to know about who is favored to win the national championship in for the men’s and women’s NCAA Tournaments:
National championship odds for men’s March Madness
Odds courtesy of BetMGM as of Tuesday, March 18
Behind Duke and Florida is Auburn, which has the third-best odds on BetMGM, at +425.
The Tigers having the third-best odds of cutting down the nets in San Antonio is intriguing on many levels, perhaps most notably because they’ve been the top-ranked team in the country for much of the regular season. Auburn, who has the best odds of making the Final Four on BetMGM at -140 odds, has not only lost three of its last four but hasn’t won a national championship.
Houston and Tennessee follow Auburn to round out the top five best odds to win the title heading into the tournament. Rick Pitino and St. John’s aren’t too far behind the Vols, with the Red Storm ahead of Alabama for sixth-best odds.
Here’s a breakdown of which programs have the top 10 best odds of winning the men’s NCAA Tournament championship:
- T-1. Duke (+350)
- T-1. Florida (+350)
- 3. Auburn (+425)
- 4. Houston (+625)
- 5. Houston (+625)
- 6. Alabama (+1600)
- 7. Tennessee (+1800)
- T-8. Michigan State (+2500)
- T-8. St. John’s (+2500)
- T-10. Iowa State (+3500)
- T-10. Texas Tech (+3500)
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National championship odds for women’s March Madness
Odds courtesy of BetMGM as of Tuesday, March 18
Behind South Carolina and rounding out the top three are UConn and UCLA, who have odds of +240 and +525 respectively on BetMGM.
The Huskies are a fascinating team heading into the women’s NCAA Tournament, as Paige Bueckers, Azzi Fudd and Co. appear to be only peaking at the right time of the year despite being one of the top teams in the country all season. UConn has not won a national championship since 2016.
Led by Lauren Betts, a contender for National Player of the Year, and Kiki Rice, UCLA enters March Madness looking for its first-ever national championship title in program history.
Here’s a breakdown of which programs have the top 10 best odds of winning the Final Four in the women’s NCAA Tournament:
- 1. South Carolina (+225)
- 2. UConn (+240)
- 3. UCLA (+525)
- T-4. Texas (+700)
- T-4. USC (+700)
- 6. Notre Dame (+900)
- 7. NC State (+3500)
- T-8. LSU (+5000)
- T-8. Duke (+5000)
- T-8. TCU (+5000)
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