College Basketball

March Madness 2025 Odds: Duke Favored To Win The National Championship

Anthony Cardenas Sports Editor

Published18 Mar 2025

Disclosure

We publish independently audited content meeting strict editorial standards. While our content features sponsored links, from which we may earn a commission, this does not influence our recommendations.

The First Four round is well underway for March Madness 2025, meaning that the tournament of 64 teams is right around the corner. It is the biggest betting event on the sports calendar on a yearly basis, and Americans are projected to wager more than $3.1 billion during this year’s action.

Which schools have the shortest odds when it comes to winning the national championship come early April?

No.1 Seeds Look To Dominate March Madness 2025

The top four seeds are in a tier of their own. The selection committee has pegged the Auburn Tigers as the top team in the field, followed by the trio of Duke, Houston, and Florida. They are the only teams that have national championship odds better than +2000, proving that the sportsbooks are high on the no.1 seeds this year.

But despite Auburn being the top overall team, it is the Duke Blue Devils who are favored to win it all. On the eve of the March Madness tournament, they are listed with a +320 designation, better than Auburn’s +400. There is a team in between them, even, as Florida is coming in at +380. Houston has the “longest” odds of any of the top-4, sitting at +600.

There is a 68% chance a 1-seed wins the tournament this year, using tourney odds at https://t.co/cegyfz96ax.

Duke – 24.7%
Houston – 15.4%
Florida – 15.1%
Auburn – 13.1%

— Evan Miyakawa (@EvanMiya) March 17, 2025

If you’re a bettor who believes that one of the lower seeds has a good shot at pulling off an upset, there are some good value bets to be had. Alabama and Tennessee are both 2-seeds and are both listed at +2200, meaning that a $100 bet on either would win $2,200. One of the hottest teams all season has been St. John’s, who are listed back at +2800 as a 2-seed themselves.

The UConn Huskies, who have won each of the last two national championships, are listed all the way back at +8000. Last year’s runner-up in Purdue is coming in with a designation of +11000 ($100 to win $11,000).

The first round of March Madness 2025 will kick off on Thursday morning.