Get ready for March Madness! The 2025 men’s college basketball tournament is just around the corner. This upcoming weekend will feature conference tournaments which will provide bubble teams a last-gasp chance at securing a coveted at-large bid.
With the March Madness tournament tipping off in a week or so, Auburn and Duke are consensus favorites to win this year’s championship. Auburn had been the team to beat all season before losing two games in a row to end their regular season. Duke has looked unstoppable with a 24-1 clip over their last 25 games.
Auburn is still the outright favorite to win March Madness at BetMGM at +325 odds. Duke, led by lottery pick Cooper Flagg, is the second betting favorite at +350 odds according to BetMGM. The top five on the futures board is rounded out by Florida (+700), Houston (+750), and Alabama (+1000).
2025 MARCH MADNESS ODDS – TOP 10
Auburn +325
Duke +340
Florida +600
Houston +800
Alabama +1200
Tennessee +1500
Michigan State +2200
St. John’s +2500
Iowa State +2500
Kentucky +3500
Texas Tech +4000
UCONN is a two-time defending champion, and head coach Danny Hurley declined a chance to coach the Los Angeles Lakers. Hurley chose to stay in Connecticut much to the delight of students and alumni. UCONN had an erratic season with only one starter returning from last year’s championship team. The Huskies suffered nine losses but went 4-2 against ranked teams. You can back UCONN at +6000 odds to pull off a rare three-peat.
The Favorites: Duke, Auburn, Houston
Auburn looked like the team to beat all season after a 21-1 start. They tallied a couple of big conference wins against a top-heavy SEC and won 10 games against ranked schools. They recently suffered two late-season losses, including a thrilling overtime loss against Alabama last weekend. All four of their losses were against ranked teams: Duke, Florida, Texas A&M, and Bama.
The knock against head coach Bruce Pearl is that he cannot win big games in March Madness. Aside from one trip to the Final Four in 2019, Auburn has underperformed in the tournament in recent years with early round eliminations. Auburn has been near the top of the futures board all season, but they still hold on to a slight lead despite back-to-back losses.
After a slow start at 4-2, Duke won 16 games in a row under third-year head coach Jon Scheyer. After losing to Clemson in early February, Duke ended their regular season on an eight-game winning streak. Scheyer led Duke to an Elite Eight appearance last year before they were upset by N.C. State, who denied them a trip to the Final Four.
The ACC is not a powerful conference this season, so Duke does not have many conference victories against ranked opponents. They’re only 2-2 against ranked teams this year, which included a win against Auburn in December.
Duke is led by a pair of super-frosh: forward Cooper Flagg (19.4 points, 7.6 rebounds) is a projected #1 pick in the 2025 NBA Draft, and guard Kon Knueppel (13.7 ppg) is shooting nearly 40 percent from 3-point range.
Under head coach Kelvin Sampson, Houston advanced to the Sweet 16 five times in the last five tournaments including two trips to the Elite Eight and a Final Four berth in 2021. Houston is currently fourth on BetMGM‘s futures board at +800 odds.
Houston dominated the Big 12 this season with just one conference loss against Texas Tech. They went 4-3 against ranked teams and began the season with tough losses against Auburn and Alabama in November. They ended the regular season with a 10-game winning streak heading into the Big 12 conference tournament.
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More SEC: Florida, Bama, Tenn, Kentucky
Five schools from the SEC are listed in the Top 10 on the futures board. Auburn leads the way but there’s also Florida (+600), Alabama (+1200), Tennessee (+1500), and Kentucky (+3500).
Florida finished in second place in the SEC, and they were one of the few teams who defeated Auburn in a convincing road victory too. Florida went 5-2 against ranked teams. Senior guard Walter Clayton, Jr. (17.2 ppg) is a player to watch in the tournament.
Alabama is the top-scoring team in college basketball averaging 91.2 ppg, and senior guard Mark Sears averages 19.2 ppg. The high-octane squad was ranked as high as #2 in the nation before a 2-4 stretch late in the season. Bama’s last seven SEC games were all against ranked teams, but they ended the season on a high note with an exciting overtime victory against Auburn over the weekend. Bama had one of the toughest schedules in the country with 16 games against ranked teams, and they managed to squeak out 10 victories.
After beginning the season 14-0, Tennessee had a rough January with four brutal SEC losses. They finished the season with an 8-4 clip against ranked teams. Rick Barnes led Tennessee to the Sweet 16 in 2023 and the Vols made it to the Elite 8 in 2024. Can they keep their momentum going with a trip to this year’s Final Four?
Kentucky had an inconsistent season under first-year head coach Mark Pope. After an auspicious 14-3 start, Kentucky went 7-7 in their last 14 games. Kentucky posted an 8-4 record against ranked teams, but their win against Duke occurred in November.
Pitino and Izzo: A Case for Michigan State or St. John’s
You can never overlook the importance of a head coach with championship experience. Tom Izzo led Michigan State to a championship in 2000 and eight trips to the Final Four. Although the Big Ten lacks multiple elite teams this season compared to previous years, Michigan State is easily their best squad heading into the tournament. Izzo ended the regular season on an eight-game winning streak, with five victories against ranked foes including two big wins over heated rival, Michigan. Overall, Michigan State is 7-1 against ranked teams this season.
Rick Pitino was the first coach to lead three different schools to a Final Four berth, and he was the first coach to win March Madness with two different schools. After St. John’s clinched the Big East regular season title, Pitino became the first coach to lead five different schools to a conference title.
It’s been several decades since St. John’s glory days under beloved head coach Lou Carnesecca. In his second season with the Red Storm, Pitino helped put St. John’s back on the map. It’s been a very long time since a college from New York City fired up basketball lovers in Gotham.
St. John’s lost only four games this season, which were decided by seven total points. They were only 4-1 against ranked teams, which could deter a lot of bettors from backing them due to a softer schedule compared to other Top 10 teams. Junior guard RJ Luis, Jr. has recently made a name for himself with several key performances against the Big East’s elite teams. Keep an eye on Luis and the Johnnies.
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