March Madness Predictions: Auburn, Duke Setting Pace
- The 2024-25 March Madness odds have Auburn and Duke as the favorites.
- Two-time defending national champion UConn at -1400 in the championship odds.
- Bet $200 on NCAAB games, get a $450 risk-free bonus on your first time deposit!
It was quite the weekend with four ranked teams falling to unranked squads and several other title contenders flirting with danger. Baylor, North Carolina and Arizona all began the men’s college basketball season ranked in the top 10 in the national polls and aren’t even in the top 25 these days. Get ready for more of the same as conference play kicks into high gear.

The odds of winning March Madness will continue to change as an upset here or there can shake things up. When looking at futures odds, Auburn and Duke continue to set the pace in the national NCAAM championship odds. It doesn’t hurt that Duke freshman Cooper Flagg is coming off a 42-point performance.
Let’s take a look at where the contenders stand and who might be the pretenders in the race for the national title.
3 Betting Angles for March Madness
1. Games That Could Impact NCAAB Odds
There might be some who want to see what UCLA men’s basketball coach Mick Cronin does nex. Cronin questioned the toughness and passion of his players after one game and said he intentionally got himself ejected from the next game for the Bruins. While the road game against Rutgers might be the best of Monday’s games, the results don’t figure to impact the March Madness odds very much.
Things could get interesting on Tuesday when Mississippi State heads to face an Auburn team in contention for the top spot in the national polls. Auburn is 4-2-1 against the college basketball spread at home this season. The Texas A&M-Kentucky game is another SEC clash to watch.
Continue to watch for impressive conference road victories ! There were a few yesterday . Most impressive :@AlabamaMBBvictory in College Station over Texas A&M and@KentuckyMBB victory in Starksville over Miss. St . These experiences benifit you in@MarchMadnessMBB@CBSSports
— Jay Wright (@CoachJayWright)January 12, 2025
The focus turns to the Big 12 on Wednesday when Kansas plays at Iowa State and West Virginia is at Houston. Looking ahead to the weekend, Alabama-Kentucky might be the most compelling game of the week while Creighton at UConn features the teams picked to finish first and second in the Big East preseason poll.
Bet UConn (-1400) to Win the National Title
2. What About the Final Four Teams?
The 2023-24 college basketball season ended with UConn, Purdue, Alabama and North Carolina State advancing to the Final Four. UConn defeated Alabama and Purdue to win a second consecutive national title.
The four teams have had different journeys so far this season.
Alabama (+1400 in the championship odds) is coming off a road win against a ranked Texas A&M team as the Crimson Tide never trailed in the 94-88 victory. Mark Sears has scored at least 20 points in seven of his last eight games with three of those coming versus ranked teams.
UConn bounced back from a loss at Villanova by beating Georgetown to improve to 4-1 on the road. The Huskies are at +1400 in the BetUS March Madness odds after opening at +900.
Purdue lost three times in December as the Boilermakers had to learn how to play without reigning National Player of the Year Zach Edey. The Boilermakers have won five games in a row. However, the championship odds have moved from +4500 to +8000 since the start of the season.
North Carolina State was the biggest surprise among the Final Four teams and currently, the Wolfpack are tied for ninth in the ACC. NC State is well back at +12500 in the title-winning odds.
Bet Alabama (+1400) to Win the National Title
3. Who has Best ATS Numbers?
Most of the focus will be on the NCAA NET rankings and perhaps on the national polls when it comes time to finalize the March Madness bracket.
Since this is a betting site, let’s look at the title contenders with the best record against the NCAAB spread.
Florida is the team in the top 10 in the national championship odds that has the best record of 12-4 against the spread with Iowa State not far behind at 10-5, according to NCAAB betting trends.
condo 😤#GoGators | 📺ESPN pic.twitter.com/qkDJsxlY1E
— Florida Gators Men’s Basketball (@GatorsMBK) January 11, 2025
Gonzaga is on the other end of the spectrum with a 7-11 ATS record.
Rivals Michigan and Michigan State are not only in the top 25 in the March Madness championship odds, but both programs have covered in 11 of the first 16 games. North Carolina is just 6-11 against the college basketball odds and might only be in the top 25 in the title odds because of its proud history.
Bet Florida (+1400) to Win the National Title
Odds and information are accurate at the time of writing. Please check with official sources for the latest updates before placing any bets.
Questions of the Day
Which conference has the most teams in the top 25 in the odds of winning March Madness?
The SEC has six teams among the top 25 teams in the March Madness title odds.
Which teams from the Power-4 conference teams have had the most games land over the total this season?
SMU, Wisconsin and USC all have seen 11 games land over the total.