Top 5 Conferences to Watch in March Madness 2025
These Five Conferences Are the Ones to Beat in a March Madness Set to Deliver Fireworks
The Favorites to Dominate March Madness
February goes by so fast that March Madness 2025 will be here before you know it. Things are shaping up for a great men’s college basketball tournament as the top teams all have multiple losses and several could realistically emerge as the champions this season.
But which college basketball conference odds do you like the most? We rank the Power 5 with the top March Madness conferences that you should strongly consider for your NCAAB picks and predictions in the coming weeks.

5. Big East: Losing the Title?
While UConn has represented the Big East well with back-to-back titles, the betting odds for the three-peat are down to roughly 1.5% (+6500 at BetUS). You still might trust them over any other Big East team to go on a March run, but conference play has not been kind to the Huskies.
Rick Pitino isn’t wasting any time 😤
The Red Storm are currently ranked No. 10 in the AP Top 25 and lead the Big East Conference.
(via St. John’s Red Storm/YT) pic.twitter.com/bGWlNLhSck
— SportsCenter NEXT (@SCNext) February 19, 2025
Meanwhile, St. John’s is 14-2 in the Big East and the only conference team ranked in the top 15 nationally this week. Still, their title odds are only +3000.
4. Big Ten: Sleeper Conference?
If you want to watch a conference that could have a great tournament in early March, then the Big Ten is a strong choice. The Big Ten lacks any elite teams but it is filled with solid teams like Wisconsin, Michigan, Michigan State, Purdue, and Maryland.
That’s fitting since Purdue (No. 14) was the highest-ranked preseason team in the Big Ten, and the Big Ten currently has the teams ranked No. 11-14.
Maybe the Maryland Terrapins (+5000 at BetUS) can be an underdog to watch in March with a top 20 efficiency ranking on both sides of the court as all five starters average at least 12.0 points per game.
Setting the nationwide standard. 💯 pic.twitter.com/CSfeJsOTHR
— Maryland Men’s Basketball (@TerrapinHoops) February 21, 2025
3. Big 12: Is This the Year?
The Big 12 won the last two championships (2021 Baylor and 2022 Kansas) before this UConn run in 2023-24. Could 2025 be the return to championship glory for this conference?
The Big 12 is not as deep as the Big Ten, but it has three teams in the top nine to follow No. 5 Houston, No. 8 Iowa State, and No. 9 Texas Tech. You also can’t forget about Kansas (+5000) with center Hunter Dickinson.
The Rematch You’ve All Been Waiting For!
The 2024 Phillips 66 Big 12 Men’s Basketball Championship Rematch between #8 Iowa State vs. #5 Houston is on ESPN at 2 PM EST Tomorrow!
Who You Got?? Let Us Know Below⬇️#Big12MBB | @Big12Conference pic.twitter.com/nnK1YOd1bm
— Big 12 Studios (@big12studios) February 21, 2025
Houston (+900 at BetUS March Madness odds) is a legit contender with a 22-4 record and the best defense in the nation. The Cougars are 21-0 when they hold opponents under 70 points, and three of their four losses were in overtime. Coach Kevin Sampson is still seeking his first championship.
2. ACC: Duke or Bust?
We’re not pretending that the ACC is deep or that teams like Louisville or Clemson should be feared in the tournament. But if you’re ranking it on which conference is most likely to produce the 2025 champion, then the ACC is No. 2 because of the 3rd-ranked Duke Blue Devils (+450 at BetUS).
CLEMSON TAKES DOWN NO. 2 DUKE 😤 pic.twitter.com/y5eDllPfud
— ESPN (@espn) February 9, 2025
Led by a great player in Cooper Flagg, Duke (23-3) has lost once since Thanksgiving and is the only team in the country winning by an average margin of over 20.0 points per game. Their SRS, which adjusts for strength of schedule, is No. 2 out of all schools.
1. SEC: Too Dominant?
How dominant is the SEC? They have five of the top seven teams in the polls this week, including No. 1 Auburn, which has the best March Madness odds (+330) to win it all this year.
1️⃣ pic.twitter.com/8lWDRkoLzb
— Auburn Basketball (@AuburnMBB) January 13, 2025
But Florida (+850) and Alabama (+900) are close behind. Still, you have to give Auburn (24-2)’s elite offense the edge for now, but several SEC teams are fully capable of going the distance in March (and April).
March Madness is almost here! From the ACC to the Big Ten, bet on your favorite teams with BetUS.