College Basketball Futures: Best Bets To Win Men’s National Championship (2024-25)
We're just one week away from the start of college basketball season, making it the perfect time to lock in futures bets for the year. With offseason transfers and coaching changes settled and the preseason AP poll offering a first look at top teams, excitement is building.
While UConn entered the 2022-23 season with long-shot +8000 odds to win the national championship, those odds shortened to +2000 as the season approached, with UConn aiming to become the first repeat champion since Florida in 2006-07. Notably, every men’s national champion since Baylor in 2020-21 opened with preseason odds of +1350 or higher.
Here's a look at the teams with the 10 best odds to win the 2024-25 Men's College Basketball national championship.
Best Bets To Win The Men’s College Basketball National Championship
(Odds courtesy of DraftKings Sportsbook)
| TEAM | ODDS |
| UConn | +900 |
| Kansas | +1000 |
| Duke | +1000 |
| Alabama | +1000 |
| Houston | +1500 |
| North Carolina | +1800 |
| Gonzaga | +1800 |
| Iowa State | +2200 |
| Baylor | +2500 |
| Arizona | +2500 |
Alabama (+1000)
Alabama is coming off its first Final Four appearance in school history, with Nate Oats' high-octane offense proving tough for opponents to contain over a full 40 minutes.
Leading the Crimson Tide is Player of the Year candidate Mark Sears, who averaged 21.3 points per game last season while shooting a career-best 50.8% from the field and 43.6% from beyond the arc.
While Alabama's offense earned much of the spotlight as KenPom's No. 1 team in adjusted offensive efficiency, their defense was equally impressive, ranking in the top 30 in adjusted defensive efficiency.
Returning all five starters from last year's deep tournament run, the Crimson Tide have a clear path to contend for the school's first national championship-without UConn's scoring juggernaut (1.37 points per possession in the Final Four) standing in their way this time.
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Houston (+1500)
While Alabama aims to ride a fast-paced offense to a national championship, Kelvin Sampson's Houston squad brings a slow-paced, half-court attack and consistently ranks among the country's top defensive teams.
Doubts loomed over Houston's Big 12 debut last season, but the Cougars responded with an impressive 32-5 record, including wins over Iowa State, Baylor and a 30-point home victory against Kansas.
Replacing Jamal Shead-KenPom's eighth-ranked player from last season-will be challenging, but it opens the door for backcourt teammates L.J. Cryer (15.5 ppg) and Emanuel Sharp (12.6 ppg) to step up and shine.
Few may remember that Houston led Duke 16-10 in last year's Sweet 16 before losing Shead to an ankle injury just 13 minutes into the game, leaving us to wonder how far the Cougars might have advanced.
Houston's brand of basketball may not be flashy, but it wins; with a 125-19 record over the last four seasons, this team has a strong chance to contend for the national championship this year.
Baylor (+2500)
While much of the freshman spotlight in college basketball centers on projected No. 1 NBA draft pick Cooper Flagg at Duke, Baylor’s VJ Edgecombe is flying largely under the radar. Edgecombe impressed for the Bahamas men's national team, averaging 20.5 points per game on stellar 58.3/42.9/90.9 shooting splits (FG%/3-pt pct/free-throw pct), showing he's ready to make an immediate impact at the collegiate level and elevate the Bears.
Unlike Flagg, Edgecombe won't face heavy pressure early in the season, thanks to Baylor's returning double-digit scorers Langston Love and Jayden Nunn. The Bears also benefit from high-impact transfers in former Duke point guard Jeremy Roach and Miami big man Norchad Omier.
With national championship-winning coach Scott Drew at the helm-and few coaches better at blending elite talent with veteran leadership, perhaps outside of Danny Hurley at UConn-Baylor has serious potential for a second title this year. Among teams with +2500 or longer odds, Baylor stands out as my favourite value play.
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Mike Spector is a featured writer at BettingPros. For more from Mike, check out his archive and follow him @MikeSpector01.