The favorites have emerged a month away from Selection Sunday. Auburn, Duke, Houston and Alabama have staked their claim as teams to beat when March Madness arrives and men’s basketball teams begin the quest for a national championship in the 2025 NCAA tournament.
The path gets more clear this weekend when the NCAA tournament selection committee meets and then releases its top 16 seeds as of now. That will serve as the starting point for the bracket that ultimately emerges on March 16.
Between now and then, though, it’s the thick of conference play and there’s plenty of movement in the betting markets as everyone tries to calibrate what teams can win it all and what teams will fade under the bright lights of March Madness. Though Auburn and Duke are the favorites at the moment, each has lost a game in recent weeks and still face big tests before the postseason begins.
Here’s a look at where everything stands about a month out from Selection Sunday, including updated odds to win the national championship for the top contenders and odds to make the NCAA tournament for notable teams currently hovering near the March Madness bubble:
March Madness odds 2025: Best chances to win NCAA tournament
Most major betting outlets have pegged Auburn as the current national champion favorite, but only slightly ahead of Duke. Here’s a breakdown of the odds for all the top NCAA tournament contenders this year:
Odds as of Wednesday, Feb. 12 from BetMGM
- Auburn (+400)
- Duke (+425)
- Houston (+900)
- Alabama (+900)
- Florida (+1200)
- Tennessee (+1600)
- Iowa State (+1600)
- St. John’s (+2500)
- Kansas (+3000)
- UConn (+3000)
- Michigan State (+3000)
- Kentucky (+3500)
- Arizona (+3500)
- Purdue (+3500)
- Texas Tech (+3500)
- Texas A&M (+4000)
- Michigan (+5000)
- Illinois (+5000)
- Marquette (+5000)
- Gonzaga (+5000)
- Creighton (+6000)
- Maryland (+8000)
- Ole Miss (+8000)
- Missouri (+8000)
NCAA tournament bubble 2025: March Madness odds
Here’s a look at the odds to make the 2025 NCAA tournament for selected teams currently on the bubble with about a month to go until Selection Sunday:
Odds as of Wednesday, Feb. 12 from FanDuel Sportsbook
- Texas (-310)
- Oklahoma (-260)
- Georgia (-230)
- Vanderbilt (-220)
- SMU (-140)
- Arkansas (+120)
- Wake Forest (+135)
- Indiana (+270)
- North Carolina (+300)
- Kansas State (+500)
