2025 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament Futures Odds: Will Cooper Flagg Be Ready To Help Duke Dance In March Madness?

Gene Clemons scours through the 2025 NCAA Tournament Men's Basketball Tournament bracket to determine the best futures odds.

For the past two seasons the Connecticut Huskies ruled the college basketball landscape. The allure of the NBA has finally taken a chunk out of their squad and reopened the landscape across the country. The SEC has risen, the Big 12 powers have shifted and an ACC blue blood is back at the top of the hoops world. The tournament is wide open this year on the men’s side, as they try to regain the national spotlight from the women’s tournament.

The top eight teams in the country all have a path to claim the title this year. There are probably another 15 teams that believe if they can get hot at the right time, they could make a run to San Antonio. It makes for some interesting wagers going into the Big Dance. Let’s take a look at the teams that should have a few pairs of dancing shoes packed, others who should keep a pair in the bag, and even a couple that may have a glass slipper in their back pocket.

March Madness Favorites

Duke +340 Champ, -140 Final Four on Draft Kings

The 2024-25 regular season was a race to the top, and when it was over the Blue Devils stood at the finish line as the No. 1 team in the country. They have multiple ways to beat a team and while they do have the odds-on favorite to win the Wooden Award in Cooper Flagg (-150), they proved they can be effective without him against their bitter rival North Carolina with a 74-71 victory in the ACC Tournament semifinal. Flagg seems to be trending toward playing in the tournament, and that is bad news for anyone in their path. They do not have a player in their top 12 scorers who measure less than 6-foot-5, they shoot the three, and they play sneaky-good defense. They can get hot and run an opponent off the court or they can systematically wear them down over the course of a game.

Houston +650 Champ, +140 Final Four on Draft Kings

Houston is the best defensive team in the country, period. The Cougars are more suffocating than Saran wrap on a potato in the microwave. They allow only 58.3 points per game. They pressure the ball handler. They play the passing lanes and they expand and contract the defense seamlessly based on the opponent’s strengths. They have made some of the best offensive teams in the country look like they can't score. This is nothing new for the Cougars, but what makes them more formidable this season is their improvements on offense. They have four players who score double digits, led by senior guard LJ Cryer’s 15.4 points per game. Their top three scorers shoot better than 40% from behind the arc. They are better equipped to get into a shootout than they have been in past seasons, but the defense is the calling card and they carry it proudly.

Invite Stealers

Tennessee +1200 Champ, +225 Final Four on DraftKings

It's amazing that a 27-6 record only gets you fourth place in the SEC, but that's how good the conference has been this season. Tennessee has beaten top competition this year, and just recently they beat Alabama at the beginning of March and Auburn in the SEC semifinal game. Senior guard Chaz Lanier’s 18.1 points per game leads four players in double-figure scoring for the Volunteers. All four of those players are seniors, which obviously matters a lot in the tournament. They have played a lot of high-level basketball in their time. They can score with the best teams, but they also play really good defense. In the last two seasons they have advanced to the Sweet 16 and Elite 8. This could be the season they get to the Final Four.

Alabama +1600 Champ, +330 Final Four on DraftKings

Alabama is the best-scoring team in the country. The Crimson Tide’s 91.4 points per game is five points better than the next-highest total. If you can't score with the Tide they will flood you with points. They have five players who score over 11 points per game, led by senior guard Mark Sears and his 19 points per game. Nothing has prepared the Tide for the tournament better than SEC play this season, but some of their players can still lean on the experience they gathered from last year’ tournament run. The question for them is can they play enough defense when it matters most. They will overwhelm teams in the first few rounds and after that confidence could lead them all the way to the Final Four.

St. John’s +2000 Champ, +400 Final Four on DraftKings

Rick Pitino has the Red Storm relevant again. It has been 25 years since St. John’s won 25 or more games. This team has three players who average double digits and another three who average 8 or more points. Five of those six players are upperclassmen, and those veterans have really imposed their will on the Big East. They have lost only four games by a total of 7 points. When the tournament starts, they have all the elements necessary to get to San Antonio. Veteran leaders, quality guard play, defensive length, and coaching. The Red Storm will be interesting to watch navigate March Madness.

Michigan State +2200 Champ, +500 Final Four on DraftKings

You know who he is and you know what he does. Longtime Spartans head coach Tom Izzo is a legend because he always prepares his teams for the tournament, even if it is at the cost of a better regular season. It doesn't matter where they are in the draw, they can touch the Final Four from anywhere in the tournament. They have made it there multiple times as a top seed, second, fifth, and seventh seed. If they are in the tournament, they are a danger. This season they take a full team approach to scoring. Seven players average over 7 points per game. In Izzo We Trust. Be on the lookout for Sparty.

Glass Slipper Status

Drake +25000 Champ, +7500 Final Four on DraftKings

The Bulldogs have been bounced from the tournament in the first round the last two seasons as the 12th and 10th seed. This season they have stepped up their performance even more, recording a 30-3 record in head coach Ben McCollum’s first season at the helm. What has been the catalyst for success? The defense. They are second only to Houston in scoring defense at 58.4 points per game. Junior guard Bennett Stirtz packs the offensive punch for the squad as they look to keep opponents off the board. A lot of teams will not be ready for this level of defensive pressure, and before they know it they can be buried underneath an insurmountable 12-point lead by Drake.