Duke remains title favorite after bracket reveal, Florida trails closely
Duke entered Selection Sunday as the national title favorite after winning the ACC Tournament. Auburn briefly jumped Duke as the favorite after Cooper Flagg injured his ankle during Thursday's quarterfinals and missed the final two games, but Flagg is expected to return for the NCAA Tournament, shifting the odds back in the Blue Devils' favor.
Florida, meanwhile, has won six straight games heading into the Big Dance, including the SEC Tournament final. The SEC is sending a record 14 of its 16 teams to the NCAA Tournament.
Auburn, the No. 1 overall seed, is trending in the opposite direction. It lost three of its last four games, leading to Florida moving slightly ahead of Auburn on the oddsboard.
Here's a complete look at the title odds on theScore Bet/ESPN Bet.
National Championship odds
| Team | Title odds |
|---|---|
| Duke | +300 |
| Florida | +450 |
| Auburn | +500 |
| Houston | +800 |
| Alabama | +1700 |
| Tennessee | +1800 |
| St John's | +2000 |
| Texas Tech | +2500 |
| Michigan State | +2500 |
| Iowa State | +4000 |
| Arizona | +5000 |
| Gonzaga | +5000 |
| Kentucky | +5000 |
| Maryland | +5000 |
| Wisconsin | +5000 |
| BYU | +6000 |
| Missouri | +6000 |
| Illinois | +7500 |
| Kansas | +7500 |
| Purdue | +7500 |
| Texas A&M | +7500 |
| Clemson | +10000 |
| UConn | +10000 |
| Creighton | +10000 |
| Memphis | +10000 |
| Michigan | +10000 |
| Ole Miss | +10000 |
The odds among the top teams remained relatively unchanged following the bracket reveal. Duke has a particularly easy path to the Elite Eight, where it could face Alabama, so it's unsurprising that the Blue Devils are still the favorite.
Despite being the top seed, Auburn has a difficult draw. It could face either Creighton or Louisville in the Round of 32 and is in a region with Michigan State, Iowa State, and Texas A&M.
Florida also has a challenging path to the Final Four. It could face defending back-to-back champion UConn in the Round of 32 and is in a region with St. John's, Maryland, and other high-pedigree programs. UConn opened the day at +5000 to win the title, but oddsmakers moved it to +10000 after seeing the Huskies' path.
Clemson also had much better odds (+6000) before its matchups were revealed. The Tigers are now +10000 after they were paired with McNeese State, a dangerous mid-major, in the opening round.
Iowa State's odds jumped from +2500 to +4000 after it was announced that it's in the same region as Auburn and Michigan State. Iowa State guard Keshon Gilbert will be out for the tournament.
Texas A&M saw a big shift in its odds (from +5000 to +7500). It's a 4-seed with an opening matchup against Yale and is on the same side of the bracket as Auburn.
Duke has garnered the most money and tickets to win the title with over 20% of national championship bets on the Blue Devils. Auburn, Florida, and Houston have each received around 10% of bets.
Sam Oshtry is a sports betting writer at theScore. You can follow him on X @soshtry for more betting coverage.