UConn three-peat? Duke, Kansas favored to win national title ahead of Huskies

UConn entered this season as the favorite to win the national title and delivered with a dominant second consecutive championship. The Huskies are not far from the top of the odds list to win a third title in a row, but Duke and Kansas opened as the favorites on BetMGM to win the 2025 title.

The Blue Devils and Jayhawks are both +1100 to win it all. UConn is right behind at +1200. Houston is fourth at +1400.

After winning the 2023 title, the Huskies opened at +1200 to win the 2024 title. They shared the top spot with Duke and Kentucky. While both of those teams had solid regular seasons, and Duke made the Elite Eight, UConn quickly emerged as the clear favorite to win it all as the season progressed. The Huskies were minus odds to win it all before the Final Four.

UConn is already the first back-to-back champ since 2007 and now has a chance to pull off the first three-peat since UCLA won seven in a row from 1967-1973. Coach Dan Hurley will have plenty to replace, though. Dominant center Donovan Clingan and freshman Stephon Castle will likely go pro. Both are expected to be first-round picks in the NBA Draft. Tristen Newton, the Most Outstanding Player of this NCAA Tournament, and Cam Spencer, the team’s second-leading scorer, will depart as fifth-year seniors. With all those players leaving, it shows great confidence in Hurley to still have UConn that high, although defending champions are never far from the top of the odds.

Meanwhile, Duke likely loses Kyle Filipowski to the draft but brings in top recruits Cooper Flagg and Khaman Maluach and is expected to return Jeremy Roach. The Blue Devils are the No. 1 team in CJ Moore and Sam Vecenie’s way-too-early top 25 for next season. The pressure is always on at Duke, but big things will be expected from Jon Scheyer’s third year.

Kansas is always in the mix as a perennial power under Bill Self and entered this season ranked No. 1. Injuries left the Jayhawks with a shorthanded roster by March, and it showed, but Hunter Dickinson is expected to return and Self added Zeke Mayo from the transfer portal. Mayo was the Summit League Player of the Year at South Dakota State and led the Jackrabbits to the NCAA Tournament.

The rest of the top 10 is filled will blue bloods, as always. Kentucky, North Carolina and Baylor are all +1800. Alabama and Arizona are +2000.

2025 men’s college basketball national title odds

(Photo of Jon Scheyer: Lance King / Getty Images)