North Carolina

2025 March Madness odds: Duke, North Carolina open as early favorites

Published

2 years ago

April 9, 2024

2025 March Madness odds: Duke, North Carolina open as early favorites

Congratulations to the UConn Huskies on winning the 2024 NCAA men’s March Madness tournament by defeating the Purdue Boilermakers 75 to 60.

Monday night’s win meant that UConn was the last team standing in back-to-back seasons.

But as every bettor knows, it’s never too early to look at the odds for next season.

Immediately following the UConn-Purdue matchup, Duke and North Carolina opened atop the betting board as the favorites to win it all next year.

The Blue Devils’ odds opened at +1000, and the Tar Heels’ odds sit at second at +1400.

However, it’s worth noting that two other teams are tied with UNC at +1400 — the Kansas Jayhawks and then the reigning champion Huskies.

Will UConn make history and become only the second team ever to three-peat in the tournament?

Let’s take a full look at the early NCAA tournament betting board at DraftKings Sportsbook.

NCAA Men’s Tournament Winner 2025 odds:*

Duke: +1000 (bet $10 to win $110 total)
North Carolina: +1400 (bet $10 to win $150 total)
Kansas: +1400 (bet $10 to win $150 total)
UConn: +1400 (bet $10 to win $150 total)
Houston: +1600 (bet $10 to win $170 total)
Arizona: +1600 (bet $10 to win $170 total)
Alabama: +1600 (bet $10 to win $170 total)
Baylor: +1800 (bet $10 to win $190 total)
Kentucky: +2000 (bet $10 to win $210 total)
Iowa State: +2200 (bet $10 to win $230 total)
Gonzaga: +2500 (bet $10 to win $260 total)
Auburn: +2500 (bet $10 to win $260 total)
Purdue: +2800 (bet $10 to win $290 total)
Arkansas: +3000 (bet $10 to win $310 total)
Michigan State: +4000 (bet $10 to win $410 total)
Illinois: +4000 (bet $10 to win $410 total)
Texas: +4000 (bet $10 to win $410 total)
Tennessee: +4000 (bet $10 to win $410 total)
Miami Fl: +5000 (bet $10 to win $510 total)
Marquette: +5000 (bet $10 to win $510 total)
Creighton: +5000 (bet $10 to win $510 total)
Saint Marys: +6000 (bet $10 to win $610 total)
Saint Johns: +6000 (bet $10 to win $610 total)
Ohio State: +6000 (bet $10 to win $610 total)
Florida: +6000 (bet $10 to win $610 total)
BYU: +6000 (bet $10 to win $610 total)
UCLA: +6000 (bet $10 to win $610 total)
Michigan: +7000 (bet $10 to win $710 total)
Maryland: +7000 (bet $10 to win $710 total)
Wisconsin: +7000 (bet $10 to win $710 total)
Villanova: +7000 (bet $10 to win $710 total)
San Diego State: +8000 (bet $10 to win $810 total)
USC: +8000 (bet $10 to win $810 total)
Texas Tech: +8000 (bet $10 to win $810 total)
Missouri: +9000 (bet $10 to win $910 total)
Mississipi State: +9000 (bet $10 to win $910 total)
Memphis: +9000 (bet $10 to win $910 total)
Texas A&M: +9000 (bet $10 to win $910 total)
Oregon: +10000 (bet $10 to win $1,010 total)
LSU: +10000 (bet $10 to win $1,010 total)

*odds as of 4/8/2024

John Fanta’s way-too-early top 25 for the 2024-25 season

First on the oddsboard is Duke at +1000. The Blue Devils finished the year with a 27-9 record and exited the postseaon after getting bounced 76-64 by NC State in the Elite Eight.

FOX Sports college basketball broadcaster and reporter John Fanta ranked Duke No. 2 in his way-too-early top 25 rankings for next season. And according to him, fans and bettors need to have Duke-committ Cooper Flagg on their radars.

“The 17-year-old phenom is a fascinating prospect and in contention to be the No. 1 pick in the 2025 NBA Draft due to his versatility, defensive upside and wingspan,” Fanta wrote.

When it comes to the second team on the betting board, Fanta has the Heels 11th in his way-too-early rankings.

North Carolina’s season ended when Powder Blue faced the Crimson Tide in the Sweet 16. In that matchup, UNC fell 89-87 to Alabama.

The back-to-back champs, however, Fanta ranks at No. 1 on this list.

“We had the Huskies at No. 4 in our way-too-early top 25 last April after Dan Hurley said goodbye to Adama Sanogo, Andre Jackson and Jordan Hawkins. That didn’t seem to matter, which speaks to the blue blood Hurley has restored in Storrs.

“I’m not getting fooled again. Connecticut is No. 1 until further notice.”

Who are you backing to win next year’s NCAA men’s title? Follow FOX Sports for the latest!

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North Carolina

Former Madison County chief deputy in North Carolina custody after Arizona arrest

Published

6 hours ago

June 26, 2026

Press Room

Former Madison County chief deputy in North Carolina custody after Arizona arrest

AVERY COUNTY, N.C. (WLOS) — Former Madison County Sheriff’s Chief Deputy Bronis Coy Phillips was processed on Thursday, June 25, in a North Carolina county, according to court documents.

The warrants were served in Avery County on behalf of Madison County. He is now being held without bond, according to the court paperwork.

SBI ARRESTS FORMER MADISON CO. CHIEF DEPUTY FOR CRIMINAL ACTIVITY INVOLVING INMATES, STAFF

The North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation announced that Phillips was arrested on June 14 in Maricopa County, Arizona. He’s expected to face charges in N.C., as News 13 previously reported.

According to court records, Phillips faces multiple felony charges, including:

Furnishing controlled substances to inmates
Furnishing deadly weapons to inmates
Involuntary servitude
Two counts of assault with a firearm on a detention facility employee

COURT RECORDS REVEAL NEW DETAILS IN FORMER MADISON CO. CHIEF DEPUTY ARREST

He was also charged with two misdemeanors:

Furnishing alcoholic beverages to inmates
Furnishing tobacco products to inmates

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The NCSBI said the charges stem from an investigation into alleged criminal activity involving inmates and detention facility staff.

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North Carolina

NC State, UNC planning nonconference men’s basketball game this season

Published

16 hours ago

June 25, 2026

Press Room

NC State, UNC planning nonconference men’s basketball game this season

North Carolina and NC State, scheduled to meet just once in the men’s basketball regular season for the second consecutive season, are working to schedule a nonconference meeting in Greensboro in December, WRAL has learned.

The Atlantic Coast Conference rivals had played annual games in Raleigh and in Chapel Hill for more than 100 years before last season when the teams met just once in Raleigh. This season, the ACC scheduled just one meeting between the schools in Chapel Hill.

The additional meeting, which is not finalized, would be played Dec. 15 in Greensboro, according to a source.

The 18-team ACC moved from 20 conference games to 18 before last season in an attempt to improve the league’s NCAA Tournament credentials. It worked as the league received eight bids to the NCAA Tournament in 2026, but it also created some scheduling changes, including the elimination of a second game between NC State and UNC in most seasons.

The current conference schedule dictates that each school plays two teams twice (a primary partner and a variable partner), plays 14 teams once and misses one school altogether. In 2026-27, UNC will play Duke (primary) and Louisville (variable) twice and won’t play Clemson. NC State will play Wake Forest (primary) and California (variable) twice and won’t play Syracuse.

Greensboro was the longtime home of the conference office. The ACC men’s basketball tournament has been held at First Horizon Coliseum, formerly the Greensboro Coliseum, 29 times – the most in league history.

For decades, the ACC played a true round robin among its members — a format that became unworkable as the league grew to 12, 15 and, now, 18 basketball-playing schools.

State lawmakers have pursued various measures to force schools in the UNC System to play each other, citing the economic impact of such meetings. North Carolina and NC State are UNC System schools.

A 2024 bill would have required the two ACC schools to play each other and other in-state public universities in football and basketball. A 2025 bill, aimed at potential conference realignment, would have required that NC State and UNC play each annually in football, men’s and women’s basketball, baseball and softball. The Senate’s 2025 budget proposal would have required more basketball games between UNC, NC State and smaller schools across the state. The budget would have added UNC and NC State to the schools that receive annual distributions from sports betting tax revenue.

None of those measures have become law.

NC State and North Carolina have been conference mates since 1911, first in the South Atlantic Intercollegiate Athletic Association, then in the Southern Conference and now the ACC. Both have been members of the ACC since its 1953 founding.

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North Carolina

Great Horned Owl kills barn owl owlet on North Carolina Wildlife Live Cam

Published

1 day ago

June 25, 2026

Press Room

Great Horned Owl kills barn owl owlet on North Carolina Wildlife Live Cam

There is some sad news from the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission’s popular Barn Owl Live Cam.

Wildlife officials say a Great Horned Owl entered the barn Wednesday around midnight and killed one of the barn owl owlets. Biologists have not been able to determine which owlet was lost.

They have confirmed it was one of the three youngest birds in the nest. The Wildlife Commission says the incident is heartbreaking but also a natural part of life in the wild.

Great Horned Owls are one of the main predators of Barn Owls, and encounters between the two species do happen. The attack was captured on the live camera.

Officials say the video also shows an extremely rare moment when the adult female Barn Owl fought the Great Horned Owl on top of the nest box. Despite the loss, the surviving owlets are expected to continue growing over the coming weeks.

They will lose their fluffy down feathers, begin exploring outside the barn, and continue developing hunting skills.

The Wildlife Commission says some of the young owls could leave the nest as early as July.

After leaving the nest, they usually travel alone and may eventually move hundreds of miles from where they hatched. The Barn Owl Live Cam remains available for the public to watch.

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