- Houston (+900) is first after losing to Florida in the 2025 national championship.
- Duke (+1000) is second, as Cooper Flagg will likely leave for the NBA.
- UConn (+1400) is third after winning two of the last three national titles.
College basketball betting for the 2025 campaign is over. The Florida Gators beat the Houston Cougars 65-63 in the national championship.
Now, I’m turning my attention to the college basketball odds to win the national championship for 2026 at the BetMGM online sportsbook.
Below, I’ll examine the odds for the top six teams: Houston, Duke, UConn, Auburn, Purdue, and Louisville.
Prediction: Who Will Win the 2026 College Basketball National Championship?
The Houston Cougars are favoured to win the 2026 national championship at +900, followed by these teams:
- Duke (+1000)
- UConn (+1400)
- Auburn (+1800)
- Purdue (+1800)
- Louisville (+1800)
I predict the Duke Blue Devils will win the 2026 national championship.
There’s still a lot of roster building to be done, but even if they lose Cooper Flagg to the 2025 NBA Draft, they’re bringing in five-star forward Cameron Boozer, Carlos Boozer’s son, to help fill that void.
2026 NCAA Basketball National Championship Odds
| Team | Current Odds |
| Houston | +900 |
| Duke | +1000 |
| UConn | +1400 |
| Auburn | +1800 |
| Purdue | +1800 |
| Louisville | +1800 |
| BYU | +2000 |
| Kentucky | +2000 |
| Arkansas | +2000 |
| Kansas | +2000 |
| Alabama | +2000 |
| Florida | +2000 |
| Texas Tech | +2500 |
| Michigan | +2500 |
| St. John's | +2500 |
| Tennessee | +2500 |
| Michigan State | +3000 |
| Gonzaga | +3000 |
| Iowa State | +3000 |
College Basketball National Championship Favourites
Houston Cougars National Championship Odds +900
The Cougars lost in stunning fashion in the 2025 national championship game to Florida after Emanuel Sharp failed to put up a shot, let it go, and saw Florida dive on it to preserve the win.
Not only that, but the Cougars led the entire game except for a 17-second period, where Florida led 8-6 at the beginning.
Heading into 2026, the Cougars will be without LJ Cryer and potentially Milos Uzan. Uzan is a projected second-round pick in the 2025 NBA Draft.
Still, they’ll have Sharp and Joseph Tugler, and the Cougars are bringing in three top-20 prospects: Kingston Flemings, Isiah Harwell, and Chris Cenac Jr.
Kelvin Sampson will have his guys ready to compete with gritty defence again next season. Don’t count them out.
Duke Blue Devils National Championship Odds +1000
The Blue Devils lost to Houston in the Final Four and must rebuild for 2026. I expect them to lose Flagg, Khaman Maluach, and Kon Knueppel to the 2025 NBA Draft.
That said, they have an excellent incoming class with Cameron and Cayden Boozer, along with Nikolas Khamenia. We’ll also see more action from Caleb Foster and Maliq Brown.
Cameron Boozer may not be at the level of Flagg, but he’ll still be a dominating presence for this Jon Scheyer-led squad.
UConn Huskies National Championship Odds +1400
The Huskies gave Florida a scare in the Round of 32 but lost 77-75. Still, they won the 2023 and 2024 national championships.
Now, they look to 2026 with a reloaded roster.
I expect Liam McNeeley to leave for the NBA and be a top-15 pick or so, but will Alex Karaban leave? He’s a junior now and is probably closer to a second-round NBA Draft pick.
If he returns, that’ll help the Huskies immensely, putting him alongside Solo Ball, Georgia transfer Silas Demary Jr., Tarris Reed Jr., and incoming freshman Braylon Mullins.
Auburn Tigers National Championship Odds +1800
Johni Broome is out of eligibility, and it remains to be seen if Tahaad Pettiford will stick around.
If he stays, he’ll play alongside Chad Baker-Mazara (one more year of eligibility), Ja’Heim Hudson, UCF transfer Keyshawn Hall, and Abdul Bashir, a transfer from Casper College who averaged over 27 points per game.
This lineup would feature a lot of continuity for the Bruce Pearl-led squad coming off a Final Four loss to Florida.
Purdue Boilermakers National Championship Odds +1800
Of all the projected starting lineups in 2026, Purdue’s looks like one with the least turnover. I expect Braden Smith, C.J. Cox, Fletcher Loyer, and Trey Kaufman-Renn to return.
There is one intriguing addition, though, and that’s Oscar Cluff, a transfer from South Dakota State who averaged 17.6 points per game this past season.
Purdue lost in the Sweet 16, 62-60 to Houston.
Louisville Cardinals National Championship Odds +1800
The Louisville Cardinals will see an overhauled roster after losing in the Round of 64, 89-75 to Creighton.
They’ll have a top-10 prospect in Mikel Brown Jr. and will have incoming transfers in Isaac McKneely (Virginia) and Ryan Conwell (Xavier). We’ll also see more of J’Vonne Hadley and Kasean Pryor. Pryor averaged 12.0 points per game in the seven games he played.
Another incoming transfer is Adrian Wooley from Kennesaw State, who will be a great depth piece.
I’m also curious to see how Sanada Fru, the German native, does with this 2026 squad.
