Houston, Duke early wagering faves for 2026 title
The Houston Cougars may have experienced the disappointment of a lifetime when they blew a 12-point lead in the second half of the guys’s college basketball ending Monday night, however bookies think they’ll remain in contention to win it next season, taking on the team they upset in the Last Four.Duke is the
early preferred to win the 2026 NCAA males’s championship game, showing +1000 odds on ESPN BET. Houston is 2nd on the chances board at +1200, followed by UConn, which made a huge relocation in current days from +2000 to +1400.
Meanwhile, the reigning national champion Florida Gators, whose last national championship was the second part of a back-to-back in 2007, are +2500 to win again next season, tied for 12th on ESPN BET’s odds board. With Florida covering -1.5 on Monday night, favorites have now covered in three straight national championship games and 6 of the past eight, per ESPN Research.
Both Houston and Duke, who satisfied in the Last Four, are early betting favorites for the 2026 guys’s championship game. AP Photo/Eric Gay
Overall, NCAA tournament favorites had a historic run in 2025, winning 53 games outright to climax of 51 embeded in 2007. Some bookies see that as an aberration due for correction.
“I’ve been through times like this before,” DraftKings sportsbook director Johnny Avello informed ESPN. “It’s been among those seasons. It’s been favorite season and it’s taken place before. Now, does the NIL cash have something to do with it? Yeah, I guess somewhat, but I do not believe this is going to be a pattern that’s going to continue.”
Editor’s Picks
2 Associated
ESPN BET director of North American sports trading Adrian Horton tentatively stated, “It’s been a huge year for favorites, but it’s not the first time we’ve had an extremely chalky tournament.”
Other bookmakers are less sure. Caesars Sportsbook college basketball trader Patrick Berbert believes the 2022 competition, which saw the similarity FAU and San Diego State make go to the Final Four, might be the last of its kind for some time, with conference growth and realignment, the transfer website and NIL dictating that groups in the power conferences will only continue to get more powerful.To that point
, San Diego State is listed at 250-1 to win the 2026 championship game, while FAU is not even on the board. Gonzaga (+3000) is the only mid-major in the top 20. The next such group is Memphis at 200-1, connected for 51st on the odds board.
“Truthfully, I do think it’s going to be extremely chalky going forward,” he said. “You may start to see these favorites on the moneyline, they’re going to start to be a little heavier preferred, specifically in the earlier rounds compared to your conventional price that you typically get on a specific number just because it’s going to be easier competition for them per se. The players on the court are going to be a lot more dominant than the other team.”