Who to Bet Right Now to Win 2026 March Madness

With college football now over, college sports bettors can turn their attention to the hardwood. The race toward March Madness is already underway and teams are now deep into their conference schedules. 

There are a number of teams that have been at or near the top of the AP Top 25 rankings this season. As we hit the midpoint of the season, the current betting market has a favorite. That would be Michigan. 

The Wolverines are 17-1 and pose problems for any opponent. They are elite at both ends of the floor, ranking No. 2 in KenPom Defensive Rating and No. 5 in Offensive Rating. The Wolverines have 5 Quadrant 1 victories (in five tries) and have a combined record of 13-1 in Quadrant 1 and 2 games.

That’s why Michigan is the overall March Madness betting favorite right now at odds of +425 at top sportsbooks. Are the Wolverines the best bet to win it all? Here is a breakdown of the best bets to win the 2025-26 NCAA men’s basketball tournament.

Be Cautious With The Wolverines

Michigan is definitely worthy of consideration, if you haven’t bet them already. This number will only get shorter as the season progresses. The Wolverines have 10 wins by 20-plus points and six more by at least 40. 

Coach Dusty May and Michigan are the first team in NCAA history to beat three different ranked opponents by 30-plus points by early January. They are a unique blend of size, talent, and defensive efficiency. 

That said, keep this in mind. Only two of the past 23 national champions were ranked No. 1 in the nation heading into the NCAA tournament. Even more shocking is this. Only 18 of the past 48 March Madness winners were ranked No. 1 at any point during the season. 

UConn has won four of the past 14 national titles. The Huskies were never ranked No. 1, not even for a single week, in three of those four seasons. As of Week 12 of the college basketball season, Michigan is not ranked No. 1 either. That honor belongs to … 

The Most Complete Choice

While Michigan is a juggernaut, the team with the most complete resume in the nation is Arizona. The Wildcats are the current (Week 12) No. 1 team in the nation. Arizona is a perfect 19-0. They have seven Quad 1 wins and have a roster full of future NBA talent.

It’s interesting that Arizona does not rely on the three-pointer like many modern teams do. The Wildcats rank near the bottom of Division I in three-point attempts, but they rank in the top-15 in scoring, averaging around 90 points per game. 

Like Michigan, Arizona plays great defense – they are No. 3 in KenPom’s Defensive Rating – and they are a top-5 offense (No. 4 in Offensive Rating). The Wildcats win games by an average of 21.6 points per game. That’s why they cover over 60 percent of the time. Arizona is 11-7-1 ATS this season.

The Wildcats are listed at +550 to win this year’s national title at Sportsbetting.ag. They’ve only played about a third of their Big 12 schedule. Remember, they’ve got ranked BYU and Kansas twice each as well as games against Houston, Texas Tech, and Iowa State remaining on the schedule.

Defense Wins Championships

Speaking of Houston, the Cougars, of course, are one of the leading contenders to win the national championship. Head coach Kelvin Sampson took over the program in 2014 and by 2017 the Cougars were a perennial NCAA tournament team. 

The Cougars were the national runner-up last year and they’ve been to five straight Sweet Sixteens. The reason why is simple. Defense.

Houston plays defense better than anyone in the country. In Week 12, Houston was ranked No. 2 in points allowed per game (60.1). They’ve held 11 of 18 opponents this season to 60 points or less. The offense is pretty efficient too. Houston ranks No. 19 in Offensive Rating, according to KenPom.

The Cougars are currently (Week 12) ranked No. 6 in the nation with a 17-1 record. The rest of the Big 12 schedule awaits, which includes five games against ranked opponents. Houston is given +1200 odds to win its first national championship in school history. 

The Blueblood Play

Is there ever a season when Duke isn’t among the top contenders to win a national championship? This year is no different. The Blue Devils are currently ranked No. 6 and got off to a great start in the 2025-26 season. Duke went 11-0 a one-point, 82-81, loss to a ranked Texas Tech team.

The Blue Devils are off to a 6-0 start in ACC play. Those wins include victories over ranked Louisville and SMU teams. There is plenty of basketball left to be played, but freshman Cam Boozer has been one of the best players in the nation and he has support from veteran guard Caleb Foster and Isaiah Evans, an elite shooter.

Duke is among the top-10 in Offensive and Defensive Rating according to KenPom. The Blue Devils have seven Quad 1 wins. Like Houston, Duke is given +1200 odds to win it all this season. Keep in mind, Duke has not been ranked No. 1 at any time this season. 

The Sleeper

It’s almost hard to call them a sleeper, but defending national champion Florida has flown under the radar for much of the 2025-26 season. The Gators were dominant a year ago, but they struggled for quite a while this season.

Now, the schedule had something to do with that. Florida is 4-4 in Quad 1 games with losses to No. 1 Arizona, No. 2 UConn, No. 5 Duke and tough losses to TCU and Missouri. Since the Gators two-point road loss to the Tigers, Florida is 5-0 and they’ve beaten three ranked teams, including then-No. 10 Vanderbilt.

The big issue was the guard play. Walter Clayton was the best point guard in the country last year. Boogie Fland and Xaivian Lee have just started to get it in head coach Todd Golden’s system. With the guard play improving, the Gators could surprise some teams deep in the tournament. Don’t forget, Florida has what is probably the best frontcourt in Division I basketball.

You can get the Gators at +1600 right now at BetOnline.ag. Florida has the chance to make even more noise with games against three ranked teams remaining. However, if you like the Gators to repeat, now is the time to pull the trigger. This number is only going to shorten as we get closer to March.