The 2026-27 college basketball season tips off this Sunday in Rome, Italy, when Notre Dame and Villanova clash in Southern Europe.
asserted
Dame → tip → Europe
The next day, the rest of the field joins the fun, with season openers starting as early as 3 a.m. and running until midnight.
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openers → join → midnight
As expected, the top four teams in the AP preseason top 25 lead the odds board for national title winner on BetMGM.
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teams → expect → BetMGM
No. 2 Duke (+600), No. 1 Florida (+600), No. 4 Connecticut (11/1), and No. 3 Illinois (12/1) start the season as the quartet of teams to beat in college basketball.
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Duke → start → basketball
Though the Big Dance remains months out, plenty of hoops junkies are tired of mindless box-score graphics cluttering their feeds and overblown hot takes reacting to warm-up exhibitions.
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plenty → remain → exhibitions
Now, let’s dive into the top 10 teams’ odds to cut down the nets in the Motor City come April, and pick three worthy teams to wager on now or as the season progresses.
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season → let → teams
2026-27 NCAA Championship winner odds
| Team | Odds |
|---|---|
| Duke | +600 |
| Florida | +600 |
| Connecticut | 11/1 |
| Illinois | 12/1 |
| Michigan State | 18/1 |
| Texas | 18/1 |
| Louisville | 20/1 |
| Arizona | 20/1 |
| Houston | 25/1 |
| Tennessee | 25/1 |
Tom Izzo’s Michigan State squad and Texas fill out the top five at 18/1 apiece.
asserted
squad → fill → 18/1
Meanwhile, Louisville (20/1) and preseason Big-12 favorite Arizona (20/1) sit just behind, followed closely by Houston (25/1) and Tennessee (25/1), rounding out the top 10 futures board.
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Louisville → sit → board
2026-27 NCAA Championship winner predictions
Connecticut (+1250, DraftKings)
Dan Hurley and the Huskies are no strangers to March, having won or finished as runners-up in three of the last four NCAA title games.
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Hurley → win → games
While Alex Karaban and Tarris Reed are gone, UConn welcomes back sharpshooter Braylon Mullins and lead guard Silas Demary Jr., along with Duke transfer Nikolas Khamenia and former Seton Hall big Na’jai Hines.
asserted
UConn → go → Khamenia
The Huskies rolled to a 3-0 mark in preseason exhibition action, picking up victories over Michigan State in East Lansing and taking down Purdue.
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Huskies → roll → Purdue
With fresh talent filling out the roster, Connecticut seems poised to challenge Rick Pitino’s St. John’s squad for the top of the Big East once again.
asserted
Connecticut → fill → East
Kansas (30/1, BetMGM)
Bill Self bid farewell to Darryn Peterson, but the Jayhawks quickly reloaded by landing top-tier prospects Tyran Stokes and Taylen Kinney, mirroring Arizona’s freshmen duo of Brayden Burries and Koa Peat from last season.
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Jayhawks → bid → season
Stokes arrived as the Big 12 preseason Freshman of the Year and is the consensus favorite to be selected first overall in next year’s NBA Draft.
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favorite → arrive → Draft
With Tre White and Melvin Council Jr. returning, plus portal additions Trey Kaufman-Renn (Purdue/Timberwolves), Leroy Blyden Jr. (Toledo), and Keanu Dawes (Utah), Kansas has an ideal mix of seasoned talent and explosive youth.
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Kansas → return → talent
This depth gives Self a realistic shot at advancing well beyond the second weekend of the Tournament and possibly contending for a championship.
uncertain
depth → give → championship
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Vanderbilt (45/1, FanDuel)
It’s a long shot, but Mark Byington and the Commodores started 16-0 last season, climbed to No. 10 in the AP Poll, and earned a No. 5 seed in the Dance.
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Byington → get → Dance
They also have one of college basketball’s best floor generals in Tyler Tanner, who returned after flirting with the NBA.
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who → have → NBA
Byington also hit the portal, bringing in 7-footer Bangot Dak from Colorado to bolster Vandy’s interior defense and Ace Glass from Washington State to complement Tanner in the backcourt.
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Byington → hit → backcourt
Five-star recruit Gabe Nesmith also joins the fold.
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Nesmith → join → fold
Despite finishing fourth in the preseason SEC rankings behind Texas, Florida, and Alabama, Vandy opened at No. 13 in KenPom’s preseason rankings.
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Vandy → finish → rankings
Mike Turay is a sports journalist and editor who closely follows the NBA, NFL, college sports and UFC.
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who → follow → NBA
He has demonstrated expertise in both NBA and NFL player prop bets for nearly three years.
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He → demonstrate → years
Mike is also highly knowledgeable about the sportsbook offer landscape, frequently trying and reviewing the latest apps and sites.
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Mike → try → apps
The Aporia
