2025 NCAAM Tournament Predictions, Picks, Odds: Best Bets to Win College Basketball Championship Before March Madness Bracket Selection

Before you know it, the 2025 NCAAM Tournament will be here - three weeks of nearly non-stop action to whittle down 68 contenders into one champion.

Dimers is cranking out profitable betting opportunities in college basketball every day and as we race towards the 2025 NCAAM Tournament, bettors are eagerly looking for some early value to invest in who will win the this year's tournament.

While the vast majority of teams aren't true contenders, there are still hundreds of teams with odds to win the championship before we narrow down to the 68 teams that will compete in the bracket. 

This means there's some value out there for eagle-eyed bettors, or at least some teams worth a look before their odds could shorten up drastically, and that's what we're looking at in this article.

Bet on the NCAAM Tournament with Dimers Pro

Don't miss a single beat of the NCAAM Basketball Tournament in March with our full suite of Dimers Pro betting tools.

The Best CBB Bets, valuable CBB Player Props, March Madness Predictions, player prop trends, bracket insights and more, all at your fingertips from the First Four to the final buzzer of the Championship Game.

With proven results and reliable data-backed insights, Dimers Pro gives you unrivaled access to every bet, every game, every day - all for less than $1/day.

Access 195 bets, including a 14% edge

Get Dimers Pro

Who Will Win the 2025 NCAAM Championship?

We're still weeks away from the teams dancing in March en route to a shot at the 2025 NCAAM Championship, but that doesn't mean we're sitting on the bench while we wait for the end of the regular season.

The conference championship tournaments can have major repercussions for the championship odds on the books, and that's before the finalized bracket on Selection Sunday reveals the path to a title for all 68 teams.

Dimers' Top 5 projected winners of the 2025 NCAAM Tournament.

Below, we highlight a pair of team from three tiers of contenders - the Favorites, the Mid-Range Values and the Longshots. These are not necessarily our picks to win, but an analysis of each team's probability relative to similarly-priced teams on the sportsbooks.

Let's dig in.

The Favorites

Auburn Tigers (+370)

The No.1 team in the country is unsurprisingly the favorite on the sportsbooks and according to the Dimers model, though it's closer than the odds would suggest (more on that below).

Auburn made a statement win over in-state rival Alabama over the weekend, holding their claim on the top spot for the sixth-straight week and forcing Alabama to slip two spots in the AP Top 25 rankings.

The Tigers have the fourth-highest ranked scoring offense and a top 5 average win margin of +16.7 points, losing just two games this year - Duke and Florida (both who you'll find in this article).

Led by senior Forward Johnni Broome (18.1 PTS, 10.9 REB per game), the Tigers are in the driver's seat for the title after failing to get past the second round in three straight years after their one-point loss in the 2019 Final Four, including 2024's first-round upset at the hands of No. 13 Yale.

As the +370 favorite, the Dimers model projects Auburn with a 147% probability to win it all this season. Unfortunately, that means you want odds of +580 or better to back them with value, while the best you can get is +370 on DraftKings (21.3% implied probability). 

Duke Blue Devils (+400)

The second top contender we'll look at is one of just two teams who managed to topple the mighty Auburn Tigers this year, the Duke Blue Devils.

Since dropping two of their first six games, both to ranked opponents Kentucky (then #19) and Kansas (then #1), Duke has lost just once, to unranked Clemson a couple of weeks ago.

Duke has the likely No. 1 overall pick, Cooper Flagg, running the floor - he leads the team in Points, Rebounds, Assists, Steals and Blocks (per game), resulting in the single best winning margin (+20.2) in all of college hops. Their emphasis on ball security, (4th in assists:turnover ratio) and lockdown defense, ranked fourth in the country, makes it hard for anyone to stay in a game with the Blue Devils.

They're our second-most likely champion as of now, at a 13.2% probability to win the Championship. However, like Auburn, it's impossible to get a fair price on Duke right now, with their best odds of +400 suggesting a 20.0% probability to win it all, while you should be looking for fair odds of +650 or longer, which simply won't happen for a team this good.

The Mid-Range Value

Florida Gators (+2000)

The second (and only other team) to beat Auburn this season, the Florida Gators are a solid mid-range play for bettors looking to diversify some championship winners before the tournament.

The Gators boast a top-10 scoring offense and a rebounding machine, picking up the third-most boards compared to their opponent per game rank of 144th. Missing shots is okay if you're consistently getting second chances and taking away your opponents'. Seniors Alijah Martin and Walter Clayton spearhead this offense, giving them plenty of experience running the floor. 

Florida hasn't won a title since their back-to-back run in the 2005-06 and 2006-07 seasons under head coach Billy Donovan and haven't been to an Elite Eight since 2017, but could that change this season?

DimersBOT gives them a 4.7% chance - sounds small but it's the fifth-highest out of all teams right now and implies fair odd of +2025, practically right in line with the +2000 on the books. 

If they're not in a bracket with Alabama or Duke, these odds could shorten up, making them easily the best value out of the Top 10 teams. 

Need more reason to see this as a value? You can't find Florida longer than +1000 on most books, with DraftKings offering the best odds at +2000.

St. John's Red Storm (+4500)

First place in the Big East? Check.

Ranked in the Top 10? Check.

Top 25 defense? Check.

There's a whole lot going right for St. John's this year and it may just translate into some great value before the NCAAM tournament.

The Red Storm are winning games like they never have before under Head Coach Rick Pitino. After last year's beast season since 2018-19 in Pitino's first year with the program, St. John's has their best record in decades, just four losses to this point.

They've beaten their last three ranked opponents, all in just the past two weeks, and look like a prime team to make a run in the tournament behind a proven head coach with plenty of March Madness pedigree.

Our model projects St. John's with a 2.0% probability to win the title, making fair odds of +4900. While you can't find that price, you can get them at +4500, almost right in line with our model and a price that would plummet if they can make it to the Sweet Sixteen.

St. John's to Win NCAA tournament

+4500

Bet $10
Payout $460Bet $10, Payout $460

The Longshots

Connecticut Huskies (+6500)

UCONN had hopes of a threepeat behind the electric and animated fan-favorite HC Dan Hurley, but the season has not been one that suggests that trajectory.

It was reasonably expected - the Huskies saw four players drafted in the 2024 NBA Draft - Stephon Castle and Donovan Clingan in the first round and Tristen Newton and Cam Spencer in the second.

That's left Alex Karaban as the reigning senior presence while the team develops Solo Ball and Liam McNeely, who have emerged as the team's offensive funnel.

They were preseason betting favorites at +900, and are now outside the Top 25 and fourth in the Big East - UCONN isn't even leading the pack in their conference.

Despite this, the Huskies have the historical presence many teams clamor for in the NCAAM tournament. They'll be in the tournament and Hurley can dial up the gameplan matchups needed, one opponent at a time.

DimersBOT gives UCONN a 1.4% probability to win it all, which is small, but when you compare their odds to other teams within a half percent of their same probability, you'll see they have the best price and while 1.4% implies we want odd of +7000 or better, this is about as close as you'll find, especially when you consider they are as low as +3500 on DraftKings.

Wisconsin Badgers (+10000)

For our final highlight, we're going way long in the odds, of which there are many teams.

Wisconsin happens to stand out in the tournament predictions from our model, even with their 1.0% probability to win it all.

However, they get odds of +10000 which is right in line with that probability, something you don't often see at these longshot odds - it's hard enough to find value on the books as it is, but they tend to shave some extra value off these longshots to avoid 1) major payouts and b) people don't often look too closely this far down the board.

Just look at the Huskies above - only .4% separates their probability from Wisconsin, but they're at just +6500. In fact, no team between 2.0% and 1.0% is even better than +7500, until you get to Wisconsin at +10000.

They've got a Top 25 scoring offense, though their 109th-ranked defense will be their biggest problem - worth a shot at +10000 though? We say so.

Get 20% off Dimers Pro with code 20BASKETBALL

Get Dimers Pro

Dimers' College Basketball Betting Resources for the 2024-25 Season

• CBB Predictions: Our data-backed previews for every game, every day
• CBB Best Bets: Our Top Picks for every individual matchup
• Best CBB Props: Player edges and projections from our predictive analytics model
• CBB Futures Odds: Who will win the 2025 March Madness Tournament?
• CBB Betting News: The latest promos, storylines and more around the league

Responsible Gambling

Remember to please gamble responsibly. If you sense that you're taking your luck too far, know when to call it quits and don't be afraid to seek assistance. Keep in mind that gambling is all about having a fantastic experience! If you or someone you know is grappling with gambling issues, reach out to 1-800-GAMBLER for crisis counseling and support.