2026-27 Men’s National Title Odds: Duke Favored As Season Tips Off

The college basketball season is finally here, and the race for the national championship starts now.

Can Michigan defend its crown without its coach from a season ago, or will a new champion cut down the nets?

Let’s check out the odds to win the 2026-2027 NCAA Tournament at DraftKings Sportsbook as of November 2. 

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Duke: +550
Florida: +600
UConn: +1200
Illinois: +1400
Michigan State: +1800
Texas: +1900
Arizona: +2000
Louisville: +2300
St. John’s: +2450
Texas Tech: +2500
Arkansas: +2500
Tennessee: +2600
Houston: +2800
Kansas: +3000
Gonzaga: +3200
Kentucky: +3500
Virginia: +3500
Iowa State: +3700
Michigan: +4000
North Carolina: +4300

Here’s what to know about this oddsboard:

The Duke Blue Devils are the National Championship favorites at +550. (Photo by Lance King/Getty Images)

The Favorites: Duke has suffered heartbreak each of the past two seasons, losing in the Final Four two years ago and falling to UConn in dramatic fashion this past season. Still, the Blue Devils are favored to win it all this season. We know they lost No. 3 overall pick Cameron Boozer to the NBA, but who returns? Caleb Foster, Dame Sarr and Patrick Ngongba II are back as Duke has plenty of familiar faces returning, along with one of the nation’s top transfers in former Wisconsin guard John Blackwell. Last year, Blackwell averaged 19.1 PPG, 5.1 RPG and 2.3 APG and was the only player in Big Ten history with at least 650 points, 95 made 3-pointers and 150 made free throws in a single season. Add freshman big man Joaquim Boumtje Boumtje to that projected starting five, and it’s easy to see why the Blue Devils sit atop the championship oddsboard at +550. 

The Michigan Wolverines are +4000 to repeat as National Champions (Photo by Ben Solomon/NCAA Photos via Getty Images).

The Defending Champs: Michigan put together one of the most dominant seasons in program history under Dusty May, finishing 37-3 and setting a school record for wins a year ago. The Wolverines went 19-1 in Big Ten play, setting a conference record for league wins, before winning the Big Ten Tournament and their first national championship since 1989. But plenty has changed since Michigan cut down the nets. May left to coach the Dallas Mavericks, and the Wolverines’ title odds have lengthened from +600 in April to +4000, outside the top 10 on the oddsboard. New head coach Mike Boynton Jr. inherits a championship backcourt of Elliot Cadeau and Trey McKenney, along with several incoming transfers. Still, Michigan has major holes to fill after losing Yaxel Lendeborg, Morez Johnson Jr. and Aday Mara. Lendeborg is already averaging 22.7 points per game through the first few weeks of his NBA career.