Elite teams dominated college basketball’s regular season as the four No. 1 seeds in the 2026 NCAA Tournament boast a considerable advantage over the rest of the field.

The latest national championship winner odds among sportsbooks put Michigan, Duke and Arizona near each other at the top of the board with defending national champion Florida coming in right behind them.

Despite the top-heavy nature of the 2025-26 season, the NCAA Tournament still features plenty of dangerous secondary contenders among No. 2 and 3 seeds following conference tournament week. Big Ten tournament champion Purdue and SEC tournament champion Arkansas were the big risers of championship week entering March Madness.

NCAA men’s championship winner oddsMichigan the favorite among four strong No. 1 seeds

Despite its Big Ten tournament championship loss to Purdue, the Michigan Wolverines remain atop the odds, coming in at +325 at BetMGM. Sitting tied for eighth in preseason title odds at +1600, the Wolverines dominated the Big Ten regular season to win the league by four full games.

Although Michigan is trying to figure out its backcourt rotation after a late-season-ending injury to backup point guard L.J. Cason, the Wolverines received a solid draw as the No. 1 seed in the Midwest.

The Duke Blue Devils secured the top overall seed in the NCAA Tournament after their ACC conference tournament victory, and are right on Michigan’s heels at +333 to win it all at BetMGM. With a difficult draw in the East Region, Duke could potentially face No. 4 seed Kansas or No. 5 seed St. John’s in the Sweet 16. The opposite side of the region features No. 2 seed Connecticut and No. 3 seed Michigan State. The Blue Devils are also facing injury to starting guard Caleb Foster, which could play a major factor in later rounds.

Maintaining the top seed in the West Region, the Arizona Wildcats (+425) used a 23-0 start on their way to winning the Big 12. The West Region gives Arizona not only a geographic advantage with homecourt advantage but also the tournament’s lowest top-four seed total. Purdue was considered the worst No. 2 seed, and Arkansas was the worst No. 4 seed among the committee’s overall seeding.

The committee didn’t do the Florida Gators (+600) many favors by making them the No. 1 seed in the South Region. Falling to Vanderbilt in the SEC tournament semifinals snapped the Gators’ 12-game winning streak and gave them the best No. 2 seed in Houston. To make matters worse, Houston is the host city of the South Regional finals, giving the Cougars the potential local advantage if the two teams meet in the Elite Eight in a rematch of the 2025 national title game.

Houston leads weakened second tier of title contenders

Thanks to the strong crop of No. 1 seeds, which boasts the reigning national champions and three other juggernauts, the secondary tier of title teams looks weaker this season compared to many previous tournaments.

As defending national runner-up, the Houston Cougars (+1000) still garner strong title consideration as the No. 2 seed from the South Region. Even after a loss to Arizona in the Big 12 tournament title game, Houston is the only non-No. 1 seed to maintain a top-15 offense and defense on KenPom.

Following a puzzling loss to Marquette to close out the regular season, the Connecticut Huskies (+1800) were blown out in the Big East conference title game by the St. John’s Red Storm (+6600). As the No. 2 seed in the East Region, UConn received a difficult draw, getting the top overall seed, Duke, as a potential Elite Eight matchup.

The Iowa State Cyclones (+1900) lost a memorable Big 12 semifinal matchup to Arizona in a game that featured incredible shotmaking. Among the top nine title contenders on BetMGM’s national championship winner odds, the Cyclones are the only roster without a McDonald’s All-American. Iowa State hopes to join only four national title winners without a Burger Boy as the No. 2 seed in the Midwest.

Boasting the nation’s No. 1 offense according to KenPom, the Illinois Fighting Illini (+2000) come into the big dance facing tournament question marks after several recent second-half collapses. Illinois blew a 15-point second-half lead to Wisconsin in the Big Ten tournament quarterfinals after a string of blown double-digit leads, which many pundits say caused it to fall to a No. 3 seed.

Fun tidbit: Illinois is the only No. 3 seed with better title odds than a No. 2 seed entering the tournament.

Purdue and Arkansas make a push among long shots after tournament titles

Selection Sunday featured a pair of conference tournament champions rising up the national title odds picture.

Preseason favorites on BetMGM at +800 odds, the Purdue Boilermakers dropped to +5000 before their unlikely Big Ten tournament title run boosted them. The team currently sits at +3000 to win it all. Fueled by the nation’s No. 2 offense, the Boilermakers knocked off Nebraska, UCLA and Michigan to close out an incredible week in Chicago. In the process, Purdue became a No. 2 seed in the West Region among a winnable draw filled with inconsistent teams.

As Purdue point guard Braden Smith closes in on Bobby Hurley’s NCAA Division I career assist record during March Madness, the veteran Boilermakers are a dangerous group. Purdue now finds itself ninth on the national title oddsboard by jumping ahead of the Kansas Jayhawks (+4000) — the No. 4 seed in the East Region.

There’s another team raising eyebrows as they come into the madness. The Arkansas Razorbacks (+5000), who won the SEC conference tournament for the first time in 26 years, elevated considerably from previous +6600 odds. Dropping all the way to +8000 odds in February, Arkansas is 5-0 during March and gaining momentum in a hurry as a late-rising No. 4 seed in the West Region. The team is led by star freshman guard Darius Acuff Jr., who has skyrocketed up NBA Draft boards after his scorching play over the last month.

Arkansas is tied for 11th in title odds with the Michigan State Spartans (+5000), a No. 3 seed in the East Region.