Duke is the No. 1 overall seed in the 2026 NCAA tournament but did not open as the favorite after the 68-team was revealed
The Blue Devils were at +333 at BetMGM after the bracket was revealed Sunday. That was second behind Michigan at +325 and ahead of fellow No. 1 seeds Arizona at +425 and Florida at +600.
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But things quickly changed Sunday evening. As bettors started to make their post-Selection Sunday wagers, Duke became the favorite at +300 and Michigan moved to +350.
[Enter Yahoo Bracket Mayhem now | Printable bracket]
As of late Sunday evening, Arizona is at +400 and the Gators are at +650.
Duke beat Michigan 68-63 on Feb. 21 in Washington as the Blue Devils got an opportunity to play at Capital One Arena before the NCAA tournament. As the top seed in the East region, Duke will play in D.C. if it wins its first and second-round games. Cameron Boozer had 18 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists in that matchup.
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But there’s a strong case to be made that Michigan got a more favorable draw to the Final Four on Selection Sunday. Duke has UConn, Michigan State, Kansas and St. John’s in its region. Michigan drew Iowa State, Virginia, Arkansas and Texas Tech as the other four top seeds in the region.
Since Michigan is the No. 2 overall seed, the two teams would not meet until the national championship game.
Arizona is the top seed in the West and has Big Ten tournament champion Purdue as its No. 2 seed and Gonzaga as the No. 3 seed. The Wildcats won both the Big 12 regular-season and tournament titles after taking down Houston in the conference championship game Saturday.
The Cougars are the No. 5 favorite at 10-1 and could be favored if they play Florida in the Elite Eight. Houston is the No. 2 seed in the South region, but would have a significant home-court advantage against the Gators if they met ahead of the Final Four. The South region’s final games are in Houston at the Toyota Center and just a few miles from the University of Houston campus.
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Here’s a list of the favorites for the national title now that the bracket has been finalized.
2026 NCAA men’s tournament favorites