Charlie Cummings breaks down the opening odds for the 2027 NCAA men’s basketball championship after Michigan cuts down the nets.
The buzzer has sounded. The nets are cut. Michigan is your 2026 NCAA men’s basketball champion. But as the confetti falls, we can already look to next season to get a jump on picking the next winner. The 2027 odds are live on DraftKings Sportsbook. Here is a look at some of the top contenders:
Duke, who lost in heartbreaking fashion in the Final Four, is the early leader in odds. Jon Scheyer’s program is looking to avenge back-to-back years of heartbreaking losses and has another massive recruiting class on the way. Dusty May’s program, fresh off the title win over UConn, comes in second. They’ve built extremely well through the transfer portal and will use that success to make up for their losses to the draft.
Florida, the 2025 champs, comes in third. Arizona, which many thought would cut down the nets this year, is in fourth. Then you have some blue-bloods with veteran coaches, including Michigan State and Kansas at +1600; a lot of the Jayhawks’ chances are riding on high school prospect Tyran Stokes’ decision. More well-coached teams follow them: Brad Underwood’s Illinois, Kelvin Sampson’s Houston, and John Calipari’s Arkansas. UConn, which nearly cut down the nets for the third time in four years on Monday night, is all the way down at +2000.
It’s a loaded 2027 field, and after an exciting March Madness in 2026, we are headed for even more electricity next season. Start picking your favorites now before the lines change.