Doug GreenbergMar 20, 2026, 11:01 AM ET
After Duke's near first-round upset Thursday, the Blue Devils have fallen from +360 to +425 to win the national championship, putting them third on the odds board. That means that Arizona (+340) is the new title favorite, with Michigan (+370), who won but failed to cover 30.5 points against Howard, trailing right behind.
Houston (+950) and Illinois (18-1) both saw boosts to their future odds after favorite covers on the first day of action. Arkansas (50-1), Michigan State (50-1) and Gonzaga (55-1) also saw marginal improvements after they survived the round of 64.
All eyes will be on the favorites playing their first games on Friday. Reigning champion Florida lengthened slightly from +750 to +800 to make room for many of those aforementioned improvements, while Purdue and UConn (both 25-1) held pat as two of the most-backed teams in the futures markets; several sportsbooks count the Boilermakers and Huskies as two of their largest liabilities.
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