2025 College Basketball betting report: Duke title means $50k for bettor

March Madness odds are obviously huge for the games themselves, particularly on opening weekend. The first two days, March 20-21, will see 32 games roll out, with betting opportunities aplenty.

But many bettors already have action on the NCAA Tournament, by way of March Madness futures odds. Or better still, futures parlay tickets.

How would you like to be sitting on a three-leg parlay to pocket nearly $50,000, needing only a Duke championship to close out that bet?

Read on for more on that wager and other notable NCAA Tournament bets.

Terrific Ticket

During football season, a FanDuel Sportsbook customer was prescient enough to put together this $85 three-leg parlay:

• Ohio State +300 to win the College Football Playoff
• Philadelphia Eagles +1000 to win the Super Bowl
• Duke +1200 to win March Madness

Add those three up, and you’ve got odds of +57100, or in more digestible terms, 571/1.

Ohio State took care of the first leg, beating Notre Dame 34-23 on Jan. 20 to win the CFP. Three weeks later, on Feb. 9, the Eagles rolled over the Kansas City Chiefs 40-22 in the Super Bowl.

Now, with the NCAA Tournament just days away, all that remains is Duke making a title run. And as good fortune would have it, the Blue Devils are actually the co-favorite in FanDuel’s odds to win the whole thing.

Duke and Auburn are both +350 to win it all. The only looming issue: Blue Devils star freshman Cooper Flagg turned his ankle in the ACC Tournament quarterfinals. 

Flagg’s status isn’t certain yet, but to get to the finish line, Duke likely needs the Player of the Year candidate healthy.

If Flagg and the Blue Devils lift the trophy on April 7 in San Antonio, then that $85 parlay turns a profit of $48,535. 

That’s some pretty decent ROI.

Built For The Futures

There are also countless straight bets on championship futures in March Madness odds. DraftKings Sportsbook is sitting on a couple tickets that would pay out six figures — if either of those teams can get there.

A customer put $1,000 on Wisconsin +11000 (110/1) to win the NCAA Tournament. If the Badgers make a surprising run, then the bettor profits $110,000. 

At the moment, Wisconsin is +6500.

Tennessee is among the favorites to win the national title, currently the +1800 sixth choice at DraftKings. Months ago, a DK customer put $2,500 on the Vols at +5000.

That bet stands to profit a hefty $125,000 if Tennessee can win it all. The Vols are currently the +1800 sixth choice at DraftKings.

Other notable bets in DraftKings’ NCAA Tournament futures odds:

• $2,453 Michigan State +3500, to win $85,855 (total payout $88,308)
• $1,000 UConn +7500, to win $75,000 (total payout $76,000).
• $4,000 Florida +1500, to win $60,000 (total payout $64,000)
• $5,000 Alabama +1100, to win $55,000 (total payout $60,000)
• $6,000 Auburn +600, to win $36,000 (total payout $42,000)

At DraftKings, Auburn is now the +350 favorite in March Madness championship odds. So that’s a pretty good ticket to have. Florida is the +700 co-third choice, along with Houston, and Alabama is the +1100 fifth choice at DraftKings.

UConn is the two-time defending national champion but had a much rougher season than expected, as those 75/1 odds suggest. Still, the Huskies are practically locks to make the NCAA Tournament, and anything can happen from there.

Michigan State is very much in the mix. The Spartans are currently the +2200 co-seventh choice in DraftKings’ NCAA Tournament title odds.

Hail Caesars

Caesars Sports also has a few customers looking to cash out big on March Madness futures bets. Way back on June 27, a customer put $10,000 on Houston +2200.

Now, Caesars has Houston as the +700 fourth choice. If the Cougars cut down the nets in April, then the customer profits a healthy $220,000 (total payout $232,000).

Two more notable futures bets at Caesars:

• $30,000 Auburn +350, to win $105,000 (total payout $135,000)
• $10,000 UConn +900, to win $90,000 (total payout $100,000)

That UConn wager was made on June 10, a couple of months after the Huskies won their second straight championship. Surely that bettor would rather have money on UConn’s current price of +4000, which would’ve netted $400,000.

Still, that customer won’t be complaining if the Huskies somehow win a third straight title. Ninety thousand dollars is nothing to sneeze at.

Patrick Everson is a sports betting analyst for FOX Sports and senior reporter for VegasInsider.com. He is a distinguished journalist in the national sports betting space. He’s based in Las Vegas, where he enjoys golfing in 110-degree heat. Follow him on Twitter: @PatrickE_Vegas.

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