After making the Final Four for just the second time in program history, Auburn basketball has a new set of challenges to overcome if another deep NCAA Tournament run is on the horizon in the 2025-26 season.
Nearly all the players who helped the Tigers hit the 32-win mark are moving on. The list includes Johni Broome, Dylan Cardwell, Miles Kelly, Denver Jones, Chris Moore, Ja’Heim Hudson and JP Pegues.
Luckily, the transfer portal allows teams to retool on the fly, avoiding long and sometimes painful rebuilds. Head coach Bruce Pearl wasted no time acquiring elite players to replace the extremely talented group hitting the exit door.
According to 247Sports, Auburn has the seventh-best incoming transfer class in the nation. Now, Pearl must get a group of fresh faces to come together and compete at a high level in the toughest conference in college basketball.
Auburn’s latest national championship odds show what the top betting sites think of the Tigers in the early phases of the offseason.
Auburn basketball 2025-26 national championship odds (+2500 at BetMGM)
Odds as of May 7:
| Sportsbook | Odds |
|---|---|
| BetMGM | +2500 |
| DraftKings | +3000 |
| FanDuel | +3000 |
| bet365 | +2500 |
| Caesars | +3000 |
| Fanatics | +2200 |
The odds vary depending on which platform you check, but oddsmakers from every sportsbook expect Auburn to take a step back next season. At BetMGM, the Tigers are tied with Alabama, Arkansas, Texas Tech, Michigan and Arizona for the 11th-best national championship odds.
There’s no need to panic if you’re an Auburn fan. According to SportsOddsHistory.com, the past three national championship-winning teams held preseason odds ranging from +2000 to +8000. Since the 2010-2011 season, six national champions were +2000 or longer before the season.
At this time last year, BetMGM gave the Tigers +3000 odds to win the NCAA Tournament. Despite the long odds, Auburn marched all the way to the Final Four before a six-point loss to Florida. The Tigers proved oddsmakers wrong last year, and history could repeat itself in the 2025-2026 campaign.
DraftKings, FanDuel and Caesars offer the best value if you plan to bet on Auburn winning the national championship. Each sportsbook lists the Tigers at +3000, and a $10 bet would return $300 if Pearl pulls it off.
Auburn basketball 2025-26 season outlook after spring transfer portal
The college basketball transfer portal window closed on April 22, and Pearl now has a better sense of what his roster will look like for the upcoming season. But not everything is set in stone just yet.
Auburn lost three players to the portal: Chad Baker-Mazara, Jahki Howard and Addarin Scott. Baker-Mazara’s portal exit was the most surprising and impactful after averaging 12.3 points, three rebounds and 2.7 assists per game in 2024-2025. The 25-year-old would’ve been a crucial piece next season, but he’s taking his talents to USC instead.
Freshman standout Tahaad Pettiford declared for the NBA Draft while maintaining college eligibility. Pettiford must make his decision by May 28, and the young star told ESPN he’ll return to Auburn if he chooses to remove his name from the NBA Draft.
Getting Pettiford back for another year would be monumental. He averaged 11.6 points and three assists off the bench, and will play a much larger role if he returns. Spending another year in college could be beneficial, as he was recently projected to go late in round one in a mock draft by CBS Sports.
With Baker-Mazara, Kelly, Howard and Moore gone, Pearl and his staff focused on picking up wing players. Keyshawn Hall (UCF) was the first player Pearl got from the portal. Hall led the Big 12 in scoring last year and could be the most reliable addition, considering his performance in a high-major conference.
Abdul Bashir (JUCO) scored 27.2 points per game at Casper College last season. He’s excellent from beyond the arc and should fill Kelly’s role as the Tigers’ top 3-point shooter.
Elyjah Freeman (Division II) is a versatile athlete with great size. Kevin Overton (Texas Tech) isn’t much of a scorer but plays phenomenal defense. The Tigers have a young backcourt, and Overton promises to be a leader of the group.
While the period for players to enter the transfer portal is closed, there are still some players who haven’t picked a new team yet. Pearl and his staff may be on the hunt for another big man to replace Broome and Cardwell’s production.
Auburn has already added frontcourt players like KeShawn Murphy (portal), Emeka Opurum (portal) and Sebastian Williams-Adams (incoming freshman). However, the frontcourt is still thin in terms of depth and experience, which could cause issues if Pearl doesn’t find another big.
Pearl has done a tremendous job of addressing Auburn’s weaknesses following the departures from a stellar 2024-2025 Tigers team. While the offseason success is cause for optimism, I recommend holding off on betting Auburn to win the national championship until Pettiford makes a decision.
Continuity is king in college basketball, and Pettiford’s status will have a massive impact on the Tigers’ ceiling next season.
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