The Duke Blue Devils entered the 2024-25 men’s basketball season among the heaviest national championship favorites, an expectation that made sense with Cooper Flagg and three other five-star freshmen arriving on campus.
With two losses in the first six games, it felt like Duke might teeter from that perch in the first tier of title contenders, but six straight Blue Devils wins have them back below +1000.
Flagg, who won his fourth ACC Rookie of the Week award in seven weeks on Monday, is averaging 16.3 points, 8.6 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 1.5 steals, and 1.3 blocks through his first 12 games. He helped Duke beat the previously undefeated Auburn Tigers at the start of the month, and the Blue Devils took down Louisville and Georgia Tech on the road by 37 combined points for their first two ACC wins.
The Tigers remain the national championship favorites thanks to their wins over Houston and Iowa State, and Johni Broome and his teammates currently sit +650 to cut down the nets. Flagg and the Blue Devils are the only other team below +1000 with an implied 10% chance to win it all.
Four other schools are below +1500 in a balanced and competitive landscape through the holidays. Here’s a look at the top of the current betting board.
| Team | Odds |
|---|---|
| Auburn Tigers | +650 |
| Duke Blue Devils | +900 |
| Tennessee Volunteers | +1000 |
| Houston Cougars | +1400 |
| Gonzaga Bulldogs | +1400 |
| Connecticut Huskies | +1500 |
All College Basketball Odds Courtesy of BetMGM
Get more betting analysis and predictions at Sportsbook Wire.
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