The 2025-26 college basketball season is only a few days away, but as you are a savvy Hoops HQ reader, your eyes are not only focused on the start of the season. You’re thinking about the future.
Specifically, you’re thinking about how you can, shall we say, improve your circumstances by anticipating what will happen in the future. Fortunately for you, your resident hoops sayer is here. I’ve scanned all the sites, crunched the numbers, flipped a few coins, thrown some darts, and on two occasions I stuck a wet finger in the air. So I am ready to, shall we say, improve your circumstances.
I’m pleased to inform you that Hoops HQ is going to step up our gaming game this season. Not only will I be posting my world-renowned Picks Against the Spread column more frequently, but we will also be bringing on more experts, most notably Jason La Canfora, host of the Wanna Bet show.
Here, then, are my top 10 futures bets going into the new season. Needless to say, I’ve made these picks based not just on what I think will happen (or could happen), but where you can the best bang for your buck(s). That’s the name of the game, right?
1. Arkansas to win national championship (+3500 FanDuel)
There’s more parity at the top than people realize, which leaves us ripe for a surprising-but-not-shocking team to make a run to the title. The Razorbacks are as good a candidate as anyone. They’ve looked dominant in their exhibition wins over Cincinnati (by 28) and at Memphis (by 24), and their two heralded freshmen, Meleek Thomas and Darius Acuff, look even better than advertised. Those two youngsters are only going to get better over the next five months, and they are surrounded by capable veterans who can ensure they won’t have to carry too heavy a load. BetMGM and DraftKings both have the Hogs at +2500 so this is one to jump on.
2. Gonzaga to make the Final Four (+1000 DraftKings)
The Zags begin the season No. 8 on KenPom, yet DraftKings has them at No. 20 on their Final Four odds sheet. Gonzaga got some big news this week when senior forward Tyon Grant-Foster won an injunction to be able to play this season. He’ll join a front line that also includes two of the top returning big men in the country in Braden Huff and Graham Ike. Last season, the Zags fell one game short of extending their Sweet Sixteen streak to ten years. Mark Few has the type of team that can start a new streak, and if they are two wins from the Final Four, they can certainly get to Indianapolis.
3. Iowa State to win Big 12 (+1000 BetRivers)
It’s no surprise that Houston (+135) is the prohibitive favorite to win the league, which is what makes a wager on the Cougars less than worthwhile. Should the team get hit with injury or otherwise fail to perform up to expectations, the league could be wide open. The Cyclones are No. 13 in KenPom’s preseason rankings, which is third in the conference, yet Bet Rivers gives them the sixth-longest odds to win the regular season title. Most other sites have them fifth. This program has become a model of consistency under T.J. Otzelberger, who has taken the Cyclones to the NCAA Tournament in each of his first four seasons. Barring something really unforeseen, this will be year number five. The Cyclones have the chops to stay in the Big 12 race through the regular season.
4. Cam Boozer to win Naismith Award (+1200 FanDuel)
Only four freshmen have won this award in the last 17 years, but the last two came from Duke – Zion Williamson in 2019 and Cooper Flagg last year. No one would be surprised if Boozer added his name to this list, as evidenced by his incredible 24-point, 23-rebound, 6-assist, 1-turnover performance in the Blue Devils’ exhibition win at Tennessee. Boozer needed just one three-point field goal to post those numbers, which tells me it’s something he’s capable of doing with some consistency. And Duke will need him to have a POY-type season in order to reach its ultimate team goals. Yet, FanDuel lists him as the fifth-most likely candidate to win the Naismith.
5. Tennessee to win SEC (+850 DraftKings)
The conventional wisdom is that Florida and Kentucky are ahead of the pack in the SEC, which is why the consensus odds (Florida +260, Kentucky +310) make them a low-value proposition. That’s not the case with the Vols, who are No. 9 in KenPom’s preseason rankings. Tennessee has one of the top transfers in the country in Jakobi Gillespie, one of the top freshmen in Nate Ament, and one of the top coaches in Rick Barnes. The Vols are also coming into the season with less pressure than the two favorites (and in the case of Kentucky, fewer injury concerns). DraftKings offers the best odds on this play (Caesars and BetRivers have the Vols at +700), so I would advise you to jump on this before Tennessee rips off some wins and the odds deflate.
6. Dayton to win Atlantic 10 (+500 Caesars)
The Flyers have the highest KenPom preseason rating than any team in the Atlantic-10, yet none of the sites have them favored to win the regular season. Caesars is offering the longest odds, behind Saint Louis (+285) and VCU (+325). George Washington is also among the top two at most places. The Flyers have some uncertainty surrounding the status of Iona transfer Adam Nijie Jr. who is being held out due to eligibility concerns, but this is a proud program run by a veteran coach in Anthony Grant. And the A-10 seems pretty jammed up on the top tier.
7. UCLA to win Big Ten (+850 Caesars)
It’s no surprise that Purdue (+125) and Michigan (+325) lead the pack here, but UCLA is a pretty good value play. The Bruins are No. 10 on KenPom, which is the third-highest in the conference and one spot ahead of the Wolverines. The consensus on the gambling sites pegs UCLA to finish fourth in the league, with Caesars offering the longest odds. (FanDuel has them at +550 to win the league.) This is a big year for Mick Cronin, and he has basically forsaken high school recruiting to build a roster around veteran retention and the transfer portal. One of those transfers is senior point guard Donovan Dent, who was the Mountain West player of the year last season at New Mexico.
8. Duke to win national championship (+1400 DraftKings)
DraftKings offers longer odds on the Blue Devils than FanDuel (+1100) and BetMGM (+1300). Duke was on the verge of winning a title last season until its epic collapse against Houston in the Final Four. The freshman class isn’t quite as good as last year’s, but Boozer has served notice that he could be headed for a Flagg-type season. Duke was also one of the few power conference teams that did not lose a single player to the transfer portal. Jon Scheyer is a capable coach who no doubt learned some hard lessons from the way last season ended.
9. San Diego State to make Final Four (+2000 DraftKings)
I scrolled down DK’s list of Final Four futures until I found a longshot that leaped out at me. The Aztecs have a terrific three-man nucleus in 6-foot-5 senior guard Reese Dixon-Waters, who missed all of last season with a foot injury; 6-foot-6 junior guard Miles Byrd, who nearly entered the NBA Draft last spring; and 7-foot sophomore center Magoon Gwath, an elite shotblocker whose offensive game has shown potential. Plus, they have a coach in Brian Dutcher who has been there forever, and a defense-oriented system that has proven to be effective in March. The Aztecs may feel like a bit of a longshot, but given the craziness that unfolds in the NCAA Tournament I think they’re a smart play.
10. Purdue to win national championship (+950 DraftKings)
DraftKings gives the Boilermakers longer odds than the other sites to win it all. Purdue looked a little underwhelming (especially athletically) during its exhibition loss at Kentucky, but this team is built for the long haul, and especially for March. Keep in mind that only three teams in the last 25 years have been ranked No. 1 in the preseason AP poll and then won the national championship. That’s partly why I didn’t rank this wager higher.
