As March Madness unfolds, college basketball fans and bettors alike turn their attention to the NCAAB Final Four — the penultimate stage of the NCAA Tournament. After weeks of single-elimination action that begin with 68 teams, only four remain to battle for a spot in the national championship game.
| 2025/26 NCAAB Championship |  |  |  |
|---|---|---|---|
| Houston | +900 | +910 | +900 |
| Duke | +1000 | +1050 | +1000 |
| Connecticut | +1400 | +1400 | +1400 |
| Louisville | +1700 | +1800 | +1700 |
| Auburn | +1800 | +1800 | +1800 |
| Purdue | +1900 | +1900 | +2000 |
| Brigham Young | +2000 | +2000 | +2000 |
| Kentucky | +2000 | +2000 | +2000 |
| Arkansas | +2000 | +2000 | +2000 |
| Kansas | +2000 | +2000 | +2000 |
| Alabama | +2000 | +2000 | +2000 |
| Texas Tech | +2000 | +2000 | +2000 |
| Michigan | +2500 | +2500 | +2500 |
| St. John's | +2500 | +2500 | +2500 |
| Tennessee | +2500 | +2500 | +2500 |
| Michigan State | +3000 | +3000 | +3000 |
| Gonzaga | +3000 | +3000 | +3000 |
| Iowa State | +3000 | +3000 | +3000 |
| Arizona | +4000 | +4000 | +4000 |
| Baylor | +4000 | +4000 | +4000 |
| UCLA | +4000 | +4000 | +4000 |
| North Carolina | +4000 | +4000 | +4000 |
Sportsbooks are already posting 2025–26 NCAA Basketball Final Four odds, allowing bettors to predict which programs will make it to college basketball’s biggest weekend. The official Final Four lineup for the 2025–26 season will be set after the Elite Eight games in late March 2026, just days before the semifinal matchups tip off at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis.
The NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament (March Madness) reaches its peak during the Final Four, when only four teams remain from the original 68-team field. These semifinal matchups determine which two programs will advance to the national championship game.
Each game in the tournament is single elimination, meaning one loss ends a team’s run. The two semifinal winners move on to the title game, while the losing teams’ seasons conclude (the NCAA has not held a third-place game since 1981).
Most college basketball teams play roughly 30 to 35 regular-season games, followed by their conference tournament and potentially the NCAA Tournament. Historically dominant programs like UCLA (11 titles), Kentucky (8), and Duke (5) are perennial favorites to make deep tournament runs and often appear among the betting favorites for the Final Four.
There’s no single “best” place to bet on college basketball, but there are plenty of excellent sportsbook options for bettors to choose from. With so many platforms competing for attention—each offering different odds, bonuses, and features—it can be tough to know where to start.
Make life easier by checking out our recommended sportsbooks for NCAA basketball betting. Our curated list includes both regulated U.S. sportsbooks and trusted offshore sportsbooks, so you can easily compare odds, promotions, and user experience all in one place.
Regulated sportsbooks—like DraftKings, FanDuel, and BetMGM—are licensed at the state level and operate under U.S. gaming laws. They’re ideal for players who want locally approved options and responsible-gaming protections.
Offshore sportsbooks—such as Bovada, BetOnline, and BetUS—are based outside the United States but accept American bettors. These platforms typically offer broader markets, higher limits, and crypto-friendly banking, though they operate under international regulations rather than state oversight.
No matter where you play, it’s worth comparing odds before placing a bet. Just as MLB fans shop around for value across the 162-game season, college basketball bettors should explore multiple sportsbooks to lock in the most favorable lines throughout March Madness.
Vegas Final Four odds can move quickly, with so many high-stakes games packed into a short window. Planning ahead—deciding which teams to back and when to place your bets—can make all the difference. But before you dive in, it’s helpful to understand the different ways odds are displayed across sportsbooks.
Most major online sportsbooks allow you to view odds in three main formats:
NCAA basketball fans are spoiled for choice when it comes to Final Four betting markets. From moneylines and point spreads to player props and futures, there’s always action to be found. Accuracy in predicting outcomes during the Final Four is nearly impossible, though—statistically, the odds of picking a perfect March Madness bracket are roughly 1 in 2.4 trillion. That’s about as likely as predicting the correct score of every single MLS match in a season.
Las Vegas odds for the 2026 NCAA Basketball Final Four feature a wide range of betting options and markets for fans to explore. One of the most popular is point spread betting, which allows bettors to wager on either team even when there’s a clear favorite. In point spread betting, oddsmakers assign a margin of victory (the “spread”) to balance the matchup. Bettors then predict whether the favored team will win by more than the listed margin or if the underdog will lose by fewer points—or win outright.
If UCLA enters a Final Four matchup as –6.5 favorites, they must win by 7 points or more to “cover the spread.” Conversely, if you bet on their opponent at +6.5, that team can lose by up to 6 points (or win the game) for your bet to pay out.
Point spread betting remains one of the most exciting and strategic ways to wager during March Madness, keeping even the most one-sided 2026 Final Four games competitive right down to the buzzer.
One of the other popular Final Four betting lines is against the spread betting, which is popular across all betting markets, not just NCAA basketball. Every game in the NCAA season will have odds that favor one team. This provides bettors with what’s known as a favorite, while the team expected to lose is known as the underdog.
Betting against the spread is simply a betting strategy, which offers bettors a wider market to bet on, rather than simply following the win/loss markets. If a bettor believes the team they are betting on can overcome their opponent winning by at least the point spread selected, this is known as against the spread betting.
Final Four betting can be complex, but ultimately it’s all about understanding the basics then things become a lot clearer. For example, if Duke is up against Kentucky and the Blue Devils have odds of +5, while Wildcats have odds of -5, Duke would have to win by more than 5 points for the bettor to win.
Over/under betting—often called totals betting—is one of the simplest wager types to understand. It involves predicting whether the combined total score of both teams will be over or under a number set by the sportsbook.
If the listed total is 208.5 points, a wager on the over wins when the teams score 209 or more combined points, while an under bet wins if the total stays at 208 or below. This type of bet focuses entirely on the pace and scoring of the game rather than which team wins, making it a popular option for fans who enjoy analyzing offensive and defensive matchups.
Let’s take a look at an example over/under line:
Total over 208.5 (4.5)
The above figure shows that the bettor has placed a wager on the combined total of the two games coming to 208.5, with odds of 4.5 (decimal odds). If the bettor places a $10 bet on 4.5 odds, they will be paid $45 if the game goes beyond 209 points total. However, if the total points reach anywhere below 209, including 208, the house wins.
