NCAA Tournament betting odds: UConn 2025 title favorites after Hurley rejects Lakers

Gonzaga listed at +2000 odds to win its first national championship

Photo by Erik Smith, Myk Crawford

Dan Hurley’s decision to reject the Los Angeles Lakers and return to Storrs, Connecticut, to pursue a third straight national championship as head coach of the UConn Huskies had major implications on the hierarchy of college basketball — and betting lines across major U.S. sportsbooks.

With Hurley onboard, the Huskies are once again the favorites on FanDuel Sportsbook to win the 2025 NCAA Tournament at +1000 betting odds, tied with the Kansas Jayhawks for the shortest odds. Duke and Alabama trail at +1200 odds each, followed by Houston (+1800) and Baylor, North Carolina and Gonzaga tied at +2000.

Late last week, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported that the Lakers were interested in hiring Hurley as the franchise’s next head coach. As Hurley met with LA’s brass heading into the weekend, UConn’s title odds dipped to +1400. Some sportsbooks even had the Lakers as the betting favorite to be Hurley’s next coaching destination.

BetOnline just released Lakers head coaching odds and give the Lakers an 80% chance of hiring Dan Hurley.

Where will Dan Hurley coach basketball in 2024-25:
Los Angeles Lakers: -400 (1/4)
UConn Huskies: +300 (3/1)

— Arash Markazi (@ArashMarkazi) June 9, 2024

Now the Huskies are the favorites to win a third consecutive title, a feat that hasn’t been pulled off since John Wooden’s UCLA Bruins in the 1970s. Hurley’s pursuit of history will be without two NBA lottery picks (Donovan Clingan and Stephon Castle) and All-American guard Tristen Newton. Alex Karaban returned after testing the draft waters, while two-time All-WCC guard Aidan Mahaney and top-10 recruit Liam McNeely joined the ranks.

For reference, UConn’s preseason odds to win the 2024 national championship were +2000. In 2022-23, its odds were +8000. Despite losing some key faces, Hurley has the Huskies in position to contend for the 3-peat. 

The Bulldogs, who are tied for the fourth-shortest odds to win the 2025 title at +2000, are among the favorites after seven of their top eight scorers from last season’s Sweet 16 team returned. Mark Few also reeled in All-WCC wing Michael Ajayi, high-scoring guard Khalif Battle and defensive specialist Emmanuel Innocenti from the transfer portal. Colgate transfer and Patriot League Player of the Year Braeden Smith committed to the Zags as well and will take a redshirt year.

According to Bart Torvik, Gonzaga returned 81.4% of its minutes played from last season — the fifth-highest rate in the country. All-WCC selections Ryan Nembhard, Nolan Hickman and Graham Ike are back in the fold, as well as Ben Gregg, Braden Huff and Dusty Stromer. Jun Seok Yeo, Joe Few, Joaquim Aruz-Moore and Steele Venters, the latter of whom missed last season with an ACL injury, round out the group of returners.

Heading into last season, notable without Drew Timme, Gonzaga’s preseason odds were +3000. The season prior, the Zags were the betting favorites at +900. They were also the preseason favorites in 2021-22.